THE SEAFIELD ESTATES.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17400, 10 March 1922, Page 2

THE SEAFIELD ESTATES.

LORD STRATHSPEY'S CHILDREN;

(iBOM 008 OWN COnRXSrOMDKNI.)

LONDON, January 25,

Two days ago, the yirst Division of the Court of Session, Edinburgh, dis; posed of a petition by the Trustees of the late Caroline, Countess of Seafield, for authority to contribute towards the education of contingent beneficiaries under her will. The lady died on October 6th, 1911, and at that date was the widow of the seventh Earl of Seafield. She had succeeded under the will of her son, the eighth Earl, who; predeceased her, to extensive "unentailed landed estates in Morayshire, and Invefr-ness-shiro, of which she was the fee simple proprietor. The present Countess of Seafield is the daughter of the trustee's grand-nephew, James, born in New Zealand in 1876, who was the eleventh Earl when his grandaunt died. The Earldom of Seafield, in the peerage of Scotland, gees in the female line, and the Barony : of Strathspey, in the peerage of the United Kingdom, which James also held, in the male line. James was killed in the war and left one child, the present Countess. His younger brother became the present Baron Strathspey. Lord Strathspey is mawied' and has two children, a son and a daughter. Be is a member of the London County' Council, and has no private means except such as are derived from Lady Seafield's Trust, from which >he received a capital sum of £IO,OOO and an annual allowance of £IOOO.

Last June the Court remitted the petition to Lord Kinross to enquire into the facts and make a report. Lord Kinross reported that the Trustees in the petition asked power to expend out of the Trust funds a sum not exceeding £6OO per annum on the. education and maintenance at school of Lord Strathspey's two children until they respectively attained the age of 19. The basis of the application was that the circumstances of Lord Strathspey were insufficient to enable him to accord to these children, and in particular to his son, the class of education suitable to and usually enjoyed by those who might be called upon to take a prominent position in life, involving the ownership and administration of large and important landed interests. The position was that the present Lady Seafiwd, a girl of 15, would, if she attained the age of 40, be entitled to a conveyance of the estates. If, howover, she died before that age, leaving no isaue, tl'e Seafield title would Wert to Lrcd Strathspey, if alive. In.th>.t e%ent, however, Lord Strathspey did not succeed to the estates, which would continue to be held by the Trustees during his life If Lord Strathspey succeeded to the other title, and his only son survived him.-the latter would fall heir to the Seafield title, and would be entitled on attaining the age of 21, to a conveyance of the estates. The circumstances of the Trust were unusual, and free income was ample. The Court refused the petition as unnecessary, holding that the petitioners already possessed the powers which they asked the. Court to grant, and that the proper course wo» to refuse the petition as unnecessary. ,