Neighborhood

 

Gin Trap

By Cynthia in the 1980s

“One was a rescue that had been caught in a gin trap. He was truly ugly, and we called him GT, for gin trap . . . or gin and tonic! He became part of the family.” 

Cynthia, 2014

Cat Lady

 

Cynthia

Cynthia Lennon at home (not exactly sure where at this time) on November 10, 1984

 

Isle of Man

Cynthia and Jim in Douglas, Isle of Man, where they lived for many years in 1988. They had a small yacht in Castletown, and had five cats (Daisy, Gin Trap).

Also to note that I updated Cynthia and Jim's relationship regarding their breakup in The Longest Relationship post as I have found out more details since I last published the post almost 3 years ago. 

Kenwood Pets

When John and Cynthia were growing up, Cynthia had a dog and chickens while John grew up with cats and a dog. When they moved into their first home, Kenwood, John and Cynthia decided to expand their family by adding pets. They continued to have pets after their divorce... but in this case, in this post, I'm only focusing on the Kenwood era of pets.

Photographed by Dorothy Jarlett

Photographed by Ringo Starr

Julian, along with John and Cynthia, with the family dogs, Nigel and Bernard

Dogs:

1. Nigel, a Labrador; 1965-?

2. Bernard, a Mongrel named after housekeeper Dot Jarlett's husband Bernard; 1967-1968

"Well, a big dog, it's a normal kind, it is, it's called Nigel, of course. But I forgot, I don't know what kind of dog - what kind of dog have I got? What's that dog of mine, what is it? Oh, it's an elaborate golden Labrador. Cyn bought it when it was a puppy, and we just sort of look after it, and take it for walks. Some of the fans cut it's hair off for souvenirs, but it's not very good for him."

John, 1966

Photographed by Henry Grossman

Mimi with her original owner, Pattie Boyd, in Kenwood, March 1965

Photographed by Ethan Russell 

John and Yoko with Mimi, December 1968

Cats:

1. Mimi, a black tabby named after John's Aunt Mimi, originally named Wee Wee previously owned by Pattie Boyd in 1964; moved to Kenwood 1964- lifeafter Kenwood is unknown although was last pictured in December of 1968 with John and Yoko. Probably went to another home or to Tittenhurst Park until John moved to New York in 1971.

2. Babaghi, a tabby; 1964-?

3. Jesus; 1966-? 

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

If you know any more names of John and Cynthia's cats in Kenwood, please leave a comment below! 

Last Family Photos

In early 1968 (before going to India), John, Cynthia, and Julian posed what would be their last family pictures. The photos were to be used for Hunter Davis's book, The Beatles: An Authorized Biography- only one was used- the last one. The photographer was Ringo Starr. As for the dog, well, John and Cynthia had two dogs during their time in Kenwood: Nigel and Bernard; many people assume that the dog is Bernard, named after housekeeper Dorothy Jarlett's husband by Julian. Only except, Bernard only lived for a year before his death. I don't know what happened with Nigel, nor do I know the breed Nigel was. Bernard was a mongrel. Oddly enough, Nigel wasn't mentioned in neither of Cynthia's books (Bernard was mentioned in her second book, John) but he was mentioned in Ray Coleman’s biography book, Lennon. After Googling what a mongrel dog breed is (I am more of a cat person), I have come to a conclusion that this is Bernard. I suppose Bernard passed away while John and Cynthia were in India or during the divorce proceedings.