699:
193:, and bought estates in Sussex with the proceeds. Gwynne's mother, Mary Earle Purvis (1841–1923), was 41 when he was born. He was the last of nine children (though two had died). Until the age of 13, he was dressed by his mother as a girl in frocks, with bows, necklaces and long ringlets. He was educated privately before being sent to
33:
394:
During the police investigation into Adams, a note written by a journalist was uncovered, linking Adams sexually to a member of the local police and a local magistrate. The police officer is strongly suspected to have been the Deputy Chief
Constable of Eastbourne, Alexander Seekings, and the
358:) and on the other, by his sexuality, which made him a prime target for blackmail. Indeed, his butler Wilde was known by those close to him to be one such person extorting money from him. After Gwynne's death, love letters from various local jockeys were found among his papers.
475:, which on 1 April during Adams' trial had respectively published and distributed an issue of the magazine containing two paragraphs of material "highly prejudicial to the accused", saying that Adams' victim count could be "as high as 400". Each company was fined £50.
578:
734:
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634:
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Gwynne's relationship with Adams cooled and, when interviewed by police in connection with the investigation into Adams, he admitted that he had given instructions to be buried in a lead-lined
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After their meeting at the hotel Gwynne crashed his car while driving home. No evidence was adduced he had been drinking. The meeting was seen by one of the investigating officers from
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454:
During the trial, while the jury was out considering the verdict on Adams' first charge of murder, Lord
Goddard phoned Devlin to urge him, if Adams was found not guilty, to grant him
458:
before he was tried on a second count of murder. That surprised Devlin because, in
British legal history, a person accused of murder had never been given bail.
845:
343:
391:
and suspected serial killer, with whom he went on frequent shooting holidays to
Scotland and Ireland. He would visit Adams every morning at 9 a.m.
289:
of Sussex. In 1922, his mother died, leaving most of her money to Gwynne due to a family disagreement. That year, Gwynne put his name forward as a
830:
189:
Gwynne's father, James
Eglinton Anderson Gwynne (1832–1915), had made a fortune in the nineteenth century from an engineering business,
835:
320:
in 1926/27 and then mayor of
Eastbourne in 1928. While he was mayor, in 1929 the town bought 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of land surrounding
820:
395:
magistrate to have been Gwynne. Despite the illegality of homosexual sex in the 1950s, the matter was not investigated further by police.
338:
He constantly had financial problems, caused on the one hand by his extravagant lifestyle (he was famous for the wild parties he held at
525:
was appointed. According to Gwynne's physician, he was unable to manage his own affairs due to 'Senile dementia with arteriosclerosis'.
815:
478:
Adams was sensationally acquitted of one murder charge, with a second charge being controversially withdrawn by the
Attorney General.
521:
for the appointment of a receiver to take over from
Bateson. No family members were able or willing to take on the role, and so the
840:
800:
398:
In 1956, Adams was arrested on suspicion of murdering two of his patients. At that time Gwynne was
Chairman of the Magistrates in
213:
451:, Charles Hewett, as further indication that the Adams' trial was the subject of concerted judicial and political interference.
870:
433:
875:
860:
248:
517:
to take control of his financial and property affairs. After
Bateson's death in 1967, Gwynne's solicitors applied to the
270:, a symbol of cowardice, by a "friend of the family" and in September 1916 he volunteered for active service. He won the
561:
Cullen, Pamela V., "A Stranger in Blood: The Case Files on Dr John Bodkin Adams", London, Elliott & Thompson, 2006,
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294:
244:
825:
720:
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He died on 15 November 1971, in the nursing home, aged 89. His death certificate was signed by Adams. His last
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165:(16 May 1882 – 15 November 1971) was a British soldier and politician who served as Mayor of
441:
231:
After university he served in the honorary post of Judge's Marshal. On 2 April 1904 he was commissioned to
509:. He was admitted to Berrow Nursing and Convalescent Home in Eastbourne in March 1964, having executed a
271:
154:
347:
332:
880:
502:
279:
764:
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of Eastbourne for his services to the borough. He stayed in local politics, being Chairman of the
514:
290:
201:
194:
128:
885:
317:
302:
297:, but withdrew it when his brother Neville hinted to the selection committee that Gwynne was a
282:, much to the surprise of his family. He was wounded twice, leaving him with a permanent limp.
173:, from 1928 to 1931. He was also a patient, close friend, and probable lover of the suspected
251:, which Turnour then held for the next 47 years. In 1910 Gwynne was called to the bar at the
327:
His term as mayor ended in 1931. On 9 November that year, he was made the 8th ever Honorary
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8:
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In 1947, burdened with debt, he was forced to let Folkington and move into the smaller
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His mother's great-grandfather was Dutch and great-grandmother was a Sumatran.
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440:. Lord Goddard had by then already appointed the judge for Adams' case,
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left his estate, valued at around £1.7 million, to the late Bateson.
316:. Gwynne inherited his estate, but settled for local politics, being
420:
During the proceedings, though, Colonel Gwynne was seen dining with
467:
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324:, to save it from development, costing the town around £100,000.
