Muriel Emily Ashley, Lady Mount Temple (''née'' Spencer, formerly Forbes-Sempill; 1881 – 24 June 1954), also known as Molly Mountemple, was a British aristocrat. She was first married to Arthur Forbes-Sempill, a military officer and younger son of

William Forbes-Sempill, 17th Lord Sempill William Forbes-Sempill, 17th Lord Sempill (20 May 1836 – 21 July 1905), born William Forbes, was a Scottish peer, the 17th Lord Sempill and 8th Baronet of Craigievar. He was the son of Sir John Forbes, 7th Baronet, and succeeded his father t ...

. After their divorce in 1914, she married

Wilfrid Ashley Colonel (British Army), Colonel Wilfrid William Ashley, 1st Baron Mount Temple, His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (13 September 1867 – 3 July 1939) was a British people, British soldier and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative p ...

, who would later be created

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 ...

in 1932. As the wife of Lord Mount Temple, she was the stepmother of

Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, (''née'' Ashley; 28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960), was an English heiress, socialite, relief worker and the last vicereine of India as the wife of (the then) Rear Admiral ...

and

Mary Cholmondeley, Lady Delamere Ruth Mary Clarisse Cholmondeley, Lady Delamere (''née'' Ashley, formerly Cunningham-Reid and Gardner; 22 July 1906 – 10 October 1986) was a British heiress and socialite. A granddaughter of German-Jewish banker Sir Ernest Cassel, she inheri ...

. She was unpopular with her stepchildren, and described as "wicked" and "unkind" by friends of the family. She managed the family's estate

Broadlands Broadlands is an English country house, located in the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of Romsey Extra, near the town of Romsey in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England. The formal gardens and historic landscape of Broadlands ...

and two London town houses in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. A bathroom in their second town house, done in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

style, was called "Lady Mount Temple's Crystal Palace" by the British press.

Biography

Lady Mount Temple was born Muriel Emily Spencer, the daughter of Rev. Walter Spencer of Fownhope Court,

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

and Anne Elizabeth Hudson of

Bache Hall Bache Hall is a former country house in Bache, Chester, Cheshire. It replaced an earlier house that had been damaged in the Civil War. At one time a golf club house, then a hospital building, as of 2013 it provides residential accommodation for ...

.L. G. Pine, The New Extinct Peerage 1884–1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), page 202. Her sister,

Margery __NOTOC__ Margery is a heavily buffered, lightly populated hamlet in the Reigate and Banstead district, in the English county of Surrey. It sits on the North Downs, is bordered by the London Orbital Motorway, at a lower altitude, and its predom ...

, was the wife of

Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood Thomas Hamar Greenwood, 1st Viscount Greenwood, PC, KC (7 February 1870 – 10 September 1948), known as Sir Hamar Greenwood, Bt, between 1915 and 1929, was a Canadian-born British lawyer and politician. He served as the last Chief Secretary ...

. She also had a sister named Olive and two brothers named Robert and Geoffrey. Lady Mount Temple's maternal grandfather was the businessman

Robert Spear Hudson Robert Spear Hudson (6 December 1812 – 6 August 1884) was an English businessman who popularised dry soap powder. His company was very successful thanks to both an increasing demand for soap and his unprecedented levels of advertising. After ...

. She married Rear-Admiral The Honourable Arthur Forbes-Sempill, the son of

and a grandson of

Sir Robert Abercromby, 5th Baronet Sir Robert Abercromby, 5th Baronet of Birkenbog and Forglen, FRSE KGCB DL (4 February 1784 – 6 July 1855) was a Scottish politician. Life He was the son of Sir George Abercromby, 4th Baronet, and Jane Ogilvie, the daughter of Alexander Og ...

, on 25 November 1903. They divorced in 1914 on the grounds of adultery; the case was not defended. On 29 August 1914 she married a second time, to Lieutenant-Colonel

, who was a grandson of

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury (28 April 1801 – 1 October 1885), styled Lord Ashley from 1811 to 1851, was a British Tory politician, philanthropist, and social reformer. He was the eldest son of The 6th Earl of Shaftesbury ...

. On 13 January 1932 her husband was elevated to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

, becoming

. From that time on, she was styled as "Lady Mount Temple". The couple had no children, but she became the stepmother of Lord Mount Temple's two daughters, Edwina and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, from his first marriage to Amalia Mary Maud Cassel. She insisted on being addressed as "Madre" by her stepdaughters, and fired their governess soon after marrying their father. Lady Mount Temple reportedly did not have a good relationship with her stepchildren, and sent them off to boarding schools. She was not well-liked by the family and friends of her husband. She was described as "most unkind" by a friend of Edwina's and was called "a wicked woman" and "a real bitch" by

Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

, her stepson-in-law. Lady Mount Temple and her husband commissioned the architect Oliver Hill to design two

town houses, naming them both Gayfere House. Their first house, built at 12 Gayfere Street (1923–26), had a drawing room completely decorated with

gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...

. The second house, at the corner of Gayfere Street and Great Peter Street (1929–32), was decorated in the

style, with mirrored walls and ceilings. The bathroom in their second town house was called "Lady Mount Temple's Crystal Palace" by the press. The family also owned

Classiebawn Castle Classiebawn Castle is a country house built for The 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784–1865) on what was formerly a estate on the Mullaghmore Peninsula near the village of Cliffoney, County Sligo, in the Republic of Ireland. The current castle wa ...

on the west coast of Ireland and

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

. She was an accomplished interior decorator.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Muriel 1881 births 1954 deaths Muriel Muriel British baronesses English socialites Muriel Wives of younger sons of peers