THE PORTLAND PEERAGE ROMANCE
BY
CHARLES J. ARCHARD
GREENING'S NEW NOVELS
"The name =GREENING= on a book is a guarantee of excellence."
* * * * *
RICHARD THE BRAZEN
BY CYRUS BRADY AND EDWARD PEPLE
THE TANGLED SKEIN
BY THE BARONESS ORCZY. _18th Thousand. 6s._
THE MASCOTTE OF PARK LANE
BY LUCAS CLEEVE. _Third Edition. 6s_.
THE DUPE
BY GERALD BISS. _Second Edition. 6s._
THE WOMAN FRIEND AND THE WIFE
BY ETHEL HILL. _6s._
THE PALM OIL RUFFIAN
BY ANTHONY HAMILTON. _6s._
AND THE MOOR GAVE UP ITS DEAD
BY ERIC HARRISON. _6s._
WHEN TERROR RULED
BY MAY WYNNE. _3s. 6d._
THE BISHOP'S EMERALDS
BY HOUGHTON TOWNLEY. _6s._
THE PORTLAND PEERAGE ROMANCE
BY
CHARLES J. ARCHARD
LONDON:
GREENING & CO., LTD.
1907
CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. THE FIRST BENTINCK A HERO 7
II. HOW THE BENTINCKS BECAME POSSESSED OF WELBECK.--A FEMININE
INTRIGUE 22
III. THE FARMER DUKE--WEDS THE RICH MISS SCOTT--HIS HIGH-SPIRITED
SONS AND DAUGHTERS 33
IV. THE FARMER DUKE'S DAUGHTER AND THE HOUSE OF COMMONS'
SPEAKER.--BECOMES A BENEVOLENT VISCOUNTESS 38
V. EARLY LIFE OF LORD JOHN BENTINCK, AFTERWARDS FIFTH DUKE OF
PORTLAND.--THE ADELAIDE KEMBLE ROMANCE 45
VI. LORD GEORGE BENTINCK'S RACING CAREER.--QUARREL WITH HIS
COUSIN.--DUEL WITH SQUIRE OSBALDESTON.--"SURPLICE" WINS THE
DERBY AND ST. LEGER.--ATTEMPTS TO POISON THE
HORSE.--FRIENDSHIP WITH DISRAELI.--TRAGIC DEATH 49
VII. THE ECCENTRIC DUKE AND HIS UNDERGROUND TUNNELS 77
VIII. THE PRESENT DUKE AND DUCHESS.--A ROMANTIC ATTACHMENT 95
IX. THE DUKE AND DUCHESS AT HOME.--THE DUCHESS AS PRINCESS
BOUNTIFUL.--THE DUCHESS AT COURT 114
X. CLAIMS TO THE PORTLAND PEERAGE BY MRS. DRUCE AND
MR. G.H. DRUCE 121
THE PORTLAND PEERAGE ROMANCE
CHAPTER I
THE FIRST BENTINCK A HERO
What a delightful story is that of the Portland peerage, in which
fidelity, heroism, chivalry and romance are blended and interwoven in
the annals of the noble families of England. Who that has been to
Welbeck Abbey, that magnificent palace in the heart of Sherwood Forest,
with its legends of Robin Hood and his merrie men, with its stately oaks
and undulating woodlands, stretching away to fertile pastures, dotted
over with prosperous farmsteads, as far as the eye can reach, does not
feel interested in the fortunes of the noble owner; and who that has
seen the Duke and Duchess on some festive occasion at Welbeck, moving to
and fro among their thousand guests, a perfectly happy couple, in which
the course of true love runs smooth, and whose supreme delight appears
to be to spread happiness around them, is so churlish as not to wish
them long life, as types of the English nobility it is a delight to
honour?
There is no affectation about this illustrious pair, the Duke never
poses in relation to affairs of State, and the Duchess has a natural
grace all her own, to which art can add no touch of dignity.
Welbeck is now the home of peace and joy; but there have been times when
its history has been shrouded in tragic mystery, and even to-day there
is the Druce claim to give piquancy to its story.
