Social Victorians/People/Lowe

Also Known As

• Family name: Low, often misspelled in the press as Lowe

Demographics

Nationality

• William Mackay Low: British
• Daisy (Juliette Magill Kinzie) Gordon Low: American

Residences

• Beauchamp hall, Beauchamp square, Leamington (1888)
• Wellesbourne-house, Warwickshire (1889–1904)

Family

• Billow or Willy (William Mackay) Low (3 August 1860 – 8 June 1905)
• Daisy (Juliette Magill Kinzie) Gordon (31 October 1860 – 17 January 1927)

Acquaintances, Friends and Enemies

Juliette Gordon Low

• Rudyard and Carrie Kipling

William Mackay Low

• Albert Edward, Prince of Wales
• Anna Bridges Bateman (sexual partner)

Organizations

Juliette Gordon Low

• Girl Guides and then Girl Scouts of America

William Mackay Low

• Brasenose College, Oxford (1880)

• Steward of the Warwick Meeting, along with Lord Aylesford and Mr. G. Graham (early 1890s)
• Conservative Club, Birmingham (1902)
• Tennis Court Club, Leamington Spa (1902)

Timeline

1886 December 21, William Mackay Low and Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon married in Savannah, Georgia.

1893 March 3, the P. and O. ship S.S. Valetta, captain R. F. Briscoe, left London for Yokohama. Mr. W. M. Lowe and his valet were on board.

1897 July 2, Mr. W. M. Lowe attended the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball.

1897 July 16, Saturday, "At the Warwick County Police Court, on Saturday, Mr. W. M. Low, of Wellesbourne, was summoned for keeping nine servants, three dogs, and a carriage, without licenses. Mr. Lewis Young, supervisor, of Leamington, prosecuted. Mr. H. Field, Leamington, defended, and explained that Mr. Low had been abroad a good deal lately, and he did not think it had come to his notice that it was time to renew the licenses. It was entirely inadvertence. He had no intention to defraud. A fine of £2 16s., including costs, in each case, was imposed; £8 8s. altogether."

1898 June 25, Saturday, the Prince of Wales was in Warwickshire visiting the Earl and Countess Warwick (Wednesday and Thursday), Lord and Lady Algernon Gordon-Lennox (Friday), and Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Lowe at Wellesbourne-house (Saturday).

1901, Anna Bridges Bateman visited the Lows in Scotland, when Juliette Low learned that William Low and Bateman were in a sexual relationship.

Costume at the Duchess of Devonshire's 2 July 1897 Fancy-dress Ball

At the Duchess of Devonshire's fancy-dress ball, Mr. W. M. Lowe (at 350) was dressed as a Gentilhomme de la Cour Louis XVI in the Quadrille of the Louis XV. and Louis XVI.

Notes and Questions

1. Was Juliette Gordon Low present and just not mentioned? If Juliette Low was present, it is likely her costume was the result of thought and some expense. Was she absent for some reason, perhaps to do with her relationship with W. M. Low, her hearing, her health, or something else? Her husband’s costume does not suggest that it was part of what a couple would wear, but it could have been.