TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'

[ChrisWd]

Hi,

I fairly confident Thomas George Henry Morris Moore is T.G. Moore, Manx Millionaire, motor racing enthusiast and owner of the Motor Sport publication (which he took over in 1929).

As mentioned in my previous posting, Thomas George Henry Morris Moore was the only child of Thomas Hamilton Moore and Edith Mary Leslie Cunningham.  Thomas Hamilton married his wife Edith in 1905.  She gave birth to T.G. the following year and died shortly afterwards.  In the 1911 census Thomas Hamilton and T.G. were living in a 32 room property in Billown which I think may have been the house inherited from his father (and built by his grandfather, Judge Thomas Moore) next to the old Rushden Abbey.  Thomas Hamilton is listed as a farmer and lime burner in the census return.

Now, the interesting part of this story is that Thomas Hamilton's uncle, George Henry Moore had emigrated in 1830 to Australia, eventually settling in New Zealand where he became an extremely wealthy sheep farmer.  George Henry died in 1905 leaving everything to his widowed, childless daughter Annie Quayle Townend who herself died in 1914.  Her estate was distributed to various beneficiaries but a very sizeable amount of property was bequeathed to her cousin Thomas Hamilton Moore of Billown, Isle of Man, thought to be valued around £800,000.

So, this possibly explains why T.G. Moore was known as the Manx Millionaire and why, when he came of age in the late 1920's and following his father's death in 1927, he developed an evident passion for motor racing and acquiring fast sports cars.

Here are a few links for anyone wishing to read abut the family:

http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/famhist/families/awm1889/moore_a.htm

http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/mquart/mq15271.htm

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1m52/moore-george-henry

I've read that T.G. Moore was Captain of Malew for over 40 years.  He married a woman called Evelyn in 1938.  I'd appreciate if anyone could help me trace Evelyn's full name and also let me know if T.G. and Evelyn had any children.

Regards,
Chris

[Frances_mnb]

have you checked the Manx newspapers - www.imuseum.im
Manx probate (wills etc) are available but for post c.1920 (can't recall exact year) they are held via General registry (look up registries on www.gov.im) rather than the more accessible Manx Museum

ETA it's Rushen not Rushden - also gfa Thomas Moore was not as far as I know a judge (these are called Deemsters on the Island which derive from Norse heritage - part of remaining Manx law as IoM is not part of England.  gfa Moore might have been a JP which means he might have sat on the bench in a magistrates court

[ChrisWd]

Many thanks for the advice and corrections.  Yes, Thomas Moore was a Justice of the Peace....his 1851 census return indicates as much.  The return also has a couple of abbreviations under his rank/occupation which I can't decipher.

Regards,
Chris

[Frances_mnb]

C.P = Captain of Parish (mainly honorific by mid 19th C generally given to largest landowner in parish - did however place him on licensing bench thus controlled number of public houses)
M.K = Member of [House] of Keys - at this period unelected and a self electing coterie (to be changed in 1867) - again due to large landholding

[ChrisWd]

Many thanks
Chris

[Manninagh1958]

These Moores are still well remembered on the IOM. They owned an estate called Billown in Malew Parish. They were a long established family but inherited a vast sum from a cousin in NZ Mrs Annie (?) Townsend about 1905.

Billown now property of John Whittaker of Peel Holdings plc etc

[ChrisWd]

Many thanks.

Chris

[ChrisWd]

I've found out a bit more information about T.G. Moore's wife and family as follows.

He married a woman called Evelyn M Coustas in 1948 in Fulham, west London.  Two children births were registered in Marylebone district in 1951 and 1955.

Evelyn Coustas appears to be a classical/ballet dancer.  I've found a listing which shows that she took part in Liszt's "Apparitions" ballet performed by the Sadler Wells ballet company in 1940.  This had been choreographed by Frederick Ashton and Evelyn Coustas apparently danced alongside Margot Fonteyn in this production.

Evelyn Coustas was the daughter of Alexander Pantelis Coustas. 

Alexander Coustas was born in Liverpool in 1874, son of Timothios Demetrius Coustas and his wife Josephine Hackenburg.  He was a Staff Sergeant Major for the Royal Army Service Corps during the Great War.  At the conclusion of the war he appears to have been articled to J.J. Stavridi, Solicitor, 40 Old Broad Street, London, EC.  He subsequently went into partnership with Demetrius John Cassavetti and formed Cassavetti, Coustas & Co, Solicitors, 15 St Helen's Place, London, EC3.  His wife's name on the electoral rolls is Jane Argyri Coustas and they seem to have lived in west London until the mid-1950's.  I've not been able to locate marriage or death indexes for either, nor have I been able to find the birth index for their daughter Evelyn.

Timothios Coustas and Josephine Hackenberg married in 1870 in Kensington, London then had 5 children between between 1871 to 1879, all born in the Liverpool/West Derby area.  The family were living together near Southport, Lancashire at the time of the 1881 census.  Timothious and Josephine were divorced in 1887.  Josephine was admitted to the Chelsea poorhouse in January 1891, the record shows she was destitute.  By the time of the 1891 census, Josephine and three children were living at 157 King's Road, Chelsea.  The 1911 census shows Josephine, Alexander & the youngest daughter, Marigo living in Carshalton in Surrey.  At this time Alexander was an educational coach and Marigo was a teacher of music and languages.

Any further snippets of information on the above would be appreciated.

Regards,
Chris

[ChrisWd]

T.G. Moore's obituary which appeared in Motor Sport magazine:

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1975/20/obituary