NEWS AND NOTEs from The Fauquier Historical Society

Vol. 22, No.2 WARRENTON, VIRGINIA Spring & Summer 2000 Part II: Romance, Abdication and Exile Wallis Warfield in Warrenton, and Beyond

By JOHN TOLER Newsletter Editor Upon her return from China in September 1925,Wallis resolved to end her marriage with Win Spencer. While staying with her cousin Corrine Mustin Murray at Wakefield Manor in Warren County, she began the legal work to obtain her divorce. Cousin Corrine introduced Wallis to Front RoyalAttorney Aubrey "Kingfish" Weaver, a family friend who agreed to handle the divorce. It was determined that the most expedient grounds for the divorce would be Win's "desertion." In addition to one-year of residency in Virginia, Wallis would be required to produce a document from Win stating that he no longer wanted to live with her, The Warren Green Hotel at the time of Wallis Warfield's stay. and that he had in fact deserted her. Wallis contacted Win at Hampton She returned to Washington briefly the resolution to lift my bags. In this Roads, and asked him to write a letter before beginning her stay in Warrenton. extremity, an affable Negro porter came to that effect. She further requested that According to an article written for up, introduced himself as 'Jake from the he backdate his statement to June 1924, The Fauquier Democrat in 1950 by M. hotel,' and asked me to follow him."! to coincide with his assignment to China Louise Evans, 'The Old Timer," a family She goes on to describe her hotel - although in fact the couple lived connection with Warrenton was room as "fifteen feet by twelve, with together there for several months before established years before when her faded flowered wallpaper, a high brass Win moved out. mother, Alice Montague, spent bed, battered night table, imitation Under this scheme, the divorce summers in the home of Mr. and Mrs. mahogany bureau ... a classic example could be granted as soon as June 24, John James on Main Street. It was later of what my mother used to call inferior 1927. the home of Dr. Frank Folk, and is now decorating." Wallis went ahead with the plan, but owned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Rice. "Wallis Spencer had no servants at surprisingly had a last-minute change of But unlike her mother, Wallis would the hotel," wrote Edwina H. Wilson in heart. not be vacationing in Warrenton. For the her biography, Her Name Was Wallis When Win arrived at Weaver's next year or so, her home would be Warfield. "But Jake, the old colored office in Front Royal to go over the Room 212 in the Warren Green Hotel, porter, could not do enough for her. Jake paperwork, she offered to reconcile. But overlooking Hotel Street and the used to wash her dog, "Sandy" ... which Win insisted that they go through with Fauquier National Bank. She would have she had acquired by adoption. He had the divorce. to share a bathroom. other owners, but as long as Wallis was Then, the issue of Virginia In her autobiography, she describes in Warrenton, he remained with her." residency had to be addressed. Wallis her arrival in town: While living at the hotel, Wallis traveled to Warrenton on October 5, "So one hot October morning I took found herself most often in the company 1925,staying first at Oakwood, the home the early train ... the dusty, rattling train of traveling salesmen, or "drummers," of Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Larrabee, old had left my flowered chiffon dress as friends of Cousin Corrine. dispirited as I was myself. I did not have (Continued on Page 2) Exile HUGH ARMISTEAD SPILMAN 1892-1980 (Continued from Page 1) Hugh Spilman was a native and since the Warren Green was at the time life-long resident of Warrenton. chiefly a commercial hotel. Many knew him through his long- She met an older man who lived at term affiliation with the Fauquier the hotel named Jack Mason who National Bank and his 65-year mem- appeared to have some culture and had bership in the Fauquier Club, but lived for many years in England. They he is best remembered for his hu- became friends, often taking long walks mor and congeniality. around town. The perennial bachelor and "On the whole, my first year at man-about-town, Hugh was finally Warrenton was the most tranquil I have married in January 1954 to ever known," she wrote. "I simply Wilmotine P. owens, widow of Dr. rusticated, and when I wasn't W Duncan Owens. But the union rusticating, I vegetated with equal fasted only until November 1955, satisfaction."2 when Mrs. Spilman