15th Marquess' Estate - Ifield Road Purchase , 12 Apr 1901 - 26 Jun 1901

The collection deals with the administration by the trustees of both of these inter-related estates: settling probate, the estate duty, buying of stocks, selling of property, distribution of monies, etc. There is much on the Winchester property in Southampton. There are 5 items signed by the 16th Marquess; 20 letters by Colonel Sir H. C. Legge; 14 letters by Lord Sandys; and several letters by Lord Harlech. There is considrable material regarding a 1901 legal suit, Gore v. Winchester, between the trustees and the 16th Marquess over the lifeholds of his brother's property, one being held by the Duke of Cambridge, and another by Victoria Mary Louise, Princess Royal of Great Britain and Emperess Frederick of Germany. There is an interesting letter from the Garter King of Arms, Sir Albert William Woods (1816 - 1904; see DNB), thanking the trustees for sending Lord William Paulet's Order of Bath insignia. Another interesting document is the epitome of the marriage settlement, of which the 15th Marquess was a trustee, for Miss Mary Frances Seymour Dawson-Damer whose mother was Minnie Seymour, adopted daughter of Mrs. Fitzherbert, wife of George IV.

These papers are important for any history of the Paulet family and the Winchester peerage, which is the Premier Marquessate of England. They would also be of value for any biographical study of the various noted individuals mentioned above as well as for any history of Southampton county. The English legal historian and the cultural historian would find the collection useful also.