Purpose of Lawsuit (Brought by Florence):  To Enforce Their Pre-Nuptial Agreement, and To Establish a Deed of Separation

As reported in the February 17th and 24th, 1914 issues of Pullmans Weekly News, A Journal Published in Axmouth, Devonshire

For those interested, reading the actual text is strongly recommended

(CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ORIGINAL PULLMANS ARTICLES)

SUMMARY:

1)
It was apparently EWTH who petitioned for divorce from his first wife, Alice, rather than the other way around.  They had separated in 1895, he was granted a decree nisi 11/04 and a final divorce 5/05.

2)
Alice drank (EWTH’s testimony) which could be why she didn't have custody of the children in 1901.  They may have been placed with EWTH's first cousin Charlotte's relatives in France. EWTH's apparently sincere desire to be close to his children in the Bound case would argue that he was not uncaring in this regard. And Trig remembers that his father made frequent trips to France.

3)
EWTH had two sons with second wife Florence: Alexander born AMJ 1907 and Eric born 1909 (making his total number of children 5 - that we know of - all sons).

4)
EWTH's "fortune" appears indeed to have been his inheritance from Edmund, which was £6,000 - evidently enough to allow him to buy Musbury House, fund his divorce from Alice, and still have an income of £500/year. The name "Edward Hoare" associated with the "Ship and Lion" in the 1914 London Directory might then have referred to EWTH’s son.

There was mention of a dividing a "surplus if any" from selling the Musbury property, which suggests the property was heavily mortgaged, with little equity for EWTH.  That also implies that to buy Musbury House, EWTH would not have had to part with much the cash he'd inherited, so could use it to produce the income that supported his lifestyle as a country gentleman.

Perhaps EWTH had some additional assets in his own right - he was after all 34 when his father died. There was no mention of income or inheritance from other sources - Hoare & Co Brewers, or the Hoare bankers. In any event, after the Bound case, EWTH was reported to have had very little left, though apparently he did hang on to the Musbury House Cottages ("at first excepted"?) till ~1920).

5)
EWTH was evidently a bit of a philanderer. He was good-looking, urbane, well off.  Ladies must have flocked to him, and he was probably "just a guy who cain't say No".

Florence testified that during their marriage, EWTH had a paramour named Mabel Simons, probably the children's nurse;  Florence further claimed there were two others, unnamed.   But perhaps EWTH wasn't the only culpable party;  he characterized the relationship Florence had with a Mr MacIntyre as "objectionable" (had she had a revenge affair?).

6)
Part of EWTH's charm may well have been that he was so happy-go-lucky.  He certainly was when it came to signing his pre-nup with Florence, which her lawsuit was launched to enforce.  

The pre-nup assigned all EWTH's property to Florence.  Florence's father, Thomas Bound, was shrewd and aggressive, and orchestrated the document and its signing.  EWTH indeed signed it it in a rush without having read it, so anxious was he to return to his fiancée.  EWTH was under the mistaken impression that the pre-nup was based on agreements that had been previously expressed in letters exchanged between him and Florence.  This  correspondence, while it confirmed the eventual assignment of his property to her, specified that he was to have a life interest in it.   (Bound later stole those letters).

7)
In 1912, Florence took her sickly young son Alexander to New Zealand for the winter to spare him the cold English climate.  Something dramatic happened between September, when Florence set sail, supposedly happily, and May 1913, when she returned.  She avoided EWTH's meeting her at the port by the stratagem of secretly disembarking in Marseilles, then fleeing directly to her parent's house in Kent.  There she concealed the children and refused to return to EWTH, who evidently very much wanted her back.  One possible explanation: she'd been informed of womanizing by EWTH during her absence, in spite of promises he had doubtless made never to do it again.  This news might well have been ferreted out and passed on to her by the relentless Mr Bound, who had had no liking for EWTH right from the beginning.

Just before Florence was due to arrive on her return trip from New Zealand, Bound entered and searched EWTH's house, knowing EWTH would be away, gone to the port to meet her.  Bound found and stole those letters between EWTH and Florence, that would have supported EWTH's claim of a prior agreement that he retain control of his own property in spite of the pre-nup.

8)
The Bound's solicitor in drawing up this pre-nuptial settlement document, characterized by the judge as "foolish" and certainly disastrous to EWTH , was a Mr Downer.  Downer? What on earth might that mean?   An Edmund Downer had married into the Hoare family in 1826 (he remarried 1836);  and EWTH's father, Edmund Downer Hoare, was evidently named after him.   If this solicitor Downer is a relation of the Hoare family, he could have been a grandson of Edmund Downer, hence EWTH's 2nd cousin.   But come to think of it, there was a history of schisms in the family - EWTH's James g'father and g'g'father both probably divorcing and remarrying, EWTH's parents separating, his sister siding with her mother, EWTH with his father (and presumably with his father's "loving friend", so named in Edmund's will.  So a solicitor hired by Bound though his Hoare family contacts would not necessarily have been concerned for EWTH’s welfare.  There's also the story told to Trig of EWTH having been sent into exile (presumably from London to Axmouth), consequent to some sort of scandal.  So perhaps the lawyer Downer may have harbored a personal enmity towards his cousin EWTH.

9)
Other recorded legal facts: The officials of the case were Justice Warrington;  representing plaintiff Florence, Mr Clause, K. C;  representing EWTH, Mr Terrell, K. C., M. P..  The marriage settlement had been signed May 30th 1906, the deed of separation, May 31, 1913. The court case was adjudicated 24 February 1914 in the Chancery Division High Court, London

10)
At the time of the separation, Florence lived at Beckenham, Kent, presumably her parents' home, with her sons Alexander and Eric.  As part of the settlement, she agreed to take a house in Bournemouth but we've found no record of her having done so.   Nor could we find any mention of subsequent divorce proceedings between Florence and EWTH (there had been a hope expressed by the judge that they might eventually reconcile —a hope which later events proved futile).

11)
EWTH was clearly quite devoted to a hobby (possibly to do with raising poultry and dogs, certainly he was devoted to the Masons).  There is specific provision in the division of property for him to be able to keep his "trophies and presentations".