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Trollope, Anthony, 1815-1882

"The Eustace Diamonds"


"But in 1721 Lord Macclesfield gave Mistress Tipping paraphernalia to the
value or ?200--whether so persuaded by law and precedent, or otherwise,
may be uncertain.
"Lord Talbot allowed a gold watch as paraphernalia.
"Lord Hardwicke went much further, and decided that Mrs. Northey was
entitled to wear jewels to the value of ?3,000, saying that value made no
difference; but seems to have limited the nature of her possession in the
jewels by declaring her to be entitled to wear them only when full-
dressed.
"It is, I think, clear that the Eustace estate cannot claim the jewels as
an heirloom. They are last mentioned, and, so far as I know, only
mentioned as an heirloom in the will of the great-grandfather of the
present baronet, if these be the diamonds then named by him. As such he
could not have devised them to the present claimant, as he died in 1820,
and the present claimant is not yet two years old.
"Whether the widow could claim them as paraphernalia is more doubtful. I
do not know that Lord Hardwicke's ruling would decide the case; but if so,
she would, I think, be debarred from selling, as he limits the use of
jewels of lesser value than these to the wearing of them when full-
dressed.


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