Lady Cynthia Mary Evelyn Asquith (née Charteris; 27 September 1887 – 31 March 1960) was an English writer and socialite, known for her ghost stories and diaries. Richard Dalby, ''The Virago Book of Ghost Stories''.Virago, London, , 1987 (p. 236). She also wrote novels, edited a number of

anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...

, wrote for children and covered the British Royal family.

Early life

Lady Cynthia was born at Clouds House,

East Knoyle East Knoyle is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, in the south-west of England, just west of the A350 and about south of Warminster and north of Shaftesbury, Dorset. It was the birthplace of the architect Sir Christopher Wren. The paris ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

on 27 September 1887, one of seven children of Hugo Richard Charteris, 11th Earl of Wemyss (1857–1937), and Mary Constance Wyndham, of

The Souls The Souls was a small loosely-knit but distinctive elite social and intellectual group in the United Kingdom from 1885 to the turn of the century. Many of the most distinguished British politicians and intellectuals of the time were members. Th ...

fame. Among her siblings were Hugo Francis Charteris, Lord Elcho (who married Lady Violet Manners, the daughter of Henry Manners, 8th Duke of Rutland, and was killed in action in the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

), Guy Lawrence Charteris, Colin Charteris (who died young), Lady Mary Charteris (wife of Capt. Algernon Walter Strickland and, after his death, John George Lyon), Yvo Alan Charteris (also killed in action during the Great War), and Lady Irene Charteris (wife of

Ivor Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of Plymouth Ivor Miles Windsor-Clive, 2nd Earl of Plymouth GCStJ, PC (4 February 1889 – 1 October 1943) was an English nobleman and Conservative Party politician. Early life Ivor was born on 4 February 1889. He was the second, and only surviving, son o ...

). Her paternal grandparents were

Francis Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss Francis Richard Charteris, 10th Earl of Wemyss GCVO DL (pronounced ''weems'', rhyming with seems) GCVO (4 August 1818 – 30 June 1914), styled as Lord Elcho between 1853 and 1883, was a British Whig politician. He founded the Liberty and Pro ...

and his first wife Lady Anne Frederica Anson (second daughter of Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield). Her maternal grandparents were Capt. Hon. Percy Scawen Wyndham MP for Cumberland West (second son of George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield), and the former Madeleine Eden Campbell (sixth daughter of Maj.-Gen.

Sir Guy Campbell, 1st Baronet Major-General Sir Guy Campbell, 1st Baronet, CB (22 January 1786 – 26 January 1849), was a British Army officer, the eldest son of Lieutenant-General Colin Campbell and his wife Mary, daughter of Guy Johnson (or Johnstone). His branch of the ...

Career

In 1913, Asquith met D. H. Lawrence in

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

and became a friend and correspondent. She took a position as secretary to the

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

creator

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

, with whom she became close friends, continuing to work for him until his death in 1937. Barrie left most of his estate to her, except for the Peter Pan works.Chaney, Lisa. ''Hide-and-Seek with Angels - A Life of J. M. Barrie'', Hutchinson, 2005. Author L. P. Hartley became a lifelong friend after they met in the early 1920s. Asquith became known for editing ''The Ghost Book'', an anthology of supernatural fiction, including work by D. H. Lawrence,

Algernon Blackwood Algernon Henry Blackwood, CBE (14 March 1869 – 10 December 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and short story writer, and among the most prolific ghost story writers in the history of the genre. The literary cri ...

Arthur Machen Arthur Machen (; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh author and mystic of the 1890s and early 20th century. He is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. Hi ...

Oliver Onions George Oliver Onions (13 November 1873 – 9 April 1961), who published under the name Oliver Onions, was an English writer of short stories and novels. He wrote in various genres, but is perhaps best remembered for his ghost stories, notably ...

, and

May Sinclair May Sinclair was the pseudonym of Mary Amelia St. Clair (24 August 1863 – 14 November 1946), a popular British writer who wrote about two dozen novels, short stories and poetry. She was an active suffragist, and member of the Woman Writers' S ...

. Mike Ashley and William Contento, ''The Supernatural Index: A Listing of Fantasy, Supernatural, Occult, Weird, and Horror Anthologies''. Greenwood Publishing, 1995. , pp. 728–729. One of Asquith's stories, "The Follower", was adapted for BBC Radio, along with others by Algernon Blackwood,

Marjorie Bowen Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long (née Campbell; 1 November 1885 – 23 December 1952), who used the pseudonyms Marjorie Bowen and Joseph Shearing, was a British author who wrote historical romances, supernatural horror stories, popular history and ...

