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Independent Islands => Isle of Man => Topic started by: LJReb123 on Friday 20 February 09 21:51 GMT (UK)

Title: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: LJReb123 on Friday 20 February 09 21:51 GMT (UK)
Hello folks.

This is a press clipping from August 1932 outling the drivers in the Ards TT, Ards, Co Down - an annual racing event.

I was wondering if anyone could give me some more details regrading Mr Moore and his connections to the Isle. I believe he was a publisher.





Thanks

David
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: LJReb123 on Saturday 25 June 11 18:54 BST (UK)
Bump! :-0
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: Mort29 on Saturday 25 June 11 19:06 BST (UK)
Google search reveals:- http://www.austinharris.co.uk/photo/1928-inter-varsity-hill-climb/2959

a 1928 Inter-Varsity Hill Climb... includes the car's regn number...

might be more if you tinker with Google etc ....


Frazer Nash was the car ....  http://wsrp.ic.cz/prewar1932.html#12
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: cati on Saturday 25 June 11 19:10 BST (UK)
He seems to have been the editor of 'Motor Sport' in 1926:

www.oldracingcar.co.uk/products/1926-bentley-3-litre-red-label-speed-model

Cati
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: LJReb123 on Saturday 25 June 11 22:05 BST (UK)
Thanks,

he crashed his car at Ballystockart in 1932 and killed my Great Grandmother - just wondered if any relations were still around - (Def Not looking for blame by any means).

David
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: Frances_mnb on Sunday 26 June 11 18:46 BST (UK)
try Manx Museum library library@mnh.gov.im - wrote some articles under pseudonym 'Mannin' in early 1930's - but I have nothing else about him
except probably same person who owned car reg MN 42 T. H. Moore, Castletown. 24 hp. Dennis in 1913 - ? if son of Col Moore
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: msr on Sunday 26 June 11 19:07 BST (UK)
I'm almost sure that there was a recent (last 12 months anyway)  BBC North West piece, including interview at his home.

Not sure how to check it out though, don't know if archives are on-line.
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: LJReb123 on Sunday 26 June 11 23:21 BST (UK)
Folks,

thank you for your help - I have another photo somewhere of his car on top of the remains of the (homemade) seating where Gt Granny was sitting - Gt Granda had gone up the field for a smoke of his pipe. I would be very interested to trace a living relative for a yarn. I often wonder did he know she died?

Thank you,

David
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Wednesday 19 March 14 18:34 GMT (UK)
Hi,

I'm also interested in tracing T.G.Moore as I'm researching the original owners of the Blower Bentley cars.  He bought one in 1930.  Apparently he took over the Motor Sport magazine in 1929 and one of the links in a previous posting on this thread gives his first name as Tom which I assume was short for Thomas.

I've checked the Manx BMD for Thomas G Moore births and the only candidate seems to be a Thomas George Henry Morris Moore born 1906, son of Thomas Hamilton Moore, farmer.  Thomas Hamilton Moore died 1919, Thomas George died 1975.

He was supposedly a millionaire but I can't work out where the money came from.  Is it possible to access Isle of Man probate records? 

Anyone have any ideas how I can follow this up?

Regards,
Chris
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Thursday 20 March 14 10:25 GMT (UK)
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

Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: Frances_mnb on Thursday 20 March 14 13:44 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Thursday 20 March 14 14:08 GMT (UK)
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

Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: Frances_mnb on Thursday 20 March 14 14:21 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Thursday 20 March 14 14:37 GMT (UK)
Many thanks
Chris
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: Manninagh1958 on Monday 14 December 15 02:55 GMT (UK)
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
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Monday 14 December 15 06:22 GMT (UK)
Many thanks.

Chris
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Thursday 26 May 16 13:50 BST (UK)
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

Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Thursday 26 May 16 13:55 BST (UK)
T.G. Moore's obituary which appeared in Motor Sport magazine:

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/july-1975/20/obituary
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Friday 27 May 16 10:09 BST (UK)
Evelyn Moore's parents, Alexander & Jane Coustas lived in the Baron's Court area of west London until about 1957 then moved to the Isle of Man.  Alexander is listed in the 1963 telephone directory and shown to be living at The Bungalow, Ballasalla which I believe is a property on the Billown Estate.

Their deaths are listed in the Isle of Man death indexes, Douglas district.  Alexander died in 1967, Jane (Joanna) Argyris Coustas died in 1981.

Chris
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: Forfarian on Monday 24 February 20 14:56 GMT (UK)
I've just come across this thread.

Edith Mary Leslie Cunningham was a relative of mine. She was born in Belfast on 30 May 1880, only child of Thomas Cunningham (died 1 August 1895), Deputy Clerk of the Peace for County Antrim, and his wife Araminta Erskine Leslie (died 17 July 1927).

Araminta was the only daughter of William Leslie JP (1814-5 June 1880), manager of the Provincial Bank in Cootehill, Co Cavan, and High Sheriff of Cavan in 1875, and his wife Mary Erskine (d 1877), daughter of Moutray Erskine and Elizabeth Jane Wilson-Slator and widow of Henry Wilton. Araminta had one brother, William Moutray Leslie (died 19 November 1899), High Sheriff of Cavan in 1881 and a major in the Cavan Militia.

William Leslie was born in Rothes, Moray, son of William Leslie, mason, and Jean Slorach. I have 4 more generations of his Leslie ancestors in my database.
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: ChrisWd on Monday 24 February 20 15:21 GMT (UK)
Many thanks.  Always nice to add interesting detail.

Regards,
Chris
Title: Re: TG Moore 'The Manx Millionaire'
Post by: PVDW on Saturday 10 October 20 11:20 BST (UK)
Hi

A major source of the manx millionnaire's wealth was a significant bequest left by his aunt Annie Quale Townend (see attached photograph) who died in Christchirch New Zealand in 1914.  Her estate was valued at c £800,000 and a large part of this (after stamp and estate duties of £190,225) was left to Thomas Hamilton Moore, her cousin.

I am trying to track down the document of the bequest which included a special duty stamp.