Changes: Frances Shea

Revision as of 00:43, 29 October 2017

"Some of my fondest memories are of the nights I would take Frances to the cinemas in the West End of London. We would go to the Odeon in Marble Arch and in the darkness, once we were seated, I would glance round at Frances, who had the most beautiful brown eyes I have ever seen, and Frances would known I was looking at her, and she would smile as though pleased. Little things like this are what true love is really all about, and the secret type of incidents that make one’s heart sing."

―Reggie Kray, Born Fighter 1991

Frances Elsie Shea was the wife to Reggie Kray from 1965 to 1967.

Her father, Frank Shea Sr., had run the gambling at the Regency Club in Stoke Newington, which is how she came to the attention of the Kray twins, Reggie and Ronnie. Her brother Frank Shea occasionally worked as a driver for the Krays. Her marriage to Reggie Kray lasted only two years when she committed suicide in 1967.

History

Early Life

Both born to Elsie Shea, a Shoreditch born twenty-one year old skilled seamstress, and Frank Shea Sr., a woodworker aged twenty-six from Hotxon but of Irish descent, Frances Shea was born in 57 Ormsby Street, Hoxton, East London to Frank Shea Sr. and Elsie Shea. Frank Shea, her brother, born a month after World War II was declared, was an occasional driver for the Krays during the early 1960s. Frances was baptised on the 17th October 1943, by Father Henry Wincott. She met Reggie Kray at 16 and wed him aged 22 in 1965.

By 1960, Reggie was well and truly courting Frances, who had left school and was working in the Strand in a clerical job. Despite the impending misfortunes of 1960, whether it was through the police clampdown or Ronnie’s recklessness, Reggie was more than keen to offer the young Frances a life like no other. And who could resist the charms of a handsome local man who wore elegant bespoke suits, drove expensive cars and who appeared so successful in ‘business’ that he could afford to take the subject of his affections to smart West End clubs and shower her with gifts? For many East End women in those days, the choices were few: a low level job which would be given up for marriage, children and the promise of a basic existence as a housewife with limited options to travel or see the high-life… these expectations were taken as read, but Reginald Kray was not part of that world. He was a real catch and Frances, with her striking good looks, was a real catch for him. Whatever his sexuality up to that point, Reggie certainly felt that a settled life with a lovely girl and the possibility of having a family was on the agenda, and with his strong, driven personality, like everything he did, he did not court Frances by halves. In February 1960, he had taken her to the Astor Club in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square and in May they flew to Jersey, experiences that, for a sixteen-year-old girl from Hackney, were only the stuff of dreams. Reggie already knew her brother Frankie and he had even offered Frank Shea Sr. work in the Wellington Way club (where he was unfortunately found later that year). Mother Elsie Shea, for the moment, kept her own counsel on this dapper, polite man whose business enterprises and the way he managed them were no real secret.

Reggie met Frances (neé Shea), daughter of Frank Shea, who ran a gambling club and friend of the Kray family, when she was 16 years old. Reggie proposed to her in 1961, at Steeple Bay in Essex, when she was eighteen and he was twenty-seven. She refused, considering herself to be too young for marriage. The next year, he took her to Barcelona and to Milan and, in February 1965, he proposed to her again ; this time, she accepted. The first priest they asked to officiate refused to do so, but a second one accepted, and they were married on the 20th April 1965, at St James The Great Church in Bethnal Green. Their honeymoon was spent in Athens, not in Dover, as is shown in the film, The Krays (film) where in Frances is played by Kate Hardie.

Marriage

The date had been set, 19 April 1965, for the East End wedding of the year, when 31-year-old bachelor Reginald Kray would marry his 21-year-old fiancée Frances Elsie Shea at St James The Great Church on Bethnal Green Road. In a show of continued loyalty to those he respected, Reggie had asked Father Richard Hetherington to conduct the service; however, the response was undoubtedly not what Reggie had expected: Father Hetherington, a staunch supporter of the twins and a man who had often gone out of his way to furnish them with glowing character references to help them in their hour of need, refused. Years later, John Pearson spoke with Father Hetherington about his decision; his reply was characteristically forthright. “I’d known Reg since he was a boy, but when they came and asked me to marry them, I said I couldn’t. I told them that I hoped they would not go through with it.” Three months after the marriage, the bride left her husband and returned to live with her parents.

