My current work in progress is the final book in my Scandalous Women of the Ton series. Here is a sneak peek of the cover! I hope you like it. I think it looks gorgeous! For this book, Forbidden, I have a heroine who unexpectedly inherits both an estate and a title. I’m braced for those readers who will tell me that it isn’t possible for women to inherit titles. In fact it is, as I’m sure you know. In the British peerage there are by my reckoning currently nine females who hold their title in their own right through inheritance, and throughout history there have been quite a number.
When I was researching an estate on which to base Templemore, the Earldom in the book, I wanted to find an existing estate that could be inherited in the female line and to my surprise found one just down the road from me in Wiltshire. The Manor of Savernake has not been bought or sold for a thousand years and the estate has passed down from father or mother to son or daughter during that time. I blogged about my visit to Savernake on my own blog a while ago but here is an updated blog post with additional material from a recent visit I made there.
History
There aren't many places in England (as opposed to the UK) where you can still get lost in a wilderness 
and there are even fewer ancient forests where you can wander for hours without seeing another person. Savernake Forest is one of those few remaining places. It forms a large part of the Savernake estate, which currently belongs to the Earl of Cardigan.
No one can say how old Savernake Forest is. It pre-dates the Norman Conquest of 1066 and there is a reference to it as "Safernoc" in a Saxon Charter from King Athelstan in 934AD. After 1066 the wardenship of the forest was given to Richard Esturmy, a Norman knight, and Savernake Forest has passed down from father to son or daughter in an unbroken line for 31 generations, never once being bought or sold in a thousand years. Today it is the only forest in Britain still in private hands.
Wolf Hall
One of Savernake's claims to fame is that it was here, at the fabulously named Wolf Hall, that Henry VIII courted Jane Seymour although they apparently met at Littlecote House nearby. There is a stained glass window in the Great Hall at Littlecote with their individual crests on and also one royal one with H & J on it. Littlecote is well worth a visit if you are ever in the area – it’s a house of great antiquity with any number of ghostly sightings!
Wolf Hall, referred to as Ulfela, in the Domesday Book of 1086 was the ancestral home of the Wardens of the Forest, first the Esturmys and then the Seymours, who came to it via the female line. Local tradition states that Jane and Henry married in the ancient barn at Wolf Hall although it is more likely that a wedding feast was held there in celebration. The barn survived into the 20th century and when it burned down in the 1920s it apparently still had the hooks on which the wedding decorations and tapestries had hung. The Seymours had left Wolf Hall to live in Tottenham Lodge by 1575 (for a while it was given over to servant accommodation) and in 1665 it was partially demolished to help rebuild Tottenham Park after fire damage. The picture above left is a postcard of Wolf Hall from the early 20th century. You can see how much it has been changed and rebuilt over the centuries. The postcard on the right is the 16th 
century barn. The name Wolf Hall could have several derivations: either from "Wulfan -heall" (Wulfa's hall or palace) or "wulfan-healh" (a corner of land frequented by wolves). Wolves were common in the Savernake Forest until the 14th century, a fact which is all too easy to imagine as you walk along the leafy paths deep within green darkness.
Tottenham House
By the 18th century the forest had come into the ownership of the Bruce family through marriage with the Seymours and a "new" Tottenham House was built in 1742 to a design by Lord Burlington. The family rose in prominence and Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury, was Governor to the Prince of Wales (later George IV) and Prince Frederick. The Earl employed Lancelot 'Capability' Brown to plant huge beech avenues in Savernake Forest including the Grand Avenue which runs through the heart of the Forest and at 3.9 miles (dead straight) stands in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest avenue in Britain. Capability Brown's intention was that the forest should be made part of the parkland 
of Tottenham House. The scattered coppices, meadows, scrub, and heath should be united, into "one great whole." Ancient ponds and wooded glades for animal grazing were all turned into landscape features and other drives and avenues cut through the forest. In 1820 Tottenham House was redesigned again, this time as a grand Palladian mansion, building a much larger structure around the older Burlington house and covering the old bricks with blocks of Bath stone. In 1870 two large symmetrical wings were also added completing the extraordinarily grand house that still stands today.
The Madness of King George
Facing Tottenham House, on a hilltop at the end of another long avenue, is the Ailesbury Column, 
erected in the 1781. The inscription on its base reads: "This Column was erected By Thomas Bruce Earl of Ailesbury As a Testimony Of Gratitude To his ever honoured Uncle, Charles Earl of Ailesbury and Elgin, who left to him these Estates And procured for him the Barony of Tottenham, And of Loyalty to his most Gracious Sovereign GEORGE III Who unsolicited conferred upon him The honour of an Earldom; but above all of Piety To GOD, FIRST, HIGHEST, BEST, whose blessing consecrateth every gift And fixeth its true Value." Another inscription was added in 1789 to celebrate the "recovery" of George III from one of his bouts of illness: "In commemoration of a signal instance of heaven’s protecting providence over these kingdoms in the year 1789 by restoring to perfect Health from a long and afflicting disorder their excellent and belov'd sovereign George III this tablet was inspired by Thomas Bruce Earl of Ailesbury." I thought this was a splendidly ostantatious way to display one's loyalty to the King! It was by the column that we stopped to have our picnic in the sunshine. The view down from the hilltop towards Tottenham House was stunning.
