"In consideration of the promise made by the gentlemen whose names are subscribed to preserve my silence with reference to an accusation which has been made in regard to my conduct at baccarat on the nights of Monday and Tuesday the 8th and 9th at Tranby Croft, I will on my part solemnly undertake never to play cards again as long as I live."
— (Signed) W. Gordon-Cumming
The royal baccarat scandal, also known as the Tranby Croft
affair, was a British gambling scandal of the late 19th century involving the
Prince of Wales—the future King Edward VII. The scandal started during a house
party in September 1890, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a decorated
lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards, was accused of cheating at baccarat.
In the years running up to 1890 the Prince of Wales had
taken to visiting Doncaster Racecourse for the Doncaster Cup. In previous years
he had stayed at Brantingham Thorpe with his friend Christopher Sykes, the
Conservative Member of Parliament for Beverley. Sykes had run into financial
difficulties and could not afford to host Edward, and Tranby Croft, home to
Arthur Wilson and family, became the venue. After consulting with the prince,
the Wilsons also invited some of Edward's inner circle, including Sykes,
Gordon-Cumming and the prince's courtiers: the equerry Tyrwhitt Wilson, Lord
Coventry, Lord Edward Somerset, Captain Arthur Somerset—his cousin—and
Lieutenant-General Owen Williams, along with their wives. Also accompanying the
party was Lieutenant Berkeley Levett, a brother officer to Gordon-Cumming in
the Scots Guards and a friend of the Wilson family.
8–11 September
Among those originally invited were Lord Brooke and his wife
Daisy; her step-father died two days before the party was due to leave London,
and she and her husband withdrew from the trip. Daisy, the prince's mistress at
the time, was known to some journalists as "babbling" Brooke because of
her propensity to gossip. On 6 September Edward returned early from travelling
in Europe; he visited Harriet Street where he found Daisy Brooke "in
Gordon-Cumming's arms", which soured the relationship between the two men.
After dinner on 8 September, the guests at Tranby Croft
listened to music from Ethel Lycett Green until about 11 pm, when the prince
suggested a game of baccarat. Although the Wilsons did not have a
suitably-sized table, Stanley Wilson improvised, putting two card tables
alongside the smoking room table—all of which were of differing sizes—and
covered them with a tapestry cloth. Among the evening's players were the
prince, who acted as dealer; Sassoon, who took the part of banker; and
Gordon-Cumming. Sitting next to the last-named was Stanley Wilson, who was on
Levett's left.
As the game began Gordon-Cumming discussed the tapestry with
Wilson, commenting that the different colours of the cloth made it difficult to
see the counters; Gordon-Cumming put a piece of white paper in front of him on
which to place his now highly-visible stake. Although many of the inexperienced
party were playing for small stakes, Gordon-Cumming was betting between £5 and
£25 for a coup; he played the coup de trois system of betting,[e] in which if
he won a hand with a £5 stake, he would add his winnings to the stake, together
with another £5, as the stake for the next hand. Soon after play began Stanley
Wilson thought he saw Gordon-Cumming add two red £5 counters onto his stake
after the hand had finished, but before the stake had been paid—a method of
cheating known in casinos as la poussette; after he thought that this had
happened a second time, Wilson turned to Levett and, according to the later
court transcripts, whispered "My God, Berkeley, this is too hot!"
further explaining that "the man next to me is cheating!" After
Levett also watched for a few minutes, he agreed, saying to Wilson "this
is too hot". After half an hour the game was completed and the prince
congratulated Gordon-Cumming on his play; the future king also asked Mrs Wilson
for a more suitable table for the following day. Stanley Wilson instructed the
butler to move a longer, three-foot wide table in and cover it with green
baize. Wilson then discussed the cheating with Levett. The two men were
uncertain what steps to take, and agreed that Stanley would ask his
brother-in-law, Lycett Green, for his advice. Although Lycett Green thought it
impossible that Gordon-Cumming would have cheated, Stanley told him that he was
certain, as was Levett.
The following day, 9 September, the party visited the races,
where the prince's horse won the Clumber Stakes. After dinner the prince once
again wanted to play baccarat and asked for a chalk line to be drawn on the
baize, six inches from the edge, behind which players were to keep their
counters when not placing their stake. Edward was banker and Williams acted as
the croupier. When Gordon-Cumming arrived at the table, there were only two
vacant seats. At either of them, Gordon-Cumming would be surrounded by members
of the Wilson family, all of whom had been informed of Stanley and Levett's
suspicions.
