John Latta 1867

Sir John Latta, Bt 1867-1946
John was born on 9 May 1867, the son of William Latta and Margaret Allan, in Old Cumnock, Ayr, Scotland. He married Ada May Short in 1896. Sir John Latta, 1st Bart, of Portman Square, was knighted on 9 February 1920. Sir John was born outside Cumnock at Darmalloch farm, and gained his wealth through his shipping company. At his death. on 5 December 1946, Sir John was Chairman of Lawther, Latta & Co. Shipowners and Merchants. The Title became Extinct with his death, as his son Cecil did not survive him.
Ada May Short 1875-1951
Ada was born on 14 May 1875, the daughter of John Young Short and Mary Ada Smart, at Sunderland. Lady Latta is pictured here on 30 May 1923, at one of the peaks of her rise into society. Her husband had been knighted three years previously for his services to the country during the Boer War and the First World War, and she was making use of the Lord Chamberlain's court regulations to present her recently-engaged daughter. In contrast to the simple lines of her daughter's dress with its restrained design which would have drawn attention to her daughter's innocence and youth, Lady Latta's dress was much more heavily embroidered. Lady Latta also wore an extra row of pearls and a Cartier-style sapphire and diamond kokoshnik tiara. A rather severely-posed portrait of Lady Latta from this session was published in The Tatler ten days later. © Russell Harris, Image courtesy of V & A Museum, London
I have identified the following children.

A Girl	Born abt 1896	Hampstead, London	Died in infancy
Sybil May	Born abt 1897	Hampstead, London	Married Maj. Philip Alexander Francis Spence
Ada Mary	Born abt 1899	Hampstead, London	Married Maurice Paul Richard Fontaine, Count Henri Urbain Chevreau d'Antraigues
Cecil	Born abt 1903	Hampstead, London	Remained Single

Birth of Parents

John Latta

b: 9 May 1867 Old Cumnock, Ayr, Scotland
son of William Latta and Margaret Allan

Ada May Short

b: 14 May 1875 c: 26 May 1875 Ebernezer Chapel, Sunderland 1875 2Q Sunderland 10a 784
daughter of John Young Short and Mary Ada Smart, Park Place East

1881 Census	Vol-610	4 April 1881	Old Cumnock, Ayr, Scotland
Darmalloch Farm
William Latta Margaret (Wife) Robert Margaret Helen John William Thomas Euphemia Andrew Alison Plus 2 Servants	Age 59 Age 47 Age 21 Age 16 Age 18 Age 13 Age 12 Age 10 Age 8 Age 6 Age 2	Farmer 220 Acres	Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock	Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland Ayr,Scotland	abt 1821 abt 1833 3 Feb 1860 16 Nov 1864 9 Sep 1862 9 May 1867 5 Mar 1869 25 Dec 1870 2 Jun 1872 5 Jul 1874 abt 1878

Marriage

abt 1896
John Latta
Ada May Short

Sunderland, County Durham 1896 1Q Sunderland 10a 751

Children

Female Latta

b: 1896 Hampstead, London 1896 4Q Hampstead 1a 653
son of John Latta and Ada May Short

Sybil May Latta

b: abt 1897 Hampstead, London
daughter of John Latta and Ada May Short

Ada Mary Latta

b: abt 1899 Latta Hampstead, London 1899 1Q Hampstead 1a 674a
daughter of John Latta and Ada May Short

1901 Census	RG13-884	1 April 1901	East Sussex
Details Later
John Latta Ada May Lata (Wife)	Age 33 Age 25	Ship Owner	Sunderland	Scotland Durham	abt 1867 14 May 1875

1901 Census	RG13-4716	1 April 1901	Bishopwearmouth, County Durham
Ashbrook Hall
Thos Short (Head) Mary Geo Albert Bertha Herbert Sybil May Latta (Niece) Ada Mary Latta (Niece)	Age 26 Age 24 Age 23 Age 19 Age 8 Age 1 Age 4 Age 2	Ship Builder Shipyard Book Keeper Ship Draughtsman	Sunderland Sunderland Sunderland Sunderland Sunderland Sunderland Hampstead Hampstead	Durham Durham Durham Durham Durham Durham London London	8 May 1874 1 Oct 1876 abt 1877 abt 1881 23 Jan 1892 abt 1899 abt 1897 abt 1899

