#a dukedom large enough

[augurydefier]

watched this as soon as i saw this post, i love andrew scott & i was so excited to see that his performance was on youtube

that being said: cannot recommend. some yelling below

like ok the actual performances are pretty good here, i think andrew scott's interpretation was certainly worthwhile—he plays a very gentle, almost dissociated hamlet, who gradually breaks down and lashes out. i'm used to brasher hamlets (my reference hamlet is david tennant's, i've seen that performance a kajillion times) & i really liked how scott was at this quiet, weirdly jokey remove from his emotions throughout a lot of his performance. his peaks of outright rage and grief were less convincing to me, but fine. i also thought jessica brown findlay was a fantastic ophelia, which is such a hard part to pull off imo. wonderful chemistry between them

HOWEVER. oh my god this was the most egregiously chopped and screwed production of hamlet i have ever seen. WHAT was going on with the dramaturgy. like yes it's a long play and it can drag, i'm a snob but i absolutely understand that you have to cut parts of it, everyone does for a reason. i actually didn't mind the rearrangement of the scenes, hamlet's plot is loose in places and the way they rearranged things led to some genuinely interesting juxtapositions

but they cut so much of the poetry! like i want to hear about why hamlet senior's canonized bones, hearsèd in death, have burst their cerements! i want to hear the ghost say that the glowworm shows the matin to be near and 'gins to pale his uneffectual fire! that's what i'm there for, not just to hear the famous lines

and not only that, but they made frankly insulting word substitutions almost constantly. i get wanting to make shakespeare accessible, but it just takes so much delight out of the play to hear ophelia warn laertes about someone who "ignores his own advice" rather than "recks not his own rede," or to hear laertes say "there is a poison i bought in france" rather than "i bought an unction of a mountebank." like even if you don't expect an audience to know what those words mean, it is your job to give them the context they need, not just to tell them they're seeing shakespeare and then give them sparknotes. and they did this multiple times per scene

oh and while they're making all these cuts they still had time to insert a scene from the bad quarto? and also they played bob dylan over the fencing scene and had the actors mouth the lines? so we don't get to hear gertrude say "i will, my lord; i pray you pardon me"? like what is going on here

i really do get wanting to smooth things down and make them more understandable to a modern audience, but it's just. at a certain point you are draining so much of the life and ambiguity and richness out of the language that it's not quite shakespeare anymore. and it was especially disappointing because i thought the performances and staging were overall quite good!

anyway sorry but this was basically hamlet from concentrate

Watching a performance of Hamlet because I want to play Elsinore and it's been a moment since I last saw Hamlet. I know it's widely considered one of the best plays in English but like. Pretty good play! Easy to forget how good Shakespeare is, especially if you only ever read it in text. At a minimum you should read plays out loud imo.

Truly incredible density of famous lines in this play.

[yandere-kittee]

Yandere! Duchess x Fem! Reader.

♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

Note: Aside from Emilia, I want to make more Yandere's with strictly female darlings only, (Don't worry I'm also working on males too).

❦Contains: Yandere behavior.

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Yandere! Duchess who lives in the cold north and manages the border for monsters not to trespass into her territory.

Yandere! Duchess whose a pure noble from birth, raised with a diamond spoon in her mouth because her family has a large history with the empire as the sole protector of the empire.

Ever since she can remember, people from different families want to be apart of her family so they try to have their sons ask for her hand in marriage, but she is firm of not marrying any man in her life. Ever.

She met you during a ball hosted by the Imperial family, she was out in the terrace to try and catch some fresh air but those pesky men that follow her around like lost dogs.

He was another one trying to pursue her and take her authority as her husband, she clearly didn't want to have a husband, she worked very hard for her Duchess title, she had to manage the duchy on her own without help when her Father died. (Her Mother dead long before her Father's death.)

The Dukedom's Vassal's we're supportive, thankfully, and helped her with anything she needed.

So for this man to try and ask for her hand, wanting to take the position as Duke because he married into her family? The fucking audacity these people had to have.

Though his persuading was stopped when someone kicked him down, when she laid her eyes on you, it felt like her breath was caught in hert throat.

There you were, staring angrily at the man who laid on the floor.

