Lady Astor

[Ghazala]

Lady Astor, the first woman MP to take her seat was given protection by the Navy when campaigning in the rougher parts of her Plymouth constituency. One day, when accompanied by an admiral in full fig, she knocked at a slum door and was greeted by a girl. “Is your mother in?” Lady Astor asked. “No,” said the girl, “but she said that if any lady calls with a sailor you can use the upstairs room and leave five shillings on the mantelpiece.”

[seaJane]

 

 

As she said to a certain actress called Jean who insisted on mispronouncing her name, "No, no; the 't' is silent, as in 'Harlow'."

[Ghazala]

1 minute ago, seaJane said:

 

 

As she said to a certain actress called Jean who insisted on mispronouncing her name, "No, no; the 't' is silent, as in 'Harlow'."

Good one sJ.

[sassenach]

She is alleged to have said while addressing a temperance meeting; "I would rather commit adultery a thousand times than drink a single pint of beer." A chap in a flat cap replied "So would I, Your Ladyship, so would I."

[Moonraker]

1 hour ago, Ghazala said:

.... “No,” said the girl, “but she said that if any lady calls with a sailor you can use the upstairs room and leave five shillings on the mantelpiece.”

Some versions of this tale (dare I say, perhaps an apocryphal one) have the sum as 10 shillings.

 

One or two further witticisms here.

 

And 16 here.

 

Moonraker

[Guest]

   She used to commandeer Plymouth Corporation buses- regarding them as taxis. A bus would be signed to run from A to B-she would get on and order the driver to go to C. Both driver and other passengers usually complied.

    When I saw her in 1959, when she came to receive the Freedom of the City, she was indistinguishable from the Giles Granny.

    

[sassenach]

Plymouth has had some colourful MPs. It was said that Alan Clark kept a wad of fivers in his desk drawer just to get rid of whingeing constituents. And there was Janet Fookes, who did that infamous interview when Robin Day complimented her about her hair and asked why she wasn't married.

[Steven Broomfield]

17 hours ago, seaJane said:

 

 

As she said to a certain actress called Jean who insisted on mispronouncing her name, "No, no; the 't' is silent, as in 'Harlow'."

 

That story always intrigues me: which bit of Nancy Astor has a silent 'T' in it?

[Stoppage Drill]

Mr Asquith’s missus

Edited 8 August , 2018 by Stoppage Drill

[Stoppage Drill]

18 hours ago, Moonraker said:

Some versions of this tale (dare I say, perhaps an apocryphal one) have the sum as 10 shillings.

 

Moonraker

 

So much funnier than five shillngs

[Steven Broomfield]

2/6 for cash?

[seaJane]

3 hours ago, Steven Broomfield said:

 

That story always intrigues me: which bit of Nancy Astor has a silent 'T' in it?

Oops confusing Margot Asquith with Nancy Astor. Mea culpa mea culpa

[michaeldr]

Do Americans pronounce the 'T' in Witcher?

[Steven Broomfield]

They don't pronounce the T in anything - seems to have morphed into a D sound.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Steven Broomfield said:

2/6 for cash?

 

    I think that is the George Bernard Shaw sum-   Would you sleep with me for £10,000?   Hmm-Yes.  2/6 for cash?    What do you think I am?  We have established what you are, just negotiating the price.............

[Ghazala]

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."

"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

 

[Steven Broomfield]

12 hours ago, Ghazala said:

A member of Parliament to Disraeli: "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease."

"That depends, Sir," said Disraeli, "whether I embrace your policies or your mistress."

 

 

That quote is (or at least was) on Phil Andrade's signature, attributed to an earlier generation of politicians (Wilkes?)

Edited 9 August , 2018 by Steven Broomfield

[PhilB]

Not to be confused with Irene, Baroness Astor, daughter of Earl Haig, no less.

[Stoppage Drill]

Usually attributed to John Wilkes answering the Earl of Sandwich’ and it’s “pox” not “unspeakable disease”

[Stoppage Drill]

Nancy’s first Hubbie was Robert Gould Shaw II, named for his cousin RGS who died at Fort Wagner, Charleston SC, at the head of his regiment, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry in July 1863.

 

She was reviled by the 8th Army from 1944 onwards, for referring to them as “D-Day Dodgers.” She denied doing so.

[sassenach]

Shaw was portrayed in the film "Glory."

[Stoppage Drill]

He Shaw was.

 

Matthew Broderick.

[David Filsell]

Welcome to the forum Matthew

[Ghazala]

From Arthur Russell talking of Lady Astor’s visit to Clouds Hill...

 

“There were no toilets in the cottage.  Lady Astor said she wanted the toilet.   Call from Lawrence “Russell would you show Lady Astor the toilet please”.   So I took her outside into the Rhododendrons.   I said “You sit on that bough and hold on to these”, and I walked away.   When she came back you should have heard the language.   She could use it and she did!, most amusing he was just waiting for it.   We met a lot of people there.”