We meet the Honourable Mrs Asquith, the wife of the Prime Minister Herbert Henry Asquith, in Clovelly Church on an early summer morning in 1909. The Asquiths were regular guests at Clovelly Court, where their hosts were great supporters of the Liberal political cause.

Photographer Adolph de Meyer used under Creative Commons

The Mrs Asquith who appears in the novel was H H Asquith’s second wife. Alice Emma Margaret (known as Margot) Tennant was born on 2 February 1864 to Sir Charles and Emma Tennant née Winsloe. The family were from Glen House, Traquair in the Scottish Borders. Margot married Asquith on 10 May 1894 in St. George’s Hanover Square. She had a reputation as a wit and a socialite. She was also a writer, although her works were not greeted with universal acclaim. Margot bore Asquith five children but only two survived to adulthood. In the 1920s, Margot amassed significant debts and she tried various money making schemes, including advertising Wix cigarettes. She died on 28 July 1945 and is buried in Sutton Courtenay.

‘The service dragged on, the sermon began and Daisy struggled to focus on what Reverend Simkin was saying. She became aware of some scuffling in the Asquiths’ pew. Mrs Asquith was scrabbling in the beaded reticule that dangled from her wrist. She appeared to be writing something down. Perhaps she was making notes on Reverend Simkin’s rather turgid address, which advocated duty and forbearance.’

Barefoot on the Cobbles will be published on 17 November 2018. More information about the novel can be found here. Copies will be available at various events in the weeks following the launch or can be pre-ordered from Blue Poppy Publishing or the author.