Mabel GILES [480]

  General Notes:

WEDDING
LAURENCE-GILES. A very charming wedding was solemnised at Great St. Mary's Church, Cambridge, on Saturday, between Miss Mabel Giles eldest daughter of Mr. H. A. Gales, M.A. Professor of Chinese, of Selwyn Gardens, and Mr. Claud Lawrence, of 35, Inverna Gardens, London, and late of Trinity College.
It was a beautiful day, and distinctly in keeping with the joyous nature of the occasion. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. F. S. Lawrence, Moulsford, Berks., uncle of the bridegroom, and the Rev, Dr. Cunningham vicar, and the service was fully choral. The church had been neatly decorated with palms and flowers for the occasion.
The bride was given away by her father, and was attended by four maids-her two sisters, Miss Edith and Miss Kathleen Giles, Miss Hannan (London) and Miss Mollison, daughter of Mr. W. L. Mollison, M.A., Clare College. The bridegroom was attended by Mr. W. F. Challinor, Trinity College, as best man.
Miss Giles was attired in a dress of sunrayed crepe-de-chine, with a duchesse lace yoke and court train of ivory satin. It was made by Mr. G. Stace, of Cambridge. Her only ornament was a diamond pendant, the gift of her parents, but she wore real orange blossom in her hair and on her train, and carried a shower bouquet, the gift of the bridegroom. The bridesmaids wore uniformly attired in white silk voile, with broad blue waist belts and hats of pale blue velvet, trimmed with ostrich feathers to match. They carried bouquets of pale pink carnations and lilies of the valley, and wore gold curb-chain bracelets, both being gifts of the bridegroom. There were many relatives and friends of the contracting parties present in church. The bridal party left the sacred edifice to the strains of Mendelsson's Wedding March. Immediately afterwards the bells were set a-ringing, and during the afternoon they continued to announce the happy occasion by merry peels. Professor and Mrs Giles afterwards hold a reception at the University Arms Hotel, when over 300 guests attended. Amongst those present were the Master of St. John's (Dr. Taylor), Professor and Mrs. Westlake, Sir Robert Ball, Professor and Mrs. Middleton, Professor E. C. Clark, Professor and Mrs. Skeet, Lady Braybrooke, Hon. Miss Neville, Lady Jobb, Lady Seeley, Lady Corbett, Professor and Mrs. Ridgeway, the Master of Caius (Dr. Roberts) and Mrs. Roberts, Mrs. Routh, Prof. Browne, Mr. and Mrs Mollison, Mrs Laurence, Mr Percy Laurence, the Misses Lawrence (2), Mr. and Mrs. Marzetti, Mr. and Mrs Reginald Lawrence, Dr. and the Misses Waraker (2), Mrs. Butler, Mrs. Austen Leigh, Dr. and Mrs. Venn Mrs. and Miss Ward, Mrs. and Miss Beck, Dr. and Mrs. Streane, Mr., Mrs. and Miss Shuckburgh, Col. and Mrs. Sherlock, Col. Hancock, General and Mrs. Broughey, Rev. A., Mrs. and Miss Boughey, Mrs and Miss Pemberton, Mr Whitting, Mr and Mrs. Hillyer, Prof. and Mrs Bendall, Dr. Rogers, Mr. and Mrs. Lock, Mr., Mrs. and Miss Gladys Hannen, Baroness Von Hugel, Mrs. and Miss Gross, Mrs, and Miss Drury, Mrs. and Miss Darwin; Mrs and Miss Chase, Mr. and Mrs. Coughtrie, Mrs. Willis Clark. Mr. and Mrs, Cartmell, Dr. and Mrs. Breul, Mrs. Bradbury, Mrs. Burkitt, Mrs. Bethune-Baker, Dr. Fenn, Lord O'Hagan. Miss Hopkins, Miss Coles, Miss Boycott, etc., etc. Later in the day Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence left for London en route to Italy and Cairo , where the honey- moon is being spent. The bride's going away dress was of soft dark blue material, trimmed with Russian embroidery. Her hat was of blue chenille to match, trimmed with white ostrich feathers, and she wore a set of sables, the gift of the bridegroom. The wedding presents were of great number, useful and ornamental, and of much value. The wedding cake was made by Mr. R. A. Hard, Market Street, Cambridge.
Ref: Unsourced newspaper cutting.

It is said that Mabel, who was a very pretty girl, was also rather spoilt. Her marriage to Claud was not approved of by either family, and she did not have a good relationship with her mother-in-law.