, and

Noel Streatfeild Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE (24 December 1895 –11 September 1986) was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series (though some books made references to others). Random House, the U ...

; all were later reprinted in the Cecil Madden anthology ''My Grimmest Nightmare'' (1935). She contributed to the

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

of the 1937 film '' Dreaming Lips'', which starred

Elisabeth Bergner Elisabeth Bergner (22 August 1897 – 12 May 1986) was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in '' Esca ...

. In 1957, Asquith appeared as a contestant in the ITV Quiz show 64,000 Question (hosted by

Jerry Desmonde Jerry Desmonde (born James Robert Sadler; 20 July 1908 – 11 February 1967) was an English actor and presenter. He is perhaps best known for his work as a comedic foil in duos with Norman Wisdom and Sid Field. Early life Jerry Desmonde w ...

) where she won the top prize of £3,200 answering questions on the works of

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots oft ...

Personal life

On 28 July 1910, Lady Cynthia married Herbert Asquith (1881–1947), second son of

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party (UK), Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of ...

, the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and ...

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...

from 1908 to 1916, with whom he is sometimes confused. They had three children: *John Michael Asquith (1911–1937), who suffered mental problems and died in an institution. *Michael Henry Asquith (1914–2004), who married in 1938 Diana Eveline Montagu Battye, daughter of Lt.-Col. Perceval Lawrence Montagu Battye. They divorced in 1952; he married secondly Helga Brigitta Ebba Elizabeth Ritter, daughter of Dr Walther Sigmund Casimir Ritter, in 1953. *Simon Roland Anthony Asquith (1919–1973), who married in 1942 Vivien Lawrence Jones, daughter of Sir Lawrence Jones, 5th Baronet and Lady Evelyn Alice Grey (a daughter of

Albert Grey, 4th Earl Grey Albert Henry George Grey, 4th Earl Grey, (28 November 185129 August 1917) was a British peer and politician who served as Governor General of Canada 1904–1911, the ninth since Canadian Confederation. He was a radical Liberal aristocrat and a ...

) Lady Cynthia's husband died in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Pla ...

on 5 August 1947 aged 66, and Lady Cynthia herself on 31 March 1960, aged 72.

Works

*''The Duchess of York'' (1927), biography *''The Spring House'' (1936), novel *'' Dreaming Lips'' (1937), screenplay *''One Sparkling Wave'' (1943), novel *''

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotat ...

'' (1947), stories: "In a Nutshell", "The White Moth", "The Corner Shop", "God Grante That She Lye Stille", "The Playfellow", "The Nurse Never Told", "The Lovely Voice", "The First Night", "The Follower" *''Haply I May Remember'' (1950) *''What Dreams May Come'' (1951), stories (contents the same as ''This Mortal Coil'', but with "The Follower" omitted and "The Nurse Never Told" retitled as "From What Beginnings?") * ''Remember and be Glad'' (1952) *''Portrait of Barrie'' (1954) *''Married to Tolstoy'' (1960), biography *''Thomas Hardy at Max Gate'' (1969)

As editor

*''The Flying Carpet'' (1925) *''Treasure Ship'' (1926) *''The Ghost Book'' (1927) *''The Black Cap'' (1928) *''Shudders'' (1929) *''The Children's Cargo'' (1930) *''When Churchyards Yawn'' (1931) *''My Grimmest Nightmare'' (1935) *''The Second Ghost Book'' (1952) *''The Third Ghost Book'' (1955)

Adaptations

"God Grante That She Lye Stille", first published in ''When Churchyards Yawn'', was adapted in 1961 by

Robert Hardy Andrews Charles Robert Douglas Hardy Andrews (October 19, 1903 – November 11, 1976) was a novelist, screenwriter and radio drama scriptwriter. Career Andrews began his career as a reporter for the ''Chicago Daily News'', and edited the newspaper's maga ...

as an episode of the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' Thriller''.IMDB
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References

External links

Asquith, (Lady) Cynthia
in ''

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work concerning fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael Scott ...

'' * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asquith, Cynthia 1887 births 1960 deaths Deaths from meningitis Neurological disease deaths in England Infectious disease deaths in England British women short story writers English horror writers Ghost story writers Cynthia Asquith, Lady

Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyn ...

Daughters of Scottish earls Science fiction editors English short story writers English women novelists Women horror writers Women anthologists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English women writers English biographers Women biographers 20th-century biographers English socialites 20th-century British short story writers British speculative fiction editors British diarists