The James Family
In 1891 West Dean became the home of newly married William (Willie) Dodge James and Evelyn Forbes (often referred to as Mrs Willie James). William James had inherited great wealth from his father, American born Liverpool based merchant Daniel James and Evelyn Forbes was the daughter of Sir Charles Forbes, a Scottish aristocrat.
When James moved to the West Dean Estate in 1891, he set about altering and greatly extending the house and commissioned Ernest George and Harold Peto to do so. Ernest George helped embellish the state rooms and Harold Peto designed a 300-foot (91 m)-long pergola, still a highlight of the gardens today. West Dean House became one of the largest flint structures in the country. The interior of the house reflects William and his brothers Frank and Arthur’s, passion for big game hunting, with souvenirs of their visits to Africa, Arabia and Afghanistan displayed throughout the house.
House parties at West Dean were attended by The Prince of Wales - who became King Edward VII when his mother Queen Victoria died. He was Edward James’s Godfather and a regular participant of pheasant and partridge shoots on the West Dean estate. The Prince of Wales had a group of rich and entertaining friends that became known as the Marlborough House set and included people like Evelyn and her sister-in-law Mary Venetia James (née Cavendish-Bentinck).
William and Evelyn had five children, four girls, Millicent, Alexandra, Silvia and Audrey. In 1907, after 18 years of marriage, their son and heir Edward James was born.
William became High Sheriff of Sussex in 1897 and Deputy Lieutenant of Sussex in 1892. He was also appointed Commander of the Royal Victorian Order by Edward VII in 1908.
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Famous quotes containing the words james and/or family:
“This comes of James teaching me to think for myself, and never to hold back out of fear of what other people may think of me. It works beautifully as long as I think the same things as he does.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)
“Being in a family is like being in a play. Each birth order position is like a different part in a play, with distinct and separate characteristics for each part. Therefore, if one sibling has already filled a part, such as the good child, other siblings may feel they have to find other parts to play, such as rebellious child, academic child, athletic child, social child, and so on.”
—Jane Nelson (20th century)