On our walk back through the forest (using GPS to find our way back to the car because the woods are so dense!) we passed a number of the huge, ancient oak trees for which Savernake is also famous. The oldest of these pollarded trees is the Big Belly Oak, which has a girth of 11 metres and is 1000–1100 years old. Of a similar age is the Duke's Vaunt Oak, and other veteran trees we saw included the King Oak, the Queen Oak and the Pointing Oak. Savernake apparently has the largest collection of veteran trees in Europe and it is an amazing feeling to be walking amongst trees that would have been standing when King Henry VIII came here to hunt over this same ground. I think that my heroine is going to feel a similar sense of grandeur and astonishment when she first sees Templemore as I did on my walk through Savernake. She will be overawed too, to inherit an estate that has not once been bought or sold in a thousand years!
Do you like to know the "real" places behind historical romances? Which are your favourites? Would you like to inherit an estate as grand as Savernake or would you, like my heroine, find it overwhelming? And what would you do with it if you did? Open it to the public, turn the woods into pleasure gardens, or use it for some other purpose?
You are busting all my cherished beliefs, Nicola! I know I’ve read resource after resource that says only a barony can be inherited by a female and that it takes an act of Parliament to pass a title through the female line. I want to know more about these titled women!
And forests… I’d thought all of England was nearly bare of the original trees by the 19th century. How did they manage to keep these from being stripped bare for firewood and building, or at the least by ravenous armies?
And I would become a hermit of the forest should I inherit such a wondrous gift!
You are busting all my cherished beliefs, Nicola! I know I’ve read resource after resource that says only a barony can be inherited by a female and that it takes an act of Parliament to pass a title through the female line. I want to know more about these titled women!
And forests… I’d thought all of England was nearly bare of the original trees by the 19th century. How did they manage to keep these from being stripped bare for firewood and building, or at the least by ravenous armies?
And I would become a hermit of the forest should I inherit such a wondrous gift!
You are busting all my cherished beliefs, Nicola! I know I’ve read resource after resource that says only a barony can be inherited by a female and that it takes an act of Parliament to pass a title through the female line. I want to know more about these titled women!
And forests… I’d thought all of England was nearly bare of the original trees by the 19th century. How did they manage to keep these from being stripped bare for firewood and building, or at the least by ravenous armies?
And I would become a hermit of the forest should I inherit such a wondrous gift!
You are busting all my cherished beliefs, Nicola! I know I’ve read resource after resource that says only a barony can be inherited by a female and that it takes an act of Parliament to pass a title through the female line. I want to know more about these titled women!
And forests… I’d thought all of England was nearly bare of the original trees by the 19th century. How did they manage to keep these from being stripped bare for firewood and building, or at the least by ravenous armies?
And I would become a hermit of the forest should I inherit such a wondrous gift!
You are busting all my cherished beliefs, Nicola! I know I’ve read resource after resource that says only a barony can be inherited by a female and that it takes an act of Parliament to pass a title through the female line. I want to know more about these titled women!
And forests… I’d thought all of England was nearly bare of the original trees by the 19th century. How did they manage to keep these from being stripped bare for firewood and building, or at the least by ravenous armies?
And I would become a hermit of the forest should I inherit such a wondrous gift!
What a breathtaking spot! I’m sure I’d find the size and history of such an inheritance as overwhelming as your heroine does. I really think I’d rather have a humble cottage somewhere in the forest.
What a breathtaking spot! I’m sure I’d find the size and history of such an inheritance as overwhelming as your heroine does. I really think I’d rather have a humble cottage somewhere in the forest.
What a breathtaking spot! I’m sure I’d find the size and history of such an inheritance as overwhelming as your heroine does. I really think I’d rather have a humble cottage somewhere in the forest.
What a breathtaking spot! I’m sure I’d find the size and history of such an inheritance as overwhelming as your heroine does. I really think I’d rather have a humble cottage somewhere in the forest.
What a breathtaking spot! I’m sure I’d find the size and history of such an inheritance as overwhelming as your heroine does. I really think I’d rather have a humble cottage somewhere in the forest.
