Kate Meyrick
Toronto Daily Star, 12 February 1930
Kate Meyrick (1875-1933) started her career as a nightclub owner in 1920 after separating from her husband and being left with one pound a week to support her eight children. Prior to being sentenced in 1929, she had served prison sentences in 1924 and 1927.
She did not remain out of prison for long after being released in January 1930: she was sentenced to six months in July 1930 and another six months in May 1931, both for selling intoxicating liquor. She passed away in 1933 from influenza; on the day of her funeral, theatres and clubs in London's West End dimmed their lights in her honour.
The two peers mentioned in the caption who were sons-in-law of Ms. Meyrick were:
- The 26th Baron de Clifford, who married her daughter Dorothy in 1926 at the age of 19 (while claiming he was 21). In 1935, he became the first peer to be tried in the House of Lords since 1901 when he was charged with a felony after the death of a driver in a road accident; he was acquitted. No more peers were tried in the House of Lords, as the right of peers to be tried by their fellow peers was abolished in 1948.
- The 14th Earl of Kinnoull, who married Mary in 1928. He died of pancreatic cancer in 1938.
After Ms. Meyrick's death, a third daughter of hers married into the nobility: Irene married the 6th Earl of Craven in 1939. They divorced in 1954.
Created May 5, 2025.