Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley
Encyclopedia
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Lord Ashley (4 October 1900 – 8 March 1947) was an English
nobleman
, descended from the Earls of Shaftesbury
. He was the eldest son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
and Lady Constance Sibell Grosvenor. His courtesy title
"Lord Ashley", was used as the eldest son of the Earl of Shaftesbury
.
, known as Sylvia. They were married on 3 February 1927 and divorced 28 November 1934. Upon her marriage, she became Lady Ashley, while her legal married name was Ashley-Cooper. Lord Ashley shocked London society by marrying Hawkes, an English model
and actress from the chorus line
. They were divorced after she began an affair with American
actor
Douglas Fairbanks
, Sr, who was named as co-respondent in the petition for divorce.
After Lord Ashley's divorce, Lady Ashley went on to marry Fairbanks; Edward John Stanley, 6th Baron Sheffield; American actor, Clark Gable
; and Prince Dimitri Djordjadze
. While she was married to four other men after her divorce from Lord Ashley, she continued to use the name Lady Ashley throughout her life.
Lord Ashley's second wife was the French
-born Françoise Soulier, daughter of Georges Soulier of Caudebec-en-Caux
, France. Lord Ashley and Soulier were married on 31 March 1937 and remained married until his death in 1947. Their two children were:
Lord Ashley was heir apparent
to the earldom, scheduled to inherit upon the death of his father. However, at age 46, Ashley died unexpectedly of heart disease before his father. At that time, his son, Anthony Ashley-Cooper became heir apparent, inheriting the earldom in 1961 upon the death of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury.
with the Auxiliary Units
, which were highly covert Resistance groups
trained to engage and counteract the expected invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany
. Members of the Auxiliary Unit were stationed in covert hidden bunkers scattered throughout Great Britain. While Major Lord Ashley was trained at Coleshill House near Highworth
, Wiltshire
, specific details regarding his assignments and operational base remain classified.
, which is an international charity, accredited to the United Nations, whose organisations provide first aid, health care and support services in over 40 countries around the world. The Order has volunteers and staff of over 250,000. Membership in the order is by invitation only, and individuals may not petition for admission. Lord Ashley was honoured as an Officer Grade IV, title OStJ.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, descended from the Earls of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
. He was the eldest son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 9th Earl of Shaftesbury, KP, PC, GCVO, CBE, was the son of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury and Lady Harriet Augusta Anna Seymourina Chichester , the daughter of George Chichester, 3rd Marquess of Donegall and Lady Harriet Anne Butler.-Family life:On 15 July...
and Lady Constance Sibell Grosvenor. His courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
"Lord Ashley", was used as the eldest son of the Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury
Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II...
.
Family life
Ashley was married twice. His first wife was the former Edith Louisa Sylvia HawkesSylvia Ashley
Sylvia Ashley was an English model, actress and socialite, who was best known for her marriages to British aristocrats and American movie stars.-Personal life:...
, known as Sylvia. They were married on 3 February 1927 and divorced 28 November 1934. Upon her marriage, she became Lady Ashley, while her legal married name was Ashley-Cooper. Lord Ashley shocked London society by marrying Hawkes, an English model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and actress from the chorus line
Chorus line
A chorus line is a substantial group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms such as ponies, gypsies and twirlies...
. They were divorced after she began an affair with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, Sr, who was named as co-respondent in the petition for divorce.
After Lord Ashley's divorce, Lady Ashley went on to marry Fairbanks; Edward John Stanley, 6th Baron Sheffield; American actor, Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
; and Prince Dimitri Djordjadze
Dimitri Djordjadze
Prince Dimitri Jorjadze was a Georgian nobleman, Ambassador Hotel executive and race car driver. He was a member of the nobility of the province of Tiflis, who became exiled after the overthrow of Tsarist Russia and the subsequent Bolshevik takeover.The 6'3" Prince was probably best known in...
. While she was married to four other men after her divorce from Lord Ashley, she continued to use the name Lady Ashley throughout her life.
Lord Ashley's second wife was the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-born Françoise Soulier, daughter of Georges Soulier of Caudebec-en-Caux
Caudebec-en-Caux
Caudebec-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Caudebec-en-Caux is located W.N.W. of Rouen, on the right bank of the River Seine. The tidal bore in the estuary of the Seine which is known as the mascaret in French, but...
, France. Lord Ashley and Soulier were married on 31 March 1937 and remained married until his death in 1947. Their two children were:
- Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of ShaftesburyAnthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of ShaftesburyAnthony Ashley-Cooper, 10th Earl of Shaftesbury styled Lord Ashley between 1947 and 1961, and Earl of Shaftesbury from 1961 until his death, was a British peer from Wimborne St Giles, Dorset, located in South West England on the coast of the English Channel...
(22 May 1938 – c. 5 November 2004) - Lady Frances Mary Elizabeth Ashley-Cooper (born 9 April 1940).
Lord Ashley was heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
to the earldom, scheduled to inherit upon the death of his father. However, at age 46, Ashley died unexpectedly of heart disease before his father. At that time, his son, Anthony Ashley-Cooper became heir apparent, inheriting the earldom in 1961 upon the death of the 9th Earl of Shaftesbury.
Auxiliary Units
During World War II, Anthony's father, Major Lord Ashley served as a British Intelligence OfficerIntelligence officer
An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile and/or analyze information which is of use to that organization...
with the Auxiliary Units
Auxiliary Units
The Auxiliary Units or GHQ Auxiliary Units were specially trained, highly secret units created by the United Kingdom government during the Second World War, with the aim of resisting the expected occupation of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany, after a planned invasion codenamed Operation Sea Lion...
, which were highly covert Resistance groups
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
trained to engage and counteract the expected invasion of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Members of the Auxiliary Unit were stationed in covert hidden bunkers scattered throughout Great Britain. While Major Lord Ashley was trained at Coleshill House near Highworth
Highworth
Highworth is a market town in the unitary authority of Swindon in Wiltshire, England, located about north-east of Swindon town centre. At the 2001 census it had a population of 7,996...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, specific details regarding his assignments and operational base remain classified.
Order of St John
Lord Ashley was a member of the Venerable Order of Saint JohnVenerable Order of Saint John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem , is a royal order of chivalry established in 1831 and found today throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Hong Kong, Ireland and the United States of America, with the world-wide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and...
, which is an international charity, accredited to the United Nations, whose organisations provide first aid, health care and support services in over 40 countries around the world. The Order has volunteers and staff of over 250,000. Membership in the order is by invitation only, and individuals may not petition for admission. Lord Ashley was honoured as an Officer Grade IV, title OStJ.