Muriel Duncombe, Viscountess Helmsley

Muriel Duncombe, Viscountess Helmsley (1859–1925), was a figure associated with the early 20th-century Garden City movement in the United Kingdom. She served as the first Secretary of the Women's League within the Garden City Association, the organization that contributed to the development of planned communities such as Letchworth Garden City.

Born in 1859, she was named Lady Muriel Frances Louisa Chetwynd-Talbot. Her parents were Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 19th Earl of Shrewsbury, and Anna Theresa Cockerell. In 1876, at the age of seventeen, she married William Duncombe, Viscount Helmsley. The marriage resulted in two children: a son and a daughter. William Duncombe died in 1881. In 1885, she married Hugh Darby Annesley Owen; he died in 1908.

Her involvement in the Garden City movement occurred during a period marked by significant social change and the growth of the women's suffrage movement. The Garden City Association (GCA), established in 1899 to promote the movement's principles, formed a Women's League by 1903. This league aimed to address the needs of homes from the perspectives of "wives and mothers." As leader and inaugural Secretary of the Women's League, Viscountess Helmsley promoted participation by engaging women through personal outreach, circulating informational leaflets, facilitating meetings and lectures, and encouraging investment in the First Garden City Ltd., the developer of Letchworth.

She contributed articles that emphasized the importance of understanding the benefits of Garden City living, advocating for improvements over slum housing conditions and promoting the concept of affordable, wholesome homes conducive to healthy development in both physical and mental aspects. In June 1907, at her residence in Chelsea, London, a meeting resulted in the election of six Women's League officers, with her elected as President. The group also committed to raising funds to construct two cottages at Letchworth.

Beyond her work with the Garden City movement, Viscountess Helmsley was involved in political and social activities. She was active within the Conservative Party in Islington, London. Additionally, she chaired the National Society of Day Nurseries and served as Honorary Secretary of the Women's Institute Training College Branch for Nursing.

She passed away at her residence in London on 2 March 1925.