Florence Bravo

Seven months into their marriage, Florence informed her father that she and Alexander were having problems.[5] They were at odds over Alexander's military career with the Grenadier Guards; she wanted to have a large family, and feared that he would be sent to war and killed in conflict.[5]^: 11–12 Florence finally prevailed, and in the spring of 1868, Alexander received an honourable discharge and left the service with the rank of captain.[9][5]^: 12 The couple moved to Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire, where they took part in aristocratic pursuits such as hunting, fishing, and horse-riding, and regularly hosted parties.[5] Alexander tried to get involved in their families' businesses, but quickly lost interest and grew depressed.[5]

Florence soon found out about Alexander's infidelity.[5] He had a mistress who lived in the West End of London, and had been seen with women in hotels in Sussex and in the West Country.[5] When confronted, Alexander eventually confessed, but persisted with his extramarital affairs.[5] He became an alcoholic, and his health started to deteriorate.[9] When drunk, he was verbally abusive and at times violent toward Florence.[9][5]^: 13 Florence herself became ill and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.[5]^: 14 In late 1869, she wrote to her mother that she wanted a separation,[8] but her father regarded the failure of their marriage as "morally offensive";[5] both parents were determined to avoid the scandal that would result.[8]

View of Malvern from Chalybeate Spring

Instead, Ann Campbell advised Florence to visit the spa town of Malvern, where their family friend Dr James Gully, a homeopathic hydrotherapist, had been successfully treating Victorian celebrity patients including Benjamin Disraeli, Charles Darwin, Alfred Tennyson, and Florence Nightingale.[8][lower-alpha 1] In 1870, Florence Ricardo became the patient of 62-year-old Dr Gully, who had once treated her for a throat infection when she was twelve.[9][5]^: 16 To the alarm of her parents, Gully recommended that Florence separate from her husband for the sake of her health and well-being.[8] Florence went ahead with the legal separation from Alexander Ricardo, with help from Gully, despite her father's threat to cut her off financially.[8][10]^: 32

Alexander made a final attempt to reconcile with Florence before the separation papers were finalised in March 1871,[10]^: 31 and decided to go abroad after she would not see him.[5]^: 17–18 Several weeks later, on 20 April 1871, Florence received a telegram from London saying that Alexander had been found dead in Cologne, Germany,[5]^: 22 in lodgings he shared with a "female companion".[8] The cause of death was haematemesis, triggered by a final alcohol binge.[8][5] Because Alexander had neglected to change his will, Florence inherited a fortune of £40,000.[8][5]

In 1873, Florence traveled with Dr Gully to Bad Kissingen, a spa town in rural Bavaria.[10]^: 41 Later, she discovered she was pregnant.[10] Fearing further scandal, she allowed Dr Gully to perform an abortion, which went badly.[5] Florence became seriously ill, and later stated that Jane Cox, her "lady's companion", had saved her life by attending to her around the clock for six days and six nights.[5] The ordeal effectively ended her affair with Gully.[5][11] Florence refused to see him for two weeks, ended their physical relationship, and started to distance herself from him.[5][9] Weary of social ostracism and longing for reconciliation with her parents, Florence started to seek a way out of the relationship.[9][8]

When she was moving into the Priory, Florence had decided to hire Jane Cox to oversee day-to-day management of the household, including her large staff.[5]^: 24 Mrs Cox was a widow who had lived in Jamaica and returned to England with her three young sons after her husband died.[5]^: 25 Florence said she was "very impressed by her, particularly her kindness and her excellent manners."[5] According to author James Ruddick:

Neighbours in Balham would later recall the sight of Florence and Mrs Cox travelling together in their open-top carriage, and comment on the attraction of opposites: Florence, the beautiful young widow, with her jewellery and flowing hair; Mrs Cox, the small, shy woman, draped in black, with the hardness and the sheen of a strange insect.[5]^: 26

By all accounts, Florence and Jane grew very close. During this period when Florence was cut off from her family – and from society – Jane Cox became a maternal figure and confidante.[5]^: 26–27 Florence later stated, "I called her Janie and she called me Florrie. At one time she was my only friend."[5]

