A Secret Elopement That Ended in Heartbreak
Those who say love is sweet should know that love can come in all sorts of flavors. One such love story is the one between Henry Samuel Morley and Kate Florence Phillips, a sweet love surrounded by scandalous flavor with a bitter end.
Kate was 19 years old when she met Henry. She worked as a shop assistant at the “Purveyors of High Class Confectionery,” one of L. Morley Confectioners’ shops. Henry Morley was the senior partner of the firm with locations in Malvern, Worcester, and Birmingham, England. Henry and Kate became acquainted during one of Henry’s visits to the Worcester shop. Their relationship quickly bloomed. This posed several problems. Henry was not only 20 years her senior, he was already married to his wife of 13 years, Louisa, and had a 12-year-old daughter, Doris.
To enjoy their life and love together, Henry and Kate decided to elope and start a new life in California. He sold his interest in two confectionary shops, using the funds to escape and support his future wife. Claiming he was taking an extended holiday in America for his health, Kate and Henry boarded Titanic in Second Class under a joint ticket, traveling under the pseudonym surname Marshall.
As Mr. and Mrs. Marshall, the couple could finally be open about their relationship, free to live as man and wife. It is said that while on the Ship, Henry gave Kate a platinum necklace with a large blue sapphire set with diamonds as a token of his love and affection. She reportedly wore it at every dinner on board. The couple enjoyed four delightful days after sailing out of Southampton on April 10, 1912.
Kate and Ellen Mary Phillips c. 1914. Public domain
Henry Samuel Morley, undated. Via Ancestry.com
Henry Morley’s death is announced in the Birmingham Post on April 22, 1912. Note there is no mention of Kate Phillips or the fact that Henry was traveling under a pseudonym.
Unfortunately, like many stories from the Ship of Dreams, Kate faced the reality of losing her beloved. Henry Morley was one of the hundreds of souls lost in the sinking, and his body was never recovered. Kate survived the bitter cold in a lifeboat with only her nightgown, a crewman’s coat, a small purse, and the sapphire necklace believed to be secured around her neck.
Kate Phillips returned to England shortly after the Titanic disaster with a secret. Exactly nine months after their voyage on the Titanic, Kate gave birth to a baby girl, Ellen Mary, on January 11, 1913. It is believed that Ellen Mary was Henry’s daughter.
The story turns bitter as it is said Kate never fully recovered from the trauma of the Titanic tragedy and losing Henry. Ellen and Kate’s relationship was strained, becoming abusive and eventually estranged. Kate remarried but unfortunately struggled with mental illness throughout the rest of her life and eventually became bedridden until her death in 1964. Kate later gave Ellen the items she carried off Titanic, including the necklace, which is now held by a private collector.
Kate Phillips’ sapphire necklace is said to be one of the inspirations for the iconic “Heart of the Ocean” necklace in James Cameron’s 1997 Academy Award-winning blockbuster “Titanic.” The original necklace has come to be known as L’Amour de la Mer, or “The Love of the Ocean.”