Death

One month after that, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of barbituates. On this occasion and on one subsequent, she was revived; however, on the 7th June 1967, she succeeded in killing herself at Frank Shea's flat in Number 34, Wimbourne Court, Hackney. Her parents told Reggie Kray that their daughter's last wish had been to revert to her maiden name, but he insisted that she be buried under her married name and wear her white satin wedding dress. However, Elsie Shea persuaded the undertaker to clothe the corpse in tights and a slip, so that as little of her body as possible would be in contact with the hated dress. Her funeral took place at St James The Great Church on Bethnal Green Road, the same church she married Reggie Kray in not two years earlier.

It is worth mentioning that, before his arrest, Reg visited her grave, sometimes several times a day; and that, six months before his own death, when he was let out of prison to attend the funeral of his brother Charlie, he was photographed kissing her tombstone. It is rumoured that Reggie still held onto the tickets of their holiday until the day he died.

People associated with The Krays
Kray Family	Ronnie • Reggie • Charlie • Violet • Charles
Shea Family	Frances • Frank • Elsie • Frank Sr.
Lee Family	Cannonball Lee • Grandma Lee • Aunt Rose • Aunt May • Uncle John
The Firm	Albert Donoghue • Ian Barrie • Leslie Payne • Big Pat • Ronnie Bender • Ronnie Hart • Teddy Smith • Jack Dickson • The Bear • Chris Lambrianou • Tony Lambrianou • Connie Whitehead
The Richardsons	Charlie Richardson • Eddie Richardson • George Cornell • Mad Frankie Fraser • Roy Hall • Jimmy Moody • Barry Harris • Albert Longman • Tommy Clark
Gangsters & Criminals	Freddie Foreman • Jack Spot • Billy Hill • Bert Rossi • Albert Dimes • Eric Mason • Johnny Squibb • Ginger Marks • Leslie Holt
Civilians	The Barmaid • Blonde Carol • Maureen Flanagan • Nipper Read • Lord Boothby • John Pearson • David Bailey
Victims	George Cornell • Frank Mitchell • Jack the Hat