"Are you alright, Duchess? "

"Of course I will marry you. "

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Hehe! I literally hot bored and pulled out a list of my characters on how I will be posting, so... Yandere! Duchess! We get enough of cold Duke's whatt about the women?? So I took matters into my own hands.

Part 2 coming soon!

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[fanaticalfantasist]

The Duchess - Proglogue

A/N: So a while ago I wrote a story called 'The Duchess' but took it down becuase I wasn't happy with it. So I'm trying again! I hope you like it, please let me know. Any feed back is very welcome.

If the society in London was built upon one foundation it would be gossip. It thrived on any drop of a silacious tale that it could seek out and before long it would flood throughout the ton. This was espcially true when it come to the aristocracy, their friendships, romances, meetings, really any and every part of their lives could fuel the ton for a moth, anything to enrich their otherwise mundane lives.

The obession which had topped all else, well before the arrival of Lady Whistledown, was the lives of the Wyndham family, the single most powerful and oldest family in England, the holders of the Dukedoms of Norfolk. A title the family had held since the reign of William I, and such was their influence they had ben involved in almost all important events of the countries history, and in fact had more right to the throne of England than the curret royal family did. This fact alone made them even more intriguing to the public at large. This was particulary true of the latest generation of the family.

Edward Francis Henry William Wyndham, the 14th Duke of Norfolk, had inherited his title at the age of 12 and had been from that moment on the perfect model of a Duke. He'd was nothing less than kindness to his tenants, caring for their needs and ensuring they had what they needed to live, from building walls on farms to funding the education of local children. It all amounted to the impression that he was the model gentlemen. But when it came to his marriage, this was where the scandel lay.

Edward had been engaged to a detestable woman named Lady Dorothea Griffiths, she was the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Wales. Anyone who had met her came to the same conclusion that she was one of the most selfish women they'd ever met, only caring about her appearance and the prospect of being extremely wealthy. When the engagement became know it raised a lot of eyebrows, no one could understand why the Duke had chosen this particular young lady as his bride. In fact, the marriage had been proposed while the Duke had been under the guardianship of his late grandmother, a cautious woman who cared little for her grandson but cared deeply about the continued legacy of her family name. Within a year of his grandmother's death the Duke called off the wedding, leading to Lady Griffith's father to publically state he'd ben jilted by the Duke. However as there was no legal agreement made the Duke came away from it free from a potetially horrific marirage. This alone was scandalous enough, but it wasn't until three years later that the true scandal broke when the Duke married Miss Louisa Beaumont.

Miss Beaumont was the daughter of a local farmer, and had grown up with very little. However she was beautiful, kind, funny and very intelligent, though many disagreed with the marriage due to their class differences the whole of the ton agreed she was the perfect Duchess. The happiness that the couple felt outweighed the scandal or any looks given to them by on lookers. In fact they gave up their home in London permanently in favour of their home in the countryside, a few miles from where Miss Beaumont had grown up.

The couple turned their Jacobean home into their own paradise, only allowing those in who they trusted the most. Their happiness was only added too by the birth of their daughter, and only child, two years into their marriage. Lady Juliet Charlotte Henrietta Sophia Wynham, was deemed by all who met the child to be the perfect mix of her parents. Even though in the years that followed the couple were not blessed with anymore children, they where still pleased with their daughter. The little girl was set to be the holder of the most powerful title in England, the first woman who would every hodl the title. Unfortanetly this title would be hers sooner than anyone would have liked.

The tradgedies of the Wyndham family was yet another topic that was beloved amongst the gossip lovers of the ton, because for a family that was so full of love and power they had suffered much. The series of unfortunate events began when Juliet was three years old.

It was a beautiful summer that year, with large blue skies and beautiful green gardens to play in. The Wyndham's had invited some of their closest friends to come and spend the summer with them, and as they sat by the spralling lake enjoying the beautiful day it would've been inconceviable to them that any tragedy was looming over them waiting to pounce.

One of those in attendence was the Bridgerton family, the Viscount Edmund Bridgerton and the Duke had been school friends and remained close well into their respective adulthoods and marriages. The bond between them only intesified as they became fathers, wising their children would remain close friends, which had become true. So that day there was nothing unsusual about the Anthony, Benedict and Juliet playing together. As they went on the children got closer to the lake, watching from a dock as the fish and ducks ate the food they threw. Honestly no one was sure of what exactly happened that day that led the young Juliet to fall into the deep depths of the lake, but she did.

