Nothing beats a bit of number plate trivia, and we love looking back at number plates of old here at National Numbers.
So, today’s article will focus on a fascinating character called Mark Mayhew, owner of a few fantastic vehicles and incredible number plates. Born in the late 19th century, we’ll discuss his many car-based escapades, his number plate preferences, his life of luxury (and crime), and of course, his love of fast cars.
Mark Mayhew’s early days
Mark Mayhew was born into money in 1871 as the son of master miller, James Mayhew. When his father died, he left Mark £150,000, an astronomical amount in the 1800s, which he used to carry on the family business, renaming it Mark Mayhew Ltd.
A lover of politics and speed, Mayhew became a member of the London County Council as a Progressive Party member for Wandsworth in his early adult life. After demonstrating keen motoring know-how, he was also accepted as an Associate Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers just three weeks later.
Car crashes, lawbreaking, and speeding fines
The first of Mayhew’s many vehicle-based escapades came when his steering failed while driving over Wandle Bridge. He hit a kerb, the car flipped, and he was thrown out of the vehicle and had his face extensively cut. He was attended by a local doctor and taken home to his mansion at Putney Heath but didn’t quite learn from his mistakes behind the wheel.
In fact, by the time the Motor Act of 1903 came around, Mayhew had four speeding offences to his name. He was also charged with driving to the common danger of passengers on more than one occasion. One example of this came when he drove at a police constable (who was waving him down to stop) at so much speed that he almost ran him over, for which he earned a £5 fine.
Maybe it was because of a tendency for showing off or maybe it was a feeling of superiority, but he later drove on the beach at Lytham in Lancashire hitting 40mph in his beloved Napier. With the speed being a record at the time, he proudly pled guilty in court to the charge.
Mayhew owned multiple vehicles in this period, most of which were Napiers due to their speed capabilities. In terms of number plates, Mayhew was allocated A 4 as London County Councillor in 1899 and was also the proud owner of A 17, and A 19 throughout his life, all of which would fetch tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands in today’s market.
Military and more car adventures
Mayhew became a part-time soldier next and quickly proposed that there should be a corps of automobile owners with cars to use for military manoeuvres or in case of war. This was accepted and he was appointed as an officer in charge in August 1902.
He took part in many races during his time in the forces and on top of this, was part of the Paris-Madrid Race of 1903 which left eight drivers dead and 100 injured in multiple incidents.
A lover of his super speedy Napiers, Mayhew continued to rack up speeding tickets in the early 1900s and since he spent so much time in France, was told to register one of his cars in both countries.
A tricky customer, to say the least, Mayhew made the most of this dual vehicle nationality by placing two vehicle registrations on the car, one for France and one for the UK. This cheeky move no doubt confused police officers on either side of the channel and was very much illegal.
An interesting case of fraud
In 1906, Mayhew was determined to oust a psychic medium as a fraud, for which he was successful. He asked the medium to summon an apparition, only to seize the ghost when it appeared and turned on a torch, showing that the medium and the so-called apparition were in fact the same person.
This one has nothing to do with cars but is too funny to leave out! What an interesting character.
The First World War and later years
At the turn of the First World War, Mayhew took members of the British Motor Service Volunteer Corps to France, and he finished the war as a lieutenant colonel in the Royal Army Service Corps. He also gained an OBE in recognition of his efforts.
In the post-war years, he headed to America to work in Kentucky in the then-largest flour-mill machinery company in the world.
After a successful career in the flour mill industry, he returned to the UK and retired a supporter of the Hindhead and Churt British Legion. Mark Mayhew died in 1944 and of the £150,000 he was left when his father passed, he left a somewhat modest amount of £8,259 behind.
Buy number plates with National Numbers
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Give our expert sales team a call on 01642 363738 for inspiration and guidance around your ideal registration or build your own private plate online.
