LADY COTTENHAM'S DEATH

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 426, 8 July 1913, Page 2

LADY COTTENHAM'S DEATH

In the early hours of the evening on May 2 the Countess of Cottenham was found shot through the heart m a wbod near her home at Goring-on-Thames. The body was discovered by the Earl m very sad and tragic circumstances. In the afternoon she had been romping m the grounds with her three boys, who were enjoying the last day of their school holidays. The Earl went with the boys to Reading, eight miles away, m order to see them off to school again. When he returned to Elyenden Priory, the family's Goring residence, he could not see his wife anywhere about the grounds, and therefore went m search of her along a path m a wood m which she had previously been giving a gardener some instructions. Here he found the countess lying dead, with a shot wound m her breast, and a gun lying a few feet away. Lord Cottenham himself was the first witness examined at the inquest. He identified the body as that of his wife, who was 46 j'ears of age. On the previous afternoon he went to Reading to see his boy off to school, and he returned to Elvenden Priory at 3.15. He did not see Lady Cottenham about, and went to look for her. Some little time later he went to the woods to inspect a path which was being improved. When he had gone 50 yards he found the body of his wife lying on her left side. Five or six yards away there was a gun pointed away from' the body. Before he went out his wife was m her usual spirits, and was quite cheerful. She was running about with the boys, as it was their last day at home before going to school, and doing some gardening, and endeavoring to make it as cheerful as possible for the lads. At this point the coroner read a number of letters which had been written by Lady Cottenham during the day. He pointed out that they referred to personal and business matters. Lady Cottenham, he said, had m communicating with friends made future engagements. At the time, as the letters proved, deceased was m a normal state of mind.

Sergeant Cooling, the village official, who spoke as to examining the gun, said he found m it one live cartridge and oae spent cartridge. In addition, there were two live cartridges m the pocket of the countess's jacket. Dr Evans said he examined the body. The charge had entered the body under the left breast, and then emerged from the left side of the back. The wound was sufficient to prove fatal, and showed also that the gun must have been fired at very close quarters, probably a very few inches away. Lord Henry Nevill said he was brother of the deceased. He gave his address as Eridge Castle, Sussex. He was at Goring a week ago, and Lady Cottenham then seemed to be very happy. She was looking forward with great pleasure to visiting him and also her father at Abergavenny. She was an excellent shot with rifle and gun, and frequently carried a gun about. Witness said he had seen her carrj'ing a gun m all sorts of ways, and he had cautioned her. He gave a demonstration with a gun to show how it should be carried and should not be carried. Lady Cottenham probably carried it m an insecure way. Sergeant Cooling, recalled, said Lady Cottenham had several valuables on her at the time of the discovery. Tho Coroner, summing up, said the evidence was simple. Probably her ladyship slipped when carrying the gun m a more or less insecure fashion, and she received the charge m the breast. From the doctor's evidence deceased probably lived only a few minutes, and as she was dying she moved away a few feet and propped herself against a tree. There was not a shred of evidence to suggest anything but death from an unfortunate accident. A verdict was then returned of death from misadventure, caused by the accidental firing of a gun Lady Cottenham was carrying.

The Countess of Cottenham was one ot the beautiful twin daughters of the Marquis of Abergavenny, who were well known before they were married !» 8 -kady Rose and Lady Violet Nevill. !4t t7' W 3l? n only 21 ' she married Mr John Blundell Leigh, who is a prominent figure m the racing and social world. She had by this marriage one daughter, Miss Honor Leigh, who was born m 1892. The Leigh divorce suit m May, 1899, with the Earl of Cottenham as the co-respondent, attracted much attention, and Lady Rose Leigh and Lord Cottenham were married m the same year. It may be recalled that some years ago' a welldressed woman was charged at Marylebone Police Court with obtaining flowers from a firm of West End florists by representing herself as the Countess of Cottenham. The real Lady Cottenham told the magistrate that she had been annoyed for several years by someone passing herself off as "Lady Rose Nevill," and afterwards as " Lady Rose Cottenham " and " Lady Cottennam.' The personator had used these names m Australia, with the result that men had called on the real Lady Cottenham, claiming to have known her m Australia. It was to put a stop to this annoyance that these proceedin £ s ! W ?i re ta l cen - Lady Cottenham added that she had never previously seen the woman m the dock, but had seen here photograph, and it was a good likeness.

The late Mr Plowden (the magistrate who heard the case) remarked that the lady had apparently almost persuaded herself that she was really Lady Cottenham, and he discharged her on her promise not to repeat her impersonation.