Her father being a strong athletic man, rushed forwared and dived in, searching for his precsious daughter. After pulling her free from the dark depths of water and into the arms of his friend the duke was suddenly pulled under again. His foot being caught and before Edmund could reach him the Duke had drowned.

Quickly gossip made its way from Norfolk to London, people speculating the Duke had been murdered or killed himself. No one was sure what had happened, except the people in attendance who did not talk of it. But the most interesting element of the whole affair to the ton was the late Duke's will. He'd spent months ensuring it was loop hole free, and it caused a lot of raised eyebrows when its contents was made known. Upon the Duke's death his daughter would become the Duchess of Norfolk and inherity her full fortune without any delay, but she'd also have dull control over her destiny and that of her lands. She'd have two guardians to guide her through this process Viscount Edmund Bridgerton and Lady Danbury. She was also, and the will was very clear on this, to be educated to the same level of as man in her position and most importantly, or at least to the ton, she'd be fully in control of her future marriage. The will stated that she and only she coudl choose who she married, ensuring that she'd marry for love just like her parets had. It also added that her future husband wouldn't not have a right to her title, fortune or lands. It rocked society, with people trying to claim the Duke was mad or had been manipulated into making such a unique will. But having been represented by Sir Richard Grenville, the most respected lawyer in England it was clear that this was not the case.

Once the funeral was over and the house fell into perpetual morning, under the direction of the Dowager Duchess, it seemed that the Wyndham family would be at peace for a while. However this was to be proved wrong.

When the Duchess was seven years old she awoke and made her way to her mother's room, as she did every day. They'd sit together and read before they rose to have breakfast. Her mother would tell stories of the late Duke and the little girl loved it. But that morning she was prevented from entering her mothrs room by the family butler Mr Browning. See that morning when the Dowager Duchess's ladies maid had enterted to wake her she'd found her mistressres dead. At some point in the night, grief still consuming her, the Dowager had taken her life.

The young Duchess was seen for the last time by the public as she stood by her parents grave. Dressed in black from head to toe, her face covered by a veil as she wept. At her shoulders stood Viscount Bridgerton and Lady Danbury, both devistated for the young girl and concered for her future. The Duchess made a choice that day, after hearing gossip during the funeral, that she would have nothing to do with London society until she was ready to conquer it.

As such she retired to her home, Felbrigg Hall, only excepting guests who had been close to her parents. She was the most powerful woman in England, and she knew from a young age she needed to learn all she could. Hours were spent in the library with the finest tutors in Europe, she could do anything a male heir would be able. Lady Danbury ensured her charage was kept as accomplished as possible, with dancing, ettiquette and music lessons being drilled into the young Duchess. And it was through Lady Danbury that the young Duchess made her one and only true friend Simon Basset.

And thus life was good, but in her mind she knew she’d have to enter society one day. And on that day she's conquer it.

[false-cowboy]

i fear i may be the first person in the world to Ever compare lighthearted fantasy romp Good Guys and grimy dark urban fantasy the Dresden Files, but there is something here to be poked at Perchance.

They both have a core theme of community, of Dresden learning how to stop being a brooding sad lonely little wizard freak and actually form a community. learns how to rely on and trust the people around him as well as allowing himself comfort with them. And of Montana building his little miracle dukedom with nothing but a grouchy solider and a bunch of refugees. its Montana learning how to be a leader; to be independent, and Dresden learning how to be in a support system; to be reliant. certainly not the same goals as people, execpt another key detail is that both of these stories contain fantasy.

Good Guys being a full fantasy and the Dresden Files being urban fantasy, the way they treat people from this side of things is where they differ.

quick preface with the note that i understand these are in a large part genre differences, i am more so talking through the lense of the stories themselves; yes the Dresden Files being more gridmark means it will be more depressing and conflicted about everything, but yes i will be talking about how that differs from attitudes in the Good Guys.

