Biography
Lady Cecilai Sempill (1903-1984) was the elder daughter of Mr and Mrs Bertram Edward Dunbar- Kilburn, of Ledwell Sanford St Martin, Oxfordshire. She became the second wife of the 19th Baron Sempill (1893-1965), whom she married in 1941. His daughter from his first marriage, Ann Moira inherited and became Lady Forbes-Sempill.
Cecilia opened the shop Dunbar Hay Ltd (1936-40) of 15 Albemarle Street, London W1. It was founded in 1936 with Athole Hay (1901-38) and gave opportunities for graphic artists and students from the Royal College of Art, where Cecilia had studied and Athole was a Registrar. These included Eric Ravilious, Eric Bawden and Enid Marx, to show their designs, including furniture, furnishings, ceramics, fabrics, patterns. Ravilious designed the wood-engraved trade card for the shop, which closed in 1940 because of WW2. In 1947 Cecilia published English Pottery and China as part of the Britian in pictures series of books. Lady Semill was as Contemporary Art Society Committee Member (1945-9) and was appointed buyer for the CAS Pottery and Crafts Fund (1928-48), after the death of its previously sole adminsrator, Ernest Marsh (1863-1945) in 1945.
