Miss Sainsbury and Baron Wemyss

On 23 November 1926 a large crowd gathered at St Margaret’s Westminster hoping to catch a glimpse of the young couple who were about to be married there.  There was such a crowd that mounted police were called out to help.  It was reported that a long line of guests waited to get into the church, and that “At half-past one the long line of guests waiting outside under the awning resembled a theatre queue.  This line grew in size until it was impossible for any more guests to alight from their cars, and they had to remain in them until the people began to move into the church”.  

The groom was John Alan Burns (28), 4th Baron Inverclyde and grandson of the founder of the Cunard shipping company.  He was described as “one of London’s most eligible bachelors”, having inherited over £2 million and the title on the death of his father in 1919.  The bride was Olive Sylvia Sainsbury (19), daughter of Arthur Sainsbury of Gloucester House, Park Lane, London and granddaughter of John James Sainsbury, founder of the Sainsbury grocery empire.

Olive Sainsbury, Lady Inverclyde

However when the bride and her father arrived at the church they were in for a bit of a shock as the groom had not yet turned up!  They had a 20 minute wait before he arrived and he had to be admitted to the church by a side door!  It was later explained that the hired car he had ordered to get him to the church had gone to the wrong address and was late getting to him.  (Another report was that he was late because his car had broken down on the way to the church.) His best man was Huttleston Broughton.

The bride was accompanied by six bridesmaids (Violet Sainsbury, her elder sister, Violet Hibbert, Betty Somerset, Eileen Cowlrick, Gwen Wilmot and Rosemary Hope Vere), two little flower girls (Nefertari Bethell and Riona Maclean) and two young trainbearers (Vernon Coats and Michael Craig).  Olive Sainsbury’s dress was “a beautiful medieval gown of ivory panne, cut with a low waist, and with a skirt touching the ground.  It was finished with a girdle of pearls, and had a train of fine chiffon, trimmed with diamante.  Her lace veil was edged with pearls and, instead of a bouquet, she carried an ivory bound Prayer Book.”  Eventually the ceremony took place conducted by Canon Carnegie.  After the service, pipers of the Scots Guards (Lord Inverclyde’s regiment) piped the bride and bridegroom out of the church.  There's an amazing piece of old film of the newlywed couple exiting the church entitled "Smart Society Wedding" - view here.

The reception was held at 2 Gloucester House.   The wedding gifts (over 400) were displayed in a separate room and chief among them was a clock and alabaster ash tray from Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll.  The tenants of Castle Wemyss gave the bridegroom a sliver tray.  The captain and crew of Inverclyde's yacht Beryl gave a silver salver.  After the reception, the couple, the bride having changed into an apple-green velvet coat trimmed with lynx and a green frock, left for their honeymoon in a “little racing motor car”, with the bride driving.  They spend their honeymoon on a motor tour of the continent.

Burns Family

John Alan Burns inherited Castle Wemyss in Wemyss Bay on the West of Scotland.  His father, James Cleland Burns, 3^rd Baron Inverclyde married Charlotte Mary Emily Nugent Dunbar (her family owned Machermore Castle in Newton Stewart).  Here's a brief list of the Burns family - Sir George Burns (1795-1890) was the founder of G&J Burns with his younger brother James Burns.  They later joined with Samuel Cunard to form the Cunard Line.  George Burns was made a baronet at the age of 94 in 1889.  He died a year later ,and the title passed to John Burns (1829-1901) known as Baron Inverclyde who had taken over the family business in 1860.  On his death the title passed to his son, George Arbuthnot Burns (1861-1905) 2^nd Baron Inverclyde.  He and his wife, Mary Fergusson had no children.  On his death the title passed to his younger brother James Cleland Burns (1864-1919) 3rd Baron Inverclyde who was the father of John Alan Burns (1897-1957).

John Alan Burns was educated at Eton and the Royal Military College in Berkshire,  He was formerly a lieutenant in the Scots Guards.  He served in the first World War and was wounded by a bullet in the hand in France.  The wound was infected by gangrene, and he was sent home.  Rather than returning to the front he was given a job at the War Office in London.  He decided against working for the family Cunard business and instead became aide-de-camp of the Governor of Gibraltar from 1920-21.  

Castle Wemyss

It was 1827 before the newlyweds visited Castle Wemyss.  In June 1927 Lord Inverclyde took his bride to Castle Wemyss, where they were cheered by many of the local people and estate workers.  The crew of his yacht, Beryl attached ropes to the car and pulled it from the main gate of the estate to the front door of the house.  Lord Inverclyde carried his bride over the threshold.  The yacht Beryl was Commodore Yacht at the opening of Clyde Fortnight at Largs later that month.

