Anton Cavourrine

Saturday 27 June 2009 06:19 Dan Berry
, 2 comments

Anton Cavourrine (1863 - 1958) was elected mayor of Beaumaris, North Wales following a hugely unlikely set of circumstances. Born in Saint-Germain-De-Montbron to a railway worker and a part time fortune teller, he made a name for himself in his teenage years drawing caricatures of dignitaries in surrounding towns and villages. His drawings gained him a level of celebrity in France that allowed him free entry to nightclubs and theatres the length of the country. His fame reached as far as the small town of Beaumaris in North Wales. The townsfolk, smitten by his artwork, decided to offer Cavourrine the position of Mayor in a letter sent in 1911. Cavourrine, whose English was poor at best, assumed that it was a marriage proposal from a woman named 'Beautiful Marie'.


His arrival in North Wales and subsequent installation as Mayor was marred not only by his refusal to learn Welsh, or his refusal to draw any further caricatures but also his violent moodswings after he learned that Beaumaris was not a beautiful woman, but actually meant 'Beautiful Husbands'. Each subsequent day of his time in office was spent shooting at seagulls and tourists from the mayoral office window with a Winchester rifle.

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2 Response to "Anton Cavourrine"

  1. Unknown says:
    27 June 2009 at 09:59

    Dan, this is a winner, as the kids on the street insist on saying his portrait truly 'old-school to the macks'

    Dan Berry says:
    27 June 2009 at 10:04

    Why, thanks Joe. It was the effect I was after.

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