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Sheet metal

Sheet metal is metal formed into thin, flat pieces, usually by an industrial process.

Thicknesses can vary significantly; extremely thin sheets are considered foil or leaf, and pieces thicker than 6 mm (0.25 in) are considered plate, such as plate steel, a class of structural steel.

Sheet metal is available in flat pieces or coiled strips. The coils are formed by running a continuous sheet of metal through a roll slitter.

In most of the world, sheet metal thickness is consistently specified in millimeters. In the U.S., the thickness of sheet metal is commonly specified by a traditional, non-linear measure known as its gauge. The larger the gauge number, the thinner the metal. Commonly used steel sheet metal ranges from 30 gauge to about 7 gauge. Gauge differs between ferrous (iron-based) metals and nonferrous metals such as aluminum or copper. Copper thickness, for example, is measured in ounces, representing the weight of copper contained in an area of one square foot. Parts manufactured from sheet metal must maintain a uniform thickness for ideal results.

There are many different metals that can be made into sheet metal, such as aluminium, brass, copper, steel, tin, nickel and titanium. For decorative uses, some important sheet metals include silver, gold, and platinum (platinum sheet metal is also utilized as a catalyst). These metal sheets are processed through different processing technologies, mainly including cold rolling and hot rolling. Sometimes hot-dip galvanizing process is adopted as needed to prevent it from rusting due to constant exposure to the outdoors. Sometimes a layer of color coating is applied to the surface of the cold-rolled sheet to obtain a decorative and protective metal sheet, generally called a color-coated metal sheet.

Sheet metal is used in automobile and truck (lorry) bodies, major appliances, airplane fuselages and wings, tinplate for tin cans, roofing for buildings (architecture), and many other applications. Sheet metal of iron and other materials with high magnetic permeability, also known as laminated steel cores, has applications in transformers and electric machines. Historically, an important use of sheet metal was in plate armor worn by cavalry, and sheet metal continues to have many decorative uses, including in horse tack. Sheet metal workers are also known as "tin bashers" (or "tin knockers"), a name derived from the hammering of panel seams when installing tin roofs.

History
Hand-hammered metal sheets have been used since ancient times for architectural purposes. Water-powered rolling mills replaced the manual process in the late 17th century. The process of flattening metal sheets required large rotating iron cylinders which pressed metal pieces into sheets. The metals suited for this were lead, copper, zinc, iron and later steel. Tin was often used to coat iron and steel sheets to prevent it from rusting. This tin-coated sheet metal was called "tinplate." Sheet metals appeared in the United States in the 1870s, being used for shingle roofing, stamped ornamental ceilings, and exterior façades. Sheet metal ceilings were only popularly known as "tin ceilings" later as manufacturers of the period did not use the term. The popularity of both shingles and ceilings encouraged widespread production. With further advances of steel sheet metal production in the 1890s, the promise of being cheap, durable, easy to install, lightweight and fireproof gave the middle-class a significant appetite for sheet metal products. It was not until the 1930s and WWII that metals became scarce and the sheet metal industry began to collapse. However, some American companies, such as the W.F. Norman Corporation, were able to stay in business by making other products until Historic preservation projects aided the revival of ornamental sheet metal.

Stainless steel
Grade 304 is the most common of the three grades. It offers good corrosion resistance while maintaining formability and weldability. Available finishes are #2B, #3, and #4. Grade 303 is not available in sheet form.

Grade 316 possesses more corrosion resistance and strength at elevated temperatures than 304. It is commonly used for pumps, valves, chemical equipment, and marine applications. Available finishes are #2B, #3, and #4.

Grade 410 is a heat treatable stainless steel, but it has a lower corrosion resistance than the other grades. It is commonly used in cutlery. The only available finish is dull.

Grade 430 is a popular grade, low-cost alternative to series 300's grades. This is used when high corrosion resistance is not a primary criterion. Common grade for appliance products, often with a brushed finish.

Aluminium
Aluminium is widely used in sheet metal form due to its flexibility, wide range of options, cost effectiveness, and other properties. The four most common aluminium grades available as sheet metal are 1100-H14, 3003-H14, 5052-H32, and 6061-T6.

Grade 1100-H14 is commercially pure aluminium, highly chemical and weather resistant. It is ductile enough for deep drawing and weldable, but has low strength. It is commonly used in chemical processing equipment, light reflectors, and jewelry.

Grade 3003-H14 is stronger than 1100, while maintaining the same formability and low cost. It is corrosion resistant and weldable. It is often used in stampings, spun and drawn parts, mail boxes, cabinets, tanks, and fan blades.

Grade 5052-H32 is much stronger than 3003 while still maintaining good formability. It maintains high corrosion resistance and weldability. Common applications include electronic chassis, tanks, and pressure vessels.

Grade 6061-T6 is a common heat-treated structural aluminium alloy. It is weldable, corrosion resistant, and stronger than 5052, but not as formable. It loses some of its strength when welded. It is used in modern aircraft structures.

Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper, which is widely used as a sheet metal. It has more strength, corrosion resistance and formability when compared to copper while retaining its conductivity.

In sheet hydroforming, variation in incoming sheet coil properties is a common problem for forming process, especially with materials for automotive applications. Even though incoming sheet coil may meet tensile test specifications, high rejection rate is often observed in production due to inconsistent material behavior. Thus there is a strong need for a discriminating method for testing incoming sheet material formability. The hydraulic sheet bulge test emulates biaxial deformation conditions commonly seen in production operations.

For forming limit curves of materials aluminium, mild steel and brass. Theoretical analysis is carried out by deriving governing equations for determining of equivalent stress and equivalent strain based on the bulging to be spherical and Tresca's yield criterion with the associated flow rule. For experimentation circular grid analysis is one of the most effective methods.

Gauge
Use of gauge numbers to designate sheet metal thickness is discouraged by numerous international standards organizations. For example, ASTM states in specification ASTM A480-10a: "The use of gauge number is discouraged as being an archaic term of limited usefulness not having general agreement on meaning."

Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for Sheet Steel is based on an average density of 41.82 lb per square foot per inch thick, equivalent to 501.84 lb/ft3. Gauge is defined differently for ferrous (iron-based) and non-ferrous metals (e.g. aluminium and brass).

The gauge thicknesses shown in column 2 (U.S. standard sheet and plate iron and steel decimal inch (mm)) seem somewhat arbitrary. The progression of thicknesses is clear in column 3 (U.S. standard for sheet and plate iron and steel 64ths inch (delta)). The thicknesses vary first by $1/undefined$ inch in higher thicknesses and then step down to increments of $1/undefined$ inch, then $1/undefined$ inch, with the final increments at decimal fractions of $1/undefined$ inch.

Some steel tubes are manufactured by folding a single steel sheet into a square/circle and welding the seam together. Their wall thickness has a similar (but distinct) gauge to the thickness of steel sheets.

Tolerances
During the rolling process the rollers bow slightly, which results in the sheets being thinner on the edges. The tolerances in the table and attachments reflect current manufacturing practices and commercial standards and are not representative of the Manufacturer's Standard Gauge, which has no inherent tolerances.

Bending
The equation for estimating the maximum bending force is,

$$F_\text{max} = k \frac{TLt^{2}}{W}$$,

where k is a factor taking into account several parameters including friction. T is the ultimate tensile strength of the metal. L and t are the length and thickness of the sheet metal, respectively. The variable W is the open width of a V-die or wiping die.

Curling
The curling process is used to form an edge on a ring. This process is used to remove sharp edges. It also increases the moment of inertia near the curled end. The flare/burr should be turned away from the die. It is used to curl a material of specific thickness. Tool steel is generally used due to the amount of wear done by operation.

Decambering
It is a metal working process of removing camber, the horizontal bend, from a strip shaped material. It may be done to a finite length section or coils. It resembles flattening of leveling process, but on a deformed edge.

Deep drawing

Drawing is a forming process in which the metal is stretched over a form or die. In deep drawing the depth of the part being made is more than half its diameter. Deep drawing is used for making automotive fuel tanks, kitchen sinks, two-piece aluminum cans, etc. Deep drawing is generally done in multiple steps called draw reductions. The greater the depth, the more reductions are required. Deep drawing may also be accomplished with fewer reductions by heating the workpiece, for example in sink manufacture.

In many cases, material is rolled at the mill in both directions to aid in deep drawing. This leads to a more uniform grain structure which limits tearing and is referred to as "draw quality" material.

Expanding
Expanding is a process of cutting or stamping slits in alternating pattern much like the stretcher bond in brickwork and then stretching the sheet open in accordion-like fashion. It is used in applications where air and water flow are desired as well as when light weight is desired at cost of a solid flat surface. A similar process is used in other materials such as paper to create a low cost packing paper with better supportive properties than flat paper alone.

Hemming and seaming
Hemming is a process of folding the edge of sheet metal onto itself to reinforce that edge. Seaming is a process of folding two sheets of metal together to form a joint.

Hydroforming
Hydroforming is a process that is analogous to deep drawing, in that the part is formed by stretching the blank over a stationary die. The force required is generated by the direct application of extremely high hydrostatic pressure to the workpiece or to a bladder that is in contact with the workpiece, rather than by the movable part of a die in a mechanical or hydraulic press. Unlike deep drawing, hydroforming usually does not involve draw reductions—the piece is formed in a single step.

Incremental sheet forming
Incremental sheet forming or ISF forming process is basically sheet metal working or sheet metal forming process. In this case, sheet is formed into final shape by a series of processes in which small incremental deformation can be done in each series.

Ironing
Ironing is a sheet metal working or sheet metal forming process. It uniformly thins the workpiece in a specific area. This is a very useful process. It is used to produce a uniform wall thickness part with a high height-to-diameter ratio. It is used in making aluminium beverage cans.

