ARE YOU RELATED TO ROYALTY?

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 41, 13 March 1909, Page 3

ARE YOU RELATED TO ROYALTY?

YOU MAY BE VERY IMPORTANT I WITHOUT KNOWLNC IT. A Duke of Norfolk once, inspired by a generous lit, announced his intention of entertaining to dinner all the Howards in existence who were related to him—the Duke, of course, being the head of the Howard family. He set agents to work to seek out his relations; but had to abandon his proposed "little party" when lie was assured that something like, twenty thousand people would have a right to come to it. In the slime why. am astonishing number of people might be aide to claim kinship, not with mere duke-, but with royalty, ii they only knew all abotii. themselves. The heirs of munarelis who fliavedied on their thrones are comparatively easy lo trace, and are, roughly 'speaking, fairly well known.

In tlii< way. for instance, it was no secret Uiat the late Sir William Jlarcourt was descended from the Planlagciict king--, and several gentlcine'.i who hear no oilier designation than j plain "Mr." are known to have royal blood in their vebis.

This does not apply to kfcijjs who lmv lost (heir tin-ones. King Harold, th last Saxon sovereign of England, wu the son of Karl (iodwiu. When lie wa slain at the battle "f Unstrap lie nn doiibtcdly left children behind him. .Soin of (hem lied abroad to escape from \\",l liam the Conqueror, but others romaine, in the country, where they sank int< poverty and ouseuritv, but tliey manic; and had children. There is at lea,l 1 eliiraee, therefore, that everyone name, (iodwiu, or Coodwin is related to a royu family. Kins Richard 111., whom we all know ,o well as the wicked Duke of Uloue.es er, is popularly believed to have beel liilrlless when lie fell at Boswortli; bill ume historians hold that there is ihiusible evidence that lie left a son 'his sou, to escape the death or cap ivitv to which, lie would have be« nonied by the victorious llemy VII iad he. been captured, is said to have aken a eoninion name and relived intc iomerselshire. where he died as a petty nnuer. The whole story may be a myth; bill here i- nothing impossible about it, an.l he descendants of Knitf Richard's name i.ss son mav be numbered amongst or inaiv working folk. All' the Clarkcs have a rislit, if lnc> ike, to think that they may be con lecled with loyalty—albeit, loyalty ol somewhat dubious sort. When Dr. laniuel Johnson was doinj! eo niueli In nake Fleet-street famous, there was live in Kurope an adventurer who called liniself the Baron Theodore de <euholf. He found his way to Corsica nd assisted the Corsicans to net fro. Rom the Republic of Genoa, which was M |i,i.r the Wand in a tyrannical manier return, they proclaimed hmi vin'.r under the title of Theodore 1. Ills rovaltv mis brief, however, lie n,d fre.|iieni quarrels with the Corsians. and finally quilled the island. I'limatelv he drifted to London, where „. kepi up a sort of shabby-calcc c»alstvlc. Hut at last he was arrested or debt, and remained in prison for six(.,.n vcars. When released he \ns .rokea-down and old. ami died in (he „„„. „( a poor tailor. T |„. |<iii'' of Corsica had a (rrnnd,„„,lter. who married an ollicial in the 'ustom-boiw. named Clarke. The family iccinic very poor, and all genuine traces f (hem have been lost. Hut it is open o nnv Clarke who pleases to imagine h-il lie is a descendant of the datdiin;.'.

unlucky Theodore. A lot of people have claims to belong lo si much more distinguished family. JKindlv folk still in the land of (he liein" liave cinploved a meek old charwoman, who called herself Miss I'aley. and was glad to earn a shilling in odd ways. Nothing concerning her ancestry Wuild be definitely proved; but there w-i- reason for believing that she ivas a descendant of Constantino Palaeologus, the last Creek Emperor of Constantinople. Constantinc was killed when th" Turks enpiured his capital in 1453, and his family and relations had to flee for their lives. -Some of them came to England, and there are living thousands of his descendants. There is a general impression lhnl_ the old royal family o'f Stuart is extinct. This however, is a mistake. Stuarts and Stewards scattered all over liritain ran claim kin-hip with the old royal family. In ancient days there used to be about a dozen kings reigning in Ireland at onr-e —the King of Berry, of Minister, of Connaught, and so on. They are all "on.now" but so many of their descendants are alive that practically every Irishman lias a right to fancy himself related t.i rovaltv if he wants to.