succumbed to Years later, M. Louise Evans wrote, cancer. "Wallis Warfield Spencer loved Warrenton, and Warrenton loved Wallis, physician who delivered her, who was they played golf; they spent evenings at for a more personable girl never lived. now living in Winchester. the golf club cafe', where they played She was universally popular with both Others she socialized with included poker until the small hours. Spilman sexes, and certainly 'the last word' in Arthur and Jane Derby; Mr. and Mrs. remembered Wallis as a bad loser." smartness of attire and neatness."3 Baldwin Spilman, who at the time owned As she did everywhere else, Wallis Clovelly on the Springs Road; and Mr. made friends and renewed acquaintances and Mrs. Fred Hasrick, Mr. and Mrs. while in Warrenton. Her circle offriends Robert Winmill and Mr. and Mrs. John included Phoebe Randolph, an old Buchanan. Friends from the classmate from Arundell, who was Middleburg area included Mr. and Mrs. married to Henry Poole, and Florence Arthur White. Campbell, a friend from Oldfields, now Perhaps her most memorable friend Mrs. Edward Russell. was Hugh Spilman (1892-1980), whom Also returning from Wallis' past she had dated years before, when Hugh were Lloyd Tabb, her first boyfriend was a student at the exclusive Gilman from the old days at Burr/and, and School in Baltimore and she was at remarkably, Dr. Miles Lewis Allen, the Oldfields. During World War I, Spilman served in France with an ambulance company. NEWS and NOTES In Wallis' autobiography, she wrote Published Twice a Year briefly oftheir relationship. "Aftera time, by the I ran into an old acquaintance, Hugh FAUQUIER HISTORICAL SOCIElY, INC. Spilman, who worked in the bank and A non-profit organization incorporated under the whom I knew in Baltimore. He took me View from Room 212 of the Warren laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dues and in tow and launched me in the social Green, as it appears today. contributions are tax-deductible. c. 2000.Allrights reserved. whirl of the local horsy set. He was also possessed of an old three-pedal rattling Annual Dues Those who knew Hugh Spilman Individual or Family $10.00 flivver. The two of us must have made were aware of his unrequited love for Contributing Member 15.00 quite an impression as we rolled up to Sustaining Member (min.) 25.00 Wallis. the porticoed mansions for formal Business Membership 25.00 As Higham explains, "Spilman Student Membership 3.00 dinners."4 asked her to marry him as soon as her Officers According to Higham, Spilman was divorce was over; she refused politely, President: Maxwell Harway "a blond and good-looking former Vice President: Janet Hofer pointing out that if she ever married footballer" who Wallis first met "in the Secretary: linda Anderson again, it would only be for money. Treasurer: William Skinker dancing class where she had learned the Spilman manfully settled for second two-step." JOHN T. TOLER "Spilman told her he was working as best. He joined her at lawn parties and Newsletter Editor second-floor parlor dances and private a teller, to learn the business, at the Museum Director: Jackie Lee social gatherings at the Warren Green. Fauquier National Bank. They became It was a harmless, pleasant romance."5 Honorary Members: close in those drawn-out weeks of Isabel S. Palmer and John K Gott Warrenton insurance executive G. boredom. Walliswould drop by the bank Address Inquiries to: Wayne Eastham, who has worked on (whichwas directly across from the hotel) The Fauquier Historical Society Culpeper Street for many years, recalls P.O. Box 675 and drink Coca-Colathrough straws from another local legend about the Warfield- Warrenton, VA20188 the bottle until the manager ordered Telephone: (540) 347-5525 Hugh back to his window. On Sundays (Continued on Page 3)

(2) few people remain who remember much Exile about Wallis Warfield Spencer's time at the Warren Green. (Continued from Page 2) Long-time Warrenton resident D. Spilman relationship: "After Wallis Harcourt Lees was just a child in the left Warrenton, she told her friends that 1920s and never met her, but he recalls she would have married Hugh if he that Wallis affected different people in knew how to read anything besides the his family in different ways. "My aunt Daily Racing Form." liked her, but my mother and another Wallis spiced-up her "rustic" life aunt didn't think much of her at all," he with frequent trips to Washington, D.C. said recently. and Baltimore. Occasionally, she would But many