Laser cutting
Sheet metal can be cut in various ways, from hand tools called tin snips up to very large powered shears. With the advances in technology, sheet metal cutting has turned to computers for precise cutting. Many sheet metal cutting operations are based on computer numerically controlled (CNC) laser cutting or multi-tool CNC punch press.

CNC laser involves moving a lens assembly carrying a beam of laser light over the surface of the metal. Oxygen, nitrogen or air is fed through the same nozzle from which the laser beam exits. The metal is heated and burnt by the laser beam, cutting the metal sheet. The quality of the edge can be mirror smooth and a precision of around 0.1 mm can be obtained. Cutting speeds on thin 1.2 mm sheet can be as high as 25 m per minute. Most laser cutting systems use a based laser source with a wavelength of around 10 μm; some more recent systems use a YAG based laser with a wavelength of around 1 μm.

Photochemical machining
Photochemical machining, also known as photo etching, is a tightly controlled corrosion process which is used to produce complex metal parts from sheet metal with very fine detail. The photo etching process involves photo sensitive polymer being applied to a raw metal sheet. Using CAD designed photo-tools as stencils, the metal is exposed to UV light to leave a design pattern, which is developed and etched from the metal sheet.

Perforating
Perforating is a cutting process that punches multiple small holes close together in a flat workpiece. Perforated sheet metal is used to make a wide variety of surface cutting tools, such as the surform.

Press brake forming
This is a form of bending used to produce long, thin sheet metal parts. The machine that bends the metal is called a press brake. The lower part of the press contains a V-shaped groove called the die. The upper part of the press contains a punch that presses the sheet metal down into the v-shaped die, causing it to bend. There are several techniques used, but the most common modern method is "air bending". Here, the die has a sharper angle than the required bend (typically 85 degrees for a 90 degree bend) and the upper tool is precisely controlled in its stroke to push the metal down the required amount to bend it through 90 degrees. Typically, a general purpose machine has an available bending force of around 25 tons per meter of length. The opening width of the lower die is typically 8 to 10 times the thickness of the metal to be bent (for example, 5 mm material could be bent in a 40 mm die). The inner radius of the bend formed in the metal is determined not by the radius of the upper tool, but by the lower die width. Typically, the inner radius is equal to 1/6 of the V-width used in the forming process.

The press usually has some sort of back gauge to position depth of the bend along the workpiece. The backgauge can be computer controlled to allow the operator to make a series of bends in a component to a high degree of accuracy. Simple machines control only the backstop, more advanced machines control the position and angle of the stop, its height and the position of the two reference pegs used to locate the material. The machine can also record the exact position and pressure required for each bending operation to allow the operator to achieve a perfect 90 degree bend across a variety of operations on the part.

Punching
Punching is performed by placing the sheet of metal stock between a punch and a die mounted in a press. The punch and die are made of hardened steel and are the same shape. The punch is sized to be a very close fit in the die. The press pushes the punch against and into the die with enough force to cut a hole in the stock. In some cases the punch and die "nest" together to create a depression in the stock. In progressive stamping, a coil of stock is fed into a long die/punch set with many stages. Multiple simple shaped holes may be produced in one stage, but complex holes are created in multiple stages. In the final stage, the part is punched free from the "web".

A typical CNC turret punch has a choice of up to 60 tools in a "turret" that can be rotated to bring any tool to the punching position. A simple shape (e.g. a square, circle, or hexagon) is cut directly from the sheet. A complex shape can be cut out by making many square or rounded cuts around the perimeter. A punch is less flexible than a laser for cutting compound shapes, but faster for repetitive shapes (for example, the grille of an air-conditioning unit). A CNC punch can achieve 600 strokes per minute.

A typical component (such as the side of a computer case) can be cut to high precision from a blank sheet in under 15 seconds by either a press or a laser CNC machine.

Roll forming
A continuous bending operation for producing open profiles or welded tubes with long lengths or in large quantities.

Rolling

Rolling is metal working or metal forming process. In this method, stock passes through one or more pair of rolls to reduce thickness. It is used to make thickness uniform. It is classified according to its temperature of rolling:
 * 1) Hot rolling: in this temperature is above recrystallisation temperature.
 * 2) Cold rolling: In this temperature is below recrystallisation temperature.
 * 3) Warm rolling: In this temperature is used is in between Hot rolling and cold rolling.

Spinning
Spinning is used to make tubular (axis-symmetric) parts by fixing a piece of sheet stock to a rotating form (mandrel). Rollers or rigid tools press the stock against the form, stretching it until the stock takes the shape of the form. Spinning is used to make rocket motor casings, missile nose cones, satellite dishes and metal kitchen funnels.

Stamping
Stamping includes a variety of operations such as punching, blanking, embossing, bending, flanging, and coining; simple or complex shapes can be formed at high production rates; tooling and equipment costs can be high, but labor costs are low.

Alternatively, the related techniques repoussé and chasing have low tooling and equipment costs, but high labor costs.

Water jet cutting
A water jet cutter, also known as a waterjet, is a tool capable of a controlled erosion into metal or other materials using a jet of water at high velocity and pressure, or a mixture of water and an abrasive substance.

Wheeling
The process of using an English wheel is called wheeling. It is basically a metal working or metal forming process. An English wheel is used by a craftsperson to form compound curves from a flat sheet of metal of aluminium or steel. It is costly, as highly skilled labour is required. It can produce different panels by the same method. A stamping press is used for high numbers in production.

Sheet metal fabrication
The use of sheet metal, through a comprehensive cold working process, including bending, shearing, punching, laser cutting, water jet cutting, riveting, splicing, etc. to make the final product we want (such as computer chassis, washing machine shells, refrigerator door panels, etc.), we generally called sheet metal fabrication. The academic community currently has no uniform definition, but this process has a common feature of the process is that the material is generally a thin sheet, and will not change the thickness of most of the material of the part.

Fasteners
Fasteners that are commonly used on sheet metal include: clecos, rivets, and sheet metal screws.

title: Sheet metal


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Talk:Bob Hoskins

Naming non-notables
reinstated Hoskin's children's names with the edit summary:

 * "As long as they're credibly sourced, these are perfectly fine to include regardless of whether they have/warrant articles, don't just delete those simply because you don't like their inclusion."

I take issue with 's claim the names of non-notable individuals are "perfectly fine to include regardless...", and I object to the imputation that I have deleted them just because I don't like it.

Wikipedia BLP policy states in section Privacy of names:
 * "The presumption in favor of privacy is strong in the case of family members of articles' subjects..."

and
 * "The names of ... family members ... may be part of an article, if reliably sourced, subject to editorial discretion that such information is relevant to a reader's complete understanding of the subject." (My italics).

If names are particularly outlandish, say, or if there had been a court battle over them, then maybe publishing them here could be relevant to a reader's understanding of the subject. Otherwise it's just intrusive trivia. This isn't Hello magazine.

The article states that Hoskins had two children by each of his wives, which is perfectly sufficient. BRD notwithstanding, policy mandates that there be an actual rationale for naming them so I have reverted until such rationale is forthcoming. Captainllama (talk) 00:39, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

 * Names which are sourced can go in prose in the body of the article. It is the infobox where they should not be mentioned without some other form of notability. The notion that a person(s) name(s) are intrusive trivia is not supported by policy or guidelines. Also per WP:BRD C removed them (Bold) S restored them (Revert) this thread is the discussion. Further removal should not happen until the discussion is concluded. MarnetteD|Talk 01:25, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

 * MarnetteD has it right. Also, having children is a major part of one's life, so calling their names "intrusive trivia" is quite frankly absurd. This is legitimate information and WP:BLPNAME isn't an excuse to downplay well-cited identities. There is no privacy issue when their names are public knowledge. It's not like the parents tried to withhold their names from society or we're giving away people's addresses/phone numbers. I've often seen WP:BLPNAME get misconstrued as "don't include at all" for those without articles. That isn't the case as you seem to think. SNUGGUMS (talk / edits) 02:08, 11 December 2019 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Bob Hoskins


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User talk:JamFan

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, you can sign your name on Talk and vote pages using three tildes, like this: ~~~. Four tildes (~~~~) produces your name and the current date. If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my Talk page. Again, welcome!
 * How to edit a page
 * Editing, policy, conduct, and structure tutorial
 * Picture tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Naming conventions
 * Manual of Style
 * If you're ready for the complete list of Wikipedia documentation, there's also Topical index.
 * —Brim 07:14, Feb 20, 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:JamFan


text:
David Collins

David Collins may refer to:

Persons

 * David Collins (Hampshire cricketer), 18th-century cricketer
 * David Collins (New Zealand cricketer) (1887–1967)
 * David Collins (Scottish footballer) (1912–?)
 * David Collins (Australian footballer) (born 1946)
 * David Collins (politician) (born 1972)
 * David Collins (footballer, born 1971)
 * David Collins (rower) (born 1969)
 * David Collins (hurler) (born 1984)
 * David Collins (lieutenant governor) (1756–1810)
 * David Collins (educational administrator) (1949–2019)
 * David Collins (interior designer) (1955–2013
 * David Collins (judge) (born 1954)
 * David Collins, former Canadian ambassador to Romania
 * David Collins (producer) (born 1967)
 * David Collins, film producer of Cairo Time
 * Dave Collins (born 1952), outfielder in Major League Baseball
 * Dave Collins (radio personality) (born 1962), British radio DJ
 * David Collins (comedian) (born 1969)
 * Dave Collins (audio engineer)
 * Dave and Ansell Collins, Jamaican vocal/instrumental duo
 * David Jarrett Collins - American inventor and businessman known for work with barcodes

Characters

 * David Collins (Dark Shadows), character in the television series Dark Shadows
 * David Collins (EastEnders), character in the television series EastEnders

title: David Collins


text:
Talk:Teak

Untitled
Does anyone know of another common name for teak? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.240.78.42 (talk) 19:48, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

HELLO!! WHAT DOES THIS LINE MEAN: "The only location in the world it is found and harvested is Geyser Montana." CHECK PLEASE!