LOL, Pat! Well, yes, the laws around inheritance by peeresses in their own right are extremely complicated but if the peerage was created with the provision for a female to inherit, then title as well as the land can go down the female line. Perhaps I should blog about this in detail when the book comes out just in case people don’t believe me!
There certainly was a great deal of stripping of timber from great estates during the 17th and 18th centuries but some forests survived, though greatly diminished.
LOL, Pat! Well, yes, the laws around inheritance by peeresses in their own right are extremely complicated but if the peerage was created with the provision for a female to inherit, then title as well as the land can go down the female line. Perhaps I should blog about this in detail when the book comes out just in case people don’t believe me!
There certainly was a great deal of stripping of timber from great estates during the 17th and 18th centuries but some forests survived, though greatly diminished.
LOL, Pat! Well, yes, the laws around inheritance by peeresses in their own right are extremely complicated but if the peerage was created with the provision for a female to inherit, then title as well as the land can go down the female line. Perhaps I should blog about this in detail when the book comes out just in case people don’t believe me!
There certainly was a great deal of stripping of timber from great estates during the 17th and 18th centuries but some forests survived, though greatly diminished.
LOL, Pat! Well, yes, the laws around inheritance by peeresses in their own right are extremely complicated but if the peerage was created with the provision for a female to inherit, then title as well as the land can go down the female line. Perhaps I should blog about this in detail when the book comes out just in case people don’t believe me!
There certainly was a great deal of stripping of timber from great estates during the 17th and 18th centuries but some forests survived, though greatly diminished.
LOL, Pat! Well, yes, the laws around inheritance by peeresses in their own right are extremely complicated but if the peerage was created with the provision for a female to inherit, then title as well as the land can go down the female line. Perhaps I should blog about this in detail when the book comes out just in case people don’t believe me!
There certainly was a great deal of stripping of timber from great estates during the 17th and 18th centuries but some forests survived, though greatly diminished.
There are some lovely little cottages in the forest for you to choose from, Jennie!
There are some lovely little cottages in the forest for you to choose from, Jennie!
There are some lovely little cottages in the forest for you to choose from, Jennie!
There are some lovely little cottages in the forest for you to choose from, Jennie!
There are some lovely little cottages in the forest for you to choose from, Jennie!
What an awe-inspiring estate! I had no idea any estate could be traced back through an unbroken chain of inheritance for so long. I expect allowing female inheritance is a reason the line didn’t die out. Now, if only I could visit! I think I’d find such an inheritance overwhelming–but I like to think I’d take to it. 🙂
What an awe-inspiring estate! I had no idea any estate could be traced back through an unbroken chain of inheritance for so long. I expect allowing female inheritance is a reason the line didn’t die out. Now, if only I could visit! I think I’d find such an inheritance overwhelming–but I like to think I’d take to it. 🙂
What an awe-inspiring estate! I had no idea any estate could be traced back through an unbroken chain of inheritance for so long. I expect allowing female inheritance is a reason the line didn’t die out. Now, if only I could visit! I think I’d find such an inheritance overwhelming–but I like to think I’d take to it. 🙂
What an awe-inspiring estate! I had no idea any estate could be traced back through an unbroken chain of inheritance for so long. I expect allowing female inheritance is a reason the line didn’t die out. Now, if only I could visit! I think I’d find such an inheritance overwhelming–but I like to think I’d take to it. 🙂
What an awe-inspiring estate! I had no idea any estate could be traced back through an unbroken chain of inheritance for so long. I expect allowing female inheritance is a reason the line didn’t die out. Now, if only I could visit! I think I’d find such an inheritance overwhelming–but I like to think I’d take to it. 🙂
Jo here. I, too, have a heroine who inherited a title in her own right — Diana, Countess of Arradale. The Dukedom of Marlborough is, I think, the highest title that can go to a woman — if we don’t count the monarchy.
Pat, perhaps the places on line that say that women can’t inherit titles mean in cases where there’s an elder daughter but a younger son. If there’s a son, they always get it. Hmmm, could have a plot where a twenty-something woman is trying to kill off her unwelcome baby brother….
Diana is distinctly peeved that she doesn’t get the Arradale seat in the House of Lords!
Jo
Jo here. I, too, have a heroine who inherited a title in her own right — Diana, Countess of Arradale. The Dukedom of Marlborough is, I think, the highest title that can go to a woman — if we don’t count the monarchy.
Pat, perhaps the places on line that say that women can’t inherit titles mean in cases where there’s an elder daughter but a younger son. If there’s a son, they always get it. Hmmm, could have a plot where a twenty-something woman is trying to kill off her unwelcome baby brother….
Diana is distinctly peeved that she doesn’t get the Arradale seat in the House of Lords!
Jo
Jo here. I, too, have a heroine who inherited a title in her own right — Diana, Countess of Arradale. The Dukedom of Marlborough is, I think, the highest title that can go to a woman — if we don’t count the monarchy.
