Violet May MOURILYAN (née NIXON) (1878-1963)

Violet May Mourilyan, née Nixon (1878-1963), was the first wife of Walter Edmund Irvine Mourilyan who was the nephew of Eugénie Narcisse Sladden (née Mourilyan).

Violet was born on 10^th August 1878 at 14 Gloucester Crescent, Regents Park, London, the elder of two children of Newton Henry Nixon, Secretary of University College Hospital, and his wife, Rachel Mary Cay.  At some stage between 1881 and 1891, the Nixons moved from Regents Park to Richmond, Surrey.

Violet married Walter Edmund Irvine Mourilyan on 12^th April 1902 at St Matthias, Richmond, Surrey; her address at the time was 29 Queens Road, Richmond.  They had one daughter, Eileen Violet, born at Richmond on 30^th May 1908.  In 1911 they were living at 12 Chislehurst Road, Richmond. 

In a letter of 4^th July 1915, Eugénie Sladden expressed surprise at Walter and Violet having a legal separation as she thought that they had always been a devoted couple.  Walter had begun an affair with Maude Marie Cadman in 1913 and they had a son, Walter James, in 1914.  Walter and Violet divorced in 1916.  The decree absolute was issued on 16^th October and Walter married again four days later at Camberwell.  That marriage also ended in divorce and Walter married for a third time.  One month later he committed suicide.  Violet was present at the inquest and was upset about the things which were said about her ex-husband.  According to various press reports of the time, she reputedly said to his third wife, "I won't let you run him down, you wicked woman!" and was removed from the court in hysterics.

Violet did not remarry and died in Surrey in 1963, aged 85.