In the Dresden Files it is Dresden keeping his humanity; a good comendable thing. but to do it he contrasts himself against the Monsters. Dresden is a good human not because he is a good person but because he is not a Monster. Because he does not differ from the status quo but rather upholds it. he does not have green scales, or gnashing teeth, or red eyes, his appearence is that of the most average Tall Guy you could possibly imagine. He is good because he is not one of them, one of the bad folk. the bad folk of course meaning anything not abiding by his standards of normalcy. obviously there are exceptions every now and then and he gets better about it as the books progress, but for a wizard he sure does hate anyone not enough like him. The Dresden Files is about exclusionary community; everyone allowed in so long as. the fae and the vamps and the other folk going bump in the night are, whatever the fantasy equivelent of humanized is, yet they still get lumped in as the bad evil monsters as a whole. you're allowed to like them when theyre normal like me, but when theyre weird thats when you can kill them. Again, he gets better about acceptence later in the series but there is still such a brick wall of limitation on who is allowed to be seen as good. so what i'm trying to say is 'Gentleman' Johnny Marcone did nothing wro-

On the other hand, the Good Guys is almost detrimentally inclusive. Montana, despite his big scary apperence and fuck off kill count, genuinely tries to understand and be kind to everyone; bandits and monsters and races deemed somehow lesser or below others are immediately loved overwhelmingly. he takes the time to understand the Monsters not so he can better kill them, but so he can show them customs and courtisies he feels they should be given. time and time again he finds himself faced with something the world has deemed to be dangerous and uneeded and he tries a shot at kindness. he has been betrayed, bitten, had a few limbs torn off, melted into nothing but black bones, inside a wyrm, there was that time he was like half bathed in the blood of children? point is, the world is cruel and mean and ugly, but he will not let that happen to him too. he's seen as naieve and innocent by his right hand Nikolai, and this is, not necissarily disproven, but, countered by the idea that it is not ignorance which makes Montana so accepting; but just straight up openmindedness and an urge to learn. he sees a beast with big gnashing teeth and asks if they hurt it's gums before he is eaten.

Dresden, when given strength, uses it to lash out in defense against the Monsters. every step towards them is unwilling and terrible.; Montana, when given strength, uses it to build a better home for the Monsters so they no longer feel the need to encroach on his home. something about their attitudes; the way in both worlds there are entire communities and societies outside of humans: terrifying, dangerous, beautiful, and the way they decide to either uphold or break common ideas.

i swear there was a point in here somewhere. sorry folks I got derailed posts cancelled

[rosyandraw]

In nmfy, I can't quite get my head around the Royal family tree. I'm sure that if I went back and found all the references to cousins and kings that I might be able to figure it out again. But, let's see: the king is the nephew of Damen's father--and I think you said that Damen is the kings cousin – – then presumably Theomedes had an older sibling who was king or queen before the current one and who is now deceased, yes?

And I know that Bastian and Nik's bride are siblings, but I can't seem to pull up The relationship of any of the three of them to the king or Damen or whomever. And are Aleron, Auguste, and Laurent somewhere in the same family tree? What about Nicaise?

I simply adore royal family trees and whenever they are available perusal, I peruse them in great detail and imagine how all the complex interactions came to pass. So, just curiosity.

Hey hun!

So, it is based on the English system of titles because that is what I’m familiar with.

For Damen, he is the son and heir of the Duke of Ios. His aunt (Theomedes' sister) was the Queen consort as she married into the royal family.

The King is therefore Damen’s first cousin.

The others are probably all related if you go back far enough but generally speaking they’re not related. Aleron is a Duke, which in terms of title hierarchy it would go King > Prince > Duke. So he’s very rich and has a lot of land.

Historically large titles such as dukedoms have affiliated titles and historical connections to other titled lords in their region that are not “as powerful”

So Bastian’s family I believe I said was an Earl (I think Chastillon from memory) The title is tied to the land and to Bastian's family.

Titles are usually passed down from father to son. Nikandros’ title is Marquess, and his families region is in Delpha.

Nicaise I didn’t specify but as his mother married into a minor titled family Nicaise has no claim to the title and has no rights to the land because it's his step-dads. Aimeric and Ancel are both younger sons of titled families so they don’t have specific titles themselves but they're rich.

Powerful titled families (like Dukes) tend to have several subsidiary titles attached to the dukedom. So for example in England atm the Duke of Richmond is also the Earl of Kinara, and Baron Settrington etc. The next most powerful title the Duke holds, which in this case is "Earl of Kinara" is generally given to the eldest son/heir. So if you look up that title, it'll be held by the Duke's Eldest son.

