DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIV, Issue 100, 2 May 1899, Page 2

DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BEAUFORT.

■ fTJNITID PBKBS ASSOCIATION.] Received May 2, 10 a.m. London, May 1. Obituary— Duke of Beaufort, aged 75. [For the first of the Beauforts one must go back to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who was a son of Edward 111. He married Catherine Swinford, and their sons took the name of Beaufort from a French castle m whioh they were born, the second being Cardinal Beaufort, immortalised m Shakespeare's " Henry VI." The wealth of the family was derived from the marriage of a Beaufort with the heiress of Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, and to get at his parentage we go back to our Henry 1., whose natural son was the first Herbert of history. Through this marriage large estates m South Wales came into the Beaufort family, and on the strength of this marriage the Beaufort family seem to have rested, for never again do they do anything worthy of note. One of ; them spent £300,000 m the cause of Charles 1., and another dabbled m science. The first Beaufort who was created a Duke gets into Maoauley's 1 history on account of his wealth and magnificence. Some idea of his position is gained from the fact that nine tables were spread every day under his roof for 200 persons. A crowd of gentleman and pages were under the orders of his steward. The fame of his kitohen, cellar, kennels and stables was spread all over England. From- his day to the present the duoal house has been known for little else but its devotion to sport, which has only been equalled by its devotion to the Tory cause. The present Duke (the Bth) was born m 1824, and was educated at Eton. He married m 1845 Lady Georgina, daughter of the Earl of Howe. He was Conservative M.P. for East Gloucestershire, 1848-53. He was Master of the House m Lord Derby's Ministries 1858-9 and 1866-68. He edited the Badminton Library, and wrote most of the volume on " Driving."]