Pat, perhaps the places on line that say that women can’t inherit titles mean in cases where there’s an elder daughter but a younger son. If there’s a son, they always get it. Hmmm, could have a plot where a twenty-something woman is trying to kill off her unwelcome baby brother….
Diana is distinctly peeved that she doesn’t get the Arradale seat in the House of Lords!
Jo
Jo here. I, too, have a heroine who inherited a title in her own right — Diana, Countess of Arradale. The Dukedom of Marlborough is, I think, the highest title that can go to a woman — if we don’t count the monarchy.
Pat, perhaps the places on line that say that women can’t inherit titles mean in cases where there’s an elder daughter but a younger son. If there’s a son, they always get it. Hmmm, could have a plot where a twenty-something woman is trying to kill off her unwelcome baby brother….
Diana is distinctly peeved that she doesn’t get the Arradale seat in the House of Lords!
Jo
Jo here. I, too, have a heroine who inherited a title in her own right — Diana, Countess of Arradale. The Dukedom of Marlborough is, I think, the highest title that can go to a woman — if we don’t count the monarchy.
Pat, perhaps the places on line that say that women can’t inherit titles mean in cases where there’s an elder daughter but a younger son. If there’s a son, they always get it. Hmmm, could have a plot where a twenty-something woman is trying to kill off her unwelcome baby brother….
Diana is distinctly peeved that she doesn’t get the Arradale seat in the House of Lords!
Jo
Terrific post, Nicola. I do envy you your ability to visit the places you set your books in. For me it’s the odd bit of travel, where I’m soaking up everything like a sponge, and then a lot of internet and book research.
If I owned a huge estate, I’d want the money to go with it, so that the management wouldn’t be such a burden. And yes, I’d open it some of the time to the public. I’ve had so much pleasure from visiting beautiful and grand houses and gardens that I’d want to share the pleasure around.
Terrific post, Nicola. I do envy you your ability to visit the places you set your books in. For me it’s the odd bit of travel, where I’m soaking up everything like a sponge, and then a lot of internet and book research.
If I owned a huge estate, I’d want the money to go with it, so that the management wouldn’t be such a burden. And yes, I’d open it some of the time to the public. I’ve had so much pleasure from visiting beautiful and grand houses and gardens that I’d want to share the pleasure around.
Terrific post, Nicola. I do envy you your ability to visit the places you set your books in. For me it’s the odd bit of travel, where I’m soaking up everything like a sponge, and then a lot of internet and book research.
If I owned a huge estate, I’d want the money to go with it, so that the management wouldn’t be such a burden. And yes, I’d open it some of the time to the public. I’ve had so much pleasure from visiting beautiful and grand houses and gardens that I’d want to share the pleasure around.
Terrific post, Nicola. I do envy you your ability to visit the places you set your books in. For me it’s the odd bit of travel, where I’m soaking up everything like a sponge, and then a lot of internet and book research.
If I owned a huge estate, I’d want the money to go with it, so that the management wouldn’t be such a burden. And yes, I’d open it some of the time to the public. I’ve had so much pleasure from visiting beautiful and grand houses and gardens that I’d want to share the pleasure around.
Terrific post, Nicola. I do envy you your ability to visit the places you set your books in. For me it’s the odd bit of travel, where I’m soaking up everything like a sponge, and then a lot of internet and book research.
If I owned a huge estate, I’d want the money to go with it, so that the management wouldn’t be such a burden. And yes, I’d open it some of the time to the public. I’ve had so much pleasure from visiting beautiful and grand houses and gardens that I’d want to share the pleasure around.
Fascinating and informative post, Nicola! I LOVE this sort of research and I do envy you the ability to visit these incredible places. What a legacy, to be able to trace one’s inheritance back that far. And with so many of the younger generation of peers selling off their inheritance it is nice to see a family hang on to it.
I would definitely be in awe of inheriting something this magnificent and steeped in history, but I would do whatever I had to do to keep it. And if that included opening it to the public I would definitely do so.
Fascinating and informative post, Nicola! I LOVE this sort of research and I do envy you the ability to visit these incredible places. What a legacy, to be able to trace one’s inheritance back that far. And with so many of the younger generation of peers selling off their inheritance it is nice to see a family hang on to it.
I would definitely be in awe of inheriting something this magnificent and steeped in history, but I would do whatever I had to do to keep it. And if that included opening it to the public I would definitely do so.
Fascinating and informative post, Nicola! I LOVE this sort of research and I do envy you the ability to visit these incredible places. What a legacy, to be able to trace one’s inheritance back that far. And with so many of the younger generation of peers selling off their inheritance it is nice to see a family hang on to it.
