Viscountess Barrington, Lady Williamson, Mrs. Trotter, and the Hon.
Georgiana Liddell, afterwards Lady Bloomfield.

By the death of the third Earl of Hardwicke on November 18, 1834,
Captain Yorke succeeded to that earldom, to which he had long been heir-
presumptive. As already mentioned, the third earl's elder son, Viscount
Royston, had been lost in a storm in the Baltic in 1808, and two younger
sons had died in infancy. Captain Yorke therefore succeeded to the
estates in Cambridgeshire and to the historic mansion of Wimpole. These
came into the possession of his family by purchase, the Lord Chancellor
having acquired them from Edward Lord Harley, afterwards Earl of Oxford,
for L100,000. I print here a letter describing Wimpole in 1781, written
by the Countess of St. Germans to her aunt Lady Beauchamp, [Footnote:
Wife of Sir William Beauchamp of Langley Park, Norfolk, sister of Mrs.
Charles Yorke.] as illustrating life at a country house at that period.

* * * * *

'MY DEAR AUNT (writes Lady St. Germans from 'Wimple' October 1781), We
came to this place last Monday about half-past three o'clock; just time
enough for dinner and found all the good family in perfect health. Lady
Bell Polwarth is now here, also my brothers. P. Y. had been here before,
Charles came yesterday on purpose to meet Mama, and goes away again to-
morrow. He is not at all the worse for his journey but looks remarkably
well. Here is likewise an unhappy victim of a clergyman on a visit. His
name is Rouse and he is minister of some place near Wrest. This is the
society here at present, and now I shall tell you of our journey, and
how I like the place. Mama had desired my brother Phil as he passed
through Hertford to order four horses to come to Tytten after six
o'clock and four more to be ready at the Inn to change, but knowing the