The Devonshires The Story of a Family and a Nation Synopsis
The story of the Cavendish family and the first eight Dukes of Devonshire is the story of England. From 1381 - when Sir John Cavendish, Lord Chief Justice of England, was killed during the Peasant's Revolt - to 1906, when the Duke of Devonshire's resignation brought down the Tory government: the family's fortunes (and misfortunes) mirrored the life of the nation. The Devonshires is also the story of the huge support networks of servants and labour needed to sustain the supremacy of a family whose accumulated wealth, from the Dissolution of the Monasteries to the coming of the railways, saw them found ship ports, holiday resorts, scientific laboratories, stud farms and some of the most significant buildings in the land. For this new history, Hattersley has been given unique access to the archives, based at Chatsworth, the family seat. The Devonshires is as rich and ravishing a read as Hattersley's bestselling The Edwardians . Whereas previous books on the Devonshires have dealt with one or two key figures, Hattersley gathers the dynasty in one place: an astonishing accumulation of scientists, soldiers, patrons, politicians, house builders, racehorse breeders, philanderers, and powerful women.
'A magnificent old duffer of a book that deftly knits together a national story into the fabric of a family drama' -- Ian Kelly The Times
'Jostling with the eccentric and engaging characters from a grand family, Hattersley deftly tells a jaunty story about Britishness through the ages' -- Kathryn Hughes Mail on Sunday
'Remarkable. The genius of this work is that it serves up a feast of details from a whole dynasty of remarkable men and women' -- Jenny Barlow Daily Express
'An engaging account of a gallery of historical figures' -- Noel Malcolm Sunday Telegraph Seven
'A vivid read, crowded with characters and colour' -- Lucy Lethbridge Observer
Author
About Lord Roy Hattersley
Roy Hattersley was elected to Parliament in 1964. He served in Harold Wilson's government and in Jim Callaghan's Cabinet. In 1983 he became deputy leader of the Labour Party. As well as contributing to a host of national newspapers, he has written nineteen books, including The Edwardians; Borrowed Time: the story of Britain between the wars; and In Search of England as well as much acclaimed biographies of John Wesley and, most recently, Lloyd George. Roy Hattersley has been Visiting Fellow of Harvard's Institute of Politics and of Nuffield College, Oxford. In 2003 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