The family springs from the alliance of the Bentincks and the
Cavendishes. Theirs is a telling motto: _Dominus providebit_ (The Lord
will provide) was on the crest of the Bentincks, and it befitted a
family not too richly endowed with this world's goods according to the
position of the Dutch nobility 250 years ago; but being of sterling
qualities devoted to the cause they espoused, their descendants have met
with their reward. _Craignez honte_ (Fear disgrace) was another motto of
the family, and the fear of dishonour has been a characteristic trait
from the time when the first Bentinck set foot in England, till to-day.
Before unfolding the drama of tragedy, love, and comedy of these later
years let us go back to the tale of heroism surrounding the character of
the first Bentinck to make a name for himself in this country.
Englishmen are apt to forget the debt of gratitude owing to men of the
past; had it not been for Hans William Bentinck this favoured land might
still have been under the Stuart tyranny, and the scions of the House of
Brunswick might never have occupied the Throne of Great Britain.
James the Second had made an indifferent display of qualities as a
ruler, and the nation was tired of a superstitious monarch who was
fostering a condition of affairs which was turning England into a
hot-bed of religious and political plots and counter-plots. James's
daughter, Mary, had married William, Prince of Orange, who was invited
to come and take his father-in-law's place as King of England. That
invitation was extended in no uncertain way, and James having withdrawn
to the continent left the vacancy for his son-in-law and daughter to
fill.
When William of Orange came over at the request of many of the nobility
and influential commoners in this country there was in his train, Hans
William Bentinck, who had previously been to England on a political
mission for the Prince.
Bentinck was of noble Batavian descent and served William as a page of
honour. His family had its local habitation at Overyssel in the
Netherlands and still is known there. At Welbeck a curious old chest,
made of metal and carved, is one of his relics, for in it he brought
over from Holland all his family plate and jewels.
The Prince was delicate of constitution and his ailments made him
passionate and fretful, though to the multitude he preserved a
phlegmatic exterior.
To Bentinck he confided his feelings of joy and grief, and the faithful
courtier tended him with a devotion which deserves the conspicuous place
given to it in English history.
The Prince was in the prime of manhood when he was seized with a severe
attack of small-pox. It was a time of anxiety, not only on account of
the possible fatal termination of the disease, but in an age of plots,
of the advantage that might be taken to bring about his end by means of
poison or other foul play.
It was Bentinck alone that fed the Prince and administered his medicine;
it was Bentinck who helped him out of bed and laid him down again.
"Whether Bentinck slept or not while I was ill," said William to an
English courtier, "I know not. But this I know, that through sixteen
days and nights, I never once called for anything but that Bentinck was
instantly at my side." Such fidelity was remarkable; he risked his life
for the Prince, who was not convalescent before Bentinck himself was
attacked and had to totter home to bed. His illness was severe, but
happily he recovered and once more took his place by William's side.
"When an heir is born to Bentinck, he will live I hope," said the
Prince, "to be as good a fellow as you are; and if I should have a son,
our children will love each other, I hope, as we have done."
It was about the time of the Prince's perilous voyage to England to
fight, if need be, for the Throne, that he poured out his feelings to
his friend. "My sufferings, my disquiet, are dreadful," he said, "I
hardly see my way. Never in my life did I so much feel the need of God's
guidance."
At this time Bentinck's wife was seriously ill, and both Prince and
subject were anxious about her. "God support you," wrote William, "and
enable you to bear your part in a work on which, as far as human beings
can see, the welfare of His Church depends."
In November, 1688, the Prince landed in England, and with him was
Bentinck, accompanied by a band of soldiery, called after his name, as
part of the Dutch army. The Prince and his wife were eventually declared
King and Queen, and Bentinck experienced substantial proof of the royal
favour by being given the office of Groom of the Stole, and First
Gentleman of the Bedchamber, with a salary of 5000l. a year. Not long
after, in 1689, he was created Earl of Portland, and his other titles in
the peerage were Baron Cirencester and Viscount Woodstock; he was also a
Knight of the Garter and Privy Councillor. In 1689 he accompanied the
King to Ireland and commanded a regiment of Horse Guards, taking part as
a Lieutenant-General, in the battle of the Boyne, where his Dutch
cavalry did effective service.