From: Memories of Mrs. Walter Keightley (nee Jeanne Gabrielle Desoutter) 1897-1982


"Among our many delightful customers, I would like to mention a petite lady to whom I took a great liking, and who to this day has remained a great friend.
From where I sat sketching, in my father's shop, I could see people looking in the shop window, and when this little lady appeared I would tell my father, "Oh, voila la jolie petite dame aux yeux bleue" (Oh, there's the pretty little blue-eyed lady). She would come in for gifts, and we would chat in French. She had spent part of her youth in China, where her father had been consul, and also partly educated in a convent in Belgium, where she had learnt to speak French. In tine she saw my sketches, and we got to making her clothes.
We became very good friends, and she would sometimes take me out to lunch, and also invite me down for week-ends to, her lovely home in the country, at Burnham in Buckinghamshire. The house was called Longmead, and stood in its own private grounds. One had a feeling of peace and contentment in entering this lovely home, the beautiful furnishings, and exquisite colourings, reflecting the perfect taste of the little lady, who was the chatelaine of this domain. What wonderful times we had together.
The memory of those lovely week-ends will remain with me for ever. After a week of hard work, in busy London town, the peace of the country was just wonderful. I was treated like a queen, being met at the station by the chauffeur. On arrival would be served the most delicious tea, in the loveliest of thin china cups. In those days, of course, maids were to be had. My room overlooked a heavenly garden, and I would get to bed early, to read the chosen cooks by my bed-side. I was told that I was down for a rest, could get up late, and have breakfast in bed.
My friend did not enjoy too good health, having had many major operations, including both breasts removed, over a period of years, and consequently spent a good deal of her time in bed. She loved to be surrounded with pretty things, and appreciated anything I made, so I would sit in her bedroom, and make the loveliest little pillows of real lace, underlined with ivory, or pink satin, which she used on her bed. I also made her little bone-shape pillows for her head, which are so comfortable as they fit into the neck.
When war came, and servants were impossible to get, the big house had to be given up, and a small house was taken in the village, where one maid was employed. The maid had heard so much about my prowess as a cook, that she must have been sick of hearing about it. She had especially heard about my cakes. Once, on the maid's day out, my friend asked me if I would make a fruit cake, in which the fruit was soaked in rum. For some reason, I can always make things at home without too many failures, but the minute I try anything in anyone else's home it's a flop, and this was no exception. I mixed the cake all right, but I had never used an electric stove, and the results were disastrous. After the cake had been in the required baking time, it looked done, so I took it out, as it looked nice and brown, and it certainly smelt delicious, and I couldn't wait to show it to my friend, but by the time I got to the bedroom it had sunk, and so had I. My friend said we must hide it, and not let the maid see it, and how we laughed over the incident. Well, we could hide the cake, but we couldn't conceal the delicious smell of rum, which was all over the house, and when the maid came in we did not know how to keep from laughing when she said, "Well how did the cake turn out ? It smells good". We did not let on that the wonderful cook had failed.
We had lots of fun. I remember a wonderful lemon mousse we used to make in that bedroom, and delicious fudge. Candy was rationed to two ounces a week, and I suppose because we lacked so many other things, we craved sweet things.
I should have said earlier that my friends name is Mabel, but to this day, in writing to her, I always call her "Mabelle". She had two daughters, and two sons, one boy and girl being twins. At the time we first met, the eldest daughter was already married, and the younger daughter got engaged to the brother of her sisters husband, the two sisters married two brothers. She was a sweet, and very young girl, and I designed for her a wedding dress, of flounce upon flounce of white net. When we were fitting her one day she said, "Oh I do hope I have a baby straight away" I hoped for her too, as she would have made a wonderful mother, but it was not to be. Her parents were very much against the marriage, and did their best to dissuade her, but it was no use. I remember her wedding day so well, marquees were put up in the lovely grounds of Longmead, and the reception was held out of doors.
For her mother I had designed a dress and coat of a lovely soft shade of blue, the edge of both being deeply scalloped, and studded with fine steel beads, each one of which I sewed on. She really looked lovely in it.
The bridegroom wanted to live in Canada, and the young pair left almost immediately for Vancouver. They lived there for a few years, but the marriage did not work out, and the little bride was very unhappy. She had no children, and had to do a lot of rough work, and her husband was extremely moody. They came back to England, her mother having found them a lovely little cottage, but it was no use, and after some little time she gave up the cottage, took up nursing, and left her husband.
All her dreams were shattered, and it must have been a bitter blow to her. In time, her husband went back to Canada, and years later he lost a hand in an accident. He had previously lost an arm in the war, and finally he was drowned, while swimming off of Cyprus. She did not remarry, and is working as a nurse in a large factory in England. Poor little bride, I felt so sorry for her.
Her sister, whom I knew very well, was happily married, but had never had a settled home, since her husband had made a career of the army. When his retirement finally came, she wrote to me telling me how happy she was at finally settling down in a place of their own, and that they had found a dream of a cottage at a little place called Rye, on the south coast of England. Like her mother, she also suffered from bronchial asthma, and about a week after they moved in she had a very bad attack of it, and her heart gave out, and she died quite suddenly. When her mother wrote me the sad news, I just could not believe it, as I had heard from share of sorrow.
Her youngest son, who was in the army, was drowned while crossing a torrent on manoeuvres, with full pack on his back. He slipped, and fell into a hole, I believe it was in Burma. She herself is a complete invalid, and must be terribly lonely.
She and her husband live in Canford Cliffs, in Dorset, on the south coast of England, in a charmIng little house in its own private grounds, surrounded by pine trees, and beautifully landscaped. The house stands on a hill, and has a lovely view of Poole Harbour.
I saw her in 1952, when I went back to England on a trip, and stayed with her for two weeks, but was terribly shocked to see how thin she had become. There seems to be no cure for that kind of asthma.
Addendum
Mabelle the mother of the little bride referred to above, has died since I have written these memoirs, Which she so enjoyed reading, so I can now mention that the young bride who so desperately longed to have a baby, never had one because the marriage was never consumated. It would have been a hard point to prove in a divorce court".
Ref: Courtesy of Professor Walter Keightley, of Berkeley, California, from an interview with Bernard Roobaert of the Academie royale de Belgique. 2015