Cecil Latta

b: abt 1903 Hampstead, London 1903 2Q Hampstead 1a 608
son of John Latta and Ada May Short

1911 Census	RG14-649	3 April 1911	Hampstead, London
17 Fitzjohns Avenue
John Latta Ada Mary (Wife) Plus 5 Servants	Age 43 Age 35	Ship Owner	Old Cumnock Sunderland	Ayrshire Durham	abt 1821 abt 1833

1911 Census	RG14-5838	3 April 1911	Bournmouth, Dorset
Bourne Hall Hotel
Ada Mary Latta (Visitor) Cecil Latta (Visitor) Helen Latta (Visitor) * Euphemia Jane Latta (Visitor) * Alison Simpson Latta (Visitor) *	Age 12 Age 8 Age 48 Age 38 Age 32		London London Cumnock Cumnock Cumnock	Middlesex Middlesex Ayrshire Ayrshire Ayrshire	abt 1899 abt 1903 abt 1862 abt 1872 abt 1878

* Sisters of John Latta

Ada Mary Latta, the younger daughter of the recently ennobled Sir John Latta, a shipping magnate, was presented at the Court on 30 May 1923 by her mother, Lady Latta. Her stunning dress, made by F.I. and L. Wilson of Hanover Square, consisted of a shimmering robe of suspended silver bugles and silver cabuchons falling in soft cascades over an underdress of jade green and a train of jade-green crepe beaute embroidered in silver. It bears some resemblance to the wedding dress worn one year earlier by Lady Mountbatten. The Byzantine style, including the kokoshnik tiara, had been championed most particularly by Queen Marie of Romania who had insisted upon it at her coronation two years previously. The extant negatives of Miss Latta show off the serene composure of an heiress about to be launched into Society. Her studied poses play on the pretence of being unaware of the camera and the pose seen here was published in three newspapers of the time. One year previously, another portrait of her by Lafayette had been published in The Sketch to accompany the announcement of her engagement to Mr Eustace Robb.

In 1924 Miss Latta married Maurice Paul Richard Fontaine, 7th Marquis de Cramayel. After four years of widowhood, she married, in 1947, Count Henri Urbain Chevreau d'Antraigues
© Russell Harris, Image courtesy of V & A Museum, London

Death

John Latta

Died 5 Dec 1946, Age 79, London 1946 4Q Westminster 5c 414

The Times, Friday, Dec 6, 1946 DEATHS

Latta - On Dec. 5, 1946, in London, Sir John Latta, Baronet, in his 80th year. Funeral Service at Golders Green Crematorium to-morrow (Saturday) at 12 o'clock.

LONDON 17 May 1947 Probate

LATTA, sir John - of Baltic Exchange Chambers, St. Mary Axe, London, and of The Dorchester Hotel, Park-lane, London W.1, and of The Hotel Majestic, Harrogate, Yorkshire, died 5 December 1946, at The Dorchester Hotel, Probate London, 17 May, to dame Ada May Latta, widow, Philip Sidney Smith, chartered accountant, and George Dudley Colclough, solicitor.
Effects £801,363 9s. 6d.

Death

Ada May (Short) Latta

Died 22 Dec 1951, Age 76, London 1951 4Q Westminster 5c 390

The Times, Thursday, Dec 27, 1951 DEATHS

LATTA - On Dec. 22, 1851, suddenly, in London, Ada May, widow of Sir John Latta, Bt. Funeral Service at Golders Green Crematorium to-day (Thursday) at 12 noon. Cut flowers only, please, may be sent to J. H. Kenyon, Ltd., 45, Edgware Road, W.2.

LONDON 25 Jan 1952 Probate

LATTA, dame Ada May - of The Dorchester Hotel, Park-lane, London W1, and of Lowndes House, Lowndes-place, London S.W.1, widow, died 22 December 1951, at the Dorchester Hotel, Probate London, 25 January, to Baring Brothers and Company Limited, and Robert Malleson Nesbitt, solicitor. Effects £115,258 19s. 3d.