He was again at the battle of Namur when William's forces were engaged
in fighting the French for the liberties of Europe.
That was in 1695, and in the same year the King once more gave evidence
of the affection he bore for his favourite. "He had set his heart,"
said Macaulay, "on placing the House of Bentinck on a level in wealth
and dignity with the Houses of Howard and Seymour, of Russell and
Cavendish. Some of the fairest hereditary domains of the Crown had been
granted to Portland, not without murmuring on the part both of Whigs and
Tories."
It was perfectly natural that William should wish to requite his
henchman with rich estates, and in doing so he was acting as other
monarchs had done before him, and not upon such good grounds as the
services rendered to the State by Bentinck.
Jealousy was, however, aroused among the English nobility at the
favouritism shown the Dutch newcomer, and it found strong expression
when the King ordered the Lords of the Treasury to issue a warrant
endowing Portland with an estate in Denbighshire worth 100,000l., the
annual rent reserved to the Crown being only 6s. 8d. There were also
royalties connected with this estate which Welshmen were opposed to
alienating from the Crown and placing in the hands of a private subject.
There was opposition to the grant in the House of Commons and an address
was voted, asking the King to revoke it.
Portland behaved with great magnanimity in the matter, his one chief
desire appeared to be to avoid a quarrel between his royal friend and
Parliament. Not many men would have had such self-abnegation as to
renounce an estate estimated to be worth 6,000l. per annum, besides
the product of royalties, when they had a King and a victorious army to
support them in its possession. The Earl had saved the King's life, he
had rendered invaluable services as a diplomatist and General in raising
forces to fight for the cause of Protestantism; but for him the
probabilities were that James would have retained possession of the
Throne and that red ruin would have spread itself over the land. Surely
he had won as great a reward as those of the nobility whose only
recommendation was that they were the natural sons of royalty.
To have refused this immense estate simply because he was the victim for
the time being of racial jealousy is a rare and conspicuous instance in
English history of self-sacrifice to honourable motives. His uprightness
of character was again tried by the East India Company, who offered him
a £50,000 bribe to exert his interest on behalf of that Corporation; but
he was not to be tempted by the offer. It will be seen later how the
great families, such as Cavendish, became allied with that of Bentinck
when the pride of nationality had been reconciled.
Once more in February, 1696, was Portland the means of saving the King's
life, through the information he had received of a plot for his
assassination by the Papists. The details of the scheme were eventually
laid bare and the conspirators brought to justice.
Few men have had a life so full of activity and importance to the State
as this Hans William Bentinck. While the Ambassadors were tediously
endeavouring at Ryswick to bring about peace between England and France
and not making much progress, William took the unceremonious course of
sending Portland to have an interview with Marshal Boufflers as
representing Lewis. Both were soldiers and men of honour. The meeting
took place at Hal, near Brussels, where their attendants were bidden to
leave them alone in an orchard. "Here they walked up and down during two
hours," says Macaulay, "and in that time did much more business than the
plenipotentiaries at Ryswick were able to despatch in as many months."
"It is odd," said Harley, "that while the Ambassadors are making war
the Generals should be making peace." In the end the terms these two men
negotiated were elaborated in the Treaty of Ryswick, which was the great
instrument consolidating William on the Throne, wresting England from
the Stuart ascendancy and completing the work of the Revolution.
Such is an outline of the vicissitudes which this extraordinary man
passed through in the course of his exciting career. He died in 1709 and
was succeeded by his son.
Henry, the second Earl, was Governor of Jamaica, and created Marquis of
Titchfield and Duke of Portland in 1716.
His death took place in 1726, and he too was succeeded by his son.
William, second Duke, was a Knight of the Garter, as most of the other
holders of the title have been, and he died in 1762. It was through his
marriage with the grand-daughter of the Duke of Newcastle that the
Bentincks became possessed of Welbeck.
He was succeeded by his son, William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, third
Duke, K.G., who had been M.P. for Weobley. This Duke became Prime
Minister of England in 1783, when a Coalition Government was in office.
