Saturday, March 29, 2014

WEIRD GOINGS ON AT DULFORD HOUSE AND COURT CASE WHICH SET LONDON LAUGHING


 
As  well  as  cuttings about  the    murder-suicide    in  colonial  Sydney  which  shocked  the  London  theatrical  world  , yet   another  bizarre  story  is  contained   in   the   scrapbook  kept  by  Englishman  Thomas   Anstey   Parkhouse  which  was   found  on  the  floor  of   an old  wares  shop  in  the  Barossa  Valley , South  Australia .  

 There  is  no  indication   that   the  people  involved   were   related  in  any  way  to  him.   However,  as  the  story  appeared   in  the Tiverton   Gazette,    September  10 , l879, a   publication  to    which   he   had  contributed   items  before venturing out  to  Australia ,  it  is  likely  that he  was    aware  of   the   situation.   In   any  case,  reference  to   rare  books   may  have  been   justification   alone   for   snipping   i from  the   paper.   The   extensive  report    dealt   with    a   large   auction   to   be  held   at  a  notorious  place  called   Dulford  House,  near   Cullompton, Devon.   Strange  things   had  gone on  there   over many   years.   An   ugly  house, set  in     30  acres of  land ,  it  had been  “the centre of  curious  interest”  for  years .
By  Peter  Simon
A century  previously,   the  house   had  been   built  for   Lord  Monteith, said  to   have been   deformed,  who   built  a  12ft high , mile long  fence   around   the   abode to  hide  his   afflication   from   public  gaze.  The  house  eventually  became the property  of  Bethel   Walrond , 8th Marques de  Vallado ,  a   classical   scholar  and  linguist who  had spent  many  years   in  the  leading  royal  courts   of    Europe.     Soldierly   in  bearing , it  was  said  he    exhibited   the    hauteur  of   a  Spanish  grandee , a  country  in  which he  had  spent  considerable  time .  
 
DAUGHTER’S  EMBALMED   BODY  NEARBY
When one of his  daughters  died  she   was   embalmed   and   kept  in  a  coffin   in  his  dressing room .    His   bizarre  bedroom ,  called    the  Blue  Room, was  filled  with  craftsmen  built  furniture . On the   footboard of  his  bed   were  human  skulls and  hearse  plumes  to familiarize  himself   with   the  thought  of  death   


 Much    time was   spent in his  6000  volume library  of   valuable  books  and  newspapers.  A  man of unbending will,  suspicious and   aggressive,  he    engaged  in  numerous   vindictive court  actions  against  people   for  perceived  wrongs.      Legal  disputes were  said to  be  his “enjoyment” during  the   last  l5  years of  life.   Of  him  it was said  he would go to law  about anything   with  anybody , and wouldn’t mind  what  was spent   if  he  could  only  ruin   his  adversary.
One of  his  daughters, Harriet , figured in  an hilarious  1862  court  case  dispute  with a woman over ownership of a dog  , which entertained  readers  of   Punch  and   newspapers of  the  day,  caused  laughter  in  two  courts ,  and  it  was  said  by  a  learned judge  that  he had  seen  gentlemen   followed  by  dogs  but it  did  not  mean  they  intended  to  steal  the  canines . 
 
The  case  went  from a  magistrate’s   court   to   a   jury hearing  after  the  London  Morning Post made  fun of  the  proceedings, there  being  mention under  the  heading of  Spinsters and Their idols , one  being described as  “ a wee spinster”, which could well  be a line from  a witty ballad .  Miss  Walrond claimed  the  paper had  libelled  her  by  running  a  letter commenting on  the  case.  The term “spinster “ was  taken as  being  demeaning .
It was claimed   Miss Walrond  had sent a most imperious and threatening  letter to  the  Morning  Post.  Write ups  referred to a public  brawl  by  two women  over  a  dog  and  a  judge more puzzled  than  Solomon .  Invoking  the  wisdom of  Solomon, would  he  give   the  women  half   each ?

