THE SEAFIELD ESTATES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18509, 21 March 1922, Page 8

THE SEAFIELD ESTATES

LORD STRATHSPEY'S CHILDREN. PETITION FOE THEIR EDUCATION. (From Ooe Own Cobbf.spondent.) LONDON. January 25. Two days ago, the First Division of the Court of Session, Edinburgh, disposed 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 6. 1911, and at that date was the widow of the seventh Earl of Seafield. She had succeeded under the will of her son, the eight earl, who predeceased her, to extensive' unentailed landed estates in Banffshire, Morayshire, and Inver-ness-shire, of which she was the fee simple proprietor. The present Countess of Senfield is the daughter of the trustee’s grandnephew. James, born in New Zealand in 1876, who was the eleventh earl when his grand-aunt died. The Earldom of Seafield, in the peerage of Scotland, goes 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 married, and has two children—a son and a daughter. He 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 «uni of £IO,OOO and an annual allowance of £IOOO. POWERS OP THE TRUSTEES. Last June the court remitted the petition to Lord Kinross to inquire 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 <iud maintenance at school of Lord Strathspey's two children until they respectively attained the age of 10. 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 b© called upon to take a prominent position in life, involving the ownership and administration of largo and important landed interests. The position was that the present Lady Seafield, a girl of IS, would, if she attained tho age of 40, be entitled to a conveyance of the estates. If, however, she died bpfore that age, leaving no issue, the Seafield title would revert to Lord Strathspey, if alive. In that event, however, Lord Strathspey did not succeed to the estates, which would continue to be held by tho trustees during his life. If liord Strathspey succeeded to the other title, and Lin only son survived him, tho hitter would fall heir to tho Seafield title, and would be entitled on attaining the age of 21 to a conveyance of tho estates. The circumstances of the trust were unusual, and free income was ample, Tho court refused tho petition as unnecessary, holding that the petitioners already possessed tho powers which they asked the court to grunt, and that tho proper course was to refuse the petition as unnecessary.