Warrenton residents have ride the train to New York, where she felt over the years that her stay here was would stay with her old friend, Mary at least an interesting footnote in local Kirk, and her husband, Jacques Raffray. history. In mid-summer of 1927, she was . Her divorce final, Wallis was free, invited on pleasure trip to Europe with but she hadn't made plans on what she her aunt, Bessie Merryman. While would do next. With "nowhere else to there, she got word that Uncle Sol go" and limited funds coming from a Ernest Aldrich Simpson Warfield had died, necessitating a quick small trust set up by Uncle Sol, she return home. She missed the funeral. turned to thoughts of becoming a social climber, she quickly worked her By then, the period of establishing fashion writer, or even going to work way up the ladder to the highest levels the residency required for her divorce selling steel construction scaffolding for of British society. was nearing fulfillment. a friend's company in New York. Wallis had more than a passing On December 6, 1927, her divorce Neither of these endeavors ever interest in Edward Albert Christian petition was submitted to Fauquier materialized, so Walliscontinued to miss George Andrew Patrick David Windsor, County Circuit Court, where it was out on the one thing she had never the Prince of Wales, for years. She met heard by Judge George Latham experienced in her life - holding down him informally through a mutual society Fletcher. ajob. friend, and later, she was formally "Among the dispositions by her introduced to the Royal Family at her mother and others was the letter Win Husband Number Two While still living at the Warren presentation to the Court on June 10, Green, Wallis took up with a married 1931. man, Ernest Aldrich Simpson, of New (Interestingly enough, among the York and London. Simpson was the other nine American women presented president of an international company at court that day was another local that bought and sold ships, and had person, Mrs. Charles O. Broy, of B strong ties, through his parents and the Sperryville, Va. ) business, to England. A mutual attraction was quietly It was during a visit over Christmas, established there, and the Prince invited 1927 with the Raffrays that Wallis met Ernest and Wallis Simpson into his inner Simpson and his wife, the former circle. Dorothea Parsons Dechert, whom he The illicit romance bloomed had married in 1923. They had a four- somewhat discretely at first, and year-old daughter. included overnight trips to country Simpson's marriage mayor may not homes and other intimate get-togethers. have been in trouble before the affair In the beginning, most of these with Wallis began. activities included Ernest; but as time The first Mrs. Simpson, frail and passed, most did not. Judge George Latham Fletcher prematurely gray, was in a hospital Whether or not Ernest Simpson recovering from an illness when she knew what was going on - or just didn't was supposed to have sent from China, became aware of the affair, and soon care - no longer matters. Apparently, he complete with American postage filed for divorce. She remained very had other romantic interests ofhis own, stamps, a detail the judge chose to bitter toward Wallis the rest of her life, as well. overlook," wrote Higham. and was quoted as saying, "Wallis was By late 1936,Wallis Simpson would 'There is no question that this was very smart. She stole my husband while charge her husband with adultery, a collusive divorce, since Wallis' I was ill."7 based on the contents of a love letter statement that she had not seen Win in Wallis left Warrenton for good, and alleged to have been sent to her by four years was contradicted by the she and Ernest were married on July 21, mistake, and the results of the findings evidence, and she had omitted any 1928 -barely seven months after Wallis' of her private investigators. The mention of China from her disposition, divorce was final. This second marriage evidence was presented to a British thereby perjuring herself."6 would serve one important purpose: court. The divorce decree was granted on introducing Wallis Warfield to British It is ironic that while they were Dec. 10, 1927. high society. separated - and probably, even before- Wallis would return to Warrenton The new Mrs. Simpson soon joined that Wallis was deeply involved in a once or twice in later years, but today, her husband in London. By now a skilled (Continued on Page 4) (3) Warfield Simpson as Queen, King Exile Edward modified