Charles died less than five months after marrying Florence.[5]^: 41 By all accounts, during the first month of their marriage, they both seemed genuinely happy.[8][5]^: 45 After a brief honeymoon in Brighton, they returned to London.[5] In letters to their parents, they described going riding together, playing lawn tennis, going into town, and entertaining relatives and friends, including "local aristocrats".[8] Florence planned a Christmas party with 31 invited guests, including the mayor of Streatham.[5] That Christmas, she apologised to her parents for all the pain she had caused.[5]^: 46 On 9 January, she sent them a telegram informing them she was pregnant.[5] Charles jokingly referred to the baby as "Charles the Second".[5]

By February 1876, it became clear that there was a power struggle within their relationship.[5][11] Charles was particularly critical of Florence's extravagance.[5]^: 48 Florence had a butler, a footman, a cook, three housemaids, three gardeners, two coachmen, a groom, and a stable boy, in addition to Mrs Cox.[8][5]^: 24 Two weeks before the wedding, Charles had fired her coachman of four years, George Griffiths, because of an accident on Bond Street.[5]^: 44 Once they were married, Charles confronted Florence and said that to curb expenses, he would fire her "lady's maid", Fanny Plascott, and transfer her duties to a housemaid, Mary Ann Keeber; dismiss one of the gardeners; landscape the flower beds so they could fire another gardener; and sell her horses.[5]^: 48 Florence later stated, "I told him that he had no right to interfere in my arrangements...I reminded him that I had always lived within my means – and I was accustomed to looking after my own affairs."[5] Charles then became agitated and lost his temper – the first of many heated arguments they would have.[5]

Charles also developed a jealous "obsession" with Dr Gully, who continued to live nearby.[5]^: 51–52 In December and January, Charles had received three anonymous letters, all in the same handwriting, accusing him of marrying Florence for her money, and referring to her previous affair.[8][5] Although Jane Cox told him that the handwriting did not appear to be Dr Gully's, Charles made up his mind that it was, and started reprimanding Florence for her past relationship, constantly questioning whether she was going to see him, and saying that he wanted to "annihilate" Gully.[5]

Florence left the Priory to stay at Buscot Park, complaining to her parents about Charles's "violent ebullitions of temper" and saying that his "meanness disgusted her".[5]^: 51 Charles sent her a series of apologetic letters, begging her to return home and promising, "If you come back, I will so take care of you that you will never leave me again."[5]^: 52–53 During her absence, however, staff at the Priory reported that Charles had called Florence "a selfish pig" who had been spoilt all her life, and that as her husband, he was right to stand up to her.[5]^: 54 Charles also took the opportunity to tell Jane Cox that he was dismissing her, though he would give her enough time to find a new position.[5]^: 56 Although he was grateful to Mrs Cox for bringing them together, Charles was jealous of her closeness with, and influence over, Florence, and had wanted to fire her for some time to reduce expenses.[5]^: 54–55

Sadly, shortly after returning to Balham, Florence had a miscarriage.[5]^: 57 She became very weak, remained bed-ridden, and grew depressed.[5]^: 58–59 After her doctor recommended "a change of air", Florence planned a holiday in Worthing. Charles opposed her trip "on the grounds of expense", lost his temper, struck Florence, and stormed off.[5]^: 59 In March, Charles told Florence that he felt it was time for her to get pregnant again.[5]^: 61 By then, Florence doubted whether she would be able to carry a child to term, but a few weeks later she telegraphed her parents to inform them that she was pregnant for a second time.[5]^: 62–63 As she had feared, the second pregnancy also ended in miscarriage.[9][5]^: 65 Considerably weakened, she planned once more to travel to Worthing to rest and recover.[5]^: 66

Caricature of Sir William Gull, who was summoned by Florence to examine Charles Bravo, in Vanity Fair

Leading up to his death on 21 April 1876, Charles Bravo was seen by at least five physicians. The first two doctors were Dr Joseph Moore from Balham, who arrived first, and Dr. George Harrison from Streatham, who arrived after midnight.[5]^: 73 Moore and Harrison conferred and agreed that it was a serious case of poisoning, and that Charles would die.[5]^: 74 They asked Florence, Mrs Cox, and Mary Ann if they had any idea what could have caused Charles's symptoms. Florence suggested that Charles had had a heart attack after the horse ride, and also mentioned that he was "prone to fainting fits" and that he had been "worried about stocks and shares".[5] Dr Harrison told Mrs Cox that she was wrong when she suggested that Charles had ingested chloroform, and that the symptoms had likely been caused by arsenic, to which Florence responded, "Arsenic?"[5]^: 75 When he asked if there was any poison in the house, Florence answered, "Only rat poison, in the stables."[5] She also stated that Charles had no reason to take poison. After searching the bedroom for the substance that Charles had swallowed, the two doctors concluded that they needed additional help.[5]