I would definitely be in awe of inheriting something this magnificent and steeped in history, but I would do whatever I had to do to keep it. And if that included opening it to the public I would definitely do so.
Fascinating and informative post, Nicola! I LOVE this sort of research and I do envy you the ability to visit these incredible places. What a legacy, to be able to trace one’s inheritance back that far. And with so many of the younger generation of peers selling off their inheritance it is nice to see a family hang on to it.
I would definitely be in awe of inheriting something this magnificent and steeped in history, but I would do whatever I had to do to keep it. And if that included opening it to the public I would definitely do so.
Fascinating and informative post, Nicola! I LOVE this sort of research and I do envy you the ability to visit these incredible places. What a legacy, to be able to trace one’s inheritance back that far. And with so many of the younger generation of peers selling off their inheritance it is nice to see a family hang on to it.
I would definitely be in awe of inheriting something this magnificent and steeped in history, but I would do whatever I had to do to keep it. And if that included opening it to the public I would definitely do so.
OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am vindicated!
I have a paranormal regency in which my Hn inherits her estate from her deceased parents. You have no idea (well, maybe you do!) how many times I’ve been told that women can’t EVEREVEREVEREVEREVER! inherit! Period. End of discussion. To the exclusion of the story, the craft, the characters or anything else. They get so fixated on that one thing, I’ve stopped letting others read it. And it’s a darned good story!
You have no idea how good this post has made me feel. Even if this particular story is never picked up, I know all of the facts I poured through to make sure things were right worked.
I would love to have an estate like Savernake but only like Anne, if I had the funds to support it. I’d find the perfect little cottage on the estate, tucked away in a quiet corner somewhere and I’d open the rest to the public to enjoy (with proper conservatorship of course) ;o)
OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am vindicated!
I have a paranormal regency in which my Hn inherits her estate from her deceased parents. You have no idea (well, maybe you do!) how many times I’ve been told that women can’t EVEREVEREVEREVEREVER! inherit! Period. End of discussion. To the exclusion of the story, the craft, the characters or anything else. They get so fixated on that one thing, I’ve stopped letting others read it. And it’s a darned good story!
You have no idea how good this post has made me feel. Even if this particular story is never picked up, I know all of the facts I poured through to make sure things were right worked.
I would love to have an estate like Savernake but only like Anne, if I had the funds to support it. I’d find the perfect little cottage on the estate, tucked away in a quiet corner somewhere and I’d open the rest to the public to enjoy (with proper conservatorship of course) ;o)
OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am vindicated!
I have a paranormal regency in which my Hn inherits her estate from her deceased parents. You have no idea (well, maybe you do!) how many times I’ve been told that women can’t EVEREVEREVEREVEREVER! inherit! Period. End of discussion. To the exclusion of the story, the craft, the characters or anything else. They get so fixated on that one thing, I’ve stopped letting others read it. And it’s a darned good story!
You have no idea how good this post has made me feel. Even if this particular story is never picked up, I know all of the facts I poured through to make sure things were right worked.
I would love to have an estate like Savernake but only like Anne, if I had the funds to support it. I’d find the perfect little cottage on the estate, tucked away in a quiet corner somewhere and I’d open the rest to the public to enjoy (with proper conservatorship of course) ;o)
OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am vindicated!
I have a paranormal regency in which my Hn inherits her estate from her deceased parents. You have no idea (well, maybe you do!) how many times I’ve been told that women can’t EVEREVEREVEREVEREVER! inherit! Period. End of discussion. To the exclusion of the story, the craft, the characters or anything else. They get so fixated on that one thing, I’ve stopped letting others read it. And it’s a darned good story!
You have no idea how good this post has made me feel. Even if this particular story is never picked up, I know all of the facts I poured through to make sure things were right worked.
I would love to have an estate like Savernake but only like Anne, if I had the funds to support it. I’d find the perfect little cottage on the estate, tucked away in a quiet corner somewhere and I’d open the rest to the public to enjoy (with proper conservatorship of course) ;o)
OH. MY. GOODNESS!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am vindicated!
I have a paranormal regency in which my Hn inherits her estate from her deceased parents. You have no idea (well, maybe you do!) how many times I’ve been told that women can’t EVEREVEREVEREVEREVER! inherit! Period. End of discussion. To the exclusion of the story, the craft, the characters or anything else. They get so fixated on that one thing, I’ve stopped letting others read it. And it’s a darned good story!
You have no idea how good this post has made me feel. Even if this particular story is never picked up, I know all of the facts I poured through to make sure things were right worked.
I would love to have an estate like Savernake but only like Anne, if I had the funds to support it. I’d find the perfect little cottage on the estate, tucked away in a quiet corner somewhere and I’d open the rest to the public to enjoy (with proper conservatorship of course) ;o)
Oh. One more thing. Please, please blog on the whole women inheriting thing. I would love to learn more.
