54 The Earldom of Wiltes. 



We have reason to believe that the hearing of the claim will not 

 come on during the present Session of Parliament (1860.) 



It may therefore gratify some of our readers if we lay before 

 them, in the meantime, some of the chief points of the case, and 

 the considerations upon which its decision will probably be rested. 

 For this purpose we quote the following passages from Mr. Simon 

 Scrope's case, as printed for the use of the Lords. 



" The Earldom of Wiltes was created by Letters Patent bearing 

 date the 27th day of September in the 21st year of the reign of 

 King Richard the Second (1397) in the person of Sir William 

 Scrope, Knight, (eldest son of Sir Richard Scrope, first Lord Scrope 

 of Bolton) to hold to him and his heirs male for ever. 



I. The said Earldom was enjoyed only by the said Sir William 

 Scrope, who died without issue in the year 1399 ; the dignity has 

 never been hitherto claimed by any of his representatives. 



II. By virtue of the limitation to " heirs male for ever," the 

 right to the said Earldom descended to the next brother of the said 

 Earl, namely, Sir Roger Scrope, second son of Sir Richard Scrope, 

 first Lord Scrope of Bolton, and who succeeded to his father as 

 second Lord Scrope, and from him descended successively to the 

 third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh 

 Lord Scrope of Bolton, when the eleventh Lord (who was created 

 Earl of Sunderland) dying without issue, the heirs male of the 

 body of tlie seventh Lord became extinct in the year 1630. 



III. Upon the failure of the elder line the right to the said 

 Earldom descended to the heir male of the body of John Scrope, of 

 Hameldon, in the county of Buckingham, and Spennithorne in the 

 county of York, the second son of the sixth Lord Scrope of Bolton, 

 namely Francis Scrope, of Spennithorne and Danby upon Yore, in 

 the said county, who died without issue, and was succeeded by his 

 brother, Christopher Scrope. 



IV. Simon Thomas Scrope now claims the Earldom of Wiltes 

 as heir male of the body of the said Christopher Scrope, and con- 

 sequently as nearest heir male of the said Earl and begs leave to 

 lay his case before this most Honourable House, &c." 



