CHAPTER XVIII 



THE squatters' TRIBUNE : W. C. WENTWORTH 



It is altogether fitting that one of the greatest Austra- 

 lians should trace his ancestry back to famous historical 

 individuals. Wentworth claimed to have sprung from 

 the most celebrated of all the Wentworths — that Earl 

 of Strafford, whose motto and practice of " Thorough " 

 assured for him an immortality of glory or infamy by 

 the side of the master whom he served only too faith- 

 fully ; and the present head of the family, who main- 

 tains the pretension, possesses a pedigree drawn up by 

 Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King-at-Ai-ms, which upholds 

 the claim. Unfortunately for the patrician pride of 

 the founder, the claim is not allowed by the unofficial 

 heralds who open or close at will, on due cause being 

 shown, the rigid circles of aristocracy. The conscien- 

 tious Mr. Ashworth Burke professes to show that the 

 Australian patriot belonged to an old Irish family which 

 traces its ancestry back to D'Arcy WentAvorth of Athlone, 

 in Roscommon County. The Irish family was, none the 

 less, of English origin. Wentworth of Athlone was the 

 son of Michael Wentworth of York, who was himself 

 the scion of a distinguished famil3\ Wealth did not 

 accompany the immigrant to Ireland, or did not remain 

 in his family. Our statesman's father is described as 

 " an impoverished Irish gentleman," who emigrated 

 to New South Wales, as his ancestor had done to Ireland, 

 to improve his fortunes, and in this respect he was more 

 successful than his ancestor. Speaking in Sydney in 

 1848, W. C. Wentworth said : " It is on my native soil 



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