Oh. One more thing. Please, please blog on the whole women inheriting thing. I would love to learn more.
Oh. One more thing. Please, please blog on the whole women inheriting thing. I would love to learn more.
Oh. One more thing. Please, please blog on the whole women inheriting thing. I would love to learn more.
Oh. One more thing. Please, please blog on the whole women inheriting thing. I would love to learn more.
Allowing inheritance through the female line certainly makes continuity easier, I think, Vivian. Like you I would be overwhelmed by the responsibility but I’m sure we would rise to the occasion!
Allowing inheritance through the female line certainly makes continuity easier, I think, Vivian. Like you I would be overwhelmed by the responsibility but I’m sure we would rise to the occasion!
Allowing inheritance through the female line certainly makes continuity easier, I think, Vivian. Like you I would be overwhelmed by the responsibility but I’m sure we would rise to the occasion!
Allowing inheritance through the female line certainly makes continuity easier, I think, Vivian. Like you I would be overwhelmed by the responsibility but I’m sure we would rise to the occasion!
Allowing inheritance through the female line certainly makes continuity easier, I think, Vivian. Like you I would be overwhelmed by the responsibility but I’m sure we would rise to the occasion!
Jo, I love the sound of that plot! Theo, if people question your heroine inheriting you can always refer them to Jo’s book. It’s interesting how many people are convinced that peerages simply cannot be inherited in the female line, though. I suppose it’s because it is unusual – but not impossible!
Jo, I love the sound of that plot! Theo, if people question your heroine inheriting you can always refer them to Jo’s book. It’s interesting how many people are convinced that peerages simply cannot be inherited in the female line, though. I suppose it’s because it is unusual – but not impossible!
Jo, I love the sound of that plot! Theo, if people question your heroine inheriting you can always refer them to Jo’s book. It’s interesting how many people are convinced that peerages simply cannot be inherited in the female line, though. I suppose it’s because it is unusual – but not impossible!
Jo, I love the sound of that plot! Theo, if people question your heroine inheriting you can always refer them to Jo’s book. It’s interesting how many people are convinced that peerages simply cannot be inherited in the female line, though. I suppose it’s because it is unusual – but not impossible!
Jo, I love the sound of that plot! Theo, if people question your heroine inheriting you can always refer them to Jo’s book. It’s interesting how many people are convinced that peerages simply cannot be inherited in the female line, though. I suppose it’s because it is unusual – but not impossible!
Anne, you hit the nail on the head, I think. When the lease of Ashdown House was sold I thought then that you’d need a few million to buy it in the first place but so many more to keep it going. Stately homes must absolutely eat money. I should think it would be a constant challenge.
Louisa, isn’t it wonderful to be able to trace a family back so far?! And I think it would be fun to come up with ways of keeping it going financially – opening to the public, weddings, other functions… You’d need a strong entrepreneurial spirit!
Anne, you hit the nail on the head, I think. When the lease of Ashdown House was sold I thought then that you’d need a few million to buy it in the first place but so many more to keep it going. Stately homes must absolutely eat money. I should think it would be a constant challenge.
Louisa, isn’t it wonderful to be able to trace a family back so far?! And I think it would be fun to come up with ways of keeping it going financially – opening to the public, weddings, other functions… You’d need a strong entrepreneurial spirit!
Anne, you hit the nail on the head, I think. When the lease of Ashdown House was sold I thought then that you’d need a few million to buy it in the first place but so many more to keep it going. Stately homes must absolutely eat money. I should think it would be a constant challenge.
Louisa, isn’t it wonderful to be able to trace a family back so far?! And I think it would be fun to come up with ways of keeping it going financially – opening to the public, weddings, other functions… You’d need a strong entrepreneurial spirit!
Anne, you hit the nail on the head, I think. When the lease of Ashdown House was sold I thought then that you’d need a few million to buy it in the first place but so many more to keep it going. Stately homes must absolutely eat money. I should think it would be a constant challenge.
Louisa, isn’t it wonderful to be able to trace a family back so far?! And I think it would be fun to come up with ways of keeping it going financially – opening to the public, weddings, other functions… You’d need a strong entrepreneurial spirit!
Anne, you hit the nail on the head, I think. When the lease of Ashdown House was sold I thought then that you’d need a few million to buy it in the first place but so many more to keep it going. Stately homes must absolutely eat money. I should think it would be a constant challenge.
Louisa, isn’t it wonderful to be able to trace a family back so far?! And I think it would be fun to come up with ways of keeping it going financially – opening to the public, weddings, other functions… You’d need a strong entrepreneurial spirit!
