MILLIONS IN DISPUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2363, 8 June 1899, Page 34

MILLIONS IN DISPUTE.

A SYDNEY CLAIMANT,

The rightful ownership of the wealthiest estates in England, at present enjoyed by the Djike of Westminster, is about to be questioned (says the Sydney Daily Telegraph) by a Sydney resident ; and it is safe to assume that if the claims are backed bysubstantial support of any kind, interesting results will follow.

The claimant is William Richards Bickell, whose present home is at Lindfield, on the North Shore line. He is a white-haired old gentleman of 73 years of age, and is one of the identities of the district, in which he has resided with his wife for nearly a quarter of a century. Mr Bickell is quite alive to the importance of his position, but has for many years been content to live in quiet retirement, concentrating his attention on the growing of prize fruit, and at times venturing abroad to indulge in another hobby — that of house-building. Meanwhile, his younger brother in London has been investigating the claims of the family, and now that his inquiries are ripening towards success, calls for the claimant's presence at headquarters. Mr Bickell r acting under advice from several responsible persons who are interesting themselves in the case, has decided to accede to the request. He leaves for England by the. R.M.S. Orotava next Saturday week. He will have the support at this end of a well-known city firm of solicitors, who hold the documents necessary to assist in the proof of claims, and on arrival in London will be backed by a reputable English firm. The labyrinth through which Mr Biokfill

has to wade in order to reach, the wealth he aspires to is a mazy one, and unless the strongest of proofs are forthcoming does not bid fair for ultimate success. To assail the strongholds of the wealthiest peerage in England is no mean task, but the claimant is hopeful. The present heir to the dukedom of Westminster is Viscount' Befgrave, lieutenant in the Cheshire Yeomanry Cavalry, who will not be of age until March of next year. It is* with this scion of a noble line that Mr Bickell has to wage warfare.

A visit to the old-fashioned cottage at Lindfield yesterday morning revealed the following particulars, which, of course, mayor may not be corroborated by subsequent events. In 1780 a will was left by a Jane Mander, bequeathing all her right, title, number of years, and interest unto the rolls of Peterborough, in the county of Northampton, to be equally divided between the daughters of her cousin, William Barker, of Tinwell, Rutland. He had three daughters, one of whom died, leaving the estate to be divided between Mary Barker and Jane Barker. The latter married Jeremiah Belgave, whose father was a clergyman, and the only issue of the marriage, a daughter, married Lord Grosvenor. This connected the family with that of the Duke of Westminster, into whose family the estate drifted. Mr Bickell traces his descent frotn Mary Barker, who became estranged from her family by marrying against their wishes. He first husband died, and she married again, her second husband bearing the name of Richards. Their eldest daughter married into the family of Bickell (of Tavistock, Devon), of which the claimant is the direct, descendant. This claim of descent places Mr Bickell, it is alleged, in the position of co-heir with Viscount Belgrave. The cause of the whole dispute originated with the disposal of the property in the first instance. When Mary Barker left her family to live in Devon she was lost sight of, and in course of time her descendants became ignorant of the presence of a will in their favour. Jeremiah Belgrave, the husband of Jane Barker, therefore, contested that the entire property reverted to his side. His methods of substantiating this claim must be considered decidedly illegal if Mr Bickell's information can be relied upon to the full extent. The allegation made against him is to the effect that he produced a woman at the inquiry whom he swore to be Mary Barker, and she on oath declared herself to be a spinster. It, is asserted that upon her reported death the whole of the estate became the right of th.c Belgraves, depriving the descendants of the true Mary Barker, of their share. It is through this will that -»Mr Bickell claims the Peterborough wealth, and his task is to prove that Mary Barker did marry, which, in the absence of the necessary documents, is said to be the one obstacle in the path of the claimant. Church and family records have. so far been searched in vain for the missing papers, but with weightier machinery in force they may come to light eventually. But there is another sKce of the Westminster estates that Mr Bickell is going to figfit for. In 1800 a member of the original Barker family devised a one undivided third part of her lands, tenements, and hereditaments in Whapload, Tallington, Lincolnshire, unto Mary Barker and her assigns during the term of her natural life, and from and after her death the property was to be held in trust to and for the use of her heirs. This will, it is alleged, was suppressed by Jeremiah Belgrave, with the intention of stifling any inquiries that might have been made regarding the possible descendants of Mary Barker. However, a copy of it has been discovered by the claimant's friends, and it is thought highly probable that the original will ultimately be produced. If it can be proved, Mr Bickell comes into possession of the entire Lincoln property. It is estimated that the present Duke of Westminster derives an income .of one million pounds from the ground rents alone of all his properties, and it may, therefore, be assumed that the contested portions would yield a princely sum if wrested from their present owner. Mr Bickell has no intention of putting in a claim for a share of the many titles at large in the Westminster peerage. Indeed, the matter has not been entered into at all. The large -properties and residences in Peterborough and Lincoln carry with them certain civic titles and rights, and a, courtesy honour paid to the holders thereof is that of Lord of the Manor.

"But ril.be quite content to secure -a. fair share of the property." remarked Mr Bickell, in a philosophical manner,. The claimant has three son's, all of whom, reside in the North Shore district.

The dairymaid pensively milked the goat, And, pouting, she panned to mutter : "I wish, you brute, you'd turn to milk!" And the animal turned to butt Tier. It takes about a billion and a-half of eggs every year to supply the demand in Great Britain and Ireland. Forty per cent, of the eggs consumed in the United Kingdom are brought from 20 foreign lands, including geveral of the British colonies. A number of boys who went from Douglas to gather primroses ate the leaves of some plants which they thought were watercress. Several became ill afterwards, and one has died. They mistook black hemlock for water- ! cress. I An ex-railway official was convictrd at ' Govan of blackmailing a young lady and I gentleman who were travelling alone in a first ! class carriage. He accused them of im l ir i °- I priety and demanded money. He received £2. j Prisoner was sentenced to two montns imprisonment. i Professor Niven'has just discovered some 1 remarkable prehistoric ruins in the moun1 tains- near Guerrero, in Mexico. H« believes that volcanic disturbances had. once completely destroyed a vaut population, leaving I. only the ruins of their dwellings, of which J tens of thousands exist in the district.

Tho amount of revenue collected at" the Dunedin Customshouse during the past month,' on goods cleared for consumption, amounted to £30,345 9s Zd. The beer duty for the month came to £1598 16s 4d. During thn corresponding month of last year th« bum of £23,155 4s 5d was collected on goods cleared for consumption, and £1407 7e 4d an. beor duty.