@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 Both born to [[Elsie Shea]], a Shoreditch born twenty-one year old skilled seamstress, and [[Frank Shea Sr.]], a woodworker aged twenty-six from Hotxon but of Irish descent, Frances Shea was born in 57 Ormsby Street, Hoxton, East London to [[Frank Shea Sr.]] and [[Elsie Shea]]. [[Frank Shea]], her brother, born a month after World War II was declared, was an occasional driver for the Krays during the early 1960s. Frances was baptised on the 17th October 1943, by Father Henry Wincott. She met [[Reggie Kray]] at 16 and wed him aged 22 in 1965.
-By 1960, Reggie was well and truly courting Frances, who had left school and was working in the Strand in a clerical job. Despite the impending misfortunes of 1960, whether it was through the police clampdown or Ronnie’s recklessness, Reggie was more than keen to offer the young Frances a life like no other. And who could resist the charms of a handsome local man who wore elegant bespoke suits, drove expensive cars and who appeared so successful in ‘business’ that he could afford to take the subject of his affections to smart West End clubs and shower her with gifts? For many East End women in those days, the choices were few: a low level job which would be given up for marriage, children and the promise of a basic existence as a housewife with limited options to travel or see the high-life… these expectations were taken as read, but Reginald Kray was not part of that world. He was a real catch and Frances, with her striking good looks, was a real catch for him. Whatever his sexuality up to that point, Reggie certainly felt that a settled life with a lovely girl and the possibility of having a family was on the agenda, and with his strong, driven personality, like everything he did, he did not court Frances by halves. In February 1960, he had taken her to the Astor Club in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square and in May they flew to Jersey, experiences that, for a sixteen-year-old girl from Hackney, were only the stuff of dreams. Reggie already knew her brother Frankie and he had even offered Frank Shea Snr work in the Wellington Way club (where he was unfortunately found later that year). Mother Elsie, for the moment, kept her own counsel on this dapper, polite man whose business enterprises and the way he managed them were no real secret.
+By 1960, [[Reggie]] was well and truly courting Frances, who had left school and was working in the Strand in a clerical job. Despite the impending misfortunes of 1960, whether it was through the police clampdown or Ronnie’s recklessness, Reggie was more than keen to offer the young Frances a life like no other. And who could resist the charms of a handsome local man who wore elegant bespoke suits, drove expensive cars and who appeared so successful in ‘business’ that he could afford to take the subject of his affections to smart West End clubs and shower her with gifts? For many East End women in those days, the choices were few: a low level job which would be given up for marriage, children and the promise of a basic existence as a housewife with limited options to travel or see the high-life… these expectations were taken as read, but Reginald Kray was not part of that world. He was a real catch and Frances, with her striking good looks, was a real catch for him. Whatever his sexuality up to that point, Reggie certainly felt that a settled life with a lovely girl and the possibility of having a family was on the agenda, and with his strong, driven personality, like everything he did, he did not court Frances by halves. In February 1960, he had taken her to the Astor Club in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square and in May they flew to Jersey, experiences that, for a sixteen-year-old girl from Hackney, were only the stuff of dreams. Reggie already knew her brother Frankie and he had even offered [[Frank Shea Sr.]] work in the Wellington Way club (where he was unfortunately found later that year). Mother [[Elsie Shea]], for the moment, kept her own counsel on this dapper, polite man whose business enterprises and the way he managed them were no real secret.
 Reggie met Frances (neé Shea), daughter of Frank Shea, who ran a gambling club and friend of the Kray family, when she was 16 years old. Reggie proposed to her in 1961, at Steeple Bay in Essex, when she was eighteen and he was twenty-seven. She refused, considering herself to be too young for marriage. The next year, he took her to Barcelona and to Milan and, in February 1965, he proposed to her again ; this time, she accepted. The first priest they asked to officiate refused to do so, but a second one accepted, and they were married on the 20th April 1965, at [[St James The Great Church]] in [[Bethnal Green]]. Their honeymoon was spent in Athens, not in Dover, as is shown in the film, [[The Krays (film)]] where in Frances is played by Kate Hardie.
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ===Death===
-One month after that, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of barbituates. On this occasion and on one subsequent, she was revived; however, on the 7th June 1967, she succeeded in killing herself. Her parents told Reg Kray that their daughter's last wish had been to revert to her maiden name, but he insisted that she be buried under her married name and wear her white satin wedding dress. However, [[Elsie Shea]] persuaded the undertaker to clothe the corpse in tights and a slip, so that as little of her body as possible would be in contact with the hated dress. Her funeral took place at [[St James The Great Church]] on Bethnal Green Road, the same church she married [[Reggie Kray]] in not two years earlier.
+One month after that, she attempted suicide by taking an overdose of barbituates. On this occasion and on one subsequent, she was revived; however, on the 7th June 1967, she succeeded in killing herself at [[Frank Shea]]'s flat in Number 34, Wimbourne Court, Hackney. Her parents told [[Reggie Kray]] that their daughter's last wish had been to revert to her maiden name, but he insisted that she be buried under her married name and wear her white satin wedding dress. However, [[Elsie Shea]] persuaded the undertaker to clothe the corpse in tights and a slip, so that as little of her body as possible would be in contact with the hated dress. Her funeral took place at [[St James The Great Church]] on Bethnal Green Road, the same church she married [[Reggie Kray]] in not two years earlier.
-It is worth mentioning that, before his arrest, Reg visited her grave, sometimes several times a day; and that, six months before his own death, when he was let out of prison to attend the funeral of his brother Charlie, he was photographed kissing her tombstone. It is rumored that Reggie still held onto the tickets of their holiday until the day he died.
+It is worth mentioning that, before his arrest, [[Reg]] visited her grave, sometimes several times a day; and that, six months before his own death, when he was let out of prison to attend the funeral of his brother Charlie, he was photographed kissing her tombstone. It is rumoured that [[Reggie]] still held onto the tickets of their holiday until the day he died.
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