The Real Mary Kelly by Wynne Weston-Davies Read Free Book Online Page B

Neither of them could have known the terrible consequences of such a sudden and ill-thought out match.

CHAPTER FIVE
Marriage
    Elizabeth and Francis were married at Brook Green register office on Christmas Eve 1884. The somewhat strange choice of day appears to have come about through Francis taking advantage of his parents being distracted by other events since it is known that they opposed the match and he would not have wanted them on the scene. Probably, being more worldly than their son, they recognised Elizabeth for what she was.
    The days before Christmas 1884 were busy ones for E.T.. The socialist Henry Hyndman had set up the Socialist Democratic Federation in 1881 and Morris and his followers were early members. However, by 1884 the autocratic behaviour of Hyndman led Morris and his supporters to challenge him for the leadership. It culminated in a vote being taken late on the evening of 27th December at the Federation’s headquarters in Westminster following which Morris, E.T. Craig and a number of others, exasperated by Hyndman’s intransigence, broke away and formed the rival Socialist League 42 . E.T., and probably his wife Mary too, were almost certainly away from home for much of the time over the days before and after Christmas, and Francis seems to have taken advantage of their absence to marry Elizabeth by special licence. The shock of his son’s rebellioncoupled with the late nights and hard work surrounding the Hyndman machinations proved too much for the 81-year-old man. Within a few days he suffered a massive stroke from which he never fully recovered 43 . It was too late to affect Francis however. He and Elizabeth had already fled the nest and Francis would not see his parents again for nearly five years.
    In 2011 a bundle of old documents tied with pink tape surfaced at The National Archives which suddenly threw a searchlight’s glare on the strange marriage of Francis Spurzheim Craig and Elizabeth. They included a petition for divorce and its supporting sworn affidavit 44 . There are many signs that Francis had embarked upon the venture with some hesitancy. The petition itself was dated 6th March 1886 but the word ‘Sixth’ was later crossed through and altered to ‘Eighth’ and initialled ‘FSC’ in the margin. Almost certainly it had been drawn up ready for him to sign on the sixth but he had not turned up until two days later. There are other little amendments that make no material difference to the document but show that he was in an uncertain frame of mind.
    It commenced with the words, ‘The Petition … Sheweth that your Petitioner was on 24th day of December 1884 lawfully married to Elizabeth Weston Davies Craig then Elizabeth Weston Davies Spinster at the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Brook Green Hammersmith in the County of Middle-sex the said Elizabeth Weston Davies Spinster describing herself as Elizabeth Weston Jones Widow,’ but Francis has inserted the word ‘falsely’ with a carat mark between the words ‘Spinster’ and ‘describing’ and initialled the alteration in the margin. It doesn’t alter the sense in any way but suggests that Francis was trying to justify his actions to himself and others.
    It was written in the elaborate copperplate hand of a solicitor’s clerk and addressed ‘To the Right Honourable The President of the Probate Divorce and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice (Divorce).’ After establishing the fact that the marriage had taken place legally it goes on to state that he and Elizabeth had ‘lived and cohabited at 3 Andover Road, Hammersmith, 7 Lemon’s Terrace Stepney Green and 12 Argyle Square, all in the County of Middlesex.’
    Then comes the bombshell. Using the tendentious legalese no doubt dictated by his solicitor, Francis goes on to state: ‘That I am informed and verily believethat on the night of 19th May 1885 the said Elizabeth Weston Craig was seen to enter a house and private hotel, 53 Tonbridge Street in