DENNISTOUN V DENNISTOUN RECALLED FROM 1925

 

 

Dennistoun v Dennistoun

Kings Bench Division, High Court, 1925

“The Dustbin Case”

 Dorothy Dennistoun brought a Civil Court action against her former husband, Ian Dennistoun, a retired Army officer, to recover £1300 she advanced him for bills and loans during their marriage. She also claimed damages for breach of a verbal contract for maintenance.

 The Dennistouns married in 1910 but divorced in 1921. Dorothy was persuaded not to seek maintenance.  Ian said he’d make provision, if he could, at a later date.   In 1920, Dorothy met Almina, Lady Carnarvon through General John Cowans, quartermaster of the British Army during WW1 and a close friend of the Dennistouns.  Later, Ian met Almina, whose husband discovered Tutankhamen’s tomb and famously died from a mosquito-bite in April 1923. Almina and Ian fell in love.

Almina deposited large amounts of money into Ian’s bank account during 1922-3.  Ian repaid Dorothy £500.  She reminded him what amount was owed.  Later, he left an envelope addressed with her pet name “Brown Mouse” containing £100. By September 1923, Dorothy wanted full repayment.  Ian refused to discuss matters except through his solicitors. Meanwhile, Almina installed him in a flashy London apartment, and then in December 1923 they married.

During 1924 no progress was made to settle with Dorothy. On 3 March 1925 The Dustbin Case (said Punch) came before Mr. Justice McCardie.  Sir Ellis Hume-Williams KC representing Dorothy, Sir Edward Marshall Hall KC for Ian. It lasted 17 sordid days, rocking the Establishment, destroying many reputations.

Dorothy was named mistress of General John Cowans.  She claimed she’d only been intimate with him to secure advancement for Ian in the Army.  Cowans  - a legend – had died in 1921 – and was given a State funeral.

There was mudslinging all-round. Dorothy’s team claimed she’d been intimidated by claims about her misconduct. Ian’s team described Dorothy as a blackmailer misusing private letters written by him ( pet name “Tiger” ).

The case dominated newspaper headlines for weeks. Well-dressed women camped in the Strand to visit the Court scene. The King wrote to the Lord Chancellor of his  “disgust and shame” about the case.

Edward Marshall Hall – who’d misguidedly taken the brief as a friend of Ian - lost control of his attacks on Dorothy, she remained cool throughout 14 hours of cross-examination.  Her immorality was exposed with many lovers named.  One, a Spaniard, Bolin (with whom she fell pregnant and was to marry) was cited as the true reason for divorcing Dennistoun.  And that Dorothy had only taken the proceedings as Ian’s new wife was very rich and was sure she’d want to settle out of Court.   It was said “ Tiger” Dennistoun was fully aware and encouraged Dorothy’s liaisons with Cowans.  Ian’s appointments between 1913-17 were orchestrated by Cowans, first as a favour, then only for sex.   In 1916, Ian visited the Ritz Hotel, Paris ahead of Cowans seducing Dorothy to ensure everything was laid-on.   Dorothy impressed the Jury who awarded her £5000 damages. The Judge said this was inconsistent with the law. He gave judgement in favour of Dorothy’s claims for only £472.18 ruling “there was no binding agreement to support her.”  The case incurred ten-of-thousands of pounds in costs and lawyers’ fees, neither party saved face.   Interestingly it was the last divorce case of endless dirty-washing being hung out in public.  Despite a strong protest campaign by the Press, Parliament passed the Judicial Proceedings (Regulation of Reports) Act 1926 prohibiting the detailed reporting of divorce cases in newspapers. MORE INFORMATION CONTACT WILLIAM CROSS COPIES OF THE BOOK ARE STILL AVAILABLE FROM WILL williecross@aol.com

Welsh Mystery: Heiress Gwyneth Ericka Morgan : ‘A Beautiful Nuisance’

 GWYNETH ERICKA MORGAN

Poor Gwyneth!  A Beautiful Nuisance

The Honourable Gwyneth Ericka Morgan, was the only daughter of Courtenay Morgan, the third Lord Tredegar. She was one of the Bright Young People of the post  Great War era who disappeared from a house in Wimbledon on 11 December 1924 and whose body was later discovered in the River Thames.

Gwyneth was born in London in 1895, the second child of Courtenay Morgan and Lady Katharine Carnegie, later Lord and Lady Tredegar, of Tredegar Park, Monmouthshire. The family history on both her father and mothers sides is filled with a variety of the rich, the famous and the notorious. The Morgans had their roots in South Wales. The Carnegies in the Highlands of Scotland. 

Gwyneth spent a great deal of her life in London, or abroad, and in the Surrey home maintained by her mother, near Dorking. She also spent time with her maternal grandparents, the Earl and Countess of Southesk, at Kinnaird Castle, and with her brother Evan Morgan (1893-1949) and her parents at sea on board the family yacht Liberty. 

She spent part of her childhood at Ruperra Castle, South Wales. Talented, attractive, an heiress to the Tredegar fortunes from land, coal and agriculture, she became a part of the rituals of the great and good of London and Highland Society in the years before and after the First World War. Court, Northern Meeting, Balls, the Shooting Season and health and gambling trips to Cannes, Paris and Italy. 

Gwyneth had an adventurous streak and a reputation for being something of a bohemian. She was however struck down with ill-health after the excesses of high living and overseas travel. She mixed with some East-End and West End types that her family disapproved of and they warned her about the consequences of scandal on the family's name.   

Coming into some perilous situations involving dangerous people, and with the increasing concerns of her family and friends she spent her last years moving between rented accommodation as though on the run. 

Receiving medical care from the most famous physician in the country, a Royal doctor,  Sir John Atkins, Gwyneth suddenly disappeared, her body was later pulled out of the Thames five months later in May 1925. Was it an accident, or was it foul play? 

And was it Gwyneth's body that was pulled from the River Thames?

Writers Monty Dart and William Cross, FSA Scot spent 7 years researching Gwyneth’s story for a book they published in 2012, entitled “ A Beautiful Nuisance. The Life and Death of the Hon. Gwyneth Ericka Morgan”. 

Copies of the book are still available directly from WILLIAM CROSS, FSA SCOT,  and also on ebay and Amazon

FURTHER INFORMATION  

E-mail Will Cross 

williecross@aol.com

                                                         A BEAUTIFUL NUISANCE

LINK TO EBAY FOR LAST COPIES OF THE BOOK

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205889042295