New Teak

How old is new teak as opposed to 'old' teak?

Any links to current teak prices?

 * Text now clarified. It refers to the age of the tree, and more importantly, how fast it grew; trees in natural forests grow slowly (due to shade and competition from other trees), and are very old (100-300 years old) by the time they reach merchantable size, whereas trees grown in plantations, with no competition, grow fast, reaching merchantable size while still young (30-50 years). MPF 12:24, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Which teak is endangered
The main article states: Tectona hamiltoniana (Dahat Teak) is a local endemic species confined to Burma, where it is endangered

But according to IUCN Red List, seaching for teak, only Philippine Teak is endangered http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/32123/summ

Anyone have reference to endangered rating for Dahat Teak? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.212.132.34 (talk) 15:21, 1 May 2008 (UTC)

Hello, The family name of tectona grandis has been given wrogly on this page. Teak belongs to Verbenanceae not lamiaceae. The order of teak is also given wrongly.

M.Akram, Scientific Officer, Botany, Punjab University, Lahore.

 * There is nothing in this article about teak's endangered status. Can we see this added? Kortoso (talk) 22:12, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

Why is this at teak not Tectona grandis?
This article says it is about the common name for Tectona grandis. It is about Tectona grandis. It should be at Tectona grandis. — Preceding unsigned comment added by ConcealMyIPAddress (talk • contribs) 02:06, 29 March 2011 (UTC)

Growth Rate
Anyone have information on growth rate and how long it takes for the tree to mature? How long until it can be harvested in a managed setting?MartinezMD (talk) 23:05, 10 July 2011 (UTC)

you can cut it at the age of 7th year,12th year ,17 th year.by planting tissue culture teak plants at the sage of 17 th year each plant will give 37 cft of wood by

M. Balakrishna, M.Sc; (Ph.D) Managing Director, Seven Hills Invitro Labs Pvt Ltd, (Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory) Plot No : 125 A.P. Sub Registrars Colony, Timminaidupalem Karkambadi Road Tirupati  517507 Andhra Pradesh, India. Mobile: +91 9908286565 muthukuribk@gmail.com mbalakrishna@shilpindia.net www.shilpindia.net — Preceding unsigned comment added by 115.184.122.89 (talk) 07:17, 16 November 2011 (UTC)

Biggest teak in Asia
The biggest teak tree in Asia has been discovered at Ottakallan area in Thundathil range of Malayattoor Forest Division. The gigantic tree reportedly beats the record of the teak tree at Kappayam, Edamalayar, which was the biggest tree in Asia till now. It has a girth of 7.65 metre and is about 40 metre tall. The tree in Kappayam has a diameter of 7.23 metre. Source http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article608154.ece J e e  12:21, 22 March 2014 (UTC)

Something wrong here; and it's the same error as the reference. Girth = circumference which is (if the trunk is roughly circular) about 3.14 x the diameter. So a tree with a diameter of 7.23 metre will have a girth of around 23 metre. I'm guessing that the Kappayam tree has a girth/circumference of 7.23 m and that the cited reference is confused. Cross Reference (talk) 12:07, 15 December 2020 (UTC)

Silica in teak?
My experience planing both teak and iroko is that the plane blunts very fast on iroko, due I had heard to the presence of silica (I spend more time sharpening the blade than I do planing!) whereas the blade glides through teak literally like hard cheese, a beautiful, satisfying experience. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.138.15.196 (talk) 11:04, 16 May 2014 (UTC) User:Jon S. Horridge (talk) 11:41, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Is the Image Really Teak?
The image with text Teak tree in Panchkhal valley in Nepal looks different than teak. Could anyone confirm the same?

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 04:51, 4 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Spirit Song Straight Bench with Wing Wing back.webp

Social studey
Types of forest An types of place 2405:D000:A117:615D:326E:8330:2541:B090 (talk) 02:26, 19 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Teak


text:
User talk:Mbcmf217~enwiki

Greetings. I have been spending a lot of time fleshing out the articles on the Marquesas Islands, especially in the English Wikipedia. I see you've added a picture to the Marquesas Islands page, and would like to ask if you have the time, if you could add a map to that page, as well as maps and/or pix to the pages for the various islands. I haven't got access to public domain maps or pix, and haven't figured out yet how to use the common.wikimedia. TShilo12 07:18, 20 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Mbcmf217. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Mbcmf217~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

Your account will still work as before, and you will be credited for all your edits made so far, but you will have to use the new account name when you log in.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours, Keegan Peterzell Community Liaison, Wikimedia Foundation 01:43, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 16:09, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Mbcmf217~enwiki


text:
Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet

Lieutenant-Colonel Sir William Alexander Gordon Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet (20 July 1848 – 20 May 1930), was a Scottish landowner, soldier, socialite and a notorious womaniser. He was the central figure in the royal baccarat scandal of 1891. After inheriting a baronetcy he joined the British Army and saw service in South Africa, Egypt and the Sudan; he served with distinction and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Something of an adventurer, he also spent time hunting in the US and India.

A friend of Edward, Prince of Wales, for over 20 years, in 1890 he attended a house party at Tranby Croft in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where he took part in a game of baccarat at the behest of the prince. During the course of two nights' play he was accused of cheating, which he denied vehemently. After news of the affair leaked out, he sued five members of the party for slander; the Prince of Wales was called as a witness. The case was a public spectacle, widely reported in the UK and abroad, but the verdict went against Gordon-Cumming and he was ostracised from polite society.

A handsome, arrogant man, Gordon-Cumming was a philanderer, particularly with married women. After the court case he married Florence Garner, an American heiress; the couple had five children, but their relationship was unhappy. He was the grandfather of the writers Katie Fforde and Jane Gordon-Cumming.

Early life
William Gordon Gordon-Cumming was born on 20 July 1848 at Sanquhar House, near Forres, Morayshire. His parents were Alexander Penrose Gordon-Cumming—the third of the Gordon-Cumming baronets—and Anne Pitcairn ( Campbell). William was the second of the couple's four children and their eldest son. His uncle, Roualeyn George Gordon-Cumming, was a noted big-game hunter; and his aunt, Constance Gordon-Cumming, was a travel writer. Gordon-Cumming was educated at the English boarding schools Eton and Wellington.

At the age of eighteen he inherited the baronetcy and became chief of Clan Cumming; his line had been traced from the fourth century, through Charlemagne. His inheritance included three Morayshire estates: Altyre near Forres, Gordonstoun near Elgin, and the village of Dallas. The estates totalled 38500 acre of poor quality land; the annual income from the estates in around 1890 has been given as either £60,000 or £80,000.

Military career
Although Gordon-Cumming had asthma and was blind in one eye, he purchased a commission as ensign in the Scots Fusilier Guards (renamed in 1877 as the Scots Guards) in 1868 (dated from 25 December 1867). He was promoted to regimental lieutenant and to the brevet rank of captain in the army by purchase on 17 May 1871, the last year in which commissions were available for purchase. He volunteered for service in South Africa in the Anglo-Zulu War, where he served gallantly and was mentioned in despatches; he was the first man to enter Cetshwayo's kraal after the Battle of Ulundi (1879). That year he conveyed the condolences of the army to the ex-Empress Eugénie on the death of her son, Napoléon, Prince Imperial.

Gordon-Cumming was promoted to the regimental rank of captain and the army rank of lieutenant-colonel on 28 July 1880. He served in Egypt during the Anglo-Egyptian War (1882) and in the Sudan in the Mahdist War (1884–1885), the last of which was with the Guards Camel Regiment in the Desert Column. He was promoted to the regimental rank of major on 23 May 1888.

He also found time for independent travel and adventure, stalking tigers on foot in India and hunting in the Rocky Mountains in the US; in 1871 he published an account of his travels in India, Wild Men and Wild Beasts: Scenes in Camp and Jungle. The work covers the best routes to travel to and from India and which animals are available for hunting in which season, as well as the equipment a hunter would need to take on an expedition. He concluded his work with the following:

"The record of my doings might no doubt have been more acceptable to the general reader had it been more varied with matter other than mere slaughter, and had the tale of bloodshed been more frequently relieved by accounts of the geography, scenery, and natural history, human and bestial, of the country; but all these have been well described elsewhere, and by abler pens."

Royal baccarat scandal
In September 1890 Arthur Wilson, the 52-year-old Hull-based owner of a shipping business invited Gordon-Cumming, along with Edward, Prince of Wales, to a house party at Tranby Croft in the East Riding of Yorkshire; Gordon-Cumming and the prince had been friends for over twenty years. Among the other people present that weekend were Wilson's wife, Mary, their son, Stanley Wilson, their daughter, Ethel and her husband, Edward Lycett Green, who was the son of Sir Edward Green, 1st Baronet, a local Conservative politician. Several members of the prince's inner circle were also invited to stay, including Sir Christopher Sykes—the Conservative MP for Beverley—the equerry Tyrwhitt Wilson, Lord Coventry, Lord Edward Somerset, Captain Arthur Somerset—his cousin—and Lieutenant-General Owen Williams, along with their wives. Also accompanying the party was Lieutenant Berkeley Levett, a brother officer to Gordon-Cumming in the Scots Guards and a friend of the Wilson family.

