Dominic Elwes
Encyclopedia
Bede Evelyn Dominick Elwes (credited as Dominick Elwes or Dominic Elwes) (August 17, 1931 – September 5, 1975) was an English
portrait painter
whose much publicized elopement with an heiress in 1957 was a scandale célèbre.
, Northamptonshire
, to English
portrait painter
, Simon Elwes
R.A., K.M., and the Hon. Gloria Rodd, daughter of Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
, P.C., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., sometime British Ambassador to Rome and Conservative
M.P.
for St. Marylebone
(1928-1932). He is descended from the recusant Cary-Elwes family which includes noted British monks and bishops, such as Abbott Columba Cary-Elwes
, Archbishop Dudley Cary-Elwes and Father Luke Cary-Elwes. He was the grandson of Gervase Cary Elwes
(1866–1921), diplomat
and Lady Winifride Mary Elizabeth Feilding, daughter of the 8th Earl of Denbigh
. One of his cousins was Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell
. For his early education Elwes spent much of his childhood during World War II
in the United States
after which he returned to England
to attend Downside
, a Catholic
independent school located in Somerset
.
, daughter of Geoffrey Ferrar Kennedy and Daška Ivanović
. Kennedy's parents, however, disapproved of the relationship and instituted wardship proceedings. On November 27, 1957, Mr. Kennedy obtained a restraining order against Elwes from a judge, Justice Sir Ronald F. Roxburgh, thus barring the couple from getting married. The High Court Tipstaff
was not authorized, however, to apprehend Elwes in any place outside England
or Wales
. After initially attempting to be betrothed in Scotland
whilst being pursued by the press, Elwes and Kennedy subsequently eloped to Havana
where they were wed in a civil ceremony on January 27, 1958 as guests of famed mobster Meyer Lansky
who provided accommodation for them at his hotel, The Habana Riviera
. When Castro's
revolution threatened the stability of the country the newlyweds were forced to flee aboard a raft
with two National Geographic explorers who were sailing to Miami. From there they flew to New York
where they took out a marriage license on March 31. On April 1, the couple repeated the ceremony to make sure they were legally wed in Manhattan's Supreme Court officiated by Justice Henry Clay Greenberg. On July 15, the two set sail for England aboard the liner SS Liberté docking at Southampton
. The following day, accompanied by his wife and an attorney, Elwes turned himself over to authorities and was transferred to Brixton Prison where he remained for two weeks while awaiting trial for contempt of court for defying Judge Roxborgh's order to return Ms. Kennedy to her parents. In the resulting trial the judge accepted that Elwes did love his bride but commented that every parent knows that love was not "readily convertible into bread and butter" for the support of a wife. In his ruling he allowed Elwes to be released from custody but ordered that Kennedy remain a ward of court
.
of Lilliput Magazine
until its closure in 1960. From 1960 until 1962 he was the Company Director of Dome Press where he began the newsweekly Topic Magazine as editorial director along with William Rees-Davies
and Maurice Macmillan. In 1963, together with Nicholas Luard
, he published and subsequently became the director of Design Yearbook, which developed into the book-packaging firm November Books. The company's clients included Thames & Hudson
, one of the world’s leading publishers of books on art, architecture, design and visual culture. In 1964, he co-authored a book with Luard entitled, "Refer to Drawer: Being a Penetrating Survey of a Shameful National Practice – Hustling" which included illustrations by cartoonist John Glashan
. Elwes subsequently became a member of the National Union of Journalists
.
Following in his father's footsteps Elwes then became a portrait painter, painting many of London's Clermont Set
. Around 1967 he relocated to Andalucia, Spain
where, with the aid of renowned architect Philip Jebb, he designed a Mediterranean-style apartment complex which was completed in 1970. Clients included Luard and the actor Hugh Millais
. Elwes also became part owner of a hair salon, Figurehead, on Pont St.
in Knightsbridge
. The salon featured many portraits by Elwes and his father.
Elwes committed suicide in 1975. He and Kennedy had three children together, film
producer Cassian Elwes
, artist Damian Elwes
, and actor Cary Elwes
.
Tessa Kennedy
Kenneth Tynan
Mark Birley
Lady Annabel Goldsmith
Hugh Millais
Nicholas Luard
Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell
Clermont Set
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
portrait painter
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
whose much publicized elopement with an heiress in 1957 was a scandale célèbre.