Again in 1807 he was Premier, and was at the head of the Ministry up to
shortly before his death in 1809. Other positions held by him were
Viceroy of Ireland, Secretary of State for the Home Department, 1794;
Lord President of the Council, 1801; Chancellor of Oxford University;
High Steward of Bristol and Lord Lieutenant of Notts.; he assumed the
additional name of Cavendish by royal licence in 1801. He received his
early education at Eton, but in after life declared that he got nothing
out of Eton except a sound flogging. It was not claimed for the Duke
that he was a man of brilliant attainments, but he was the soul of
honour, and for this reputation and for his conciliatory disposition,
was chosen to head the Government, which relied for its precarious
existence on the reconciliation of the contending parties among the
Whigs and Tories. He married the only daughter of the Duke of Devonshire
and the male direct line continued in the succession of his eldest son.
The fourth Duke was William Henry Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, who married
Henrietta, eldest daughter of Major-General John Scott, a descendant of
Balliol and Bruce, the heroes of Scottish history. There were four sons
and six daughters of the marriage, the succession being continued by the
second son. The fourth was known as the "Farmer Duke," and with his love
of country presuits he lived to the ripe age of eighty-five, dying in
1854.
The most eccentric character in this ducal line was the fifth holder of
the title, William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, born in 1800. He was
M.P. for Lynn 1824-1826, and died in December, 1879. Of his
extraordinary predilections more will be related in succeeding chapters.
The sixth and present Duke is William John Arthur Charles James
Cavendish-Bentinck, who was born on December 28th, 1857, and succeeded
to the title in 1879. His elevation to the Dukedom is an example of the
fortune of birth; the old and eccentric Duke died unmarried, or so it
was assumed, and therefore his honours in the peerage passed to his
second cousin.
To trace the lineage of the present Duke we must go back to the third
Duke, who had a third son (Lord William Charles Augustus). This third
son, who was uncle of the eccentric Duke, had issue, Lieut.-General
Arthur Charles Cavendish-Bentinck, the father of the present Duke, his
mother being Elizabeth Sophia, daughter of Sir St. Vincent Hawkins
Whitshed, Bart. The name of Scott was not part of his cognomen; he
sprang from another branch in which there was no trace of the Scott
element, and the name having been borne by two Dukes for a lady's
fortune, there was no further obligation to continue it in connection
with the Cavendish-Bentincks.
The marriage of his Grace took place in 1889 to Winifred, only daughter
of Thomas Dallas-Yorke, Esq., of Walmsgate, Louth, and their children
are: William Arthur Henry, Marquis of Titchfield, born March 16th, 1893,
Lady Victoria Alexandrina Violet, born 1890, and Lord Francis Norwen
Dallas, born 1900.
The Duke was formerly a Lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards, then after
succeeding to the title, he became Lieut-Colonel of the Honourable
Artillery Company of London; he is also Hon. Colonel of the 1st
Lanarkshire Volunteer Artillery, and 4th Battalion Sherwood Foresters
Derbyshire Regiment. He is Lord Lieutenant of Notts. and Caithness, and
was Master of the Horse from 1886-1892 and 1895-1905. He is a family
trustee of the British Museum, and is the patron of thirteen livings.
The Portland estates comprise 180,000 acres, and his income is estimated
at 160,000l. a year from them alone.
Besides Welbeck Abbey, he has country seats at Fullarton House, Troon,
Ayrshire; Langwell, Berriedale, Caithness; Bothal Castle,
Northumberland, and a London residence at 3, Grovesnor Square.
There are still descendants of the Hon. William Bentinck, eldest son, by
the second marriage of the first Earl of Portland. The Hon. William was
born in 1704 and created a Count of the Holy Roman Empire in 1732.
The vast fortune of the House of Portland has been built up in a
remarkably short space of time, a little over 200 years, and no other
great family has received so many honours and acquired such wealth in
the same period. In the last century one of the Dukes held fourteen
different public offices at the same time, while a younger son was Clerk
of the Pipe, and a brother-in-law and nephew had 7,000l. per annum in
official salaries; a daughter too was the recipient of a State pension
for pin-money.
One of the characteristic traits of the Bentincks has been that in
founding the fortunes of the family in the past their scions were
successful in capturing great heiresses. These brief genealogical
details will help to explain future developments in the history of this
noble family.