During the evenings of the weekend, Edward insisted on playing baccarat, a game that was at the time illegal if gambling was involved; many of the house joined in, including Gordon-Cumming, Levett and Stanley Wilson. The prince acted as the dealer. On the first night of play, Stanley Wilson thought he saw Gordon-Cumming add two red £5 counters onto his stake after the hand had finished, but before the winnings had been paid, thus increasing the money paid to him by the bank—a method of cheating known in casinos as la poussette. He alerted Levett, sitting next to him, and both men thought they saw Gordon-Cumming repeat the act on the next hand.

After the second evening of play Lycett Green, Stanley Wilson and Arthur and Edward Somerset confronted Gordon-Cumming and accused him of cheating. Gordon-Cumming insisted they had been mistaken, and explained that he played the coup de trois system of betting, in which if he won a hand with a £5 stake, he would add his winnings to the stake, together with another £5, as the stake for the next hand. Edward, after hearing from his advisors and the accusers, believed what they had told him. In order to avoid a scandal involving the prince, Gordon-Cumming gave way to pressure from the attendant royal courtiers to sign a statement undertaking never to play cards again in return for a pledge that no-one present would speak of the incident to anyone else.

"In consideration of the promise made by the gentlemen whose names are subscribed to preserve my silence with reference to an accusation which has been made in regard to my conduct at baccarat on the nights of Monday and Tuesday the 8th and 9th at Tranby Croft, I will on my part solemnly undertake never to play cards again as long as I live."

Despite the pledge of silence, rumours of the incident began to circulate and were brought to Gordon-Cumming's attention. In an attempt to stop the rumours, he demanded a retraction from five of the house party: Stanley Wilson, Ethel and Edward Lycett Green, Mary Wilson and Levett. With no withdrawal forthcoming, on 6 February 1891, Gordon-Cumming issued writs for slander against the five, claiming £5,000 damages against each of them.

The trial opened on 1 June 1891 at the Royal Courts of Justice, where entry to the court was only with a ticket. The Prince of Wales had been summoned as a witness, and he sat on a red leather chair on a raised platform between the judge and the witness box; his appearance was the first time since 1411 that an heir to the throne had appeared involuntarily in court.

The trial closed the following week, on 9 June 1891: the judge's summing up was "unacceptably biased" against Gordon-Cumming, according to Jason Tomes, Gordon-Cumming's biographer in the 2010 edition of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The jury deliberated for only thirteen minutes before finding in favour of the defendants; their decision was greeted by prolonged hissing from some members of the galleries against the jury. The day after judgment was passed, the leader in The Times stated "He is ... condemned by the verdict of the jury to social extinction. His brilliant record is wiped out and he must, so to speak, begin life again. Such is the inexorable social rule ... He has committed a mortal offence. Society can know him no more." Gordon-Cumming's senior counsel, the Solicitor General Sir Edward Clarke, remained convinced of the blamelessness of his client and, in his 1918 memoirs, wrote "I believe the verdict was wrong, and that Sir William Gordon-Cumming was innocent".

Aftermath
As a result of the scandal, Gordon-Cumming was dismissed from the army the day after the trial concluded, and he resigned his membership of his four London clubs, the Carlton, Guards, Marlborough and Turf. The same day he married his American fiancée, the heiress Florence Garner, who had supported him throughout the trial although Gordon-Cumming twice offered to break off their engagement because of the scandal. The service took place at the Holy Trinity church in Chelsea with only a small congregation. Major Vesey John Dawson of the Coldstream Guards was Gordon-Cumming's best man and Lord Thurlow gave the bride away. When the couple returned to Scotland a few days later the locals from near his estate had decorated the station, and pulled the couple and their carriage through the streets by hand. According to the former Lord Chancellor, Michael Havers, the lawyer Edward Grayson and the historian Peter Shankland, the local people did not care that society considered Gordon-Cumming a social outcast. The Prince of Wales was determined Gordon-Cumming should remain ostracised and he let it be known that anyone who acknowledged Gordon-Cumming or accepted invitations to shoot at the two Scottish estates Gordon-Cumming owned, would not be asked to Marlborough House—Edward's mansion in London—or be acknowledged at court. Edward wrote to his son, Prince George, the day after the trial "Thank God! – the Army and Society are now well rid of such a damned blackguard. The crowning point of his infamy is that he, this morning, married an American young lady, Miss Garner, ... with money!"

Later life
Gordon-Cumming remained outside high society for the remainder of his life. He later told his daughter "among a host of acquaintances I thought I had perhaps twenty friends. Not one of them ever spoke to me again". Others of his friends only relented after the death of the prince in 1910, who was by that stage King Edward VII.

Gordon-Cumming and his wife had three sons and two daughters between 1892 and 1904. They renovated their Scottish properties and purchased one of the first cars in the highlands. In 1905 Florence's fortune collapsed and the couple were compelled to let or close up the houses on the Scottish estates and to move to Bridge House, Dawlish, Devon, with a reduced household of seven servants. Gordon-Cumming managed to disguise his contempt for the middle-class society to which he was now limited so that he could continue to indulge in golf, croquet, billiards, cricket, bridge and collecting postmarks. He also enjoyed his own company, and that of his dogs and pet monkey. He hated Dawlish, considered his wife a "fat little frump" and unapologetically engaged in persistent infidelity. Florence lost no opportunity to remind him who funded their life and eventually resorted to alcohol abuse.

After Gordon-Cumming visited South Africa in 1913–1914, the couple rented houses in Chelsea and Pitmilly, Fife, but increasingly they began to live apart. They had effectively separated before she died in 1922. In 1916 Gordon-Cumming ensured that the former leader of the Labour Party, Ramsay MacDonald, had his membership rescinded from the Moray Golf Club because of the latter's opposition to the First World War.

Gordon-Cumming died on 20 May 1930 at his Altyre home at the age of 81. He was succeeded in his title by his eldest son, Major Alexander Penrose Gordon-Cumming. His obituary in The Times stated "Though public opinion at the time did not dispute the verdict, it is fair to recall that it roundly condemned those who had taken part in the incident, recognising that a gallant career had been tragically ruined."

Private life
Tomes thought that his subject possessed "audacity and wit [and] gloried in the sobriquet of the most arrogant man in London", while Sporting Life described him as "possibly the most handsome man in London, and certainly the rudest". The historian Philip Magnus thought him "guilty, predatory and mean". William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland, a friend of Gordon-Cumming, wrote of him:

"I knew Bill Cumming very well, and for a long time liked and admired him greatly, both as a gallant soldier and as a fine sportsman. ... A friend of mine who went on an expedition with him was loud in praise of Bill's sportsmanship, bravery and unselfishness. ... But he had one serious failing: he could not play fair at cards, even when the stakes were extremely small."

Gordon-Cumming often peppered his speech with swearing, which he did in English and Hindustani. He was a regular at racecourses and casinos. The writer Elma Napier, one of Gordon-Cumming's daughters, described him thus in late age:

"He never, not even when he was eighty, lost the touch of the swagger in his walk, the hint of scorn for lesser mortals, the suggestion that he was irresistible. He had worn it so long that neither trouble nor disgrace nor old age could change his habit."

Gordon-Cumming was a womaniser, and stated that his aim was to "perforate" members of "the sex". His preference was for uncomplicated relationships with married women, and he said that "all the married women try me"; his liaisons included Lillie Langtry, Sarah Bernhardt and Lady Randolph Churchill. Gordon-Cumming also owned a house in Belgravia, London; he would lend the premises to the prince for assignations with the royal mistresses. In 1890, three days before the events at Tranby Croft, the Prince of Wales returned early from travelling in Europe; he visited Harriet Street where he found his mistress, Daisy, Lady Brooke, "in Gordon-Cumming's arms", which soured the relationship between the two men.

After Gordon-Cumming's death in 1930, his house at Gordonstoun was obtained by Kurt Hahn, who turned it into the eponymous school. It has been attended by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and his three sons, Charles, Andrew and Edward.

Two of Gordon-Cumming's granddaughters, Katie Fforde and Jane Gordon-Cumming, became writers. Gordon-Cumming has been portrayed in radio dramatisations by Michael Jayston, Conrad Phillips, Noel Johnson and Duncan McIntyre. On screen he has been portrayed by John Justin and Donald Douglas.

title: Sir William Gordon-Cumming, 4th Baronet


text:
User talk:Colt~enwiki

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Vicente Lombardo Toledano

Vicente Lombardo Toledano (July 16, 1894 – November 16, 1968) was one of the foremost Mexican labor leaders of the 20th century, called "the dean of Mexican Marxism [and] the best-known link between Mexico and the international world of Marxism and socialism." In 1936, he founded the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM), the national labor federation most closely associated with the ruling party founded by President Lázaro Cárdenas, the Party of the Mexican Revolution (PRM). After he was purged from the union after World War II, Lombardo Toledano co-founded the political party "Partido Popular" along with Narciso Bassols, which later became known as the Partido Popular Socialista.

Early career
Lombardo Toledano was born in Teziutlán, Puebla, to middle-class parents of Sephardic Jewish descent from Spain and Italy. After obtaining his law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 1919, he pursued a master's degree in philosophy and letters there, and he began teaching at both the Popular University and at UNAM. He taught at UNAM until 1933, and it was there that he became a member of an informal group known as los siete sabios (the seven sages). During his tenure at the UNAM, Lombardo Toledano helped to organize a teachers' union. In 1921 he joined the Labor Party.