Julia Garbett (nee Norman) Mabel's granddaughter writes to Rosamond Stewart:
My grandfather Claud was a rich man and life was easy for Mabel, large house, lots of staff etc. Then during the First World War Claud lost a fortune and my grandmother is now known to have told him to hurry up and make another one which he did! There were four children Esbell, Audrey and Jack the twins, and Howard. Sadly Howard died in an accident in India drowning in a river during the Second World War and this finished my grandmother as she doted on him. She took to her bed and drugs and died in 1956 I think. Although I saw quite a lot of them both, I never felt really at ease with either of them. I know that my mother Esbell was not happy at home and when she went to visit Rosamond in China, she was determined not to come back unmarried which she did not. She met Dudley in China and had a happy marriage.
16 Aug 2000.

Mark St Giles her Grand Nephew, has memories of Mabel - 2015
I remember being taken to visit Mabel at the house in Canford Cliffs. She was bedridden lying in a very pink bed; and she had a little decanter of apricot brandy beside her and I was offered a sip (I was very impressed since I must have been only 11 or 12 at the time).Her husband Claud Laurence was a stockbroker from the firm Laurence Keen and Gardner for which I later worked when her son Jack was senior partner

Mabel as a young woman, stayed at Grey Friars Colchester with Dr Fenn, 1899 - reported by Dick Fenn in letter to Harry Fenn.

  Other Records

1. Mabel Giles: Her confession & images, Cir 1895.
Mabel completed a confessions in Dolly Cotes book, Mabel in 1893, with her sister Edith (standing) at Selwyn Gardens c1900.

MABEL'S CONFESSIONS c1895
MY FAVOURITE VIRTUE: Kindness towards animals (Pickles)
MY IDEA OF HAPPINESS: Listening to Ellen Terry, theatre
MY IDEA OF MISERY: Being ill
MY FAVOURITE OCCUPATION: Playing tennis
MY FAVOURITE COLOUR: Bright purple
MY FAVOURITE FLOWER: Yellow rose
MY FAVOURITE POETS: Longfellow
MY FAVOURITE PROSE AUTHORS: Mrs Henry Wood
MY FAVOURITE PAINTER: I am sure I dont know
MY FAVOURITE FOOD: Onions, cabbage, turtle soup mixed
MY FAVOURITE NAMES: Sophia Sarah Soapy
MY PET AVERSION: Walking darning eating strawberries
MY FAVOURITE MOTTO:All - etc -
Marbella Turnera Giles
Pickles was the Fenn's dog.

2. Census: England, 31 Mar 1901, Selwyn Gardens Cambridge. Mabel is recorded as a daughter single aged 21 born China British Subject

3. Census: England, 2 Apr 1911, Verulam House Watford. Mabel is recorded as a wife aged 31 married 7 years with 3 children all living born Amoy China

Mabel married Claud LAURENCE [481] [MRIN: 136], son of Joseph Alfred LAURENCE [553] and Julia MARGETTI [9593], on 21 Nov 1903 in Great St Mary's Cambridge. (Claud LAURENCE [481] was born on 5 Nov 1881 in Hook Surbiton SRY and died in Jun 1975 in Eastbourne SSX.)