Lives in Cricket No 26 - HV Hesketh-Prichard

85 In January 1908 Lord Aberdeen had set up a Viceregal Commission to look into the matter of the theft, headed by the Irish Solicitor General, Redmond Barry. The key finding was that Having fully investigated all the circumstances connected with the loss of the Regalia of the Order of St Patrick, and having examined and considered carefully the arrangements of the Office of Arms in which the Regalia were deposited, and the provisions made by Sir Arthur Vicars, or under his direction, for their safe keeping, and having regard especially to the inactivity of Sir Arthur Vicars on the occasions immediately preceding the disappearance of the Jewels, when he knew that the Office and the Strong Room had been opened at night by unauthorised persons, we feel bound to report to Your Excellency that, in our opinion, Sir Arthur Vicars did not exercise due vigilance or proper care as the custodian of the Regalia. This was all something of a cop-out, and subsequently some of the papers related to the inquiry appear to have been removed. As a result Captain Wilkinson (later Sir Neville Wilkinson, who was to hold the position until it was abolished and who is best known for having designed and built two famous dolls’ houses) had been rather hastily appointed, but he went down with influenza and was absent from the investiture, which was handled by his deputy, Major G.F.Lambart. It all sounds like the work of A.J.Raffles. In the absence of the missing jewels, the Lord Lieutenant wore the small star and badge which were used on ordinary occasions, together with the Order of the Thistle and the Grand Cross of St Michael and St George. This investiture was on 29 February, and among the guests was Lady Elizabeth Grimston, who had originally gone over to Ireland to visit her cousin and in August 1907 had been staying with the Earl and Countess of Meath. The Irish Times Court Circular column enables one to track her movements. On 19 February she was a guest at a Viceregal reception, as was Hex, and on 24 February she was reported to have arrived at Dublin Castle as a guest. Three times during the next few days they are both shown among the guests for dinner at the Castle. Elizabeth was a social class or two above Hex. She was the daughter of the third Earl of Verulam, James Walter Grimston (1852-1924), who had inherited the title in 1895. She was known in the family, which seemed to have a superfluity of Elizabeths, as Lily. There was an extremely rapid courtship – as far as we know they had only met for the first time in late February and, by way of contrast, Violet Brabazon took several months to respond to a proposal from Lily’s brother James – and Kate remarks that ‘when he returned early in March, he was practically engaged, and in a few days went to Gorhambury, [the Earl’s estate, between Hemel Hempstead and St Albans] where it was all settled.’ Indeed, Hex wrote to the Earl from Dublin Castle on 2 March. That letter (reproduced here) is remarkable for its confident tone. Married Man