As leader of that teachers' union, Lombardo Toledano entered the Confederación Regional Obrera Mexicana (CROM), the largest and most powerful union confederation of the day and a key supporter of the regimes of Presidents Plutarco Elías Calles and Álvaro Obregón. Lombardo Toledano served as the house intellectual for CROM, not benefiting directly from its corruption but acquiring access to power instead. Lombardo Toledano then served as interim Governor of Puebla in 1923, was a councilman in the Federal District in 1924 to 1925, and was a congressional deputy from 1926 to 1928.

In 1925, during his tenure as a councilman, he met with the colleague Juan Rico and chose the day March 13th to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the founding of Tenochtitlan.

CROM lost most of its influence in 1928 after a right-wing Roman Catholic associated with the Cristero movement assassinated Obregón. Lombardo Toledano then left CROM and the Labor Party in 1932. He had organized a faction which he called the "Purified CROM" who left the CROM en masse in 1932. This mass flight left the CROM representing only a few unions in the textile industry. The Purified CROM became the Confederation of Mexican Workers (CTM) in 1936, allying with the populist President Lázaro Cárdenas and the ruling Party of the Mexican Revolution (PRM), a rival to the Labor Party associated with CROM. Lombardo Toledano was the secretary general of the CTM from 1936 to 1940.

Formation of the CTM and alliance with Cárdenas
Outside of the CROM, Lombardo Toledano began to build a rival federation that combined his "purified" CROM with other labor groups. Among the first with whom he allied was the Confederación Sindical de Trabajadores del Distrito Federal, a union that included among its members not only low-wage workers but professionals, strikebreakers, some street vendors, and other members of the informal economy. Fidel Velázquez Sánchez was one of los cinco lobitos (the five wolf cubs) who led the CSTDF. Further distancing himself from Velázquez's group and the CGT, Lombardo Toledano formed a new federation, the Confederación General de Obreros y Campesinos de México (CGOCM). That group subsequently transformed itself into the CTM in 1936.

The CTM had a strong relationship with the government of Lázaro Cárdenas del Río from its inception. While Lombardo Toledano had opposed Cárdenas' candidacy in 1934, the CTM was the chief beneficiary of Cárdenas' need for labor support for his government after the employers of Monterrey, Nuevo León, called an employers' strike on February 5, 1936. Cárdenas led a demonstration in Monterrey in which he called for unification of the various labor organizations into one national body associated with the PRI, then named the Partido Revolucionario Mexicano. The political crisis deepened when Calles launched a series of verbal attacks on Cárdenas that amounted to a call for his overthrow. The "Purified" CROM, the CSTDF, other labor bodies, and the PCM rallied to defend Cárdenas. With their support Cárdenas had Calles and Morones arrested and deported that year.

The CTM was formed shortly thereafter, absorbing the major petroleum workers and railroad workers unions. It also had the support of the Mexican Communist Party (PCM) and the industrial unions it had founded. Those unions nearly walked out of the CTM twice in its early years, however. The first time that they threatened to leave was at the founding convention of the CTM in 1936, when Lombardo Toledano chose Velázquez (rather than the individual from their wing who had been promised the position) as organizational secretary of the new organization and a second time the following year. In both cases, however, the unions returned under orders to accept unity at any cost as part of the party's Popular Front policy.

Lombardo Toledano was never, as far as it is possible to determine, a member of the PCM. However, he had even stronger support from the Soviet Union during the Popular Front era than the nominal leaders of the PCM. Following the policy of that era, he and the CTM supported the Cárdenas administration enthusiastically, intervening to moderate union demands during the railroad workers' and electrical workers' strikes in 1936 and then the petroleum workers' strike in 1937. Lombardo Toledano and the CTM were vocal supporters for Cárdenas' nationalization of the oil industry in 1938. Lombardo Toledano also formed the Confederación de Trabajadores de América Latina in 1938. John L. Lewis from the Congress of Industrial Organizations attended its founding. The U.S. American Federation of Labor boycotted it.

Fall from power
Manuel Ávila Camacho, a protégé of and successor to Cárdenas, was more conservative. He engineered Fidel Velázquez's appointment as head of the CTM when Lombardo Toledano did not stand for reelection in 1941. Lombardo Toledano remained influential in the CTM, pursuing a course of support for the war effort and opposition to strikes when Mexico entered the war against Hitler.

Lombardo Toledano soon fell out with both the CTM and the government. Although the CTM had (along with the CGT, CROM and the electrical workers union) formally aligned in 1938 with the precursor to the Institutional Revolutionary Party, the Party of the Mexican Revolution (PRM), Lombardo Toledano concluded that the PRI (now led by Miguel Alemán Valdés) was too conservative and formed his own party to run against it, the Partido Popular. The Partido Popular never achieved more than fringe party status, and it was renamed the Partido Popular Socialista in 1960. The CTM refused to support Lombardo Toledano's new party, and Fidel Velázquez formally expelled Lombardo Toledano from the CTM in 1948. Lombardo Toledano left the union, but only after delivering a bitter denunciation of those who had brought about his downfall. He referred to himself in the first person ("yo") sixty-four times in that speech — a fact noted by some newspapers, who proceeded to nickname him the "Yo-yo Champion".

Lombardo Toledano launched two publications (a magazine called América Latina and a daily named El Popular) while continuing to publish books, pamphlets, and newspaper articles. He also founded the Workers' University in 1936, which he headed until his death.

title: Vicente Lombardo Toledano


text:
Royal baccarat scandal

The Royal baccarat scandal, also known as the Tranby Croft affair, was a British gambling scandal of the late 19th century involving the Prince of Wales—the future King Edward VII. The scandal started during a house party in September 1890, when Sir William Gordon-Cumming, a lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards, was accused of cheating at baccarat.

Edward had been invited to stay at Tranby Croft in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the home of Arthur Wilson and his family. Among Edward's party were his advisers, Lord Coventry and Lieutenant-General Owen Williams; Gordon-Cumming, a friend of the prince, was also invited. On the first night the guests played baccarat, and Stanley Wilson thought he saw Gordon-Cumming illegally adding to his stake. Stanley informed other members of the Wilson family, and they agreed to watch him on the following evening. Gordon-Cumming was again seen to be acting in a suspicious manner. The family members asked the advice of the royal courtiers who, with the agreement of the prince, confronted Gordon-Cumming and pressured him into signing a document that declared he would never play cards again in exchange for the silence of the guests.

The secret was not kept for long, and Gordon-Cumming demanded a retraction from the Wilson family, whom he considered to blame for divulging the news. They refused, and he filed a writ for slander in February 1891. Despite the efforts of the prince's courtiers to have the matter dealt with by a military court, the case was heard in June 1891. The atmosphere at trial was described as being like a theatre, and Edward was called as a witness, the first time the heir to the throne had been compelled to appear in court since 1411. Gordon-Cumming's senior counsel, the Solicitor General Sir Edward Clarke, did not persuade any of the defendants to change their stories, but he highlighted several inaccuracies and serious discrepancies in their evidence. Despite a strong and well-regarded closing speech by Clarke on Gordon-Cumming's behalf, the judge's summing up was described as biased by some and the jury found against the lieutenant colonel.

Gordon-Cumming was dismissed from the British Army the following day, and was ostracised from society for the rest of his life. A leader in The Times stated that "He has committed a mortal offence. Society can know him no more." Public opinion was on his side and the prince was at his most unpopular for several years afterwards. The affair has been of subsequent interest to writers; two books have examined the matter, and there have been two fictionalised accounts of the events.

Sir William Gordon-Cumming
At the time of the events at the country home Tranby Croft, Yorkshire, Sir William Gordon-Cumming was a 42-year-old lieutenant colonel in the Scots Guards, having seen service in South Africa (1879), Egypt (1882) and Sudan (1884–85). Gordon-Cumming's biographer, Jason Tomes, thought that his subject possessed "audacity and wit [and] gloried in the sobriquet of the most arrogant man in London", while Sporting Life described him as "possibly the most handsome man in London, and certainly the rudest". In addition to considerable land holdings in Scotland, Gordon-Cumming owned a house in Belgravia, London; he was a friend of Edward, Prince of Wales and would lend it to the prince for assignations with royal mistresses. Gordon-Cumming was a womaniser, and stated that his aim was to "perforate" members of "the sex"; his liaisons included Lillie Langtry, Sarah Bernhardt and Lady Randolph Churchill. He was unmarried at the time of the events and subsequent court case.

Edward, Prince of Wales; the Marlborough House set
Edward, Prince of Wales, was a 49-year-old married father of five at the time he visited Tranby Croft, and had a history of association with scandals. In 1866 he had incurred the censure of his mother, Queen Victoria, when he became involved with "the fast racing set", and his betting had "harm[ed] his reputation and contribute[d] to the widespread unpopularity of the monarchy in this period", according to his biographer, Sidney Lee.

In April 1869 Sir Charles Mordaunt (1836–1897) learnt that his wife Harriet had had three separate affairs, and that her lovers included the heir to the throne. Although Mordaunt did not carry out his threat of citing the prince as co-respondent in the subsequent divorce case, Edward was subpoenaed to appear in court as a witness. Although Edward did not want to appear—and the queen wrote to the Lord Chancellor to see if this could be avoided—the law was such that the prince could be forced to appear if necessary. He appeared voluntarily and was in the witness box for seven minutes, during which time he denied having had a sexual relationship with Mordaunt's wife; he was not cross-examined. Edward's biographer, Colin Matthew, wrote that "the hearing coincided with general criticism of the very different deportments of both the queen and the prince. The latter was several times booed in public". Despite the "taboo on open criticism on [Edward's] actions, an undercurrent of dissatisfaction existed" with him and his actions. For Edward, although such affairs could be discussed between friends, scandal was to be avoided wherever possible.