Biography
Elwes was born on August 17, 1931 at Billing HallBilling Hall
Billing Hall is a manor house in Billing, Northamptonshire, England. Records of the manor, the predecessor to Great Billing Hall, date back to the 12th century. It was originally owned by the Barry family and Baron Dundalk built it in 1629. It became the county seat of the Earls of Thomond,...
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, to English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
portrait painter
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
, Simon Elwes
Simon Elwes
Lt. Col. Simon Edmund Vincent Paul Elwes, better known as Simon Elwes, RP, RA, KM was a British war artist and society portrait painter whose patrons included kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members of Britain's Royal Family...
R.A., K.M., and the Hon. Gloria Rodd, daughter of Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell
James Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, PC , known as Sir Rennell Rodd before 1933, was a British diplomat, poet and politician...
, P.C., G.C.B., G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., sometime British Ambassador to Rome and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
M.P.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for St. Marylebone
St Marylebone (UK Parliament constituency)
St Marylebone was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Marylebone district of Central London. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
(1928-1932). He is descended from the recusant Cary-Elwes family which includes noted British monks and bishops, such as Abbott Columba Cary-Elwes
Columba Cary-Elwes
Evelyn Charles Cary-Elwes , professed a monk as Dom Columba Cary-Elwes, OSB, of Ampleforth Abbey in York, England. As a missionary he traveled to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya and is the author of numerous books on Christianity...
, Archbishop Dudley Cary-Elwes and Father Luke Cary-Elwes. He was the grandson of Gervase Cary Elwes
Gervase Cary Elwes
Gervase Henry Cary-Elwes, DL , better known as Gervase Elwes, was an English tenor of great distinction, who exercised a powerful influence over the development of English music from the early 1900s up until his death in 1921 due to a railroad accident in Boston at the height of his...
(1866–1921), diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
and Lady Winifride Mary Elizabeth Feilding, daughter of the 8th Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh
Rudolph William Basil Feilding, 8th Earl of Denbigh, 7th Earl of Desmond was a British peer, succeeding to his titles on the death in 1865 of his father, the 7th Earl of Denbigh...
. One of his cousins was Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell
Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell
John Adrian Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell was a Scottish rugby union player. He succeeded his uncle as 3rd Baron Rennell in 1978, and sat on the Conservative Party benches in the House of Lords.-Early years:...
. For his early education Elwes spent much of his childhood during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after which he returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to attend Downside
Downside School
Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent school for children aged 11 to 18, located in Stratton-on-the-Fosse, between Norton Radstock and Shepton Mallet in Somerset, south west England. It is attached to Downside Abbey...
, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
independent school located in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
Elopement
At age 26, Elwes met and wished to marry 19-year-old shipping heiress Tessa KennedyTessa Kennedy
Tessa Georgina Kennedy , better known as Tessa Kennedy, is a British interior designer, whose clients include multi-national corporations, royalty, celebrities and many European hotels, restaurants and clubs...
, daughter of Geoffrey Ferrar Kennedy and Daška Ivanović
Daška Ivanović
Daška Marija Ivanović , better known as Daška McLean, was the daughter of one of the founders of the Croatian National Progressive Party . She made headlines in Europe and America when she made her 18-year-old daughter a ward of the court in the U.K...
. Kennedy's parents, however, disapproved of the relationship and instituted wardship proceedings. On November 27, 1957, Mr. Kennedy obtained a restraining order against Elwes from a judge, Justice Sir Ronald F. Roxburgh, thus barring the couple from getting married. The High Court Tipstaff
Tipstaff
The Tipstaff is an officer of a court or, in some countries, a law clerk to a judge. The duties of the position vary from country to country.-History:...
was not authorized, however, to apprehend Elwes in any place outside England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
or Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. After initially attempting to be betrothed in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
whilst being pursued by the press, Elwes and Kennedy subsequently eloped to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
where they were wed in a civil ceremony on January 27, 1958 as guests of famed mobster Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky
Meyer Lansky , known as the "Mob's Accountant", was a Polish-born American organized crime figure who, along with his associate Charles "Lucky" Luciano, was instrumental in the development of the "National Crime Syndicate" in the United States...
who provided accommodation for them at his hotel, The Habana Riviera
Hotel Habana Riviera
The Hotel Habana Riviera, or Havana Rivera as it is otherwise known, is located on the Malecón waterfront boulevard in Havana, Cuba. The hotel has over 350 rooms.- History :The hotel was owned and operated by Riviera de Cuba S.A...
