Biography of Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster 1875-1970

New York Times 23 Jan 1920. DUCHESS (age 44) MARRIED TO ARMY AVIATOR. Former Wife of Duke of Westminster Got Absolute Divorce Last Month.

ROMANCE OF WAR HOSPITAL. Bride Is Daughter of Col. Cornwallis West and Married the Duke. in 1901.

Special Cable to The New York Times.

LONDON, Jan. 23 [1920]—A society romance is revealed by the marriage of the Duchess of Wesiminster to [her husband] Captain James Fitzpatrick Lewis, late of the Royal Air Force. The wedding took place at the Registry Office at Lyndhurst, where the Duchess has a country residence, on Jan. 14, a maid being the only witness.

Only a limited circle of intimate friends knew the marriage was to take place, and the actual ceremony was as secret as could be arranged. It was the Duchess’s wish that no announcement should be made until after she and her husband left for the Continent, where they are visiting her mother, Mrs. Cornwailis-West.

It was early in the war that Lewis first met the Duchess. He was then in the Royal Flying Corps, stationed near le Touquet, close to the hospital established by the Duchess. Early acquaintance ripened into deep friendship, and when the Captain was demobilized he became private secretary and agent of the Duchess. News of their marriage will be no surprise to their intimate friends. Lewis is about 30 years of age, a keen sportsman, and before the war was in business in London.

The Duchess obtained a divorce from the [her former husband] Duke (age 40) last June, the decree being made absolute Dec. 19 last. An extraordinary story of domestic unhappiness was revealed at the hearing of the case. The Duchess said it was in 1909 that her relations with the Duke first became unhappy. In the three years which followed she continued to occupy the same house, but they lived almost entirely separate lives. Then the Duke ceased to live with the Duchess and in spite of her repeated requests to him to return "for the children's sake if not for your own and mine."

He refused to come back and the Duchess finally instituted proceedines for divorce. Three children were born to the Duke and the Duchess. The son and heir died at the age of 5, in 1909. King Edward being godfather. Two daughters are Lady Ursula Grosvenor and Lady Mary Grosvenor.

The Duchess rendered hospital service in the war which earned mention in dispatches.

The Press. The Press, Volume 56, Issue 16741, 26th January 1920. DUCHESS OF WESTMESTER, A SECRET MARRIAGE.

(By Cable—Press Associatior—Copyright.) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received January 25th. 5.5 p.m.)

LONDON. January 23. The Duchess of Westminster, whose divorce decree was made absolute on December 19th, was secretly married to [her husband] Captain James Lewis, formerly of the Royal Air Force.

They met when Captain Lewis was undergoing treatment at the Duchess's hospital, in France. Lewis, prior to. the war, was in business at Lloyd’s. He is a sportsman, a billiard player, and an amateur actor. For some time he has been the Duchess’s private secretary. He is a few years her junior

[Constance Edwina (age 44), C.B.E., Duchess of Westminster, is the youngest daughter of the late Mr W. C. Cornwallis-West. She was married in 1901 to the [her former husband] Duke of Westminster (age 40), there being two daughters of the marriage. She obtained a deorce nisi from the Duke of! Westminster a few months ago on the grounds of adultory and desertion, the case causing considerable stir in London.]

John Fitzpatrick Lewis: On 14th January 1920, just over three weeks after her divorce from Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor 2nd Duke Westminster, he and Constance Edwina "Shelagh" Cornwallis-West Duchess Westminster were married.

Sunday Morning Star 1st July 1928. Divorced [her former husband] Duke (age 49) and Duchess (age 53) Entertain Together

It is getting to be so that a thing like a divorce seems to amount to nothing here in England. For example, the other night, the Duke of Westminster and his first wife, who is now the spouse of Captain James Fitzpatrick Lewis, acted as joint host and hostess at & ball given in honour of their daughter, Lady [her daughter] Mary Grosvenor (age 18), on the occasion of her debut¹.

The ball was a very grand affair in the ancient town house of the Duke of Westminster, which the lady (once his duchess) had not entered since some time before she divorced him several years ago.

London has rarely seen a more brilliant and fashionable assemblage and the most interesting part of it was that couple standing at the top of the great stairway to receive their guests. Their charming daugher, Lady Mary Grosvenor, seemed quite at ease in spite of this astonishing detail of her coming out ball, and it is noteworthy that all the very brilliant and blue blooded‘ members of the smartest set in the world who were guests, took it as if they thought it quite a matter of course for a divorced couple, one of them remarried, to be standing side by side bowing and smiling at their friends. The Duke and Duchess were divorced in in 1910. They have met in public many times since then and always have seemed to be the very best of friends in spite of their agreement to disagree. The Duke is one of the richest men in the world, being surely worth $100,000,000. He spends much of his time on a vast estate in France which is stocked for the hunting of wild boar, or on his wonderful yacht, on which he cruises much in the Mediterrancan. This divorce was not his first experience of the kind. Before he married the lady who received with him the other night, he had made one unsatisfactory matrimonial venture.

Note 1. Lady Mary's 18th Birthday was on the 27th June.