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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19454, 9 October 1926, Page 11

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COUNTESS OF KINNOULL. TIMELY FORTUNE FOR EARL. A. and N.Z. LONDON. Oct. 7. The youthful Countess of Kinnoull, who is a millionairess under the will of her lato mother, Mrs. HamiUon-Fellowes, intends to leave England. She says:— "I shall live in England as little as possible. I care nothing about my titlo. I would be much happier without it. What a pity it is these honours cannot go to the many people who esteem them and who are anxious to possess them." It is interesting to noto that £1,000,000 comes to the Earl of Kinnoull within two months of a bankruptcy order issued against him on t.ho petition of a moneylender. The earl attributed his failure to the fact that he had been living beyond his means. Just prior to his marriage the carl figured prominently in the press owing to his mother's objection to his proposed marriage to a vouug widow. Ho was packed off to South Africa, and when ho returned ho married the present countoss. It was a case of love at first sight. The Countess of Kinnoull was married to the 13th carl in 1923. She was formerly Miss Enid Hamillon-Eellowcs. Her mother's death occurred recently. The latter was a member of tho Wills family, of tobacco fame, and she left a fortune of £2,000,000. The Earl of Kinnoull is 24 years of ago and be succeeded his grandfather to tho title in 1916. At the bankruptcy proceedings referred to in the message his statement of affairs disclosed liabilities totalling £26,972. Tho earl said that on his marriage he executed a marriage settlement comprising his interest in the Kinnoull estates, and his wife executed a settlement under which he became entitled to tho interest from a sum of £16,000. This income came to an end when he ceased to live with his wife in August, 1925. Ho agreed that, he could not justify the rate of extravagant ex q penditure which had caused him to resort to money-lenders. He had given them promissory notes to tho value of £7425, and had received £4200, out of which he had paid over £2OOO as commission to in- 1 troducers.