I loved this post! The history behind the setting is so much fun to learn about. I remember going through George Washington’s Mt. Vernon hear in the States and seeing the key to the Bastille that was given to him by Lafayette. I got goosebumps just looking at it and thinking of where it had been and then it passing from Lafayette’s hands to Washington’s. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk where Henry VIII walked or rode. Inheriting a place like that would definitely be pretty intimidating, I would think, but fun as well (at least if you did have the money to take care of it properly). I like the idea of opening to the public, at least on a part-time basis, and especially the idea of special occasions like weddings, etc. And please do blog on the inheritance thing. I knew (because of Diana) that the female inheritance was possible but would enjoy hearing more.
I loved this post! The history behind the setting is so much fun to learn about. I remember going through George Washington’s Mt. Vernon hear in the States and seeing the key to the Bastille that was given to him by Lafayette. I got goosebumps just looking at it and thinking of where it had been and then it passing from Lafayette’s hands to Washington’s. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk where Henry VIII walked or rode. Inheriting a place like that would definitely be pretty intimidating, I would think, but fun as well (at least if you did have the money to take care of it properly). I like the idea of opening to the public, at least on a part-time basis, and especially the idea of special occasions like weddings, etc. And please do blog on the inheritance thing. I knew (because of Diana) that the female inheritance was possible but would enjoy hearing more.
I loved this post! The history behind the setting is so much fun to learn about. I remember going through George Washington’s Mt. Vernon hear in the States and seeing the key to the Bastille that was given to him by Lafayette. I got goosebumps just looking at it and thinking of where it had been and then it passing from Lafayette’s hands to Washington’s. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk where Henry VIII walked or rode. Inheriting a place like that would definitely be pretty intimidating, I would think, but fun as well (at least if you did have the money to take care of it properly). I like the idea of opening to the public, at least on a part-time basis, and especially the idea of special occasions like weddings, etc. And please do blog on the inheritance thing. I knew (because of Diana) that the female inheritance was possible but would enjoy hearing more.
I loved this post! The history behind the setting is so much fun to learn about. I remember going through George Washington’s Mt. Vernon hear in the States and seeing the key to the Bastille that was given to him by Lafayette. I got goosebumps just looking at it and thinking of where it had been and then it passing from Lafayette’s hands to Washington’s. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk where Henry VIII walked or rode. Inheriting a place like that would definitely be pretty intimidating, I would think, but fun as well (at least if you did have the money to take care of it properly). I like the idea of opening to the public, at least on a part-time basis, and especially the idea of special occasions like weddings, etc. And please do blog on the inheritance thing. I knew (because of Diana) that the female inheritance was possible but would enjoy hearing more.
I loved this post! The history behind the setting is so much fun to learn about. I remember going through George Washington’s Mt. Vernon hear in the States and seeing the key to the Bastille that was given to him by Lafayette. I got goosebumps just looking at it and thinking of where it had been and then it passing from Lafayette’s hands to Washington’s. I can’t imagine what it would be like to walk where Henry VIII walked or rode. Inheriting a place like that would definitely be pretty intimidating, I would think, but fun as well (at least if you did have the money to take care of it properly). I like the idea of opening to the public, at least on a part-time basis, and especially the idea of special occasions like weddings, etc. And please do blog on the inheritance thing. I knew (because of Diana) that the female inheritance was possible but would enjoy hearing more.
A terrific post, Nicola, I really enjoyed it. Just occasionally, the atmosphere of a place is almost tangible. Sometimes you can get so close to the past you feel as if you only have to stretch out your finger to touch it.
A terrific post, Nicola, I really enjoyed it. Just occasionally, the atmosphere of a place is almost tangible. Sometimes you can get so close to the past you feel as if you only have to stretch out your finger to touch it.
A terrific post, Nicola, I really enjoyed it. Just occasionally, the atmosphere of a place is almost tangible. Sometimes you can get so close to the past you feel as if you only have to stretch out your finger to touch it.
A terrific post, Nicola, I really enjoyed it. Just occasionally, the atmosphere of a place is almost tangible. Sometimes you can get so close to the past you feel as if you only have to stretch out your finger to touch it.
A terrific post, Nicola, I really enjoyed it. Just occasionally, the atmosphere of a place is almost tangible. Sometimes you can get so close to the past you feel as if you only have to stretch out your finger to touch it.
What fun it would be to wander around such a place. And the detailed information that you dug out really adds to the fun. The problem is finding a companion that enjoys it to and at the same pace. I think I would want to spend several days in the area. I hope there’s a good tea room in the area!
What fun it would be to wander around such a place. And the detailed information that you dug out really adds to the fun. The problem is finding a companion that enjoys it to and at the same pace. I think I would want to spend several days in the area. I hope there’s a good tea room in the area!
What fun it would be to wander around such a place. And the detailed information that you dug out really adds to the fun. The problem is finding a companion that enjoys it to and at the same pace. I think I would want to spend several days in the area. I hope there’s a good tea room in the area!
