Georgina Elizabeth Cowper-Temple, Baroness Mount Temple (née Tollemache; 1822 – 17 October 1901) was an English 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. ...

. Lady Mount Temple was active in the

Temperance Movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

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 which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

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. 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 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 Party (UK), Conservative politician, landowner and peer who owned large estates in Cheshire. He was raised to the peerage of the ...

. Mount Temple was a close friend and distant cousin of

Constance Lloyd Constance Mary Wilde (; 2 January 18587 April 1898) was an Irish writer. She was the wife of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde and the mother of their two sons, Cyril Holland, Cyril and Vyvyan Holland, Vyvyan. Early life and marriage The daughter ...

, the wife of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

Humanitarianism and animal welfare

Georgina Baroness Mount-Temple - geograph

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 Paignt ...

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 Animal test ...

Society. She also co-founded the Plumage League. She was active in the

Band of Mercy Bands of Mercy were formal, locally led organizations in the 19th and 20th centuries that brought people—especially children and adolescents—together to learn about kindness to non-human animals. The Bands also worked to help animals and preve ...

, whose first president was her husband, and the

. Mount Temple was also involved in the

. In 1903, a birdbath with a bronze statue of 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 in Waterloo Place, London. Personal life Arthur Geor ...

, was erected in Babbacombe. 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 stop on the Riviera Line in Torquay, Devon, England. It is down the line from , via . 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. Mount Temple became a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

in 1876 and a vice-president of the

Vegetarian Society The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British Registered charity in England, registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for Vegetarianism, vegetarian and Veganism, v ...

in 1884.

Personal life

On 22 November 1848, she married William Cowper-Temple, the second son of Peter Cowper, 5th Earl Cowper. 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. Lady Mount Temple was a friend of the writer

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

, the writer

George MacDonald George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905) was a Scottish author, poet and Christian Congregational minister. He became a pioneering figure in the field of modern fantasy literature and the mentor of fellow-writer Lewis Carrol ...

, 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 Brother ...

, 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 grou ...

. 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 ...

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Temple, Georgina Cowper Temple, Lady 1820s births 1901 deaths 19th-century Anglicans 19th-century evangelicals 20th-century Anglicans 20th-century evangelicals British animal welfare workers British baronesses Georgina English Anglicans English anti-vivisectionists English evangelicals English temperance activists English vegetarianism activists Evangelical Anglicans People associated with the Vegetarian Society People in Christian ecumenism Georgina Wives of younger sons of peers Year of birth uncertain