After half an hour's play Lycett Green once again became
convinced that Gordon-Cumming was cheating. He left the table and sent a note
to his mother-in-law—still at the table—recounting his suspicions: she took no
action. By the time the game was finished Mary Wilson, the two Lycett Greens
and Stanley Wilson—all of whom had been watching Gordon-Cumming closely—were
convinced that he had been cheating, although they differed in their versions
of what they saw. Others saw nothing, including people sitting closer to him,
such as the prince, Lady Coventry (sitting next to Gordon-Cumming) and Levett
(sitting opposite him). Over the two nights' play Gordon-Cumming won a total of
£225.
Mary Wilson's brother died unexpectedly that night in Hull;
although she and her husband did not attend for a second day's racing, they
asked all the other guests not to interrupt the plans, and the remainder of the
party attended, watching the St. Leger Stakes. During the journey to the
racecourse, Lycett Green asked Edward Somerset his advice, telling the peer
that several members of the party were convinced of Gordon-Cumming's guilt.
Edward Somerset decided to consult his cousin, Arthur Somerset, and the two men
suggested that Lycett Green inform the prince's senior courtier, Lord Coventry.
When the party returned to Tranby Croft that evening Lycett
Green, Stanley Wilson and both Somersets met Coventry; Levett refused to
attend. After Lycett Green had told Coventry what he had seen, the latter
summoned Williams, who was a mutual friend of both the prince and
Gordon-Cumming. Lycett Green repeated the allegation once again. Williams later
recounted that he was "shocked and overwhelmed with a sense of
calamity", and said that Edward must be informed immediately. There was
some disagreement between the courtiers on whether to tell the prince; Coventry
and Wilson both thought it the right move, but Arthur Somerset felt that the
matter could and should be dealt with by those present. Later he was persuaded
that informing the prince was the right course of action. Lycett Green grew
more pugnacious throughout the discussions, and threatened to accuse
Gordon-Cumming in public at the races the following day; he also stated that
"I will not be a party to letting Gordon-Cumming prey on society in future".
The men decided that Gordon-Cumming should sign a document admitting his guilt
in exchange for their silence, and Williams and Coventry went to Edward to
inform him of what had been happening. The two men told the prince that
"the evidence they had heard was absolutely conclusive and they did not
believe Sir William Gordon-Cumming had a leg to stand on".
The prince believed what he had been told by his courtiers,
and also assumed that cheating had taken place; he later said that with accusations
from five witnesses he believed the worst of his friend straight away. At no
point had any of those concerned investigated the situation more closely, by
asking others present or seeking out Gordon-Cumming's side of events, but they
had believed the events as told to them by Lycett Green and Stanley Wilson.
After informing the prince, the two courtiers sought out the accused man and
informed him of what had been said. Coventry broke the news to him, saying that
"There is a very disagreeable thing that has occurred in this house. Some
of the people staying here object ... to the way you play baccarat", and
that the accusation was that he had "resorted to foul play" at the
game. Gordon-Cumming denied the accusation, asking "Do you believe the
statements of a parcel of inexperienced boys?", and demanded to see the
prince.
After dinner the guests signed the visitors book, after
which the prince—accompanied by Coventry, Williams and the two
Somersets—received Lycett Green and the other accusers. After hearing what they
had to say, the prince dismissed all except Coventry and Williams, and called
for Gordon-Cumming, who told Edward that the accusation was "foul and
abominable"; the prince pointed out that "there are five accusers
against you". Gordon-Cumming then withdrew while the royal party discussed
what the next steps would be. He returned after half an hour to find just the
two courtiers, who urged him to sign a document that they had drafted. Under
pressure, and still denying the accusations, Gordon-Cumming signed the document
without knowing who else would sign it afterwards.
"In consideration of the promise made by the gentlemen
whose names are subscribed to preserve my silence with reference to an
accusation which has been made in regard to my conduct at baccarat on the
nights of Monday and Tuesday the 8th and 9th at Tranby Croft, I will on my part
solemnly undertake never to play cards again as long as I live."
— (Signed) W. Gordon-Cumming
The courtiers took the document to Edward, who summoned the
other members of the house; he read the note to them and signed it, pointing
out to everyone that the promise of secrecy was incumbent on all of them. He
also added that Gordon-Cumming was still protesting his innocence, despite
signing a paper that "practically admitted his guilt". The paper was
then signed by the men present: the prince, Coventry, Williams, Wilson and his
son, both Somersets, Lycett Green, Levett and Sassoon. Although the prince
hoped that this would bring an end to the affair, Arthur Somerset pointed out
that it would not remain secret. Edward asked him "not even when gentlemen
have given their word not to divulge it?"; Somerset replied that "It
is impossible, sir. Nothing in the world known to ten people was ever kept
secret".
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