Michael and Simon Asquith

[Dani1923]

Whatever happened to Michael and Simon Asquith?

I think they, especially Simon, were Barrie’s last very close boy companions.

I know they are both long dead and they both had children, but what were their careers when they grew up?

Did they ever talk about Barrie after Barrie’s death? Like in an interview or something like that?

I just found out that Simon’s oldest son Conrad was, probably still is, an actor, and one of his jobs was a role in Doctor Who in the 70’s!

[Brutus]

According to Nicola Beauman's biography of Cynthia Asquith, both Michael and Simon were a disappointment, as neither were a success academically nor did they follow the kind of career she would have wanted. She later acknowledged that she probably thoroughly spoilt them when they were young and they felt entitled! Apparently, in Cynthia's latter years, her relationship with Simon had completely deteriorated. She tried to set up Simon in a publishing career in the publishing firm of James Barrie (nephew of JMB) but that didn't work out. Peter and Nico Llewelyn Davies didn't get on with the Asquith boys, so they never maintained any relations with them after Barrie's death.

The only interview I've heard of was with Janet Dunbar when she was researching her biography of JMB. One thing is for sure: Michael and Simon didn't waste any time to make money from Cynthia's inheritance and they promptly sold her archives and letters. They also enjoyed the royalties from Barrie's works which they inherited on her death and that would have amounted to a nice income, as his plays were still very popular up to the end of the 20th century and Barrie's copyright expired in the UK and Europe in 2007.

For information on their family and descendants, here are some links

http://www.thepeerage.com/p6986.htm#i69855
http://www.thepeerage.com/p6987.htm#i69866

Hope this helps!

[Dani1923]

That was was helpful! Thank you very much! 

[ecb]

I quite got the idea that Nico had NO use for Simon Asquith from his letters!

[Dani1923]

Actually I never quite understood was the Davies boys had against the Asquith boys? I understand Sylvia, but her sons??

[Dani1923]

I’m sorry!! I meant Cynthia Asquith! I’m such an idiot!!

[Brutus]

I suspect the LD boys didn't get on with the Asquiths because Simon and Michael were very spoilt and full of themselves. Cynthia was a snob and full of a sense of superiority because she was the daughter of a lord and daughter-in-law of a lord and Prime Minister, and she most probably looked down on the LDs whom she would have considered from a different class. It's likely that she passed on her snobbishness to her sons.

Here's a bit of trivia: Michael's son Stephen married Nicola Scott, daughter of Sir Peter Scott (son of Captain Scott and Kathleen Bruce, and Barrie's godson), who was brought up in Barrie's house in Bayswater, Leinster Corner.  Kathleen and her second husband Hilton Young bought the house in the 1920s and her descendants lived there until it was sold a couple of years ago. Small world.

[Dani1923]

That is an interesting fact!  Thanks for the info! But now I’m wondering why JMB would want to spend time with people who were so stuck up?
The only guess I can make is he was desperate to have another family relationship like he had with the Davies’, especially after Michael LD’s death. According to the Letters of JMB, he told Cynthia multiple times that her and her boys, especially Simon, cheered him up. So I’m sure he needed them to help him with his grief and loneliness.

[Dani1923]

Here are some interesting things I found today about Michael Asquith!

Here’s a picture of an adult Michael Asquith and a picture of him and his second wife Elizabeth.

https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/michael-asquith-son-of-lady-cynthia-asquith-and-herbert-asquith-lady-chatterley-story-1356714a

https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/elizabeth-asquith-and-husband-michael-who-is-the-grandson-of-the-liberal-prime-minister-the-earl-of-oxford-and-asquith-she-was-told-to-buy-two-seats-on-an-aircraft-one-for-herself-the-other-for-her-stiff-right-leg-1356625a

The most interesting thing I found was about Michael’s first wife Diana Battye. Apparently, before her and Michael got married, she went missing for some reason, then about a week later, she was found crying in front of Cynthia Asquith’s house.
 Here are some newspaper clips talking about it.

https://img9.newspapers.com/clip/43888165/missing-london-girl-diana-battye-1937/

https://www.nytimes.com/1937/06/08/archives/missing-english-girl.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1937/06/09/archives/diana-battye-is-found-found-iii-near-london-home-of-fiance-michael.html

Here are newspaper clips, a photo, and a video talking about their marriage in 1938.

https://www.agelastos.com/genealogy/showmedia.php?mediaID=4915&medialinkID=7689

https://www.nytimes.com/1938/02/18/archives/michael-asquith-wed-grandson-of-exprime-minister-marries-miss.html

https://www.agelastos.com/genealogy/showmedia.php?mediaID=4919&medialinkID=7693

http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0abdb2db4ff449018925fd9fa1b53d25

Michael and Diana got divorced in 1952.

Finally, here’s a picture of one of their sons, Stephen, as a boy. And an obituary of their other son Peter, who died just last year at the age of 71, this was posted on Keith W. Boraston Funeral Directors Facebook page:

https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp134215/stephen-andrew-romilly-michael-asquith


Obituary Notice
Peter Edward Asquith late of Kidderminster.
Tragically Passed away on 1st March 2019 age 71 after a fire related accident at his flat in Kidderminster,
and only a few month's after the loss of his loving wife.
A church service followed by a burial service is to take place on Monday 25.03.2019
Peter's coffin will arrive at 1pm and be placed in the church.
A service by Revrand Robert Legge will take place at 2pm
2.45. Peter will be reunited with his late wife Margaret at St Georges Church cemetery  Kidderminster.
Donations are to go to St Georges
A reception afterwards at the church.
Our condolences to Peter's family and friends.