Castle Wemyss, Wemyss Bay

Divorce

There was to be no happy ending for the young couple.  Lord Inverclyde was granted a divorce from his wife on 21 November 1928.  The divorce was sought on the grounds of “misconduct” (adultery) alleged to have taken place in June in a Paris hotel.  No defence was put forward and the only witnesses at court were Lord Inverclyde’s London butler, Thomas James Bull and Elsie Morris, a former maid to Lady Inverclyde.

Lady Inverclyde and 2nd husband James Pearce

Just a few days later on 5 December 1928 Lady Inverclyde married James Townsend Pearce (1904-1947).  It was discovered that they had previously been secretly engaged before her marriage to Lord Inverclyde.  Once again large crowds gathered outside the London Registry Office where the marriage was to take place.  A newspaper reported that the couple's two dogs had been present at the ceremony and had almost started a fight with another dog brought along by one of the guests!

The couple had a daughter together but divorced in June 1933.  James Townsend Pearce (described as a horse dealer) was granted custody of their daughter, Joanna.  Again the divorce was  was her alleged misconduct with Leopold Frank Partridge.  James Pearce later remarried.

Olive and Leopold Frank Partridge

Not long afterwards, on 1 February 1934, Olive married for the third time.  Her third husband was Leopold Frank Partridge (1901-1976), an art dealer and racehorse owner.  They spent their honeymoon with various hunts in Leicestershire.  A curious incident occurred in March of 1936 when Olive, on horseback joined riders on the last lap in the Leicestershire Hunt Steeplechase at Melton Mowbray.  She was fined £10!  In August 1948 Leopold Frank Partridge was granted a divorce from Olive on the grounds of her desertion.

Lord Inverclyde and Castle Wemyss

Lord Inverclyde married again in 1929.  This marriage was equally disastrous and ended in divorce (more in a later post)!  He had no heirs and after his death at Castle Wemyss in 1957, none of the remaining family could afford to keep Castle Wemyss which was sold and demolished.  There's a great site History of Wemyss Bay which gives a lot more on the history of the area (click on link).

Incredible old film of Greenock's Free French Memorial

The Free French Memorial, Lyle Hill, Greenock commemorates the Free French naval forces that sailed from the River Clyde during the second World War.  It consists of an anchor and the Cross of Lorraine which was the symbol of the Free French.  

The Memorial was unveiled on18 January 1946 by A V Alexander (1885-1965), First Lord of the Admiralty.  Among others present were Rene Massigli (1888-1988), French Ambassador in London (click on this link to read more about this very interesting man) and Admiral Ortoli (1900-1979) who represented General de Gaulle.

Four French naval vessels (destroyer Forbin, corvettes Renoncule and Roselys and the yacht Girundia) had arrived in the Clyde for the unveiling.  Members of their crews attended the event.  The Corporation of Greenock treated the guests to a special luncheon and in the evening they attended a dinner in the Central Hotel, Glasgow given by Lord Inverclyde. 

This plaque on the Memorial reads – "This monument is dedicated to the memory of the sailors of the Free French Naval Forces who sailed from Greenock in the years 1940-1945 and gave their lives in the Battle of the Atlantic for the liberation of France and the success of the allied cause."

There is an incredible piece of film from Pathe News showing the unveiling of the Free French Memorial in Greenock - 

James Watt and the Lunar Society

Greenockian James Watt (1736-1819) is best known as an inventor and engineer.  In 1775 he went into partnership with Matthew Boulton (1728-1809) and they later set up the Soho Foundry near Birmingham.  However both men were also part of a group of some of the most interesting thinkers and inventors of the time.  This group came to be known as the Birmingham Lunar Society.

The Lunar Society is thought to have started with Dr Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802), grandfather of Charles Darwin.  Darwin, a physician and poet, had a wide circle of friends and entertained them at his home.  Among them was another physician, Dr William Small (1734-1775) who had worked for a time in America and was mentor to Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States) before returning to Birmingham.  He had a letter of introduction to Matthew Boulton from Benjamin Franklin and became Boulton's doctor.  The group often met at Boulton's home - Soho House.

Matthew Boulton

The Society was informal and met once a month regularly between 1765 and 1813 on the Monday nearest the full moon in the homes of the various members.  Those who attended (never more than 14) would have dinner and then settle to discuss a wide range of topics from science to philosophy.  It was said that they met at the time of the full moon to make travelling home easier.

