Tyrell and Julia Cavendish

[Martin Williams]

How very interesting, thank you for that piece of information, Carole. May I ask where you discovered it? Most of the scraps I've contributed above were derived from the archives of the 'New York Times'. You mention that he knew other passengers - a quick Google has revealed that he officiated at the 1913 wedding of 'Titanic' survivor Margaret Hays.

The Rev. Steers/Stires evidently belonged to a church with a very fashionable congregation - the Clinch Smiths and the Henry Siegels were both moving in the highest social circles around the turn-of-the-century. Possibly St. Thomas's was in the same league as Grace Church, which is mentioned as the 'smart' place of worship in Wharton's 'The Age of Innocence'. Both were Episcopalian which, as I understand it, was the preferred WASP denomination.

 

[Carole Lindsay]

This is the Smith wedding announcement from the New York Times of June 6, 1895.

CLINCH-SMITH - BARNES - On Wednesday, June 5, at Grace Church, Chicago, by the Rev Ernest M. Stires, Bertha Ludington, daughter of Charles J. Barnes of Chicago, to James Clinch-Smith of New York.

Another coincidence - one of the guests at the wedding was Pierrepont Isham, brother of Titanic passenger Ann Isham. He died in 1906.

Early in his career Rev. Stires was the rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta, Georgia. That may have been the church where Major Butt worshipped. Rev. Stires' wife, the former Sarah McK. Hardwick was said to have been a childhood friend of Major Butt. They also knew the Ryersons.

St. Thomas Church was indeed attended by many members of New York society including the Astors and the Vanderbilts. It was the scene of Consuelo Vanderbilt's wedding to the Duke of Marlborough in 1895.

 

[Martin Williams]

Brian and Carole (and anybody else who might be interested)

I've just been trawling through the archives of the London 'Times' and have been amazed and delighted to discover that one of Julia Siegel's fellow bridesmaids at the wedding of her step-sister, Georgine Wilde, to Count Carlo Dentice de Frasso in London in 1906 was none other than - who would have guessed it? Not I! - Gladys Cherry, daughter of Lady Emily Cherry and cousin-by-marriage of the Countess of Rothes. This does, I think, go to prove the previously unconfirmed hypothesis that Noelle, Gladys and the Cavendishes were all acquainted with one another BEFORE they sailed on the 'Titanic'. Certainly, too, this suggests that Noelle and Gladys would indeed have been seated at the same table as Tyrell and Julia in the first-class dining saloon.

 

[Martin Williams]

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9802EEDF103EE733A25751C1A9679D946497D6CF

The link above should take you to a 1905 article from 'The New York Times' which features a nice shot of Georgine Wilde (Julia Siegel Cavendish's step-sister) on her prize mount, Sceptre. The writer debates whether American Society will continue to frequent the previously fashionable autumn Horse Show and concludes that, on balance, it probably will. This was evidently a topical issue - Edith Wharton made a similar observation in her 'House of Mirth', published that same year.

As we know, Georgine had two future 'Titanic' survivors as bridesmaids at her wedding to Count Carlo Dentice di Frasso in 1906 - Julia herself, and Gladys Cherry. The marriage was eventually annulled and the Count took as his second wife another American, the fabulously glamorous (and really rather raffish) Dorothy Caldwell Taylor. A set of portraits of Dorothy, dated 1913 and taken by Bassano (a studio patronised by Lady Duff Gordon and the Countess of Rothes, besides virtually every other member of Edwardian high society) can be found in the archives of the National Portrait Gallery. Check out her couture!

http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp67712

Although only very tenuously linked to the 'Titanic' story, I was intrigued to learn that, prior to her marriage to the count, Dorothy had been the wife of pioneer British aviator Claude Grahame-White. Following THAT divorce, he went on to marry Ethel Levy, the very chic singer and actress who had scored a massive hit on the London stage in late 1912 with her turn in the revue 'Hullo Ragtime!'

 

[Martin Williams]

Here's a link to a website which provides some great images of the Siegel-Cooper department store in New York, which was owned and operated by Julia Cavendish's father, Henry Siegel. I gather that Mrs Cavendish arranged credit there for Second Officer Lightoller to replace the clothing and personal effects he'd lost in the sinking (I only wish I could remember where I first read that, instead of repeating it ad nauseum!)