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from 1910 until his death in 1924; the celebrated cookery writer
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Gwynne never married but he developed a close friendship with
485:. That unusual procedure was usually designed to protect the
437:
399:
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A month after the trial on 10 May 1957, Goddard heard a
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in his maiden election campaign in the constituency of
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from contamination or to preserve evidence in case an
312:
Rupert died in 1924, just after being re-elected to
792:
305:was leading a witch hunt against homosexuals).
769:
846:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
784:In 2002's money (according to K. Good, p. 19)
266:broke out when Gwynne was 32. He was sent a
754:Devlin, Patrick; "Easing the Passing", 1985
31:
765:item J92/295: GWYNNE, Sir Roland Richard
603:. London: Michael Joseph. pp. 4–6.
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409:On 12 February 1957, just before Adams'
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243:on 1 April 1908. In 1904 Gwynne aided
831:British Army personnel of World War I
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309:arrived in Eastbourne the same year.
204:was one of his sisters. One brother,
836:English people of Indonesian descent
763:The National Archives, Kew, London,
375:
346:, who had previously served as both
652:
579:"Gwynne, Roland Vaughan (GWN900RV)"
13:
14:
897:
816:Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
365:, he became addicted to alcohol.
68:Alderman Alice Hudson (1877–1960)
16:British politician (1882 – 1971)
841:English people of Dutch descent
821:Queen's Royal Regiment officers
801:Mayors of places in East Sussex
778:
757:
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728:
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285:On 8 April 1921, he was made a
715:, HarperCollins, p. 266,
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344:The 1st Marquess of Willingdon
278:in 1917 while attached to the
1:
871:English justices of the peace
700:List of Freemen of Eastbourne
535:
496:
342:, attended by, among others,
876:Deputy lieutenants of Sussex
713:Writing at the Kitchen Table
667:, Bookmarque Publishing 2002
601:Writing at the Kitchen Table
255:, where he practised in the
200:The renowned harpsichordist
184:
7:
861:Members of the Inner Temple
583:A Cambridge Alumni Database
272:Distinguished Service Order
10:
902:
647:The Sussex County Magazine
585:. University of Cambridge.
387:, an unmarried Eastbourne
348:Governor General of Canada
333:East Sussex County Council
220:was a daughter of Rupert.
103:15 November 1971 (aged 89)
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152:Sir Roland Vaughan Gwynne
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78:Mr Alderman L. Maclachlan
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826:Sussex Yeomanry officers
711:Cooper, Artemis (2000),
690:, 30 October 1929. p. 11
866:High sheriffs of Sussex
851:English gay politicians
505:and in 1963 suffered a
202:Violet Gordon-Woodhouse
195:Trinity Hall, Cambridge
465:case against magazine
318:High Sheriff of Sussex
303:Noel Pemberton Billing
280:Queen's Royal Regiment
259:and Divorce Division.
856:History of Eastbourne
473:W. H. Smith & Son
430:Sir Hartley Shawcross
301:(around this time MP
515:Sir Dingwall Bateson
493:might be necessary.
389:general practitioner
210:Member of Parliament
665:The House of Gwynne
519:Court of Protection
471:and the shop chain
335:from 1937 to 1940.
150:Lieutenant-Colonel
46:Mayor of Eastbourne
523:Official Solicitor
442:Sir Patrick Devlin
426:Lord Chief Justice
413:began, Gwynne was
745:Cullen, Page 633.
511:power of attorney
501:Gwynne fell into
463:contempt of court
385:John Bodkin Adams
376:John Bodkin Adams
307:John Bodkin Adams
287:Deputy Lieutenant
233:second lieutenant
179:John Bodkin Adams
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436:, at a hotel in
434:Attorney General
363:Second World War
352:Viceroy of India
340:Folkington Manor
245:Viscount Turnour
139:Folkington Manor
87:Personal details
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356:Rudyard Kipling
264:First World War
237:Sussex Yeomanry
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218:Elizabeth David
191:Gwynnes Limited
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125:Political party
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293:candidate for
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370:Wootton Manor
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25:Roland Gwynne
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422:Lord Goddard
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291:Conservative
284:
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253:Inner Temple
230:
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151:
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129:Conservative
74:Succeeded by
53:
18:
811:1971 deaths
806:1882 births
487:water table
432:, a former
404:East Sussex
361:During the
322:Beachy Head
117:Nationality
95:16 May 1882
64:Preceded by
795:Categories
663:Ken Good,
536:References
503:depression
497:Post Adams
491:exhumation
314:Parliament
299:homosexual
241:lieutenant
214:Eastbourne
167:Eastbourne
106:Eastbourne
688:The Times
513:allowing
239:and made
185:Childhood
135:Residence
112:, England
58:1928–1931
54:In office
44:46th
599:(1999).
468:Newsweek
415:knighted
276:Flanders
329:Freeman
257:Probate
249:Horsham
235:in the
120:British
719:
607:
565:
507:stroke
483:coffin
428:, and
424:, the
354:, and
227:Career
208:, was
206:Rupert
171:Sussex
110:Sussex
438:Lewes
411:trial
400:Lewes
295:Lewes
717:ISBN
605:ISBN
563:ISBN
530:will
456:bail
350:and
262:The
212:for
100:Died
92:Born
274:in
177:Dr
155:DSO
797::
654:^
581:.
544:^
444:.
417:.
402:,
382:Dr
372:.
197:.
181:.
169:,
163:JP
161:,
159:DL
157:,
108:,
613:.
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