Elvira Enid Barney (née Mullens; ) was an English socialite and actress known professionally as Dolores Ashley. She was tried for the murder of her lover, Michael Scott Stephen, in 1932. The trial was widely reported by the British press. She was later found not guilty, but died four years later in a Paris hotel room. Barney was part of the

Bright Young Things __NOTOC__ The Bright Young Things, or Bright Young People, was a nickname given by the tabloid press to a group of Bohemianism, Bohemian young Aristocracy (class), aristocrats and socialites in 1920s London. They threw flamboyant costume party, f ...

group of socialites and aristocrats in the 1920s.

Early life

Elvira Mullens was born on 22 January 1904, the daughter of Evelyne Maude Adamson (1874-1962) and stockbroker Sir John Ashley Mullens (1869–1937). Her younger sister Avril Joy Mullens married three times, including a short marriage to

Ernest Aldrich Simpson Ernest Aldrich Simpson (6 May 1897 – 30 November 1958) was an American-born British shipbroker, best known as the second husband of Wallis Simpson, later wife of the former King Edward VIII. Simpson served as an officer in the Coldstream Gua ...

, ex-husband of

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. In 1924, Elvira attended Lady Benson's Drama Academy, studying under

Constance Benson Gertrude Constance Cockburn Benson ( Samwell; 26 February 1864 – 19 January 1946) was a British stage and film actress. Before her marriage to Frank Benson, she was known by the stage name Constance Featherstonhaugh, pronounced "Fanshaw" (). B ...

. During this time, she was engaged to

Charles Patrick Graves Charles Patrick Ranke Graves (1 December 1899 – 20 February 1971) was a British journalist, travel writer and novelist. He came from a large and creative literary family. Among his nine siblings were the writers Robert Graves and Philip Graves ...

. During the 1924–25 theatre season she appeared in ''The Blue Kitten'' at the Gaiety Theatre. She met American singer John Sterling Barney at a party in 1927. They were married on 2 August 1928, but John Barney returned to America the following year. In 1931, Elvira moved to 21 William Mews,

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

, London, sharing the home with Henry Mervyn Pearce. She later met Michael Scott Stephen while in Paris. He moved into the William Mews sometime before May 1932.

Trial and aftermath

On 30 May 1932, Barney and Stephen hosted a dinner party at their home. Among the guests were

Arthur Jeffress Arthur Tilden Jeffress (21 November 1905 – 21 September 1961) was an influential gallery owner, collector, and patron of the arts in post-World War II Britain. In the 1920s and 1930s he was conspicuous mostly as a rich playboy and socialite. ...

, Hugh Armigel Wade, Sylvia Coke, Denys Skeffington Smyth, Brian Howard,

Anton Altmann Anton Altmann (1808–1871) was an Austrian landscape painter. Life Altmann, was born in Vienna on 4 June 1808. His father, also called Anton, and his grandfather Joseph were both painters. He studied from nature, and under the instruction of M ...

, Irene MacBrayne, Arthur Streek, and

Olivia Wyndham Olivia Madeline Grace Mary Wyndham (30 November 1897 – 1967) was a British society photographer and a member of the 1920s socialite group known as the bright young things. The daughter of Colonel Guy Percy Wyndham, C.B., M.V.O. (a member of th ...

and her then-girlfriend Ruth Baldwin, a longtime companion of

Joe Carstairs Marion Barbara 'Joe' Carstairs (1 February 1900 – 18 December 1993) was a wealthy British power boat racer known for her speed, eccentric lifestyle, and gender nonconformity. In the 1920s she was known as the ‘fastest woman on water’. ...

, and

Edward Gathorne-Hardy Hon. Ralph Edward Gathorne-Hardy (4 June 190118 June 1978) was a British antiquarian, traveler and socialite. Early life The second child of Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 3rd Earl of Cranbrook - grandson of Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranb ...

. Barney, Stephen, and some of their guests then went to The Blue Angel, a private club on Dean Street. The following morning, Stephen died of bullet wounds and Barney was arrested and charged with murder. Barney was defended at her trial by Sir

Patrick Hastings Sir Patrick Gardiner Hastings (17 March 1880 – 26 February 1952) was an English barrister and politician noted for his long and highly successful career as a barrister and his short stint as Attorney General. He was educated at Charterhou ...

, who portrayed her as the innocent party and a victim of little value. Wade and Jeffress gave testimony. Altmann, Howard, MacBrayne, Coke, Streek, Fester, and Skeffington-Smyth also gave statements, some of which were read in court. The judge described Hastings' closing remarks as "certainly one of the finest speeches I have ever heard". Barney was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter, but she was convicted of possession of a firearm. The press reported on Barney boasting of killing Stephen at a celebration party following the verdict. Barney's family disowned her and she moved to France. She was found dead in a Paris hotel room on 25 December 1936 after returning drunk the night before.

Portrayals

Barney believed the profligate socialite Agatha Runcible in

Evelyn Waugh Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh (; 28 October 1903 – 10 April 1966) was an English writer of novels, biographies, and travel books; he was also a prolific journalist and book reviewer. His most famous works include the early satires ''Decli ...

's ''

Vile Bodies Vile may refer to: Characters * Vile (Mega Man X), a character from the Mega Man X game series * Doctor Vile (Dr. Weil), a character from the Mega Man Zero game series * V.I.L.E., a fictional villain group in the ''Carmen Sandiego'' franchise ...

'' was based on her. However, Runcible was a caricature of

Elizabeth Ponsonby Hon. Elizabeth Ponsonby (28 December 190031 July 1940) was an English aristocrat who was a prominent member of the Bright Young Things, well-connected socialites who featured heavily in the contemporary tabloid press for what were perceived to be ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barney, Elvira Mullens 1904 births 1936 deaths 20th-century English actresses English musical theatre actresses English socialites Drug-related deaths in France People acquitted of murder

Early life

Trial and aftermath

Portrayals

See also

References