In 1890 Edward gave up dancing, telling his son George that "I am getting too old and fat for these amusements"; he replaced dancing with other pursuits, like attending the opera and playing baccarat. He enjoyed baccarat so much that when he travelled he brought a set of leather counters, valued on one side from five shillings to £10 and engraved with his feathers on the other; the counters had been a present from his friend Reuben Sassoon, a member of the well-known banking family.

Surrounding Edward was a fashionable clique known as the "Marlborough House set", named after the prince's home overlooking The Mall, London. The set was a mixture of old titled families and "plutocratic and parvenu" families with fortunes from new industry, and the prince carried out an active policy to spread the social circle of the royal family to include new industrialists such as the shipping magnate Arthur Wilson.

Arthur Wilson and family
Arthur Wilson was the 52-year-old Hull-based owner of a shipping business. He built his home at Tranby Croft, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, as a Victorian country house, and he and his family moved in during the summer of 1876. As well as a wife, Mary, he also had a son, (Arthur) Stanley Wilson, and a daughter, Ethel; her husband, Edward Lycett Green, was the son of the local manufacturer and MP, Sir Edward Green. Tomes reports that Gordon-Cumming may have previously propositioned Ethel Lycett Green.

Gambling and baccarat in 1890
Baccarat is a game for up to twenty players, together with a banker and croupier; several packs of cards are used, depending on the number of players. The value of the ace to nine cards are as their pip value, while tens and court cards count as zero. A player is dealt two cards and adds up the combined pips, discounting tens and court cards, and only using the single digit value as a score – a king and a six will equal sixteen, but their value will be six; two eights will equal sixteen, and their value will also be six. Two court cards will count as zero, or baccarat. The idea of the game is to get nine points. A player may ask for one extra card to be added to their hand. Betting is between the player and the bank, with the closest to reach nine on a hand receiving the stake.

In 1886 the High Court of Justice in London ruled in the Parks case—Jenks v. Turpin—that baccarat was a game of chance rather than skill, and was therefore illegal when gambling was involved. In reporting the case, The Times described baccarat as "a new game, partly of chance, at which £1,000 may be lost in 20 minutes". After a solicitor asked the Home Secretary, Henry Matthews, to clarify the position regarding baccarat in social clubs and private houses, the Home Office civil servant Godfrey Lushington stated that there was nothing in the court's judgment that made baccarat illegal if not played for money.

The former Shadow Home Secretary and historian Roy Hattersley comments that although baccarat was illegal, "worse still in the eyes of many Englishmen, [it was] thought to be popular in France".

Preliminary events
In the years running up to 1890 the Prince of Wales had taken to visiting Doncaster Racecourse for the Doncaster Cup. In previous years he had stayed at Brantingham Thorpe with his friend Sir Christopher Sykes, the Conservative MP for Beverley. Sykes had run into financial difficulties and could not afford to host Edward, and Tranby Croft, home to Arthur Wilson and family, became the venue. After consulting with the prince, the Wilsons also invited some of Edward's inner circle, including Sykes, Gordon-Cumming and the prince's courtiers: the equerry Tyrwhitt Wilson, Lord Coventry, Lord Edward Somerset, Captain Arthur Somerset—his cousin—and Lieutenant-General Owen Williams, along with their wives. Also accompanying the party was Lieutenant Berkeley Levett, a brother officer to Gordon-Cumming in the Scots Guards and a friend of the Wilson family.

Among those originally invited were Lord Brooke and his wife Daisy; her step-father died two days before the party was due to leave London, and she and her husband withdrew from the trip. Daisy, the prince's mistress at the time, was known to some journalists as "babbling" Brooke because of her propensity to gossip. On 6 September Edward returned early from travelling in Europe; he visited Harriet Street where he found Daisy Brooke "in Gordon-Cumming's arms", which soured the relationship between the two men.

Events of 8–11 September
After dinner on 8 September, the guests at Tranby Croft listened to music from Ethel Lycett Green until about 11 pm, when the prince suggested a game of baccarat. Although the Wilsons did not have a suitably-sized table, Stanley Wilson improvised, putting two card tables alongside the smoking room table—all of which were of differing sizes—and covered them with a tapestry cloth. Among the evening's players were the prince, who acted as dealer; Sassoon, who took the part of banker; and Gordon-Cumming. Sitting next to the last-named was Stanley Wilson, who was on Levett's left.

As the game began Gordon-Cumming discussed the tapestry with Wilson, commenting that the different colours of the cloth made it difficult to see the counters; Gordon-Cumming put a piece of white paper in front of him on which to place his now highly-visible stake. Although many of the inexperienced party were playing for small stakes, Gordon-Cumming was betting between £5 and £25 for a coup; he played the coup de trois system of betting, in which if he won a hand with a £5 stake, he would add his winnings to the stake, together with another £5, as the stake for the next hand. Soon after play began Stanley Wilson thought he saw Gordon-Cumming add two red £5 counters onto his stake after the hand had finished, but before the stake had been paid—a method of cheating known in casinos as la poussette; after he thought that this had happened a second time, Wilson turned to Levett and, according to the later court transcripts, whispered "My God, Berkeley, this is too hot!" further explaining that "the man next to me is cheating!" After Levett also watched for a few minutes, he agreed, saying to Wilson "this is too hot". After half an hour the game was completed and the prince congratulated Gordon-Cumming on his play; the future king also asked Mrs Wilson for a more suitable table for the following day. Wilson instructed the butler to move a longer, three-foot wide table in and cover it with green baize. Stanley Wilson then discussed the cheating with Levett. The two men were uncertain what steps to take, and agreed that Stanley would ask his brother-in-law, Lycett Green, for his advice. Although Lycett Green thought it impossible that Gordon-Cumming would have cheated, Stanley told him that he was certain, as was Levett.

The following day, 9 September, the party visited the races, where the prince's horse won the Clumber Stakes. After dinner the prince once again wanted to play baccarat and asked for a chalk line to be drawn on the baize, six inches from the edge, behind which players were to keep their counters when not placing their stake. Edward was banker and Williams acted as the croupier. When Gordon-Cumming arrived at the table, there were only two vacant seats. At either of them, Gordon-Cumming would be surrounded by members of the Wilson family, all of whom had been informed of Stanley and Levett's suspicions.

After half an hour's play Lycett Green once again became convinced that Gordon-Cumming was cheating. He left the table and sent a note to his mother-in-law—still at the table—recounting his suspicions: she took no action. By the time the game was finished Mary Wilson, the two Lycett Greens and Stanley Wilson—all of whom had been watching Gordon-Cumming closely—were convinced that he had been cheating, although they differed in their versions of what they saw. Others saw nothing, including people sitting closer to him, such as the prince, Lady Coventry (sitting next to Gordon-Cumming) and Levett (sitting opposite him). Over the two nights' play Gordon-Cumming won a total of £225.

Mary Wilson's brother died unexpectedly that night in Hull; although she and her husband did not attend for a second day's racing, they asked all the other guests not to interrupt the plans, and the remainder of the party attended, watching the St Leger Stakes. During the journey to the racecourse, Lycett Green asked Edward Somerset his advice, telling him that several members of the party were convinced of Gordon-Cumming's guilt. Edward Somerset decided to consult his cousin, Arthur Somerset, and the two men suggested that Lycett Green inform the prince's senior courtier, Lord Coventry.

When the party returned to Tranby Croft that evening Lycett Green, Stanley Wilson and both Somersets met Coventry; Levett refused to attend. After Lycett Green had told Coventry what he had seen, the latter summoned Williams, who was a mutual friend of both the prince and Gordon-Cumming. Lycett Green repeated the allegation once again. Williams later recounted that he was "shocked and overwhelmed with a sense of calamity", and said that the prince must be informed immediately. There was some disagreement between the courtiers on whether to tell the prince; Coventry and Wilson both thought it the right move, but Arthur Somerset felt that the matter could and should be dealt with by those present. Later he was persuaded that informing the prince was the right course of action. Lycett Green grew more pugnacious throughout the discussions, and threatened to accuse Gordon-Cumming in public at the races the following day; he also stated that "I will not be a party to letting Gordon-Cumming prey on society in future". The men decided that Gordon-Cumming should sign a document admitting his guilt in exchange for their silence, and Williams and Coventry went to Edward to inform him of what had been happening. The two men told the prince that "the evidence they had heard was absolutely conclusive and they did not believe Sir William Gordon-Cumming had a leg to stand on".

The prince believed what he had been told by his courtiers, and also assumed that cheating had taken place; he later said that with accusations from five witnesses he believed the worst of his friend straight away. At no point had any of those concerned investigated the situation more closely, by asking others present or seeking out Gordon-Cumming's side of events, but they had believed the events as told to them by Lycett Green and Stanley Wilson. After informing the prince, the two courtiers sought out the accused man and informed him of what had been said. Coventry broke the news to him, saying that "There is a very disagreeable thing that has occurred in this house. Some of the people staying here object ... to the way you play baccarat", and that the accusation was that he had "resorted to foul play" at the game. Gordon-Cumming denied the accusation, asking "Do you believe the statements of a parcel of inexperienced boys?", and demanded to see the prince.

After dinner the guests signed the visitors book, after which the prince—accompanied by Coventry, Williams and the two Somersets—received Lycett Green and the other accusers. After hearing what they had to say, the prince dismissed all except Coventry and Williams, and called for Gordon-Cumming, who told Edward that the accusation was "foul and abominable"; the prince pointed out that "there are five accusers against you". Gordon-Cumming then withdrew while the royal party discussed what the next steps would be. He returned after half an hour to find just the two courtiers, who urged him to sign a document that they had drafted. Under pressure, and still denying the accusations, Gordon-Cumming signed the document without knowing who else would sign it afterwards.