his demands, offering to consent to a "morganatic" marriage (Continued from Page 3) to her. Under this arrangement, Wallis similarly adulterous relationship with would be married to the King and would the Prince of Wales. live in England. She would be given the The divorce decree was issued by title of "Duchess" or some other royal the judge on October 27, 1936, and was title, but not Queen. She would not be accompanied by much public interest included on the Civil List (in terms of and fanfare. Ernest Simpson did not personal income), and should she have even bother to show up. children, they would not be entitled to The name of the correspondent in any part of the royal inheritance nor the divorce case was withheld, but only would they ascend to the throne. months afterward, Ernest remarried. Wallis was intrigued by this offer He chose as his third wife their old and probably would have gone along friend, Mary Kirk Ratfray. It was leaked with it. But the opposition - which was that she had written the incriminating growing daily - would not, and shortly love letter. Could she be the one? afterward, the King withdrew the idea. A constitutional crisis loomed. Royal Romance By the first week ofDecember 1936 Very few people outside of her Edward VIII decided that his only closest circle of friends knew of the course of action was to abdicate the circumstances of Wallis' first two throne. marriages, and considered her ex- Assisted by Winston Churchill, he husbands to be at fault. wrote his abdication speech, which he As a result, most observers were delivered by radio broadcast on Dec. 10, sympathetic and intrigued by this interesting "woman with a past." 1936. Wallis, who was staying in France During the depths of the Great with friends at that time, had tried in vain Depression, the world watched with Wallis Warfield Simpson at her to convince him not to abdicate, and growing interest her fairy-tale romance presentation to the Royal Court, hoped until the last moment he would with the Prince, next in line to become 1931. change his mind. She would have been the King of England. happy to continue as his mistress, as And as this romance played out in openly. She was a frequent overnight long as he remained King. the world media, there is no doubt that guest at Fort Belvedere, the King's But a determined Edward VIII many local people recalled Wallis country home, and accompanied him on abdicated the throne after only 325 days Warfield's days in Warrenton, less than a tour ofEurope on the yacht Nahlin and to "marry the woman he loved." The a decade earlier. the Orient Express during the summer crown passed to his brother, the Duke The world press closely followed of 1936. The Royal Family was aghast, of York, who became King George VI. the couple's comings-and-goings on as were many Members of Parliament. No longer burdened by his royal yachts and in private train cars, and stays In America, the mood was quite responsibilities, Edward immediately in Medieval castles across Europe. different, with many people excited set forth to legalize the relationship that Following her divorce from Ernest, about the possibility of Wallis Simpson had cost him so much. Wallis lived at Cumberland Terrace in becoming Queen, or at least marrying Many decidedly un-romantic details Regent's Park, where she continued her a king. There was not much interest in had to be worked out as well: the affair with the Prince and gave parties the constitutional angle here at home. for her friends and sycophants. The emphasis was focused solely on the (Continued on Page 5) Among those likely to be present at romantic possibilities. a soiree at her home were the usual The King had spent a great deal of British upper crust, but often Joachim time working in the background to von Ribbentrop, Adolph Hitler's special make certain that the Simpson divorce adviser for foreign affairs was there. In was granted, but would not tell even his addition to detailed descriptions in the closest advisers what he ultimately was writings of Higham and Birmingham, going to do. this fact is presented most matter-of- factly in the Wilson biography as wel1.9 Futile Efforts With the death of King George V In Buckingham Palace and in the onJan. 