A "KINGDOM" FOR SALE.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 112, 8 November 1906, Page 8

A "KINGDOM" FOR SALE.

NO TAXES : NO MOTOR DUST. ONLY OFFER £19,000. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, 28th September. The sum of £19,000 seems a small amount to offer for a "kingdom." Yet when Lundy Island, in the Bristol Channel, with its hostory romantic, and notorious, and its "Charles Kingsley" associations, was put up for auc-tion this week that was the best offer obtained, so the "kingdom" was bought in and the island still remains the property of its owner, the Rev. Hudson Heaven — locally the island is known as "The Kingdom of Heaven." Lundy has not been , offered at auction since 1840 ; then, bo it is said, somebody ambled accidentally into tae sale room and bought it with as little fuss as ho might buy a suburban villa ; the purchaser was the father of the present owner and vendor. Lundy Island has been much to the front lately as the scene of the wreck of the splendid warship Montagu, which ran on to the jagged Shutter Rocks at the south of the island where she still remains. In glowing terms this week the auctioneer described the charms of Lundy and tho many advantages entailed by its ownership, but no higher bid than £19,000 was reached. On Lundy Island the rate and tax collector is unknown, attached to it is an annual income of £630 ; nnd its grand quarries are reputed to be worth a fortune. However, despite the fact that the island comprises 1046 acres, has 9 miles of coast line, and contains a small army of retainers, tho bidding opened only with an offer of £10,000. From the first, ono of those who seemed to be greatly interested was a lady in a blue dress and a picture hat, against whom her male rivals seemed reluctant to bid. "A little kingdom for a little king, an empire for a little emperor," cried the auctioneer. "No >*ates, no taxes, and no motor dust.'^ Only by much assiduous coaxing on -'the part of the auctioneer did tho offers go up by £500 bids to £17,000, and then by £250 bids to £19,000, at which sum the island was withdrawn. In all about five persons did the bidding, the last offer coming from Mr. Allan Sandys. It is announced that tho island will not be offered for sale again, but will in all probability be disposed of by private treaty. Lundy Islthd has an interesting history, the first authentic record of which begins in tho 11th century, when it was in tho possession of Sir Jordan dc Mariseo, whose castle now stands converted into four cottages. Henry 11. granted tho island to the Knights Templars on account of the "obnoxious conduct" of tho Lord of Lundy, but the lattcr's family 1 seems to have retained possession of it until the attempted murder of Henry 111., at the instigation of dc Mnrisco, proved their I downfall, the head of tho house and sixteen of his associates being hanged in 1242. It afterwards passed into various hands by direct grant of the Crown, and was in tho 17th century notorious as the haunt of pirates and smugglers. Exceptional privileges have always been attached to tho island, which is unrecognised for Imperial taxation or county or municipal rating purposes, and as the lord is autocrat of his domain, no persons, except pilots, can go beyond the beach without his permission. Precisely what is to be the future of Lundy was not determined this week, but all sorts of programmes were unfolded. After himself hinting that when Hying machines become popular, the island will double in value, the auctioneer said it, had been impressed on him that the island might be turned into a holiday resort, a menagerie where wild beasts could have a reasonable measuro of liberty, a slaughter-house where foreign cattle could be landed, a hydropathic establishment with ample grounds, a retiring place for a religious community, or a scene of active operations for a granite-quarrying company. But all to no avail.