For NMFY it makes both Damen and Auguste Earl’s in their own right now even before they have inherited the Dukedom.

It's all pretty messy and complicated tbh haha, which... can we expect anything else of the english?? This was super fun to answer so thank you! 💕

[clouseplayssims]

RoS: Bankrupcy: Your sims lose all of their money (including in bank accounts), and end up having to move in to a cheap apartment (large enough to accommodate them, but not large enough for expansion). Hope they can make their money back soon! [1]

So this was the RoS they technically rolled. The issue is within the Edirann economy it doesn't make too much sense? They're one of the the highest ranked Dukedoms there is and it's not like they're heavily investing in BitCoin over here. What I've decided is their family seat is woefully outdated to the point of being uninhabitable (see here) and they cannot afford to modernize it so they're now living in the Grace & Favor apartments.

Given that this version of Edirann doesn't have separate subhood for all the titled lands and therefore that castle isn't installed, it works out just fine.

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: I have always wondered why Winston Churchill never received a proper noble title by the time he died. Ex-Prime Ministers such as Harold Macmillan was made an earl and Margaret Thatcher was made a baroness so why wasn’t Churchill recognised for his heroic leadership and political service during the Second World War?

As you might imagine the answer isn’t as straight forward as you might suppose. In truth Sir Winston Churchill was recognised for shepherding the country and the British Empire through the darkest hours of war. His place in history is assured and for someone who always had an eye on the arc of history Churchill, I imagine, died happily enough knowing his achievements were enshrined in the nation’s long history.

Churchill was offered the title of the Duke of Dover as well as Knight of the Garter by George VI, a monarch who at the outset preferred Chamberlain to Churchill but in time came to deeply appreciate Churchill’s qualities as a war leader. Churchill, much to the King’s surprise, declined the offer of a dukedom and also membership of the Order of the Garter, saying that it would be inappropriate given that the electorate had just given him the Order of the Boot - he had just lost the 1945 General Election to Labour’s Clement Attlee.

Later in 1955, after retiring as prime minister, Churchill was again offered elevation to the peerage in the rank of duke by Queen Elizabeth II as the Duke of London (apparently). He again declined. But Churchill did accept in 1953 from Queen Elizabeth II the Order of the Garter. The Queen appointed him the 912th Knight of the Garter on April 24, 1953. He had already been made a Companion of Honour and a member of the Order of Merit. The Order of the Garter is the most senior and the oldest British Order of Chivalry and was founded by Edward III in 1348. The Order, consisting of the King and twenty-five knights, honours those who have held public office, who have contributed in a particular way to national life or who have served the Sovereign personally.

So why did he turn down being a duke because after all past prime ministers retiring from the House of Commons were offered earldoms and other titled baubles?

A few reasons have been put forward by historians and his biographers. It isn’t because Churchill didn’t think it was a special honour, because he recognised its importance. His reasons seemed more practical.

For one thing being offered a dukedom meant also the expectation that you lived the lifestyle of a duke. It goes without saying the lifestyle of a duke, back then, was an expensive undertaking. In the 1940s and 1950s a duke was expected to be rich, to have at least two stately homes plus a large house in London, and to live on his estates and play a part in local affairs. Being a JP, raising funds for local charities, showing up for school openings and the like. It’s all very Downton Abbey-esque. Certainly the social expectations pre-1945 of the British aristocracy well established.

My grandfather was told by his grandfather of how his childhood friend from school, Lord Lansdowne, a great-grandson of Prime Minister Lord Shelburne and a marquess with two stately homes, was offered a dukedom after being viceroy of India; but Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, the 5th Marquess of Landsdowne, refused because his income was not large enough. In fact being a duke was no fun at all, despite what people then and especially now think.

At the outset of the 1870s, the British aristocracy could rightly consider themselves the most fortunate people on earth: they held the lion's share of land, wealth, and power in the world's greatest empire. By the end of the 1930s they had lost not only a generation of sons in the First World War, but also much of their prosperity, prestige, and political significance. This loss was accentuated in slow motion speed into the 1950s and beyond. Other countries such as Russia, Germany or Austria can pinpoint a single event to the demise of their landed nobility (revolution or war), but in Britain it has been quintessentially different. Britain was unique in that the displacement of the British aristocracy occurred without revolutionary overthrow. It was in fact a bloodless revolution.

