Evening star., 1923-10-26
Typical Pollock England's
Newest Master of Rolls

court. Sir Ernest. who WILL in due
course. and in accordance with prece-
dent, be raised to the peerage, Is eX-
trenlely We J. of, having married one Of
the daughters and heiresses of the late
Sir Thomas Salt, and has a very charm
ing pace down in Hertfordshire.
Another new appointment, made by
Premier Stan'ey Baldwin, is that Of
Col. Wilfred Ashley. member of parlia-
ment for one of the divisions of Lam
cashire, and son-in-law of the late Sir
Ernest Cassell to the post of under
, secretary OF state for war. He lost his
wife, the only child of that well known
financier, some ten years ago and 1t Is
her two daughters, Lady Louis Mount
oatten and her younger sister. now COM
p'eting her education at a school In
/ Paris, who have inherited his colossal
: fortune Col Ash ey has, since then,
married again, namely the Hon. Mrs,
Forbes Semptill who is, therefore, the
stepmother of Lady Louis Mountb3tten.
Col Ashley Is the eldest son of the
late Evelyn Ashley. the private Sec
retary and biographer nay almost
the adopted son of Lord Paimerston,
the most masterful statesman of the
reign of Queen Victoria. Officially,
Evelyn, Ashley was the fourth son of
the seventh Earl of ShafteSbury the
famous philanthroDist and lay bishop
who virtually Influenced and directed
the whole of Lord Palmerston's Epis-
copal patronage during his premier
ship and also during that of Lord
Melbourne. Evelyn Ashley's mother
was Lady Emily Cowper. eldest
daughter of the fifth Lord Cowper.
His grandmother, Countess Cowper,
wife of that peer was sister OF
Lord Melbourne. and. on becoming a
widow, married Lord Palmerstons
with whom a romantic affection had
long existed On Lord Palmerstons
death. his property including his
country seat of BroadIands near
Romse. passed to Lady Palmerstona
second son by her first marriage to
the fifth Lord Cowper. and he was
created In 1880, Lord Mount Temple.
at the instance of Palmerston. On his
demise without issue. the estates,
both in Hampshire and in Ireland,
passed to. Lady Palmerston's grand
son. the Hon. Evelyn Ashley. and
fred Ashley, the new undersecretary
of state for war. If ] have gone
somewhat at length into this ques-
ton, II is because of the confusion
and misapprehension which prevails
, concerning Col Ashley's relationship
whose estate he now owns as her
great-grandson.
Broadlands is a beautiful old place
wi ich formerly belonged to the st.
Barbes. one of whom entertained King
James | there. The last oaronet Sir
John St Barrie. died there in 1928.
The place was then acquired by the
Temples-that is to say. the family
of Lord Palmerston. the second Wis.
count of whom aving the whole OF
the old mansion. perfectly Intact. in
closed In an outer she'll. His son,
Lord Palmerston, the statesman. sue
ceeded in 1912, to Broad ands. and to
his fathers irish peerage. which en-
abled him to sit in Il e house of COM
mons throughout his long political
career. and made his principal home
there until his death.
Perhaps the most extraordinary
thing about Broad'ands Is tI at II does
not contain a single stick of new fur-
/ niture. II is ali very much as Lord
! Palmerston left IL; Ills room. indeed,
is virtually untouched. and the old
, premier himself was wont TO pride
himself that he had left everything
| very much as / e had found IL when
| Broadlands passed into his hands at
the beginning of the last century.
lected by the second Viscount Pal
merston, who, having a large fortune,
seems to have been good deal of a
connoisseur, a great traveller and an
+, enthusa astic collector, buying every
thing Il at took his fancy, Many Of
the things which he purchased and
set aside for the eventual adornment
of one or another OF the rooms or gall
leries he forgot all about and II is
not so long ago that Col. Ashley came
upon a large portfolio which had been
purchased by the second viscoune
Somewhere about 1880. and had never
bssn touched from that day.