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/CHE/CHE018-Siegel-CooperDryGoodsStore.htm

Even as the Siegel marriage - and the Siegel family fortune - headed for calamity, Julia's glamorous stepmother and sisters continued to make a brave show in Society. On Twelveth Night, 1911, Mrs Siegel and her daughter, Dorothy Wilde, attended an enormous party at Sherry's, which was trumpeted in the press the next day as 'one of the largest and smartest semi-public balls ever given in New York' (quite how a ball can be only 'semi' public, I'm not quite sure). This was evidently a very picturesque affair, since most of the female guests wore fancy-dress, whilst many of the men sported hunting pink as well as white-tie. Mrs Siegel made a splash as Queen Elizabeth I, in grey velvet and tissue, trimmed with silver lace and studded all over with turquoise and emeralds. A diamond tiara sparkled in her hair. Dorothy's outfit was positively restrained in comparison and she went as a ballerina, with rose-pink skirts, tights and ribbons. Other Titanic-related personalities present that night included Colonel Astor with his son, Vincent, and Walter Miller Clark's cousin, Mrs James W. Gerard (wife of the future American Ambassador to Germany), who was dressed as the tragic operatic heroine Tosca, in blue-and-gold with cerise scarves and bunches of lilac.

 

[Martin Williams]

Leila Meyer and Julia Cavendish (both widowed in the sinking) are believed to have shown their appreciation to the surviving officers and crewmen of the Titanic by making arrangements for them to be reclothed at no personal expense from the department stores operated by their respective fathers in New York. Only, until now, I've not been sure where this information was derived from. I was pleased, therefore, to discover this morning that the original source has been on Encyclopedia Titanica all along, in an article from the Southampton Times and Hampshire Express, dated 20th April, 1912:

'Marconigram dated 18th April 1912 to: Saks & Co., New York. '36 men's medium flannel shirts 12 men's ditto, drawers, 12 pairs socks for destitute, deliver immediately at Pier 54 to Officer C. H. Lightoller. Lelia.'

Marconigram dated 18th April 1912 to: Siegel Cooper & Co. 6th Avenue, New York. '25 Coats, 19 Trousers medium weight for destitute deliver immediately at Pier 54 to Officer C. H. Lightoller. Julia'

Further to my earlier post of 14th February, 2008, I can add that a book has recently been published here in England which includes some excellent photographs of the Cavendish home in Staffordshire, Little Onn Hall, and its splendid grounds, which were designed by the famous landscape gardener, Thomas Mawson. Amazon details are provided below:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Thomas-Mawson-Life-Gardens-Landscapes/dp/0711225958

 

[Martin Williams]

Incidentally, the Siegel family estate, Driftwood, at Orienta Point, Mamaroneck, was purchased after Henry's scandalous bankruptcy by Isidor Straus's brother, Nathan. Yet another example of the intricate web of connections and coincidences binding the first-class families of the Titanic together.

Extensive Googling has yet to reveal anything specific about Driftwood but the house and grounds were noted for their grandeur and the Siegels hosted some lavish entertainments there in the first decade of the century.

 

[Jim Kalafus]

Have you tried Google Earth-ing the address?

Orienta is still a good neighborhood, but most of the large estates have been sub-divided. In some cases the original houses survived but, in most cases, the houses were replaced.

If ever in the U.S. you could grab your gun, and some mace, and go to the main branch of the New Rochelle Public Library, during daylight hours. They have an extensive collection, covering the histories of their much...safer...neighbors, Mamaroneck and Larchmont. You could also try contacting the Historical Society in Mamaroneck, or (a long shot) the Orienta Association. And, finally, with the original address of Driftwood, you could reference the demolition permit and at least get a fair idea of the house's dimensions.

 

[Brian Ahern]

I just saw that when Julia arrived in New York on the Baltic in April of 1928, she was on the list of second class passengers!

Of course, this could be an indication of daughterly affection rather than financial need. First class might have been booked and she might have been a hurry to get to her father's side.

 

[John Mundy]

TYRELL W. CAVENDISH. was body number 172, in his effects were 2ck's, what were ck's and why was he the only body recovered that had ck's in his posn? .... - MALE. - ESTIMATED AGE, 35, LIGHT - HAIR....CLOTHING - Black striped flannel suit....
EFFECTS - Gold watch; 2 ck; boots; £7; 1 pair of gold cuff links and stud.

[Moderator's note: This message, originally a separate thread in a different subtopic, has been moved to this pre-exiting thread about the same passenger. MAB]

 

[Ruth Lockley]

The village hall in Thurston in Suffolk is called the Cavendish Hall after this Cavendish who died on the Titanic. This is what it says on the village website about it. "The land and hall was paid for by Lady Cavendish as a memorial to her young husband who was lost with the Titanic after she survived the tragedy. She had planned to move into Thurston but never did after the tragedy." There is a plaque in the hall giving details.

 

[Cindy McCann]

I've discovered recently that my mother is related to Florence Cavendish. I would love to learn more about her.