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167, Moorland Road,
Weston Super Mare,
January 1928
Dear Madame,
Thank you so very much for your kind letter, also for your notes it is very good of you.
I was so very interested to read your mother was a de Winton. My late husband was the youngest son of William de Winton late of Westbury lodge, Westbury Downs Clifton Bristol. He kept a boys school and his father was in the army and lived in the north of France. I expect you know all about the de Wintons though. The Earl of Winton was thrown into the Tower of London and escaped to France where he took the de to his name and all his wealth lands and title was thrown into Chancery. My husband's father's father wanted my husbands father to take a commission in the army which his friend The Duke of Wellington offered but he would not so his father turned him out of his home. He came to England and was a Tutor travelling and met his wife in Dorset....... Fytch and married and settled at Westbury Lodge Bristol. I think I have told you all I know my invalid son is the second heir to the peerage should it ever come back.
Thank you so very much for your kindness and kindly interest in us. I hope we shall meet some day but as we are very very poor its doubtful as I go nowhere, but should you ever come this way please give me the great pleasure of meeting you.
My best wishes for 1928,
I remain,
Yours sincerely,
(Mrs de Winton)
P.S.
Our great great great grandfather the Earl of Winton lost his estates and title and was sentenced to be beheaded in the Tower of London after the rebellion of the old Pretender. He escaped.
Our great grandfather Captain Winton, having fought through the Peninsular War determined to take his family to the south of France he never got further than Calais. He was there when Queen Victoria removed the penalties from the Scotch Earls. Our great grandfather had not the money to establish his claim to the Title so contented himself with the "de".
There is no French blood in the de Winton family since the Norman Conquest, when a member of the family called Saye, which ultimately turned into Sayton or Seaton.
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