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Sir Cosmo Edmund Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, DL (22 July 1862 – 20 April 1931) was a prominent Englishman and sportsman who owned land in Scotland, best known for the controversy surrounding his escape from the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Apr 13, 2012 · She certainly was traveling with her husband, Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon, and her maid, Laura Mabel Francatelli, known as “Franks.” All three were saved on Lifeboat No. 1, one of the last to...
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Sir Cosmo Edmund Duff-Gordon, 5th Baronet, was a prominent Scottish landowner and sportsman, best known for the controversy surrounding his escape from the sinking of the RMS Titanic.
Early Life
The son of Cosmo Lewis Duff-Gordon and the former Anna Maria Antrobus, Cosmo Duff-Gordon became the 5th Baronet of Halkin in 1896, his title stemming from a Royal licence conferred on his great grand-uncle in 1813 in recognition of his aid to the Crown during the Peninsular War. In 1772 his family founded the Duff-Gordon sherry bodega in Spain, which still produces high-quality fortified wines. The Duff-Gordons were, by descent, a Scottish aristocratic family.
Marriage
In 1900, Duff-Gordon married the celebrated London fashion designer "Madame Lucile" (née Lucy Christiana Sutherland, then Mrs James Stuart Wallace). This was a slightly risqué union, as Lucy was a divorcee whose sister, Elinor Glyn, was a notorious romance novelist.
On the Titanic
Sir Duff-Gordon and Lady Duff-Gordon boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg with ticket 11755 (£39 12s) Sir Cosmo occupied cabin A-16 and Lady Duff-Gordon cabin A-20. The Duff-Gordons signed onto the ship as Mr and Mrs Morgan. On the night April 14, Titanic had struck an iceberg and it became clear she would sink. The Duff-Gordons approached the First officer William McMaster Murdoch who was supervising the loading of the Emergency lifeboat 1. Sir Cosmo asked if he and his wife could get in and Murdoch replied that he would be glad if they would. A few minutes later around 1:00 A.M., lifeboat 1 was lowered containing only 12 people of whom 7 were crew members. After the sinking Leading Fireman Charles Hendrickson sked, those in the lifeboat whether they ought to go back to help the people swimming in the water but Lady Duff-Gordon warned they might be swamped by people trying to get on board. Several of the men agreed that it would be dangerous to go back. Eventually, Hendrickson was persuaded by Charles Stengel's suggestion that they should head for a light that could be seen in the distance. So the twelve survivors set off while hundreds more were left dying in the water. As they strode away from the ship the sailors quote Cosmo stating "Let them swim for they don't have the pockets of a rich man weighing them down.". As they rowed and the cries of swimmers began to die down tempers began to fray among those in the boat. They were still rowing towards a light but it got no nearer and hailing other boats brought no result. Stengel continually shouted directions until Duff-Gordon eventually told him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Fireman Robert Pusey complained to Duff-Gordon that they had lost all their belongings (their 'kit) 'and that, in all probability, their pay would end when the ship sank, so the wealthy passenger offered all the men five pounds on their return. This was a pledge he would honour on board the Carpathia.
A Night to Remember (1958)
Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff Gordon's name was depicted as Sir Richard and Lady Richard. He was portrayed by Patrick Waddington.
Titanic (1997)
Cosmo Duff Gordon was portrayed by Martin Jarvis in the 1997 film Titanic. The actor's wife, Rosalind Ayres, played Lady Duff Gordon.
Ghosts of the Abyss 2003
Sir Cosmo and Lady Duff-Gordon do not physically appear in Ghosts of the Abyss although they are briefly mentioned when they escaped in the emergency lifeboat 1.
'Lucile' who was the fashionable designer with a couture firm of which Duff-Gordon was a director. Cosmo Duff Gordon was a proficient fencer and won a silver medal at the 1906 Olympics (now not recognised by the IOC), and helped organise the British fencing team at the 1908 Olympics.
- Male
- English
- London, England
- Landowner
Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon's testimony was a highlight of the inquiry, attracting many society figures. During 36 days of official investigations (spread over two months), testimony was recorded from nearly 100 witnesses in the form of answers to set questions that the process was designed to answer.
Apr 20, 2023 · Cosmo Duff-Gordon was vilified over accusations of bribery and cowardice after he and his wife, Lucy, survived the sinking of Titanic in April 1912. He would later become a sheriff in Kincardineshire.
Jun 22, 2023 · Learn about the famous and infamous people who survived the Titanic sinking, including Cosmo Duff-Gordon, who boarded a lifeboat with his wife despite the women and children policy. Find out how many people died, how they were rescued, and what happened to them after the tragedy.
