Show THE VACANT GARTER liberal peers are soiree and it bestowed on a it is another instance of the paucity of liberal peers says westminster budget that lord should have bestowed the vacant garter on a liberal unionist though the distinction was one to which lord lansdowne was on his merits well entitled the order consists of fifty knights of twenty five are royalties in clouding our own princes and a number of the continental emperors and kings and royal dukes tho other twenty live are english noblemen the late earl grey and the late earl of derby both belonged to the order of present members the following are unionists earl fitzwilliam earl cowper duke of richmond and gordon duke of beaufort duke of westminster earl of leicester marquis of salisbury duke of gramon duke of argyll marquis of northampton marquis of duke of norfolk marquis of londonderry duke of rutland earl cadogan duke of devonshire and duke of aberhorn abercorn Aber corn the liberal K G s number only four earl spencer marquis of ripon earl of kimberly and earl of the other dates from 1349 and everybody remembers the legend associated with its foundation the then countess of salisbury was the lady and to chich browning refers in the following lines the earls greatest of all grandmothers erand mothers was grander daughter still to that dame whose garter down at the famous ball |