Margot Asquith

Margot Asquith. Emma Alice Margaret Asquith, Countess of Oxford and Asquith, known universally as Margot Asquith, was a prominent British socialite, political hostess, and author during the late Victorian era and Edwardian era. As the wife of H. H. Asquith, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916, she was a central and often controversial figure in Liberal Party politics and high society. Renowned for her sharp wit, formidable personality, and candid memoirs, she left a vivid imprint on the political and social history of early 20th-century Britain.

Early life and family

Emma Alice Margaret Tennant was born into considerable wealth at Glen House in Peeblesshire, the daughter of Sir Charles Tennant, 1st Baronet, a prosperous industrialist and Liberal MP. Her childhood was spent between the family's Scottish estate and their London residence, providing an early immersion into privileged society. She was the sister of Laura Lyttelton and a half-sister to the pioneering MP Harold Tennant. Known for her spirited and independent character from a young age, she was educated privately and became a noted figure in the fashionable hunting set, moving in circles that included the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII.

Marriage and political hostess

In 1894, she married the widowed H. H. Asquith, then Home Secretary and a rising star of the Liberal Party. As Asquith ascended to become Prime Minister in 1908, Margot transformed 10 Downing Street and their country home, The Wharf, into pivotal centres of political and intellectual life. Her salons were attended by a dazzling array of figures, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Violet Bonham Carter, and Augustine Birrell. Her role as a political hostess was both influential and contentious; her outspoken opinions and perceived interference, particularly during crises like the Parliament Act 1911 and the First World War, often drew criticism from colleagues and the press, contributing to her husband's political challenges.

Literary career and writings

Following her husband's fall from power in 1916, Margot Asquith turned to writing, establishing a second career as an author. Her most significant work, the two-volume autobiography published in 1920 and 1922, offered a frank, gossipy, and vividly personal account of her life in politics, causing considerable controversy with its candid portraits of contemporaries like Arthur Balfour and Lloyd George. She also published novels, such as *Octavia*, and a volume of lay sermons titled *Places and Persons*. Her sharp, epigrammatic style and willingness to engage in public feuds, notably a celebrated exchange with the Hollywood actress Jean Harlow, kept her in the public eye as a literary personality long after her political prominence had waned.

Later life and death

In her later years, Margot Asquith continued to write and move in social circles, though she faced financial difficulties following her husband's death in 1928. She was created Countess of Oxford and Asquith in 1925, a title she held for the remainder of her life. She remained a vocal commentator on public affairs, often contributing letters to newspapers like The Times. She lived to see the end of the Second World War, dying at her home in London in July 1945. She was buried alongside her husband in the churchyard at All Saints' Church, Sutton Courtenay.

Legacy and portrayal

Margot Asquith is remembered as one of the most colourful and formidable political hostesses in British history, a symbol of the opulent and turbulent Edwardian era. Her legacy is preserved through her vivid, if subjective, writings which provide an invaluable insider's perspective on the Liberal governments and the onset of the First World War. She has been portrayed in several television dramas and series, including by Diana Rigg in the ITV series *The Edwardians* and by Lucy Briers in the BBC drama *The Great War*, which explore her complex role within the Asquith coalition ministry. Her wit and indomitable spirit continue to define her historical persona.

Category:1864 births Category:1945 deaths Category:British political hostesses Category:British memoirists Category:Countesses in the Peerage of the United Kingdom