At  one   time or  another , it was  claimed,  Harriet’s   father   employed  up  to  50  lawyers  .   Eventually  , his  wife  and  a  daughter   left  him  and  he   spent  most of   his time  within  the high  walls  in  solitude.  After incurring   the wrath of   his   father   for   corresponding  with   his  mother ,  Walrond’s   son  eventually   left   Dulford House.    His  father was  so  bitter he  did  his utmost to make his  son’s  life  difficult  and  moved  to  disinherit   him.

 PET  CEMETERY , TICHBORNE HEIR  INTEREST

 While   the  father   delighted   in persecuting  people,  he  was emotionally attached to his   many   dogs  and    various kinds  of   rabbits  that   over- ran the  estate.   There were  so  many   rabbits   in  the  grounds   that   about  20  acres  were  a  giant  warren,   without  a  blade  of  grass.   Because  of  his  belief   that    humans    were  reborn as  animals,   all  his  pets  were    buried  in a special cemetery   with details   on  individual  gravestones.   The   dog  which  outlasted   its  maste r was  so  well  trained  , Walrond  had  only   to name   the  colour of   the  rabbit   he required  , and  the  dog   chased    one  down   to  meet   the  requirement.  Upon Walrond's  death, his  daughter’s body was removed   and   buried,   as  were  the   skulls  .       

 After  his  death,  it  was discovered  that  Walrond   had   paid close attention  to   newspaper   accounts   of  the   celebrated  case   in  which  a  butcher from  Wagga  Wagga  , Arthur Orton,  claimed   to  be the  lost  heir  of  Sir  Roger  Tichborne.   The   multitudinous   rabbit    colony   was   exterminated before the sale   .  Walrond’s  will   was   disputed   on  the  grounds   that  the  testator  had   been   insane  .    After  a part hearing , the  case    was   terminated   and   the   two   parties ,  widow  Lady  Janet  Walrond  and  her   daughter,   and   the  son ,  came  to  an  agreement on  how  to  dispose  of  the  estate , clearing  the  way  for   the  auction.  

 The  auction  included   a   great deal of “exceedingly  handsome and   elaborately carved furniture ” and   cannon, suits of  armour,  swords,   revolvers  ,a  crossbow,  plate,  paintings  , books,  newspapers  and  a  man  trap  which had  been   used  to  catch   intruders  in  the  grounds  .    There   was   a  large offering  of  old  china    and  glass  .  Of   particular note  were   white  and    gold  Sevres  soup plates  made   for  Louis  Philippe  in  l842;   dishes    manufactured  in  l778   by  Neale and Co., Wedgwood  basket  work   of   l770 ,  old   Worcester   of  about  the  year  l750,  Oriental  dinner services ,  Dresden   and   Derby   tea  and  breakfast sets. 

NAPOLEON  AND  NAKED  EVE  

In the statuary  was  a   bust of  Napoleon  1  in Italian   marble by   Cavona,  a stone bust of   Charles  1   and  an  antique carving of  the Virgin and  Child  and   Eve admiring  the   forbidden fruit . The  write up   said  Eve  would  have been “innocent of clothing”  had not  someone   mischieviously   placed  an  old- fashioned  coal scuttle   bonnet  on  her   handsome   head.  Other   items   of   interest included   a “curious, old huhl”  timepiece  in   lake (pigment)   and gold  of   the Louis    X1V period.   The   valuable   furniture   included    a walnut   Numberg  wardrobe, a  mahogany   secretaire   of   Italian workmanship, a   very old   French   marquetry   lady’s writing   table,   an exquisitely carved   l7th century  Devonshire   wardrobe and Walrond’s massive ,   English oak  ,  carved  ,  four- poster  bed  . 

 The  newspaper  report  ended  by  saying   it   believed   that  Henry Walrond  , the deceased’s  son,  would take  up residence  in   Dulford .   In  a  piece of  understatement , the   newspaper  ventured   the   old  place  would   thus  assume  a  very different  character    from  its   past.    People  in  the  district  would  then   have   the  pleasure of  a      genial   neighbour”.    NEXT :  Anstey’s interesting  life in England before he set  out  for  Australia .