""In consideration of the promise made by the gentlemen whose names are subscribed to preserve my silence with reference to an accusation which has been made in regard to my conduct at baccarat on the nights of Monday and Tuesday the 8th and 9th at Tranby Croft, I will on my part solemnly undertake never to play cards again as long as I live.""

The courtiers took the document to Edward, who summoned the other members of the house; he read the note to them and signed it, pointing out to everyone that the promise of secrecy was incumbent on all of them. He also added that Gordon-Cumming was still protesting his innocence, despite signing a paper that "practically admitted his guilt". The paper was then signed by the men present: the prince, Coventry, Williams, Wilson and his son, both Somersets, Lycett Green, Levett and Sassoon. Although the prince hoped that this would bring an end to the affair, Arthur Somerset pointed out that it would not remain secret. Edward asked him "not even when gentlemen have given their word not to divulge it?"; Somerset replied that "It is impossible, sir. Nothing in the world known to ten people was ever kept secret".

On the advice of Williams, Gordon-Cumming left Tranby Croft early the following morning, 11 September; he left behind a letter to Mary Wilson apologising for his early departure, and one for Williams, again stating his innocence, but acknowledging that "it is essential to avoid an open row and the scandal arising therefrom."

Developments: the path to the High Court
Once he was back in London Gordon-Cumming received a response to the letter he had written to Williams. Signed by the prince, Coventry and Williams, the note advised him that "you must clearly understand that in the face of the overwhelming evidence against you, it is useless to attempt to deny the accusations". Gordon-Cumming wrote to Edward with a "final appeal to show how utterly it remains in your power to utterly damn, morally and physically, one who has ever been a loyal and devoted subject"; it went unanswered by prince and courtiers.

Instead of hunting big game abroad as he usually did over the winter months, Gordon-Cumming spent time in London and at his Scottish estate. He was also seen in the presence of an American heiress, Florence Garner, and the two became engaged. On 27 December he received an anonymous message from Paris that read: "they are beginning to talk much here of ... your sad adventure ... They have talked too much in England". He sent the message to Williams and asked him to let the prince know the contents.

A fortnight later Gordon-Cumming was informed by a lady acquaintance that the events at Tranby Croft were being discussed in London society; he again wrote to Williams to inform him of developments and received an unsatisfactory response. Gordon-Cumming then sent a telegram to the prince asking to meet and informing him that "information I have recently received to the effect that the whole story is the subject of comment at the Turf Club ... the promise of secrecy made has been broken by those concerned". Although Edward acknowledged receipt of the message, he declined to meet. After the negative response from the prince, Gordon-Cumming lost patience and decided to fight the situation. He released his fiancée from their engagement and then visited his solicitors, Wontner & Sons. Wontners had some knowledge of the law surrounding baccarat, as they had previously been involved in the Jenks v. Turpin case.

On the advice of his solicitors Gordon-Cumming obtained a written summary of events from Coventry and Williams, and informed his commanding officer, Colonel Stacey, of the situation. Stacey told Gordon-Cumming that, according to Article 41 of the Queen's Regulations, he should already have reported the matter. Gordon-Cumming replied that because the prince had been involved, and because all present had been sworn to secrecy, he had been unable to fulfil the requirement of the Regulations. He then "placed his commission in Stacey's hands pending the result of ... [the] action".

As the matter involved the prince, Stacey consulted other officers in the regiment about what should be done, and found that opinion was divided between allowing Gordon-Cumming to remain in the regiment while he defended himself or removing him straight away. The Colonel of the Scots Guards, the prince's younger brother, the Duke of Connaught, was also asked: according to Havers, Grayson and Shankland, the duke "insisted that Gordon-Cumming must be crushed". Stacey disagreed, and thought that the whole story needed to be brought out before such a decision was taken. He reported the situation to the Adjutant-General to the Forces, General Sir Redvers Buller, and requested permission to let Gordon-Cumming retire on half-pay. Buller agreed to the request, but stated that if Gordon-Cumming's legal action failed, the permission would be reviewed. Stacey relayed the message to Gordon-Cumming and told him that signing the note was an error: "Because you signed that document you will never put on a sword in the regiment. If you bring a successful action you will be allowed to retire: if you fail, you will be dismissed [from] the service". The Duke of Connaught strongly disapproved of Buller's decision and withdrew to Portsmouth, refusing to again be drawn on the affair, even after his brother requested further advice.

On 27 January Gordon-Cumming made a final attempt to have the rumours scotched by instructing his solicitors to write to the two Lycett Greens, Stanley Wilson, Levett and Mary Wilson, to demand retraction of the accusation or face a writ for slander. On 6 February, with no withdrawal forthcoming, Gordon-Cumming issued writs against the five, claiming £5,000 against each of them.

On receipt of the writ the Wilsons consulted their solicitor George Lewis, who had also acted for the prince on previous occasions. Lewis briefed Sir Charles Russell to act as counsel for the defence, assisted by H. H. Asquith, the future Liberal prime minister. Wontner & Sons approached the Solicitor General, Sir Edward Clarke, to act as counsel on Gordon-Cumming's behalf. One of Lewis's early concerns was to ensure Edward did not appear in court. If Gordon-Cumming could be found guilty by a military tribunal, then the rationale for a court case would disappear. Lewis asked Coventry and Williams to raise the matter again with Buller, who rejected their entreaties. Buller explained his decision in a letter to the queen's secretary, Sir Henry Ponsonby, writing that "I absolutely declined to take action against ... [Gordon-Cumming] upon street rumours".

After Buller received a letter from Wontners confirming that civil action was taking place, he consulted the Judge Advocate General, who informed him that no military enquiry should take place while such a case was proceeding. Lewis then tried to persuade the Guards' Club, of which Gordon-Cumming was a member, to carry out an enquiry into the events, which would have negated much of the need for a trial. A vote of the members rejected the possibility, and the civil trial remained the outcome. The prince was furious with the Guards, and wrote to Ponsonby that "The decision of the Guards Club is a terrible blow to the Scots Guards; and I feel most deeply for the officers who have the honour of their regiment so much at heart."

Journalists drew their own conclusions from the manoeuvrings by the prince and his entourage, with the radical press quick to attack the attempts to avoid the scrutiny of a civil court. The Echo wrote that "The Baccarat Scandal is to be hushed up ... It is, no doubt, a very comfortable arrangement for all parties concerned", while even The New York Times, normally sympathetic to Edward, foresaw political problems if the trial was prejudiced by such actions.

After it was decided the case would be heard by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Coleridge, his court at the Royal Courts of Justice, London, was converted to accommodate the case, raising the height of the bench and witness box, and installing new seating. In May it was announced that the case would start on 1 June, and that entry to the court would be by ticket only.

Trial
The trial opened on 1 June 1891. Ticket holders began queuing at 9:30 am, and the court was full half an hour before its 11 am start time. The prince sat on a red leather chair on a raised platform between the judge and the witness box; his appearance was the first time since 1411 that an heir to the throne had appeared involuntarily in court. The Pall Mall Gazette stated that "the court presented an appearance which, save for the dignity of its own fittings and its rows of learned-looking law books, might have been taken for a theatre at a fashionable matinée", with society ladies watching proceedings with opera glasses or lorgnettes. The correspondent of The Manchester Guardian described the opening of the case as being "in the presence of a carefully selected and fashionable assembly", while Clarke later wrote that "the court had a strange appearance. Lord Coleridge had appropriated half of the public gallery, and had given tickets to his friends".

Clarke opened the case for the plaintiff, telling the jury that "It is a simple question, aye or no, did Sir William Gordon-Cumming cheat at cards?" After describing Gordon-Cumming's background and record, he explained the rules of baccarat, which he described as "the most unintelligent mode of losing your own money, or getting somebody else's, I ever heard of". Clarke also outlined Gordon-Cumming's coup de trois system of placing bets which, he explained, could have been mistaken by the inexperienced players as cheating, rather than a correct method of gambling. After his opening speech, Clarke then questioned Gordon-Cumming and his approach was to show that Gordon-Cumming "was a man of honour who had been sacrificed to save the courtiers".

After an adjournment for lunch Gordon-Cumming returned to the witness box, where he was cross-examined by Russell. During the session Russell provided a model of the table used and a photograph of the room, and questioned Gordon-Cumming about the bets where cheating had been suspected. Russell also asked him about why he had signed the document agreeing not to play cards: Gordon-Cumming stated that he had "lost my head ... on that occasion. If I had not lost my head I would not have signed that document". Gordon-Cumming's cross-examination ran into the second day, after which he was then re-examined by Clarke; his time in the witness box lasted until 1 pm. The Illustrated London News considered that "Gordon-Cumming made an admirable witness ... leaning easily on the rail, his grey-gloved left hand resting easily on the bare right, perfectly dressed, his tones equable, firm, neither over-hurried nor over-deliberate, cool, but not too cool".

Gordon-Cumming was replaced in the witness box by the prince. Examined by Clarke, he stated that he had not seen any cheating and was ignorant of the accusations until he was told by Coventry and Williams. After twenty minutes of questions from both Clarke and Russell, the prince was free to depart. As the prince was leaving the witness box, a member of the jury put two questions to Edward: whether the heir had seen "nothing of the alleged malpractices of the plaintiff?" and "What was your Royal Highness's opinion at the time as to the charges made against Sir William Gordon-Cumming?" To the first question the prince replied that he had not, although he explained that "it is not usual for a banker to see anything in dealing cards"; to the second, he stated that "the charges appeared to be so unanimous that it was the proper course—no other course was open to me—than to believe them". In comparison with Gordon-Cumming's performance in the witness box, Edward did not make a strong impression; the reporter for The New York Times noticed "that the heir apparent was decidedly fidgety, that he kept changing his position, and that he did not seem able to keep his hands still ... Except to those near him, only two or three of his answers were fairly audible throughout the courtroom". The Daily News agreed, and stated that the impression gained from the prince's performance was unfavourable.

