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Violet Gordon Charlesworth: the motor car
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Violet Gordon Charlesworth: the motor car
The motor car with broken windscreen from which Miss Violet Gordon Charlesworth(b.1884) was alleged to have been thrown into the sea following an accident at Penmaenbach near Llandudno. Having faked her own death in this way to escape her creditors, she was later discovered alive and well, and sentenced to hard labour. Date: 1909
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Media ID 23094070
© Illustrated London News Ltd/Mary Evans
Broken Charlesworth Cliff Crash Faking Fallen Gordon Leap Mystery Nov18 Slope Violet Violets Windscreen Miss
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EDITORS COMMENTS
In this intriguing photograph from 1909, the shattered remnants of a motor car rest precariously on the edge of a cliff at Penmaenbach near Llandudno, Wales. The broken windscreen and the fallen pieces of the vehicle's body suggest that it had been involved in a severe accident. But this was no ordinary crash - it was the scene of an extraordinary and mysterious event involving Miss Violet Gordon Charlesworth (1884-1952), a woman who would become known for her audacious attempt to escape her creditors by faking her own death. Born in Wales, Violet was a member of a well-known local family. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she found herself deeply in debt. Desperate for a way out, she concocted a plan to stage her own demise. On the fateful day of November 18, 1909, she allegedly drove her car to the edge of the cliff at Penmaenbach and, with the help of an accomplice, pretended to be thrown into the sea following a crash. The news of Violet's supposed death spread quickly, and her family and friends were left in shock. But the story took an unexpected turn when Violet reappeared, alive and well, several months later. Her ruse had been discovered, and she was arrested and sentenced to hard labour. This photograph, with its haunting image of the broken motor car, serves as a poignant reminder of Violet Gordon Charlesworth's bizarre and intriguing tale. The cliffside landscape, dotted with violets, adds an air of mystery to the scene, while the fallen wall and slope in the background hint at the chaos and turmoil that unfolded on that fateful day in 1909.
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