The assembled Dukes in 2010: (from left to right) 1. James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose; 2. David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland; 3. John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset; 4. Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland; 5. Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford; 6. Edward Fizalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk; 7. Torquhil Campbell, 18th Duke of Argyll; 8. Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster; 9. Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans; 10. Arthur Wellesey, 8th Duke of Wellington.

The sobering scholarship of the Cambridge historian, Sir David Cannadine has pointed to mainly three principal reasons for the decline of the aristocracy in British public life. Firstly, land reform (especially in Ireland). The unearned income of the landlord became increasingly the target, especially in Ireland, of new political movements. and the huge sales of land in the 1920s to meet taxes and death duties.  - crippled the aristocracy in Britain. This was combined with a lengthy agricultural depression that began at roughly the same time. Indeed it began when the price of wheat dropped during the 1880s. The gradual increase of tonnage being shipped because of steam, allowed large quantiles of arable produce to enter Europe from the US and elsewhere, reducing prices. The British refused to slam tariffs on imports, because the new electorate enfranchised in 1885 were townies and liked the lower food prices in the shops.

Secondly, the mass killings in France and Belgium in World War One that claimed a generation of British lives of young men. The aristocracy volunteered for the British armed forces in droves because they were dispirited by their losing social and economic struggle at home, and preferred to fight a battle they thought they could win. In actuality, the aristocratic ethos carried with it many obligations, one of which was that an aristocrat not shirk from fighting his country's battles. The deeply ingrained sense of honour nurtured by the British upper class was one of its most admirable characteristics, and the sons (and sometimes fathers) of the upper class who headed for the front lines simply were acting in accordance with their sense of honour. The result was a casualty rate far in excess of any other social group in the country.

Thirdly, hand in hand with all this was the whirlwinds of social change taking place such as the rise of the middle class into the professions seen as the traditional strongholds of the aristocracy. The professionalisation of traditional occupations such as the civil service, church, military, politics, or law meant the educated middle classes could compete, and frequently excel, an aristocracy now resting on past laurels. The aristocracy couldn’t complain as they just grew fat and lazy whilst the more risk taking and ambitious middle classes had a greater hunger to succeed. More damning was the fact that the aristocracy lost touch with their societal roots of duty and obligation and were rightly found to not represent the populace with the extension of the electoral franchise.

These days dukes have adapted to the winds of change. Some have followed Dukes of Bedford in 1945 and later the infamous Marquess of Bath to open their stately homes, Woburn Abbey and Longleat respectively, as theme parks cum tourist attractions. They were much criticised at the time. Alexander Montagu, 10th Duke of Manchester, sold off his two stately homes in the early 1950s and lost much of his status doing so - in the 1600s, his heir might have been prevented from assuming his title and seat in the Lords because of insufficient wealth. This happened to Roger Stafford, heir of that medieval Stafford family, over whom Henry Montagu, the 1st Duke of Manchester, presided a royal commission to see if poverty disqualified his claim to the barony of Stafford.

As interesting as this discussion is, I find myself straying from the question at hand.

Back to Churchill. I am of the view that the main reason why Churchill turned down a dukedom was that he knew that accepting a peerage might have cut short a renewed career in the Commons for his son Randolph and in due course might also prevent one for his grandson Winston. At the time there was no procedure for disclaiming a title. Indeed the procedure was first established only later by the Peerage Act 1963. As things stood then in Churchill’s time, upon inheriting a peerage, either Randolph or Winston would immediately be unseated from the House of Commons.

In the event, Randolph never sat in Parliament after losing his only seat there in 1945 and indeed was to die only three years after his father, so the dukedom would have had no effect on his career. Randolph's oldest son Winston did serve in the Commons from 1970 until 1997, but by that time provision existed for disclaiming a hereditary peerage, as long-serving far left Labour MP Tony Benn - born Anthony Wedgwood Benn, son of Labour Party peer, Viscount Stansgate - had done in 1963 upon the passing of the Peerage Act.