19, 1936 and the accession ofthe backrooms of Parliament, much of the Prince of Wales to the throne month of November 1936 was spent speculation ran rampant that Walli~ arguing the ramifications of a twice- Simpson would soon become the next divorced, foreign commoner becoming Queen of England. the Queen of England. Months of turmoil would follow, as When it became clear that many Edward VIII, reading his abdication the King and the still-married Mrs. people - including his mother and announcement over worldwide Simpson conducted their affair quite brothers - would never accept Wallis radio. (4) murder occurred. Businessman Sir Exile Harry Oakes was brutally slain in a i crime made to look like a voodoo (Continuedfrom Page 4) sacrifice. Although it was never proved meaning of his new title, as "Duke of in court, the killing was probably Windsor;" securing a regular income, arranged by one of the Duke's friends. and disposition of royal properties to he The Duke was never directly which he was once entitled. implicated in this particularly grisly On May 11, 1937 - the day before I murder - which was considered by his brother's coronation - he announced many at the time to be 'The Crime of his engagement to Wallis Simpson. The the Century" - but he seriously bungled wedding took place at the Chateau de , the investigation. And instead of going Cande' on June 3, 1937. after the likely killers, he pushed The Duke and Duchess ofWindsor investigators to implicate another man would remain married until parted by living on the islands who had done death; but in nearly all respects the nothing more serious than to insult him. "world class romance story" w~uld As a result, an innocent man's life become a tarnished legacy of was ruined, and Sir Harry Oakes real selfishness, excess and perfidy. murderer never caught. Aftermath of Abdication Return to Warrenton In the years between the abdication At least once during World War II and the outbreak of World War II the the Duke and Duchess returned to Duke and Duchess of Windsor Warrenton. presented an ongoing embarrassment M. Louise Evans recalled in her for the Royal Family and for English 1950article a visit in October 1941,when citizens in general. With their excesses the couple came down from Washington general insensitive behavior and to visit the Larrabees at Oakwood. The outwardly Fascist/Nazi sympathies, Wedding photo, June 3, 1937 Windsors dined the evening before with they make the problems of the current the Lord and Lady Fairfax. "Royals" trivial by comparison. Lloyd George ... who was his favorite The word had gotten out to the The most serious problem was the British politician, would become the Washington, D.C. press, and the "Old Windsors' relationship with Adolph head ofthe puppet English government Timer" recalls that she was bombarded Hitler and Italian dictator Benito under his control, with the royal family with requests for information, photos Mussolini in the years leading up to exiled to Canada, and the Duke restored interviews - anything to do with th~ World War II. The Duke, who spoke to the throne with Wallis as queen."10 visi.tors. "On the 19th (of October), they fluent High German, was in awe of the Because of the integrity of the arnved by cars from Washington via the power and elitism ofthe self-proclaimed monarchy, the resolve of Winston Lee Highway, and your Old Timer was "master race." Churchill, and the courage of the part of a large crowd that gathered at And there were other strange, deep- English people, such an eventuality Tom Frost's to see the royal couple," rooted relationships that seem more like never materialized. Evans wrote. something out of a bad soap opera. The Duke was finallybrought home After spending the night at Count Ciano, Wallis' old lover, was and assigned to the British military at Oakwood, the couple attended a hunt to married Mussolini's daughter. The the foreign mission in Vincennes breakfast in their honor on the front lawn chance meetings in the years before the France, as a way to control him. ' war were understandably awkward. Even as the Nazis were rolling (Continued on Page 6) Former naval aviator Win Spencer through Europe, the Duke was emerged from the distant past as well. continually AWOLto visit his wife in the In 1936, he received a medal from south ofFrance. The situation got so bad Mussolini for helping his air minister, that Churchill had to threaten the ltalo Balbo, set up the Italian air force. former King to return to his post, or face These odd relationships continued, a court-martial. even as Europe was falling to the Nazis. When France fell, the Duke was The Duke's attitude was clearly one recalled to England, and later given the of defiance: if his homeland would not governorship ofthe Bahamas. This was accept