Among others, the group also included some very interesting people - 

Samuel Galton (1753-1832), Quaker gunmaker, ornithologist and banker.

Dr William Withering (1741-1799) physician and botanist.

Joseph Priestly (1733-1804) minister, scientist (discovered oxygen) and revolutionary.

Captain James Keir (1735-1820), chemist and geologist.

John Whitehurst (1713-1788), clock and instrument maker and geologist.

Josiah Wedgewood

Josiah Wedgewood (1730-1795), pottery manufacturer.  (Interestingly, his daughter married Erasmus Darwin's son.)

Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744-1817) inventor and writer.

In a previous Greenockian Blog post about James Watt's son, Gregory, many of the people mentioned above have connections to the Watt family.  Read the post here.

New Year Nostalgia

Happy Hogmanay to you!  For many of us, this is a time for nostalgia and thoughts of years past.  Take a look at how Greenock looked before the 1970s "modernisation"!  (Some of which ironically, is to be "redeveloped" next year!!!!)  It shows that Greenock once had a great selection of shops and how busy West Blackhall Street used to be!

Please enjoy!

Crow Mount, Greenock

Crow Mount or “the Mount” as it was called was a wooded area of Greenock.  

Photo - Greenock Burns Club

Described in “Views and Reminiscences of Old Greenock” (1891) as stretching - “westwards from Bank Street to Ann Street and running northwards from Dempster Street to Roxburgh Street”.  When this photograph was taken “largely a plantation with a few gardens, and here and there a cottage or residence of some well-known citizen”.                

Map 1861

It is described as “in its way, a miniature forest, with trees of luxuriant growth, which attracted crows, and made it a breeding place and a centre for this well known species of bird, the chorus of whose peculiar cawing became a familiar feature of the neighbourhood”. 

Map 1915

While over the years the area became built up, it was still remembered in the names of buildings which once stood in the area – Mount Park Free Church (Trafalgar Street) which opened in 1874 and the Mount School.

Stained glass nativity

Merry Christmas!

This beautiful stained glass nativity scene can be found in Westburn Parish Church, Nelson Street, Greenock.

The artist was Douglas Strachan.  See more of the window in a previous post here.

Christmas gifts in Greenock

Just like today, back in the 1890s many shops took advantage of advertising their wares over the Christmas and New Year period.  Perhaps one of the biggest shops in Greenock was J G Rowan & Co who had premises at Hamilton Street.

Their Christmas advertising listed some of the many items that could be purchased as gifts.

For gentlemen there were "plush and handsewn smoking caps" or perhaps "silk and elastic braces" both "in fancy boxes".

For the woman in your life suggested gifts were - “plush and gilt photo frames, plaques, hand-painted views” or “satin lined work baskets or jewel cases”.  

Photo - Greenock Burns Club

The photo above shows the premises in Hamilton Street before the Municipal Buildings were constructed.  You can just see the roof of the town hall building to the left. Rowan's building, now known as Cathcart House is next to the carriage way entrance to the Municipal Buildings in Cathcart Square.  (Some people might remember Smith's Warehouse which used to be in this building and was a wonderful place for children at Christmas.  That's where we went to see the toys and decide what we wanted for Christmas!)

Unusual location for stained glass

Can you guess where in Greenock you would find this beautiful stained glass panel?

It is not easy to see now because it is situated in the upper portion of Greenock's shopping centre - the Oak Mall.  This part of the Mall, at the upper eastern entrance is now closed off, but if you stand at the bottom of the stairs in the dilapidated lower east section of the Mall and look up you can just about see it.

Plans are underway (and have been for a considerable time) to completely redevelop this section of the Oak Mall and the surrounding area.  I hope that when these plans finally come to pass this panel will be saved and found a suitable place in the refurbished shopping centre.  You can read about the redevelopment plans on Inverclyde Council's website.

Oak Mall, Greenock from Clyde Square

I could not find any information about the stained glass panel, but to me it looks like a shoal of herring which would give it a good Greenock connection.

The Lovely Lass of Inverkip

 The "Lovely Lass of Inverkip" is a poem by the "Radical Poet", Alexander Rodger (1784-1846).

Alexander Rodger was born in East Calder, Midlothian and worked as a weaver and music teacher in Bridgeton, Glasgow.  In 1819 he was editor of the radical newspaper The Spirit of the Union and was imprisoned because of his writings.  A collection of his poems in the Scots dialect was published in 1821.   Here's "The Lovely Lass of Inverkip".

