Georgina Elizabeth Cowper-Temple, Lady Mount Temple (née Tollemache; (1822 – 17 October 1901) was a British religious enthusiast, humanitarian, and animal welfare campaigner. She was the second wife of

William Cowper-Temple, 1st Baron Mount Temple William Francis Cowper-Temple, 1st Baron Mount Temple, PC (13 December 1811 – 16 October 1888), known as William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper") before 1869 and as William Cowper-Temple between 1869 and 1880, was a British Liberal statesman. B ...

. Lady Mount Temple was active in the

Temperance Movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

and the

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest an ...

and was a co-founder of the Plumage League.

Early life and family

Lady Mount Temple was born Georgina Elizabeth Tollemache on 8 November to Admiral John Richard Delap Tollemache and Lady Elizabeth Stratford. One source says she was probably born in 1821. Her father, whose original surname was Halliday, assumed by royal license the surname and arms of his mother, Lady Jane Tollemache, who was the daughter and co-heiress of

Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart KT (1 May 1708 – 10 March 1770), styled Lord Huntingtower from 1712 to 1727, was a nobleman from East Anglia, who bore a Scottish title. Lionel's father, a namesake in 1712 predeceased his father Lionel ...

. Her mother was the daughter of

John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough John Stratford, 3rd Earl of Aldborough (–1823) was an Irish peer and member of the House of Stratford. He was known as the Hon. John Stratford until 1801, when he inherited the Earldom from his brother Edward Stratford, 2nd Earl of Aldborough. ...

. She was the sister of

John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache (; 5 December 1805 – 9 December 1890) was a British Conservative Member of Parliament, as well as a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire. He was raised to the peerage in 1876 as Baron T ...

. Lady Mount Temple was a close friend and distant cousin of

Constance Lloyd Constance Mary Wilde (née Lloyd; 2 January 1858 – 7 April 1898) was an Irish author. She was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of their two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan. Early life and marriage The daughter of Horace Lloyd, ...

, the wife of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

Humanitarianism and animal welfare

Georgina Baroness Mount-Temple - geograph

Lady Mount Temple was one of the leaders of the

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Anti-

Vivisection Vivisection () is surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure. The word is, more broadly, used as a pejorative catch-all term for experiment ...

Society. She also co-founded the Plumage League. She was active in the Band of Mercy, whose first president was her husband, and the

. Lady Mount Temple was also involved in the

. In 1903, a birdbath with a bronze statue of Lady Mount Temple, designed by

Arthur George Walker Arthur George Walker (20 October 1861 – 13 September 1939) was an English sculptor and painter. Among his best-known works are several war memorials and the statue of Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 Aug ...

, was erected in

Babbacombe Babbacombe is a district of Torquay, Devon, England. It is notable for Babbacombe Model Village, the Babbacombe Theatre and its clifftop green, Babbacombe Downs, from which Oddicombe Beach is accessed via Babbacombe Cliff Railway. Frequent bu ...

. A horse

trough Trough may refer to: In science * Trough (geology), a long depression less steep than a trench * Trough (meteorology), an elongated region of low atmospheric pressure * Trough (physics), the lowest point on a wave * Trough level (medicine), the l ...

near the

Torre railway station Torre railway station is a suburban station on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. It is measured from . The station is managed by Great Western Railway but is not staffed. The station buildings are Grade II listed. History A broad ...

is also dedicated to her.

Personal life

On 22 November 1848, she married The Honourable

William Cowper William Cowper ( ; 26 November 1731 – 25 April 1800) was an English poet and Anglican hymnwriter. One of the most popular poets of his time, Cowper changed the direction of 18th-century nature poetry by writing of everyday life and scen ...

, son of the 5th

Earl Cowper Earl Cowper ( ) was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1718 by George I for William Cowper, 1st Baron Cowper, his first Lord Chancellor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to his younger brother, Spencer C ...

. She and her husband had no natural children, but adopted a daughter named Juliet Latour Temple, in 1869. In 1880, her husband was elevated to the peerage as

Baron Mount Temple Baron Mount Temple was a title that was created twice in British history, both times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came on 25 May 1880 when the Liberal politician the Honourable William Cowper-Temple was made Baron M ...

. Lady Mount Temple was a friend of the writer

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

, the poet

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...

, and the suffragist

Frances Power Cobbe Frances Power Cobbe (4 December 1822 – 5 April 1904) was an Anglo-Irish writer, philosopher, religious thinker, social reformer, anti-vivisection activist and leading women's suffrage campaigner. She founded a number of animal advocacy group ...

. She lived at Babbacombe Cliff and also owned properties in Ireland. She died in 1901. After her death, part of her estate was bequeathed to the

Church Army The Church Army is an evangelistic organisation and mission community founded in 1882 in association with the Church of England and now operating internationally in many parts of the Anglican Communion. History The Church Army was founded in E ...

and to the Victoria Street Society of Protection of Animals from Vivisection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Temple, Georgina Cowper Temple, Lady 1820s births 1901 deaths Year of birth uncertain British animal welfare workers British baronesses

Georgina Georgina may refer to: Names *Georgina (name), a feminine given name Places Australia * Georgina, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Boulia, Queensland * Georgina Basin, a large sedimentary basin in Australia * Georgina River, a river ...

English humanitarians English temperance activists Evangelical Anglicans People in Christian ecumenism

Wives of younger sons of peers Women humanitarians