his Queen, there just might be done to get him and Wallis out of the another way. country and away from the action, and On several occasions, the Duke met to keep them in a place where they could with Hitler and his agents to discuss conceivably do no harm. "matters of mutual interest." According They spent the better part ofWorld to Higham, one such meeting took place War II in the Bahamas, where their tour at Hitler's headquarters at was marked by rioting natives a Obersa1zburg, Germany, on October 22 disastrous fire, frequent trips to N~w 1937. ' Yo~k for shopping and some society 'There was no question that in the action. The Windsors are greeted by Adolph Fuhrer's grand design for the future, While they were there, a suspicious Hitler, October, 1937. (5) Exile (Continuedfrom Page 5) of the mansion. Later on Saturday, they visited Clovercroft,near Warrenton, where they met 14English schoolchildren and their teachers who had come to Virginia seeking refuge from the bombings in London. That evening, they were entertained at cocktails by Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Winmill at Clovelly,their home on the Springs Road, followed by dinner hosted by Mr. and Mrs. William E. Doeller at Prospect Hill, near Orlean. -Photo courtesy of Mrs. Richard Gookin Sunday found the Windsors at The Duke and Duchess of Windsor posed with British children staying at Wakefield Manor, near Front Royal, Clovelly Farm during a visit to Warrenton in October 1941. where they lunched with the Duchess' aunt, Mrs. George Barnett. The visit was followed by a trip down the Skyline ten to forty times their actual value. while the rest of the world was on the Drive to enjoy the changing leaves. Joe Allen Jr., president ofAllen Real bread line, the party never seemed to Before returning to Washington, Estate Ltd. ofWarrenton, was one of the end."12 curious who attended the auction. He D.C, they visited Mrs. Charlotte Noland, Footnotes former mistress of Burrland, who now remembers the unbelievable prices paid 1. Windsor, Wallis Warfield, The operated the exclusive Foxcroft School. for the most insignificant personal items A midnight train ride brought the that went on the auction block, including Heart Has Its Reasons, David McKay Co., c. 1956. Page 110 Windsors back to New York,where they a large collection of photographs sold stayed briefly before returning to the one-at-a-time. 2. Ibid., Page 112 3. M. Louse Evans, in Bahamas. Long after their deaths, others The Fauquier would try to analyze the mystique of the Democrat, Sept. 14, 1950. The War Ends Duke and Duchess of Windsor. 4. Windsor, Page 112 5. Higham, Charles, . After the surrender of Germany, the Wrote Charles Higham at the end The Secret Life McGraw-Hill, Wmdsors returned to France, where of his biography, "Those who dipped of the Duchess of Windsor, they found their properties - which had into their purses and pockets wanted not c. 1988. Page 11 been declared off-limits by the Nazi only to possess the belongings ofroyalty 6. Ibid., Page 64 occupation forces - still in fine shape. - though ironically the Duchess of 7. Ibid. What followed were more than two Windsor had never been allowed to use 8. Wilson, Edwina H., Her Name Was decades of whirlwind trips to exciting the title 'Her Royal Highness' - but also Wallis Warfield, H.P. Dutton, c. 1936. places, the continued accumulation of to partake, albeit vicariously, of an age Page 87. wealth, and a particularly decadent in which society was society, the rich 9. Ibid., page 102 lifestyle based on the Duke's name and were almost uniformly glamorous, and 10. Higham, Page 239 royal past. As the couple aged, they became ~ere ~aricatures of the stylish, mfluential people they had been in the The Fauquier Historical Society Nonprofit Org. past. U.S. Postage They took up with the likes of p.o. Box 675, Warrenton, VA20188 PAID Jimmy Donahue, a wealthy New York Warrenton, VA playboy - heir to the Woolworth fortune Address Correction Requested Permit NO.1 09 and an aggressive, obnoxious homosexual - as their standing in the society world continued its strange twists and turns. The Duke died in 1971, and Wallis in 1986. But regardless of their diminished stature in the world, they both died rich, at least from a materialistic standpoint. This would be their final legacy. At an auction of the Windsor's jewelry and personal effects conducted bySotheby'sinApriI1987, the proceeds totaled over $51 million. Items went for

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