Wedderburn book; a history of the Wedderburns in ... - waughfamily.ca

hxiv. THE WEDDERBUllN BOOK.
Introd. as he or she came of age, and each had a full explanation of the account,
and gave a complete discharge. The last of them did so in 1820, and
no objections were raised by any of them for more than ten year.s. But
when in 1829 Charles Wedderhurn of Pearaie died, his nephew, Sir James
Webster-Wedderburn, whose career had not bren five from financial difficulties,
found himself disinherited ;
and in l>.oO-3l the Wedderhurn law suit, in which
Sir James and his father's children claimed a iji;,Mntic sum, w:ls W'gun. h
lasted, as I have said, for over five-and-twenty years. The Courts, haviiiij
regard to the fact that the surviving; partners had acted in a double capacity,
allowed the accounts to be re-opened, and thus provided work for any len>^tli
of time. Distinguished advocates engaged in it passed to tiie bench, and judges
who tried portions of it did not survive the progress of the suit and the examination
of the accounts. Ultimately it was declared th'it the valuation of the
surviving partners had been accurate to a penny, and that the claimants were
therefore entitled to nolliing. Meauwliile they had nst-d tlit'lr supposfd claim as
an asset on which to raise money, and their creditors appealed. Dut the then
defendants were weary of the litigation, and peace at any [jrice seemed better
than the continuance of the suit. The plamtitTs had at one time claimed
something like half a million, but they or their creditors were now ready to
take what they could get, and the Tnatter was comproinist-d for £15,000.
Thus ended a suit which establislied, indeed, an important rule of conduct for
trustees, but brought no advantage to anyone who had been concerucd iu its
prosecution.
The descent from the two surviving sons of David Wcdderburn or
Webster will be found at pp. 3;]0-;5(> of this volume. Charles,
paries Webster- the second son (born 1709, died ISG."}), married Kehecca
'
I799_i8e3. Chatterton, daughter of Sir Charles Chattcrl(m, liart., and had
issue a son and a daughter IlelHCca, the latter of whom lived
much in Paris, and went through the horrors of its siege in 1S70-71. .She
was twice married, but died s.p. in LSDO. The son, Charles Adrian
Webster-Wedderburn (born 1824, died 188)), also married and had issue a son
and a daughter, both of whom are living and have had issue, of whou) an
account is given at p. 330. David's eldest son. Sir James We'oster-Wi-iMerburn
(born 1788) was at one time in the army, but quitted it on his marriage in
1810. He printed a worthless account of the family, wiiich I have criticised
in the chapter on " Previous Histories of liio Family " in this
Webster? volume, and he also wrote some political pamphlet.^ in supjKirl of
Xlii^ii^^^'
^^® King's case against Queen Caroline, in reward fur wmoh ho
was knighted in 1821. He at one time nsMitned tiie title of
baronet, and proposed to be served heir to his great grandfather, tlie fourth
baronst of Blackness. This, however, was due to a mi-coiKvi>iion on his
part of the law of attainder, and he never, of course, obtained the desired
"retour." He died in 1840, having married Lady Frances Caroline Aniiesley
(daughter of the first Earl of Mountnorris), by whom (diet! KS."i7) ho had itsuo
four sons and a daughter. His sole representatives in male ime nr«» now tho
sons of the late Charles Francis Webster-Wedderhurn (born 1^20. dii-d IHMJ),
the eldest of whom, Arthur Augustus Helyar Webster-Wi-ddethuru luow lu
Jamaica), married in 1888, but has no issue.
I have now. in order to complete the history of the desront f.om old Sir
Alexander Wedderhurn of Blackness (died lt..5..0 .to -leal «.tli
Thomas of Thomas of Cantra, the third of tho three M.n._of ti.e fourth
i7To,'died°mi. baronet, and his descendants. He was born ... 1- "' :^'-'
*^ -^t
first intended for commercial life, hut marrying,' ui l.-!'J a laJy
from Invemes.s-shire, obtained, possibly through tho mtiucuc* ol U't i»ti.i.y