What fun it would be to wander around such a place. And the detailed information that you dug out really adds to the fun. The problem is finding a companion that enjoys it to and at the same pace. I think I would want to spend several days in the area. I hope there’s a good tea room in the area!
What fun it would be to wander around such a place. And the detailed information that you dug out really adds to the fun. The problem is finding a companion that enjoys it to and at the same pace. I think I would want to spend several days in the area. I hope there’s a good tea room in the area!
Sharon, that is very cool about the key to the Bastille!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I do think there is an atmosphere at Savernake that is almost tangible. Or perhaps that’s just my writer’s imagination. Either way it’s a stunning place to visit.
Diane, there are lots of marvellous tearooms nearby in Marlborough!
Sharon, that is very cool about the key to the Bastille!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I do think there is an atmosphere at Savernake that is almost tangible. Or perhaps that’s just my writer’s imagination. Either way it’s a stunning place to visit.
Diane, there are lots of marvellous tearooms nearby in Marlborough!
Sharon, that is very cool about the key to the Bastille!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I do think there is an atmosphere at Savernake that is almost tangible. Or perhaps that’s just my writer’s imagination. Either way it’s a stunning place to visit.
Diane, there are lots of marvellous tearooms nearby in Marlborough!
Sharon, that is very cool about the key to the Bastille!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I do think there is an atmosphere at Savernake that is almost tangible. Or perhaps that’s just my writer’s imagination. Either way it’s a stunning place to visit.
Diane, there are lots of marvellous tearooms nearby in Marlborough!
Sharon, that is very cool about the key to the Bastille!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I do think there is an atmosphere at Savernake that is almost tangible. Or perhaps that’s just my writer’s imagination. Either way it’s a stunning place to visit.
Diane, there are lots of marvellous tearooms nearby in Marlborough!
I have a dim recollection that there was an aristocratic family (the Lennox family maybe?) where there were only daughters. They petitioned the King to allow the title to go through the female line to the next direct male heir — that is, the women didn’t inherit the title but if they had sons the sons could inherit. This contrasted with the usual practice of going through collateral uncles, cousins, whatever but only through men. Still don’t remember which family.
I have a dim recollection that there was an aristocratic family (the Lennox family maybe?) where there were only daughters. They petitioned the King to allow the title to go through the female line to the next direct male heir — that is, the women didn’t inherit the title but if they had sons the sons could inherit. This contrasted with the usual practice of going through collateral uncles, cousins, whatever but only through men. Still don’t remember which family.
I have a dim recollection that there was an aristocratic family (the Lennox family maybe?) where there were only daughters. They petitioned the King to allow the title to go through the female line to the next direct male heir — that is, the women didn’t inherit the title but if they had sons the sons could inherit. This contrasted with the usual practice of going through collateral uncles, cousins, whatever but only through men. Still don’t remember which family.
I have a dim recollection that there was an aristocratic family (the Lennox family maybe?) where there were only daughters. They petitioned the King to allow the title to go through the female line to the next direct male heir — that is, the women didn’t inherit the title but if they had sons the sons could inherit. This contrasted with the usual practice of going through collateral uncles, cousins, whatever but only through men. Still don’t remember which family.
I have a dim recollection that there was an aristocratic family (the Lennox family maybe?) where there were only daughters. They petitioned the King to allow the title to go through the female line to the next direct male heir — that is, the women didn’t inherit the title but if they had sons the sons could inherit. This contrasted with the usual practice of going through collateral uncles, cousins, whatever but only through men. Still don’t remember which family.
That’s interesting about the Lennoxes(?), Susan. I think they did have only daughters. I’ll read up about that. All sorts of different inheritance arrangements could be made with the appropriate legislation. The whole thing is a great deal more complex than a lot of people imagine!
That’s interesting about the Lennoxes(?), Susan. I think they did have only daughters. I’ll read up about that. All sorts of different inheritance arrangements could be made with the appropriate legislation. The whole thing is a great deal more complex than a lot of people imagine!
That’s interesting about the Lennoxes(?), Susan. I think they did have only daughters. I’ll read up about that. All sorts of different inheritance arrangements could be made with the appropriate legislation. The whole thing is a great deal more complex than a lot of people imagine!
That’s interesting about the Lennoxes(?), Susan. I think they did have only daughters. I’ll read up about that. All sorts of different inheritance arrangements could be made with the appropriate legislation. The whole thing is a great deal more complex than a lot of people imagine!
That’s interesting about the Lennoxes(?), Susan. I think they did have only daughters. I’ll read up about that. All sorts of different inheritance arrangements could be made with the appropriate legislation. The whole thing is a great deal more complex than a lot of people imagine!