THE PEOPLE

London, England

28 November 1909

(page 20)

A KILTED “LORD.”

CAMBERWELL LADY GETS A DIVORCE.

In the Court of Session, Edinburgh, before Lord Selvesen [sic], a curious undefended action for divorce came before the court at the instance of Rose Edith Kelly, 35, against her husband, Alister [sic] Crowley, who both gave addresses in London.—Petitioner, examined by Mr. Jameson, said she was the daughter of the Rev. F. F. Kelly, vicar of Camberwell. She was married in 1897 to Capt. Fdk. Thos. Skerrett [Frederick Thomas Skerrett], who died in August, 1899. In 1902 she was staying in Paris with her brother, Mr. Gerald Festus Kelly, an artist, and there made the acquaintance of defendant.—Was he then calling himself Alister Crowley? No. He was then Count Skellett. I knew, however, his real name was Alex. Edwd. Crowley. Later he called himself Macgregor, to identify himself with Scotland. In July 1903, petitioner went to Strathpeffer, and again met Mr. Crowley, whose name had then become Alister Crowley Macgregor. He tried to identify himself with Scotland as much as possible, had bought a home in Inverness-shire named Boleskine, and used to wear the kilt, and all that sort of thing.

Left Her at Hong Kong.

At Strathpeffer, on Aug. 11, he asked her to marry him, and she consented. They were married next day in Scottish fashion, and went to stay at Boleskine. Shortly after the marriage defendant assumed the name of Lord Boleskine, because people in Scotland, he said, took the names of their property.—I think he is a little eccentric? Oh, yes. In June, 1904, a child [Nuit Ma Ahathoor Hectate Sappho Jezebel Lilith] was born, which died 21 months later. Then for a year we travelled about together in the East. At Hong Kong my husband left me, saying he would return home by America, and telling me to go straight home. Petitioner said she was very annoyed at being thus left, having regard to her condition, and she came back to England to her father’s house, and there gave birth to her second child [Lola Zaza], in Sept., 1906. Her husband rejoined her, and they lived at Chislehurst for two years, and in March, 1908, went to Warwick-rd., London, where he was becoming a little impecunious. She left him last summer because he had been treating her cruelly.

Wore the Macgregor Tartan.

Before that he had asked her to take care of a child, saying it was for one of his most intimate friends, and she believed that until she accidentally opened a letter addressed to him, which gave the address of the mother, a Miss Zwee. She went to see that woman and learned that defendant himself was the father of the child. Miss Zwee had been a milliner in the Burlington Arcade.—Mr. Kelly, the artist, brother of petitioner, gave additional details of defendant. They became acquainted at Cambridge, where, in 1897, both were undergraduates. Defendant had curious ideas of how to fit up a house, and when he bought Boleskine he had one room covered with mirrors, which he called a temple. He was a cabalist, and studied ancient MSS. Boleskine was a big house; he heard it cost £4,000, and defendant’s many objects of art were stored in it. When witness went to Strathpeffer in 1903 defendant was appearing in the complete Highland costume and his Macgregor tartan was very bright.—Further evidence probed defendant’s misconduct.—Lord Salvesen granted a decree, with custody of the child to petitioner, and alimony £1 a week.