Sir Charles Mordaunt, 10th Baronet (28 April 1836 – 15 October 1897) was a wealthy

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country gentleman, a

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for South Warwickshire (1859–1868) and

High Sheriff of Warwickshire This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Warwickshire. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most ...

in 1879. He became notorious for involving the future

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

(then

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) in his

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving th ...

case.

Campaign against agricultural unionisation

Mordaunt was an active campaigner against the Warwickshire Agricultural Labourers Union formed by

Joseph Arch Joseph Arch (10 November 1826 – 12 February 1919) was an English trade unionist and politician, born in Barford, Warwickshire, who played a key role in unionising agricultural workers and in championing their welfare. Following their enfranc ...

. He was quick to throw any labourers who joined the union out of their cottages. On 30 March 1872, the '' Leamington and Warwickshire Chronicle'' reported that "Sir Charles Mordaunt ....has served notices upon all his union tenants to give up possession of their cottages". Mordaunt was also behind a meeting where 100 farmers agreed to discharge any labourers that so much as joined the union, reported on 13 April 1872 in the ''Leamington and Warwickshire Chronicle''.

Marriage, scandal and divorce

Mordaunt was married on 7 December 1866 to Harriet Moncreiffe (7 February 1848 – 9 May 1906), daughter of a Scottish baronet. Mordaunt was a stolid country squire with no interests beyond hunting and shooting, and his wife was a giddy young beauty. She had already caught the eye of the

(the future

). Lady Mordaunt had licence, or thought she did, to carry on affairs with other men. While Mordaunt hunted, fished, or sat in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, she entertained numerous lovers, including the Prince and several of his aristocratic friends. In 1869, Lady Mordaunt gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Violet, and then confessed everything to her husband, who was enraged. His offended servants had compiled diaries of the affairs. He sued for divorce. The historical record shows that the Prince of Wales was never named as a co-respondent in the divorce case, but Mordaunt threatened to do so. Lady Mordaunt's father, who had several other daughters to marry off, announced that she was mad. That would prevent a divorce trial and save the family reputation. She was incarcerated in various rented houses, and after some weeks either broke down or agreed to feign madness: smashing plates, eating coal, howling and crawling. The case was brought to court and the Prince of Wales was called as a witness; he admitted visiting Lady Mordaunt but nothing further was proved. In 1875, Mordaunt sued again. Viscount Cole, father of Lady Mordaunt's child, pled guilty to adultery with her, so Mordaunt got his divorce. She was kept in asylums for the rest of her life. Her daughter Violet was married to the 5th Marquess of Bath.

Second marriage

In his early forties, Mordaunt married again, on 24 April 1878, to

Mary Louisa Cholmondeley Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

(1851-1947), a parson's daughter.Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mordaunt, Charles 1836 births 1897 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 Mordaunt baronets High Sheriffs of Warwickshire Sheriffs of Warwickshire