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1878, that it was not the first time a member of his 

 family had held high oflfice in that ' disthressful country.' 

 One of the most eminent lawyers of his time was Gerard 

 Lowther, who was Chief Justice, and afterwards Lord 

 Chancellor of Ireland, under the Commonwealth ; whilst 

 yet another Lowther was, a little later, a Baron of the 

 Irish Exchequer. It was the nephew of this Irish Lord 

 Chancellor that purchased the lands of the dissolved 

 monastery of St Bees for his second son Christopher, 

 who first conceived the idea of mining for coal around 

 Whitehaven, an idea which his son, Sir John Lowther, 

 carried into execution, thereby adding enormously to 

 the revenues of his descendants. 



To this Sir John the house of Lowther owes its present 

 position and wealth. It was his misfortune to have 

 greatness thrust upon him. Knighted by Charles II, 

 he was, nevertheless, too honest a supporter of free 

 English institutions to kow-tow to James II, and he 

 therefore cast in his lot with William of Orange. By 

 the energetic and courageous use he made of his 

 influence in Westmoreland and Cumberland he secured 

 those counties to the Prince of Orange, and his bold 

 action at this juncture took all the heart out of James's 

 followers in the North. Macaulay says that he was 'a 

 very cunning statesman, and a very honest country 

 gentleman.' But his honesty was stronger than his cun- 

 ning, and when he was forced into the position of First 

 Lord of the Treasury in 1690, he proved utterly unfitted 

 for the post, not from want of ability, but from want of 

 complaisance. The Lowther sense of honour would not 

 let him stoop to corruption and bribery. And his proud, 

 sensitive nature could not brook the savage satire and 