O'er Cowal hills the sinking sun
Was bidding Clutha's vale guid-day,
And from his gorgeous golden throne,
Was shedding evening's mildest ray,
As round the Cloch I bent my way,
With buoyant heart and bounding skip,
To meet my lass, at gloaming grey,
Amang the shaws of Inverkip.
 
We met- and what an eve of bliss!
A richer, sweeter, neve flew,
With mutual vow, with melting kiss,
And ardent throb of bosoms true:-
The bees, ;mid flowers of freshest hue,
Would cease their honeyed sweets to sip,
If they her soft sweet lips but knew -
The lovely lass of Inverkip.
 
Her ebon locks, her hazel eye,
Her placid brow, so fair and meek,
Her artless smile, her balmy sigh,
Her bonnie, blushing, modest cheek -
All these a stainless mind bespeak,
As pure as is the lily's tip;
Then, O, may sorrow's breath so bleak
Ne'er blight my Bud of Inverkip.

Rodger worked at Barrowfield Printworks and then became a writer on the Glasgow Chronicle and later the Reformer's Gazette.  In 1832 his work appeared in Whistle Binkie, a collection of poems by various authors.  He was known as the "Radical Poet". 

Read more about Inverkip here.

Grose at Newark

In 1770s the antiquarian, Francis Grose (1731-1791), visited Newark Castle.  Here's a drawing he made  of the castle at that time.

Newark Castle, Port Glasgow, Grose

Grose describes Newark Castle - "This was the castle or principal mansion of the barony of Finlaystun Maxwell, which about the middle of the fifteenth century, with diverse other lands, came to Sir Robert Maxwell of Calderwood, a younger son of the family of Nether Pollock, in right of Elizabeth, his wife, second daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Denniestoun, of that ilk.  It continued in the possession of the Maxwell family for several generations, till sold by George Maxwell alias Napier, of Kilmahew, Esq; to Mr Cockrane, of Kilmaronock, about the beginning of the eighteenth century.  It is at present the property of – Hamilton, of Wishaw, Esq; in whose family it has been for a considerable length of time. 

 This castle stands on the Eastern point of the bay, which contains the town and harbour of Port Glasgow and Newark.  It is now in ruins; but some part of it was inhabited about fifty years ago.  It consists of a square court, with high walls, round turrets, and battlements.  Over the main door are the arms of Maxwell, very much defaced, having beneath them this inscription:  “The Blessing of God be herein, anno 1597”.  On another part of one of the North windows is engraved the date 1599.  Over most of the windows are the letters PM, being the initials of Sir Patrick Maxwell, who probably built the modern part of it.  The tower is of more ancient date than the rest; when or by whom it was built is not known."

"The Blessings of God be Heirin" above doorway at Newark Castle.

Francis Grose

Francis Grose was a London born antiquarian and writer who travelled throughout Britain noting the historical buildings and ruins he visited.  In 1772 he published "The Antiquities of England and Wales" containing his drawings with a short description of the buildings they showed.  In 1788\1789 he travelled widely in Scotland and later produced "The Antiquities of Scotland" which included Newark Castle.  

The ruins of Alloway Kirk, Grose

While in Scotland in 1789, Grose met the poet Robert Burns who suggested that he included Alloway Kirk in his writings.  Grose agreed to this on condition that Burns would write a story about a witch to go along with the drawing.  This led, in 1790 to the famous Burns work - "Tam O'Shanter" being included in the second volume of Grose's "Antiquities of Scotland".  

The pair became good friends and Burns wrote to Frances Dunlop:- "I have never seen a man of more original observation, anecdote and remark ... If you discover  a cheerful-looking grig of an old, fat fellow, the precise figure of Dr Slop, wheeling about your avenue in his own carriage with a pencil and paper in his hand, you may conclude: "Thou art the man!".  (Dr Slop is a character in "Tristam Shandy" (1759) by Laurence Sterne.)

Burns and Grose kept up a correspondence.  Burns wrote a poem for his friend, and also this epitaph -

"On Captain Francis Grose

The devil got notice that Grose was a-dying,

So whip! at the summons, old Satan came flying;

But when he approach’d where poor Francis lay moaning,

And saw each bed-post with its burden a-groaning,

Astonish’d! confounded! cry’d Satan, “By God,

I’ll want him, ere I take such a damnable load!”

Grose was also the author of the very interesting and amusing "A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue" (1775) and several other works.  Grose died in Dublin while travelling to find material for a book on the antiquities of Ireland.  One of his sons, also named Francis Grose (1758-1814) became Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales, Australia.

