Irish Anglers Unroll Magna Carta to Assert Rights on Duke's River

March 8, 2007 By: Marshall Cutchin

Seems peasant uprisings don’t occur only in Montana. According to an article by Mary Jacoby in the Wall Street Journal, locals are referring to the 13th century Magna Carta — one of first written proclamations of civil liberty — to challenge the 12th Duke of Devonshire, Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish’s claim to a 12-mile stretch of the River Blackwater. “The family has held Lismore through turbulent times. When Ireland established its independence from England in 1922, its leaders considered radical land reform that would have driven out the British aristocracy. Instead, the leaders allowed property owners to keep hereditary estates. That benefited Fred Astaire’s sister Adele. She lived at Lismore from 1932 to 1944 after marrying Lord Charles Cavendish, Peregrine’s great uncle.” (Thanks to reader John DeVault for this link.)