"AMERICA'S ONLY PEER."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 398, 6 January 1909, Page 9

"AMERICA'S ONLY PEER."

CLAIM TO THE FAIRFAX TITLE j ; ;: ; CONFIRMED. i

REMARKABLE HISTORY OF A BRITISH;

i|• FAMILY. .... f t .The claim of Albert Kirby Fairfax to the title,'honour, and dignity of Lord Fairfax of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland, was ' made good before tho Committee of Privileges ; ' of the House of Lords on November 17. ■ v . To this formal acceptance of a claim which - . all the standard works on tho peerage had ■ hitherto , acknowledged, no opposition was. , offered. . • The claimant, who is the twelfth baron, is : ; 38 years of age, and unmarried. He was J born in the United States, and remained an ' V j -American oitizen solely until he became a - few years ago a naturalised British subject. I He was known as "America's only Peer." - \ A special invitation was sent to him for .the King's coronation', and his :acceptance: was " the occasion, of his first glimpse' of England.' .- 1 His . newly acknowledged statuß gives him.no' ; . >. .right to..sit in,-the'. House>of Lords. ■-'■ ~V. Curious Family History. It is the cosmopolitan history of the.'. J family which makes the present claimant an 1 ihteresting : figure: '.In . the 'great, conflict: ! > between the Parliament and Charles I, two ! .' of the Fairfaxes, the second and third • barons,-commanded the' Parliamentary " "forces: ;iii the ;fambus' victories : of' Marston v Moor, and'Naseby, before the command de- ' ■ ' volvod on Cromwell. '■ " l£or a 7 century the Barons Fairfax werein i 'England, but- the sixthbaron derived erior- 'V..:' mous 'landed possession in Virginia from■ his ! mother, ".and ..went to, live in that. British : ; colony, from which time down to the present !•ra: .period v of about 170 ycars-r-the rightful ! holders of the Fairfax peerage/ have. been '■ out.of England, though in lS0U; : one of them, ■ the Bev. T3ryan Fairfax," tho eighth baron, : .crossed" to this -country . and . succeeded . in.. ; . ' -his. purpose of huving his right to,the title :' ; confirmed. ■ The lord who transferred his life to Vir- ■ ' ginia adopted' there a most picturesque and// ■■ feudal career,;'spending his immense wealth , ... on hunting, lavish hospitality, magnificence' •: '; of: style, .'and generous, sustenance of the poor. From :these- traditions Thackeray de- :f > " jived the • inspiration for his novel, "The Virginians." j- He-lived - till the -age of 90, . and never married. •' None .of the immense Virginian. estates., ;•' ■ remained to the eleventh baron,-, father of the present'peer;- who was a 1 medical^racrj)' "Jtciws titioner, • living in n farmstead near TVasfc (O'mf ington, and died in 1900. . f.;,TMei. proceedings before the; Com'ilttittee ! ol 91l l nloa -'Privileges--yori-November .17 occupied; only ; ■ ' ( • two hours. -.- Tho. Earl <of - Onslow - presided;; and - the- ; • other of ■ the-'committee, were Lord '■■■ • Lflreburn and- Lords-Ashbourne,-Robertson, -.■■■ : and. Collins. • ■' " • ~-! (- Mr.; Wood 3: Wollastbn,'' : .openinis ; the case, - . gave a'--brief. : resume of-the succession-from , : v 1627. "• _ ■: The , present claimant was born in Prince ! ' George's country, Maryland, on Juno 23, ; . 1870. Ho was a member of the firm; of Wil- ' • liam-P: .-Boulright and 1 C0.,-.London and New ; < and - h'ad' reaidences in London and ' : I'Northuniberlahd, 'andwas'atnember' of sev r eral ' London clubs.; Tho peerage had many associations. ; interesting • both in Britain: < and in- America. ' ; , 'rhoreforo the claimant ... : v -- 4 thought','it' due'to' his -family' to ; substantiate ■ - his right to the title. jr:,VVNo Upstart Claim. - • ■" This was no upstart olaim by an unknown claimant. The doings of the .family, had been' , ''-i? watchy-'.and noted;'and.everymarriage,-birth,; and' death recorded by the press , as they po'curred. In America'.the Fairfax family were well known. There was no shadow on tho claim.': , '• •Many records and family-:papers. were lost during the Civil :War in America: '■ This accounted .for the absence of. certain certifi-■ catns. '. . . r ■ ■■.. - Mr. "Wilson Miles Cary, a cousin of the : olaimant, said that during the Civil War, . , in which he himself had fought, he searched : for records of Fairfield parish, and there wero none left.'' 'The following inscription, tho,wit- . , ness Riid,''Svks''pn;tlie grave of the tenth Lord.. Fairfax, who was'buried at .Washington: — . - Brace, gallant,- and gifted. ,i; He., was. the tenth Lord Fairfax; • . Baroi of : Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland, ■ - - . : But he preferred to be , : ■■■ ; -An American Gentleman. ; was called and produced _tho family Bible, which, he said, ho had received " from: a ! 'c'ou6iri.He. believed, all tho entries ' ! . of births, etc., were made at the time. ' „'. ~ I . Miss Caroline; Snowden, a Sister, of Mercy.'. I a cousin of the olaimant, answered several., i questions with regard to membersoorf r the.". )C ., : family whom she had known as a girl. w •' -, Mr. Wollaston-said that the petitioner had . -... takon-out letters of naturalisation shortly .-v.'-;> ■after his father's death in 1900.. - ' - ; '■ The Lord-Chancellor moved that the peti- - tioner-had made out his claim, which - was . . carried nem con. - i, : REFUSAL TO WORK S.S. VICTORIA t ' —; ♦ ' FURTHER ACTION BY HER . AGENTS. : - IUTt XBLEGBAFH. —srECtAL- COItRESPONDBNT.I Dunedin, January 5. . ■ v In connection with the refusal of members . of tho Waterside- Workers' . Union to work - , with non-unionists-.on- board the Victotia > n.v -. 'yesterday, it is understood that the local . : aaciits of the Huddart-Parker Company liavo ■ writ-ten-to-'-the Inspector of, Awards asking , ; ;v him to investigate the question with a view to determining whether the: men should be fined for a breach of the award.