The court adjourned for lunch after Edward's examination, after which Clarke called his last witness, Williams. Under Clarke's questioning Williams confirmed that he had seen no actions by Gordon-Cumming that he considered as unfair. After Clarke finished questioning Williams, Asquith cross-examined the soldier for the remainder of the session; after a brief re-examination by Clarke, the day—and the case for the plaintiff—came to an end. The third day began with the opening speech for the defendants, after which Stanley Wilson took the stand for the remainder of the day, and on into the fourth day. Examined by Asquith, Stanley recounted seeing Gordon-Cumming illicitly add counters to his stake twice on the first night and at least twice on the second night, although he could not remember the full details. When cross-examined by Clarke he was not brow-beaten by the lawyer's questions, although Clarke made him appear "brash, conceited and callow". Stanley was replaced in the witness box by Levett; The Morning Advertiser considered that Levett "felt somewhat uncomfortable" appearing against Gordon-Cumming, and reported that he had "described his position as an 'awkward' one". Despite his discomfort, Levett confirmed that on the first evening he had seen Gordon-Cumming add counters after the hand had finished but before the stake had been paid. He was unsure of other details of the evening's play, and had not witnessed anything on the second night.

Edward Lycett Green, described by Havers, Grayson and Shankland as "the emotional force behind the accusations", was next in the witness box. Although he had not played on the first night, Clarke considered Lycett Green a potentially dangerous witness, as he may have held vital evidence. Lycett Green stated that he had seen Gordon-Cumming twice push counters over the chalk line when he should not have done so; he had considered accusing Gordon-Cumming at the time, but decided against it because he "did not like to make a scene before ladies". At points in the examination by Asquith, Lycett Green contradicted the course of events outlined by Stanley Wilson—which Levett had also done—and on one point regarding a question the prince put to Levett; his answer was "highly suspect". Havers, Grayson and Shankland later wrote that "it is remarkable that he, the prime mover in the affair, seemed unable to say anything without qualifying it with some such remark as, 'I don't exactly remember' ... The hedging by the principal accuser certainly weakens the defendants' case". They also thought that "[h]is refusal to remember anything was obviously humbug, a deliberate policy".

Lycett Green was followed into the witness box by his wife, and her testimony ran into the following day. Under questioning she confirmed that she had seldom played baccarat before; although she had seen nothing untoward on the first night, she accepted her husband's second-hand version of events as the truth, but did not agree that as a result she had been watching Gordon-Cumming. Although she "gave the most important part of her evidence with clarity and conviction", and had impressed the public and press, according to Havers, Grayson and Shankland, she provided a different series of events to those outlined by other witnesses, although she stated that she thought she had seen Gordon-Cumming illicitly add to his stake.

After Mrs Lycett Green had finished her testimony on the fifth day, her place was taken by Mrs Wilson. On examination by Russell, Mrs Wilson stated that she thought she saw Gordon-Cumming cheat twice by adding additional counters to his stake. When Clarke cross-examined her, he asked if anyone had placed a stake of £15. Mrs Wilson stated that only her husband had placed such an amount, but Wilson had not played on either night as he disliked both the game and high-stakes gambling. Havers, Grayson and Shankland consider it "rather shocking really, considering that she had sworn to tell the truth, ... to find her coming out with this ... lie spoken, apparently, with the complete self-assurance that the other members of her family had shown".

The final witness called for the defence was Coventry. He was one of the non-playing members of the party who had witnessed no cheating, understood little about gambling and, as a non-soldier, knew nothing of Article 41 of the Queen's Regulations. When cross-examined by Clarke, Coventry confirmed that as far as he was aware, the witnesses had all decided to watch Gordon-Cumming's play on the second night, despite their claims to the contrary.

As the defence closed, the Daily Chronicle considered "the obvious doubts which tainted the accusations of the defendants ... they and the Prince's flunkeys all contradicted each other on material points". Russell's summing up for the defence took the remainder of the day and the court adjourned until the following Monday, when he continued. He referred to a possible thirteen acts of cheating that the defendants were alleged to have seen, and that "we have five persons who believe he cheated, swearing unmistakably they saw him cheat, and telling you how they saw him cheat".

Once Russell had completed his speech for the defendants, Clarke gave his reply, which the Daily Chronicle considered to be "a very brilliant, powerful, wily and courageous effort". Clarke pointed to the many inaccuracies in both the written statement prepared by Coventry and Williams, and in the memories of all concerned. He went on to outline that there had been celebrations at the races—the prince's horse had won on the first day, and the St Leger had been run on the second—combined with the full hospitality of the Wilsons to consider: according to the court reporter for The Times, Clarke "alluded to the profuse hospitalities of Tranby Croft, not with any idea of suggesting drunkenness, but as indicating that the guests might not be in a state for accurate observation". He also drew the jury's attention to the gaps in the defendants' memories, where they were so precise about some of their observations, but could not remember other, key, details. Clarke lampooned some of the involved parties, referring to Lycett Green as "a Master of Hounds who hunts four days a week", while Stanley Wilson was a spoiled wastrel from a rich family who lacked initiative and drive. Above all, Clarke indicated, the defendants—with the exception of Stanley Wilson—saw what they had been told to expect: "the eye saw what it expected or sought to see ... there was only one witness who saw Sir William Gordon-Cumming cheat without expecting it—young Mr. [Stanley] Wilson. The others were all told there had been cheating, and expected to see it". At the end of his reply, Clarke's speech was greeted by applause amongst those in the galleries. The British lawyer Heber Hart later wrote that Clarke's speech was "probably the most conspicuous example of the moral courage and independence of the Bar that has occurred in modern times", while Clarke considered it to be "one of the best speeches I ever made."

The following day, 9 June, Coleridge began his four-hour summing up. His summary was a response to Clarke's, and he went through on a point-by-point basis to discredit the solicitor general's speech, although in places his description "was directly contrary to the evidence". Tomes relates that "many opined that the judge's summing-up had been unacceptably biased"; Havers, Grayson and Shankland call Coleridge's speech "biased", while The National Observer considered it "a melancholy and flagrant violation of the best traditions of the English bench." Some sections of the press, however, were more sympathetic; The Pall Mall Gazette thought the summing up to be justified, while The Daily Telegraph thought Coleridge's summary to have been "nobly comprehensive and eloquent ... he fulfilled his duty perfectly, displaying nothing but impartial desire for the truth".

The jury deliberated for only thirteen minutes before finding in favour of the defendants; their decision was greeted by prolonged hissing from some members of the galleries. According to the historian Christopher Hibbert "the demonstrations in court were an accurate reflection of the feelings of the people outside". The historian Philip Magnus-Allcroft later wrote that "a storm of obloquy broke over the head of the Prince of Wales. It would be difficult to exaggerate the momentary unpopularity of the Prince", and he was booed at Ascot that month.

Aftermath
Gordon-Cumming was dismissed from the British Army on 10 June 1891, the day after the case closed, and he resigned his membership of his four London clubs: the Carlton, Guards', Marlborough and Turf. Although he offered to break his engagement for a second time, he married his American heiress fiancée the same day; she had stood by him throughout the scandal and the couple went on to have five children together. He retired to his Scottish estate and his property in Dawlish, Devon. He never re-entered society and the prince "declined to meet anyone who henceforth acknowledged the Scottish baronet". The leader in The Times stated that "He is ... condemned by the verdict of the jury to social extinction. His brilliant record is wiped out and he must, so to speak, begin life again. Such is the inexorable social rule ... He has committed a mortal offence. Society can know him no more." None of Gordon-Cumming's close friends spoke to him again, although some relented after Edward's death in 1910; Gordon-Cumming remained bitter about the events until his death in 1930. Clarke retained his faith in his client and, in his 1918 memoirs, wrote that "I believe the verdict was wrong, and that Sir William Gordon-Cumming was innocent".

Following the trial the prince changed his behaviour to some extent, and although he continued to gamble, he did so in a more discreet manner; he stopped playing baccarat altogether, taking up whist instead. While he was unpopular at the end of the case, Ridley considers that the matter "probably did little serious damage to ... [the prince's] standing"; Havers, Grayson and Shankland agree, and write that by 1896, when the prince's horse Persimmon won the Epsom Derby, the prince "had never been more popular". Matthew observes that it was only when one of the prince's own circle of confidantes brought him to court that the newspapers would "seriously harr[y] him ... the British in the 1890s had no general wish to see their future monarch fail".

The scandal and court case have been the subject of factual and fictional publications. Most biographies of Edward VII contain some details of the scandal, but the first book to cover it in detail did not appear until 1932. This was Teignmouth Shore's The Baccarat Case, published in the Notable British Trials series and incorporating a full transcript of the case. In 1977 Havers, Grayson and Shankland wrote The Royal Baccarat Scandal, which was subsequently dramatised in a play of the same name by Royce Ryton; the play was first produced at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Ryton's work was also broadcast in December 1991 as a two-hour drama on BBC Radio 4. In 2000 George MacDonald Fraser placed his fictional antihero, Harry Flashman, into the scandal in the short story "The Subtleties of Baccarat", one of the three stories in Flashman and the Tiger. The Anglicist Andrew Glazzard has suggested that the affair may have been alluded to in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes story The Adventure of the Empty House.

title: Royal baccarat scandal