Florence suggested sending for Royes Bell, Charles's cousin and best friend, who was an assistant surgeon at King's College Hospital in London, with his own practice on Harley Street,[12] and his superior, George Johnson, who would later become vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians.[13][5]^: 75 Charles woke after his cousin arrived, and upon questioning, insisted to Bell and Johnson that the only substance he may have swallowed was laudanum, which he had rubbed onto his own gums to treat his toothache.[5]^: 76–77 Florence telegraphed his parents to come at once.[5]^: 80 Her father-in-law, Joseph Bravo, later stated that Florence "did not seem much grieved", and that she had given contradictory explanations for his condition.[5] She had told Charles's former nanny that she thought it was food poisoning, while she said to Royes Bell that what had happened to Charles would "always remain a mystery".[8][5]^: 81

Finally, Florence wrote to Sir William Gull, "the leading English physician of his time"[14], and requested him to see Charles at once.[5] Gull's patients included Queen Victoria, who had knighted him after saving the life of the Prince of Wales (the future King Edward VII) from typhoid.[5]^: 81 Florence later explained, "I believed that if anyone could save Charles, it was Sir William. I knew that he had saved people when others had given up all hope for them."[5] Sir William was a friend of her father's and often dined with him at the Reform Club.[5]^: 82 After examining Charles, Gull told Florence that he was sorry that nothing could be done to save his life.[5] Gull pushed Charles repeatedly to reveal the name of the poison he had taken, but once again, Charles insisted that he had only applied laudanum in his mouth, on his lower jaw.[5]^: 82–83

In his final hours, Florence suggested sending for the rector of Streatham, but Charles declined.[5]^: 83 Instead, he asked for his family to gather to recite the Lord's Prayer.[8] He was then alone with Florence, his mother, and Royes Bell.[5] To Florence, he said, "Make no fuss when you bury me."[5] He made a will favourable to Florence, witnessed by his cousin Bell and the butler Rowe.[5] To his mother, he said, "Take care of my poor, dear wife."[8] Charles Bravo was pronounced dead by Bell at 5:20am, 55 hours after he had collapsed.[5]^: 84

Florence and Charles Bravo, her father-in-law, her mother, Mrs Cox and Dr Gully (print from wood engraving)

The second inquest took place after major newspapers, as well as Charles Bravo's family and friends, called for the case to be re-examined.[15] The Daily Telegraph was particularly vocal in denouncing the first inquest as having been conducted in a "secret and unsatisfactory manner".[15] His body was exhumed, and a second autopsy was conducted.[1] The Coroner's inquest ran for 23 days, from mid-July through mid-August,[1] in the Bedford Hotel in Balham, and was attended by journalists.[5]^: 92 Members of the public crowded the streets to try to catch a glimpse of the witnesses giving evidence and find out the latest news each day.[5][3]

The climax of the inquest finally came when Florence Bravo testified starting 3 August 1876.[3] According author James Ruddick, "For Florence Bravo, the Coroner's inquest was the worst experience of her life."[5]^: 92 Rather than focusing on the circumstances leading up to Charles Bravo's death, his family's lawyers became fixated with proving that Florence had continued her affair with Dr Gully during their marriage, and subjected Florence, Dr Gully, and other witnesses to repeated questions about her past "sexual conduct".[3][5]^: 92–93 The lurid details of her "criminal intimacy" with Dr Gully were covered in depth, in national newspapers such as The Times and The Daily Telegraph, as well as penny newspapers such as The Illustrated Police News,[1][3] and telegraphed by stringers to newspapers across Europe, the US, and Australia.[5] Florence broke down repeatedly during questioning, but on the third day, she finally shouted:[5][3]

"I refuse to answer any more questions about Dr Gully. This inquiry is about the death of my husband, and I appeal to the jury – as men and as Britons – to protect me."[5]

In the end, the inquest failed to produce any meaningful new evidence.[5]^: 94 The Coroner's jury ruled out suicide and "death by misadventure" and found that Charles Bravo had been "wilfully murdered by the administration of tartar emetic" by an unknown person or persons.[1][5]