The Claimant : a story of Australia, Scotland and England / by Gordon Neil Stewart; edited by A.M. Stewart
- Bib ID:
- 8045091
- Format:
- Book
- Author:
- Stewart, Gordon Neil, 1912-1999, author
- Description:
-
- [Canberta, Australian Capital Territory] : Harry Stewart, [2019]
- 114 pages : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 23 cm
- ISBN:
-
- 9780648492818 (paperback)
- 0648492818
- Summary:
-
Annotation. The Claimant, by Gordon Neil Stewart, unearths a long-buried scandal in the history of early New South Wales. In 1873, James Horne Stewart, a major landowner in the Bathurst district, who had become rich following the discovery of gold in that region in 1851, received an alarming letter from his cousin in England, Captain Charles Stewart. Captain Charles claimed that James was illegitimate and he, Captain Charles, was therefore heir to James' estate and fortune. The basis of his claim was that James' father, Major General William Stewart, Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales from 1825 to 1827, had married Captain Charles' mother in England before he had married James' mother, possibly bigamously. James was fearful that if the claim were proved true, it would result in the loss of both his fortune and his reputation, as bastardy was regarded as a scandalous condition among the respectable classes of the Colony during Queen Victoria's time. The Claimant tells how James, through his contacts in Australia and England, hired the skilful London lawyer, Mr Bunting, to investigate the claim. The book describes how Mr Bunting's investigations in Caithness, Scotland, the origin of the Stewarts, Manchester, and elsewhere in England, revealed further scandal. Major General Stewart, before he married James' mother and came to Australia, had fathered four illegitimate children by three different women. One of those children was Captain Charles' father, who became a rich merchant in Manchester. After further investigation, Mr Bunting was able to establish that no marriage had taken place between the Major General and Captain Charles' grandmother. James' fortune and position in the society of New South Wales were secure. The outcome was not so happy for Captain Charles. With the failure of his claim, his physical and mental heath deteriorated, and he died shortly afterwards in London in ambiguous circumstances.
- Subject:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Stewart, Andrew, editor
- Available From:
- 01923935
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary Dramatic Musical
- Published status:
- Published
- Publication date:
- 2019
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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