“We solemnly certify in
this prayer-book that Olive, the
lawful daughter of Henry Frederick Duke of Cumberland
and
Olive his wife, bears a large mole on the right
side, and
another crimson mark upon the back, near the
neck; and that
such child was baptised as Olive Wilmot, at St.
Nicholas
Church, Warwick, by command of the King (George
the Third)
to save her royal father from the penalty of
bigamy, &c.
J.
WILMOT.
WARWICK.
ROBT.
WILMOT.”
“I hereby certify that George, Prince of Wales, married Hannah Wheeler, alias Lightfoot, April 17th, 1759; but, from finding the latter to be her right name, I solemnized the union of the said parties a second time, May the 27th, 1759, as the certificate affixed to this paper will confirm.”
Witness (torn). “J. WILMOT.”
“Not to be acted upon until the king’s demise.”
“With other sacred papers
to Lord Warwick’s care for Olive,
my grand-daughter, when I am no more. J.W.”
“MY DEAR OLIVE,—As
the undoubted heir of Augustus, King of
Poland, your rights will find aid of the Sovereigns
that you
are allied to by blood, should the family of
your father act
unjustly, but may the great Disposer of all things
direct
otherwise. The Princess of Poland, your
grandmother, I made
my lawful wife, and I do solemnly attest that
you are the
last of that illustrious blood. May the
Almighty guide you
to all your distinctions of birth. Mine
has been a life of
trial, but not of crime!
J.
WILMOT.”
“January, 1791.”
“If this pacquet meets your eye let not ambition destroy the honour nor integrity of your nature. Remember that others will be dependent on your conduct, the injured children, perhaps, of the good and excellent consort of your king—I mean the fruit of his Majesties first marriage—who may have been consigned to oblivion like yourself; but I hope that is not exactly the case; but as I was innocently instrumental to their being, by solemnizing the ill-destined union of power and innocence, it is but an act of conscientious duty to leave to your care the certificates that will befriend them hereafter! The English nation will receive my last legacy as a proof of my affection, and when corruption has desolated the land, and famine and its attendant miseries create civil commotion, I solemnly command you to make known to the Parliament the first lawful marriage of the king, as when you are in possession of the papers, Lord Warwick has been sacredly and affectionately by myself entrusted with, their constitutional import will save the country! Should the necessity exist for their operation, consult able and patriotic men, and they will instruct you. May Heaven bless their and your efforts in every sense of the subject, and so shall my rejoiced spirit with approving love (if so permitted) feel an exultation inseparable from the prosperity of England.
J. WILMOT.”
“GEORGE R.