Traralgon Record in Traralgon, Victoria

Disreputable Lord Altham and the James Annesley Suit

In the early eighteenth century Lord Altham, famed for dissipation, disowned his son James Annesley over a property dispute. James was abducted by his uncle, sold into slavery in America, and later sailed with Admiral Vernon. A court trial proved James’s legitimacy, allowing him to inherit estates but he ceded the title to his uncle, the Earl of Anglesey, now extinct with potential future revival by descendants.