Thursday, November 20, 2014

33.d.a Evelyn Medows On the trail of Sir Sidney Medow's fortunes!


As we know from the lawsuit in which Evelyn Medows  effectively accused the Duchess of Kingston of bigamy in order to undo the will of the late Duke, who had disinherited him, Evelyn was hardly the favourite nephew and presumptive heir of the Duchess at all times. 

However, her attitude toward him was far less negative than might be thought, and she did indeed seem to favour him in the years after the trial, up to her death. 


Evelyn Medows found himself ruined by the immense expense of the prosecution  not altogether an inappropriate end to the farce.  Augustus Harvey ought to have been an important factor in the matter but he did not intrude himself and apparently he was not wanted by either side.  The duchess might have had half a dozen husbands for what their lordships cared; it was her presumption in marrying a duke one of the richest in the kingdom that constituted her offence.  As there was no practical issue so far as the prosecutor, Evelyn Medows was concerned it is difficult to see what satisfaction the peers got out of the affair.

Evelyn Medows was, at the time living in Chalais

is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France.

In fact from the will of Elizabeth Chudleigh she leaves the following:

they paying out of the revenue there of to Margaret Cramont daughter of Captain Cramont formerly one of Aid de Camp of General Oglethorpe an annual rent of one hundred pounds during her life with which I hereby charge the said house land and estate and I give her the
same power of entry and feifin in case of non-payment for fix months as is customary

with respect to common rent charges bequeathed on real estates ; the first six months payment to be made on the first quarter day on which rents are usually paid which Shall happen immediately after my decease.

Now what a co-incidence, as it is recorded that Evelyn Medows had married one Elizabeth Cramond!

After a great deal of research, a lady of the name of Clarissa Margarette Medows died and was buried in 1801.   It would appear they are one and the same.  Perhaps Evelyn left her and then returned to London to take up with the actress.



Her father was Capt William Cramond b 1710 who was an Aide-de-comp of General Oglethorpe  


James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British general, Member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia. As a social reformer, he hoped to resettle Britain's poor, especially those in debtors' prisons, in the New World.



After Elizabeth died Evelyn got to her house in Paris and removed all the valuables.

She even left Evelyn a legacy in her will!   She referred to her heirs as A,B,C,D and never got around to naming them.  She had lots of codicils, including telling Evelyn not to forget to send to Chudleigh at Petersburgh, the case of china!


selling furniure and fititngs offered first to Charles Medows, and if the furniture and other things produce the sum of fifteen thousand pounds or more this sum of fifteen thousand pounds shall be paid to Evelin Philip Meadows Esquire of Chaillot near Paris and the surplus shall be advanced by the executors administratos and assigns on Government security the interest to be paid to the said Evelin Philip Medows during his life and after his decease the principal shall be divided equally or if he has no heirs to Charles

She left also a legacy to Frances Medows husband Captain Campbell

Her will makes interesting reading!  She obviously had a fortune, many suitors, and one wonders what became of her will, because at the time of her death it was incomplete.

She did leave legacies to her own family.



Evelyn Medows and the inheritance

Sir Sidney's will is quite clear as to the property.  When Evelyn Medows died he was married to Harriet Maria Norie.  It would then make sense that he allowed her the use of the house in Charles Street until her death.

But shortly after his death she remarried Sir Alexander Dickson and then later Sir John Campbell.

Maj.-Gen. Sir John Campbell was born circa 1780 at Athelney, Kent, England. He was the of William Campbell and Anne Pitcairn. He married Harriot Maria Norie, daughter of James Norie, after 1840.

He died on 19 December 1863 at Charles Street, Berkeley Square, London, England.  William Campbell married Anne Pitcairn, daughter of Major John Pitcairn and Elizabeth Dalrymple, circa 1779.

He held the office of Commissioner of the Navy Board.     He was invested as a Knight Bachelor.

Executors Sir John Campbell. Henry Hay Norie nephew 

When he died he had less than 10000 pounds but he was still living in Sir Sidney's house.

A considerable amount at the time!



Evelyn Medows in following his uncle's will inherited Chute manor and other lands.

When he died the lands were then inherited by firstly his cousins 

Chute Manor

By 1691 Chute manor had been acquired by Thomas Arundell  (Lord Arundell from 1694, d. 1712).
 It passed in the direct line to Henry, Lord Arundell (d. 1726), Henry, Lord Arundell (d. 1746), Henry, Lord Arundell (d. 1756), and Henry, Lord Arundell, who in 1778 sold it to John Freeman. 
On Freeman's death in 1794 it passed to his son Strickland.
In each case presumably by sale it passed c. 1809 from Strickland Freeman to George Smith and c. 1814 from Smith to Evelyn Medows,  the owner of Conholt manor. Chute manor descended with Conholt manor from c. 1814 to 1897

Conholt Manor

It descended to Sir Philip's, and presumably Constance's, son Sir Philip Medows (d. 1757), to that Sir Philip's son Sir Sydney (d. 1792), and to Sir Sydney's nephew Evelyn Medows (d. s.p. 1826), who added Chute manor to it. 

Under Sir Sydney's will the estate passed in 1826 to his grandnephew Henry Manvers Pierrepont (d. 1851), who held 2,063 a. in the parish in 1841, and in 1851 to Henry's brother Philip (d. 1864). 


But it was the next heir that is quite puzzling.

Under Evelyn's will the estate reverted in 1864 to W. H. Norie (d. c. 1896), who took the surname Medows, and in 1897 members of W. H. Medows's family sold it,

Who was W.H. Noris Medows?

Well he was actually born William Heather Norie.  Born n 1812.  He was a lawyer and from 1836 to 1840 was living at 8 Lincoln's Inn in London.

In 1827 Francis Augusta Medows (wife of William) was also living at Lincoln's Inn

He was also the nephew of Harriet Maria Norie, Evelyn's second wife.


The Norie Connection    updated 2016






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