AN OLD SCOTCH FAMILY

Evening Star, Issue 18393, 29 September 1923, Page 17

AN OLD SCOTCH FAMILY

THE ROMANCE OF GLAMIS,

[Written by Canon Newill, for the ‘Evening Star.’]

I daresay a good many people who heard of the present Duchess of York before her marriage as Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon wondered why she oamo to hare two surnames, though there aro several noble families who have two, one or two, even three. For instance, the Cavendish-Bentincks aro a combination of the old Fast Anglian Cavendishes and the Dutch Bentincks of tho Duke of Port-

land’s family. Tho Bowes family was not the true stern that was the noble stock of Lyon. The Lyons were the family who held Glamia, whore tho mysterious room was, and ids mysterious se-

cret. Tho Bowes family had a beautiful homo, Stroatlam Castle and Gibsidc, which

came to them through the Blakiston family, a beautiful Tudoresque house which will be found in the ‘Life of Augustus Haro.’

One of tho striking things about society in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries is that it was a law unto itself.

The Lady who bathed in black acid la only one case. Anyone who reads tho memoirs of that date will conclude that most of tho aristocracy were mad. They were not, of course, out they were certainly far more daring and original than we arq to-day. Now education and democracy have given as the ideals of a flock of sheep. We are jealous of originality or force of character as only fit for the Police Court.

It will probably appeal to Scotchmen to know that tho Duchess of York is in-

directly connected with John Knox. The Bowes part of tho family had a beautiful home called StreatLam Castle, which came to Mr Bowes, tho only (natural) son of the tenth Earl of Strathmore, and a beautiful girl, Mary Milner. A Mistress Bowes of Streatlara in tho sixteenth century became Mistress John Knox. The Lyons were tho main stock. Streatlara Castle in 1861 must have been a curious place. Augustus Hare, in his ‘ Story of My Life,’ sayai “Everything is arranged for you, from the moment you get up till the moment you go to bad, and you are never allowed to deviate from the rules laid down. We are called at 8, and at 10 march in to breakfast with the same procession ns at dinner, only at this meal ’ Madame ’ Bowes does not appear, for she is then reclining in a bath of coalblack acid, which ‘ refreshes her system, but leaves her nails black.’ After breakfast wo are all set down to employment appointed for tho morning. At 12 Madame appears, having painted tho lids of her jet black, eyes with belladonna.

At 2 the bell rings for luncheon, and we are fetched if not punctual to an instant.

At 3 wo aro all sent out driving. At 7 we dine in great splendor, and afterwards wo sit in tho oak drawing room and talk about oar ancestors.”

Augustus Hare, speaking of Mary Milner, says: “My grandmother’s first cousin, John, Earl of Stratlrmore, was a very agreeable and popular man, but by no moans a moral character. Living near

his Castle of Stroatlam was a beautiful girl named Mary Milner, daughter of a market gardener at Staindrop. With this girl he went through a false ceremony of marriage, after which, in all innocence, she lived with him as his wife. Their only boy, John Bowes, was sent to Eton as Lord Glands. On his death-bed Lord Strathmore confessed to Mary Milner that their marriage was false, and that she was not really his wife. She said i “ I understand that you mean to many me now, but that will not do; there must be no more secret marriages.” And, ill as he was, she had everyone within roach summoned to attend the ceremony, and she had him carried to church, and was mar-

ried to him before all the world. Lord Strathmore died soon after ho re-entered tho house, but he left her Countess of Strathmore. It was too late to legitirna-

tiso John Bowes. Lady Strathmore always behaved well. As soon as she was a widoiv she said to all tho people whom she had known as her husband’s relations, and friends that if they liked to keep up her acquaintance she should be very grateful to them, and always glad to see them when they came to her; but thait she should never enter any house on a visit again j and she never did. Lady Strathmore received with pleasure my proposal of a visit to Qibside. She was a stately woman, still beautiful, and sho had educated herself since her youth; hut from her quiet life, full of unostentatious charity, she had become very eccen-

trie. Ono of her oddities waa that her only measurement of time was 1,000 years. 1 ‘ls it long since you have seen Mrs Dandsonf’ I said. ‘Yes, one thousand years.’ ” “ ‘ Hava you had your dog a long time?’ ” “‘A thousand year?.’’’ “‘That must bo a very old picture,'”

“‘Yea, a thousand years.’” | Gibsido waa a charming place. Tho long, ; many-orielled battlementcd house was reached through exquisite woods running down to the Derwent. A tall column in the park commemorates tho victory of George Bowes (tho father of tho unhappy ninth Lady Strathmore), who married a Blakiston, the heiress of Gibson, over Sir Hobart Walpole at a. Newcastle election. Tho house had two ghosts—one “in a silk dress,” being that Lady Tyrooanel who died in the house while living there on somewhat too intimate terms with John, Earl of Strathmore. Us gave her a funeral which almost ruined file estate. Her face was painted like the most brilliant life. Ho dressed her head himself, and then, having decked her out in all her jewels and covered her with lace from I head to foot, ho scut her up to London, causing her to Ho in state at every town upon the road, and finally to bo buried in Westminster Abbey. Evidently there had been wild blood in the family. In the medieval days ' Debrctfc’s Peerage’ tells us that John Lyon, | who died in 1528, must have left trouble behind him, for his heir, Lord Glands, his widow, a kinsman, and an old priest were ! indicted fo r designs against the lifo of James V. by poison or witchcraft; and the unfortunate countess, who was per- j fectly innocent, was condemned to tho ! (lames, and suffered on tho Castle Hill at; Edinburgh, July 17, 1587. Lord Glamis - was sentenced to bo executed and his es- j tales forfeited, but was respited until ho i attained his majority. What a prospect I for a boy to look forward to, with the picture of his mother burning on the Castle Hill before his eyes 1 The good old times were very bad old times, despite their romance. Eventually tho accuser , confessed that the whole story was a , fabrication ; hut I don’t think history men- ! lions what was done to him, though wo feo! something connected with boiling oil and molten lead, as Pooh P.ah said, would j have boon appropriate. j