. When Castro's
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
revolution threatened the stability of the country the newlyweds were forced to flee aboard a raft
Balseros (rafters)
Balseros is the name given to the persons who emigrate illegally in self constructed or precarious vessels from Cuba to neighbouring states including the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and, most commonly, the United States.Balseros is also the title of a 2002 documentary about those persons and their...
with two National Geographic explorers who were sailing to Miami. From there they flew to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where they took out a marriage license on March 31. On April 1, the couple repeated the ceremony to make sure they were legally wed in Manhattan's Supreme Court officiated by Justice Henry Clay Greenberg. On July 15, the two set sail for England aboard the liner SS Liberté docking at Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. The following day, accompanied by his wife and an attorney, Elwes turned himself over to authorities and was transferred to Brixton Prison where he remained for two weeks while awaiting trial for contempt of court for defying Judge Roxborgh's order to return Ms. Kennedy to her parents. In the resulting trial the judge accepted that Elwes did love his bride but commented that every parent knows that love was not "readily convertible into bread and butter" for the support of a wife. In his ruling he allowed Elwes to be released from custody but ordered that Kennedy remain a ward of court
Ward (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
.
Career
From 1958 Elwes was the assistant editorEditor
The term editor may refer to:As a person who does editing:* Editor in chief, having final responsibility for a publication's operations and policies* Copy editing, making formatting changes and other improvements to text...
of Lilliput Magazine
Lilliput (magazine)
Lilliput was a small-format British monthly magazine of humour, short stories, photographs and the arts, founded in 1937 by the photojournalist Stefan Lorant. The first issue came out in July and it was sold shortly after to Edward Hulton, when editorship was taken over by Tom Hopkinson in 1940....
until its closure in 1960. From 1960 until 1962 he was the Company Director of Dome Press where he began the newsweekly Topic Magazine as editorial director along with William Rees-Davies
William Rees-Davies
William Rupert Rees-Davies was a British Conservative politician.Rees-Davies was the son of Sir William Rees-Davies, Chief Justice of Hong Kong. He was educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he gained a cricket blue. He was a barrister, called to the bar by Inner Temple in...
and Maurice Macmillan. In 1963, together with Nicholas Luard
Nicholas Luard
Nicholas Lamert Luard was a writer and politician, but is perhaps best known for his activities in the early 1960s: co-founding The Establishment with Peter Cook and being one of the Lords Gnome of Private Eye....
, he published and subsequently became the director of Design Yearbook, which developed into the book-packaging firm November Books. The company's clients included Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson
Thames & Hudson is a publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, and visual culture. With its headquarters in London, England it has a sister company in New York and subsidiaries in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong...
, one of the world’s leading publishers of books on art, architecture, design and visual culture. In 1964, he co-authored a book with Luard entitled, "Refer to Drawer: Being a Penetrating Survey of a Shameful National Practice – Hustling" which included illustrations by cartoonist John Glashan
John Glashan
John Glashan was a Scottish cartoonist, illustrator and playwright. He was the creator of the "Genius" cartoons....
. Elwes subsequently became a member of the National Union of Journalists
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists .-Structure:...
.
Following in his father's footsteps Elwes then became a portrait painter, painting many of London's Clermont Set
Clermont Set
The Clermont Set was an exclusive group of rich British gamblers who met at the Clermont Club at 44 Berkeley Square, in London's fashionable Mayfair district now located at 27-28 Curzon Street and called Aspinall's. It was the first London casino opened by John Aspinall after he won the gaming...
. Around 1967 he relocated to Andalucia, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where, with the aid of renowned architect Philip Jebb, he designed a Mediterranean-style apartment complex which was completed in 1970. Clients included Luard and the actor Hugh Millais
Hugh Millais
Hugh Geoffroy Millais was a British author and actor known for his film collaborations with director Robert Altman.-Early years:...