Just imagine!

While walking to Cathcart Street recently, I noticed these windows at the western end of Greenock's Municipal Buildings directly across from the library at Wallace Place.  It occurred to me that they could be put to good use in promoting our town.

They are in a busy location with people going to the Library, the Oak Mall or visiting the Fire and Rescue Museum on Dalrymple Street.  

I'm no graphic artist, but here are some of the ideas that I came up with - perhaps on large posters in the windows or some other method of display.  I noticed that they have a flat shelf that displays could be set up on.  Here's what I imagined!

Surely someone on Inverclyde Council could come up with a way of making these windows a bit more useful.  Displays or posters about local events could be put in place here, or even just information of local interest.  With many visitors in the town from cruise ships, it would be the ideal opportunity for promoting our area.

I am sure that the Watt Institution, Greenock's Museum and Art Gallery, has a lot of posters and artefacts that could be put to good use here.

Here's another idea -

There is so much of our local history and heritage that could be advertised here.

Anything would be better that what's already there!

The Clyde Society of Port Glasgow 1790

In 1790 the Clyde Society was set up in Port Glasgow.  It was described as a "Friendly Society", set up by a group of people to provide help for those members going through difficult times".  The Clyde Society was to consist "of persons above the labouring class ... merchants and masters of ship".  Contributions were made for the relief of widows and orphans of members of the society.  Widows “whether rich or poor” were to receive a certain sum per annum and an amount for every child under 14 years of age.  Any member who “fell  into reduced circumstances” was entitled to receive an amount at the discretion of the Directors of the society.

Source - Watt Institution

Members paid £5 on admission and 5 shillings quarterly as a fee.  Members had to have contributed for five years before they could receive any benefit.  Failure to pay the quarterly account led to dismissal from the Society.  An exception was given to those who were at sea or had moved to more that 20 miles from Port Glasgow.  It all sound very worthy, however as is the case in all such societies, difficulties arose in defining the rules in individual cases.

Alexander Malcolm a merchant in Port Glasgow and later a vendue-master (auctioneer) in Glasgow became a member and continued to pay his quarterly contribution for about 10 years.  He became bankrupt in May 1801 and was sent to prison in October and remained there until May 1802.  While in gaol, he was excluded from being a member of the Society because, of course, he had been unable to pay his account.  He obtained his freedom by a cessio bonorum, the definition of which is "the voluntary surrender of goods by a debtor to his creditors".

He died in October 1803 and since his bankruptcy he had been unable to make his contributions to the Clyde Society.  On her husband’s death, Elizabeth Steel, who was left with four children, submitted a petition to the Sheriff Depute of Renfrewshire in which she asked that she be paid the allowance stipulated by the Society to the widows and children of deceased members.  She was told that because her husband’s expulsion from the Society, she was not entitled to any payments.  At the time, Benjamin Moore was president of the Clyde Society.  Other members supporting him in this action were William Scott, coppersmith and James Foster surgeon.

After a lot of discussion, the Sheriff made an statement on 28 June 1805 - “Finds it admitted that the pursuer’s deceased husband paid up his quarters accounts and conformed himself to the rules of the Society, for the space of five years, and that his dismissal proceeded from no negligence, but mere inability to continue his payments, his widow, the pursuer, ought not, for any thing contained in these articles founded on, to be excluded from the aliment craved; therefore, allows her a proof of her husband’s indigence for the year previous to his expulsion, and to the defender’s conjunct probation”.  In other words, she was to be given the appropriate payments.

The Society presented a petition arguing against this judgement, but it was refused.  The Sheriff stated “I have no difficulty in this case.  The object of the institution is declared to be the support of reduced members, their widows and children.  It is implied in these words, that inability to pay is not a ground of forfeiture during the lives of the members; and the same thing is implied in the event of their death.”  The Society took the matter further, to the Court of Session.  The basic question being – “Whether Mr Malcolm, at the time he failed in paying his quarterly accounts, was within 20 miles of Port Glasgow or not?"  After much discussion the Clyde Society were found liable for the widow’s expenses.  Again, the Society argued the decision, but this time it was refused.  The Sheriff's judgement that an amount should be paid to Mrs Malcolm and her children was confirmed.  It was not until 1814 that matters were finally resolved.  The legal teams involved were - For pursuers (the widow) – Thomas W Baird Esq (Advocate), agent J Greig WS, and for the Society – Francis Jeffrey (Advocate) and John Greenshields agent – Francis Snodgrass WS.

A protracted legal case must have cost the Society dearly.