. Elwes also became part owner of a hair salon, Figurehead, on Pont St.
Pont Street
Pont Street is a fashionable street in Knightsbridge and Belgravia, central London, England, not far from the Knightsbridge department store Harrods to the north-west. The street crosses Sloane Street in the middle, with Beauchamp Place to the west and Cadogan Place, and Chesham Place, to the east,...
in Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
. The salon featured many portraits by Elwes and his father.
Elwes committed suicide in 1975. He and Kennedy had three children together, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
producer Cassian Elwes
Cassian Elwes
Cassian Elwes is an independent film producer and agent, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential people in the independent film industry.-Biography:...
, artist Damian Elwes
Damian Elwes
Damian Elwes is an English-born, American-based artist. He is known for his series of paintings depicting the studios of 20th century masters and for paintings of the natural world that venture beyond the usual boundaries of landscape painting. His work focuses on human creativity and creation in...
, and actor Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes
Ivan Simon Cary Elwes , known professionally as Cary Elwes, is an English actor. The son of Dominick Elwes and Tessa Georgina Kennedy, Elwes acted in off-Broadway plays during college and moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He is known for his role as Westley in the cult classic The...
.
Artworks
- 1969 – Portrait of John AspinallJohn AspinallJohn Aspinall may refer to:* John Aspinall , zoo owner and gambler* John Aspinall , engineer* John Thomas Walshman Aspinall , English Conservative Party politician, Member of Parliament for Clitheroe 1853...
- 1970 – Portrait of Min Aspinall & Mushie
- 1971 – Portrait of Sir Vivyan (or Vyvian) Edward Naylor-LeylandNaylor-Leyland BaronetsThe Naylor-Leyland Baronetcy, of Hyde Park House, Albert Gate, in the County of London, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 31 August 1895 for Herbert Naylor-Leyland, Conservative Member of Parliament for Colchester from 1892 to 1895 and Liberal Member of...
, 3rd Baronet - 1972 – Portrait of Lord LucanRichard Bingham, 7th Earl of LucanRichard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan , popularly known as Lord Lucan, as Lord Bingham before 1964, and sometimes colloquially called "Lucky" Lucan, was a British peer, who disappeared in the early hours of 8 November 1974, following the murder of Sandra Rivett, his children's nanny, the previous...
See also
Simon ElwesSimon Elwes
Lt. Col. Simon Edmund Vincent Paul Elwes, better known as Simon Elwes, RP, RA, KM was a British war artist and society portrait painter whose patrons included kings, queens, statesmen, sportsmen, prominent social figures and many members of Britain's Royal Family...
Tessa Kennedy
Tessa Kennedy
Tessa Georgina Kennedy , better known as Tessa Kennedy, is a British interior designer, whose clients include multi-national corporations, royalty, celebrities and many European hotels, restaurants and clubs...
Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Peacock Tynan was an influential and often controversial English theatre critic and writer.-Early life:...
Mark Birley
Mark Birley
Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley , known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry...
Lady Annabel Goldsmith
Lady Annabel Goldsmith
Lady Annabel Goldsmith is a British socialite and the eponym for a celebrated London nightclub of the late 20th century, Annabel's. She was first married for two decades to entrepreneur Mark Birley, the creator of Annabel's, which she helped make a glamorous success as her husband's inaugural...
Hugh Millais
Hugh Millais
Hugh Geoffroy Millais was a British author and actor known for his film collaborations with director Robert Altman.-Early years:...
Nicholas Luard
Nicholas Luard
Nicholas Lamert Luard was a writer and politician, but is perhaps best known for his activities in the early 1960s: co-founding The Establishment with Peter Cook and being one of the Lords Gnome of Private Eye....
Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell
Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell
John Adrian Tremayne Rodd, 3rd Baron Rennell was a Scottish rugby union player. He succeeded his uncle as 3rd Baron Rennell in 1978, and sat on the Conservative Party benches in the House of Lords.-Early years:...
Clermont Set
Clermont Set
The Clermont Set was an exclusive group of rich British gamblers who met at the Clermont Club at 44 Berkeley Square, in London's fashionable Mayfair district now located at 27-28 Curzon Street and called Aspinall's. It was the first London casino opened by John Aspinall after he won the gaming...