It also can be argued that Churchill had no need of a dukedom when he was already an aristocrat - or at least born into one. His father was Lord Randolph Churchill and direct descendant, of the famed 1st Duke of Marlborough. Winston was born in 1874 at his family’s ancestral home of Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Whilst Churchill was an aristocrat, he didn’t really have much time for them, nor was he particularly enamoured by that class. Why that was the case, I would be happy to address in a future post. But for it’s enough to say that Sir Winston S. Churchill remained a commoner until he died.

Although it was considered usual for prime ministers to be offered earldoms, recent prime ministers have declined to accept peerages - the last to do so was Margaret Thatcher, who was made a baroness. Interestingly enough, Harold Macmillan was offered an Earldom immediately when he retired but rejected it, in retirement he later made many political interventions and criticised his successors, when Thatcher became Prime Minister he requested a peerage and was given the title Earl of Stockton, he used his new seat in the Lords to criticise Thatcher's handling of the coal miners' strike, so he pretty much used his new peerage as a way to have a platform from which to oppose Thatcher.

But with fewer peerages being created the political climate has changed where it’s rare that an outgoing prime minister is even offered any kind of title, let alone a peerage. These days a lot of that is down the the public image of the outgoing prime minister and it seems a lot of water has to pass under the bridge before someone can be considered for any kind of honour. John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May, and even Boris Johnson (let’s not even talk about Liz Truss) have to wait for the political climate to change any kind of recognition. 

John Major turned down a peerage (or so it was reported) but accepted a knighthood in 2005 from the Queen when he was made Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, the oldest and most senior British order of chivalry. Tony Blair, who left Downing Street more than 15 years ago, recently followed in the footsteps of Major in 2021 when he too was knighted and made a Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

Appointments to the Garter are in the Queen’s gift and made without prime ministerial advice. They are for life unless a knight or lady companion offends against certain “points of reproach”.

Founded in 1348 by Edward III, the garter is awarded by the sovereign for outstanding public service and achievement. It is said to have been inspired by events at a ball in northern France, attended by the king and Joan, Countess of Salisbury. The countess is believed to have dropped her garter, causing laughter and some embarrassment. The king, however, picked it up and wore it on his own leg, uttering the phrase “Honi soit qui mal y pense” – “Shame on him who thinks this evil” - now the order’s motto. The order’s emblem is a blue ribbon or garter worn by men below the left knee and by women on the left arm. There are now 21 non-royal companions in the order out of a maximum of 24.

Gordon Brown and David Cameron will have to wait their turn. Heaven knows what will happen when Liz Truss’ time comes. Perhaps we can have some piecemeal reform whereby by all means bestow a title on said politician but the public decides on the place name.

I look forward to hearing more from Lord Cameron of Pratt Bottom, Lord Brown of Great Snoring, Lady May of Crapstone, Lord Johnson of Bonks Hill, and Lady Truss of Twatt on great issues of the day in our public discourse.

Thanks for your question.

[emmashouldbewriting]

The discussion about Louise’s ponies and whether Charles should pay for the expenses vs Edward and Sophie reminds me of another conversation others were having on Tumblr.

There was speculation that Edward and Sophie don’t have the money to maintain and sustain a dukedom, should they get Duke of Edinburgh from Charles. Yes, they got money from The Queen and Philip, but it may not be enough in the long-term picture to keep up with the appearances expected of a duke, even if those expectations are already outdated.

The thinking on this side of royal-watching is that Edward declined the title because James may not be able to afford it when the time comes, and how embarrassing for the royal family that their most senior title was given up. Yes, Edinburgh is the Wessexes’ wedding gift from The Queen and Philip, but it’s also a gift with strings that may not be financially feasible anymore. And rather than to say so, they’re hanging Charles out to dry by blaming Edward not getting the duchy on him.

So what if the Wessexes are counting on Charles to fund Louise’s ponies and riding expenses because they don’t have the money themselves to pay for it? If that is the case, then it makes the theory that Edward declined the Dukedom on financial grounds more likely to me.

(Edward still should get the duchy no matter what. Revert it back to the crown on his death instead of passing it to James and the problem these royal watchers say exists is handled.)

Oh, that's a good point. Add in the mumblings about Andrew's income this week and how worried he is about not being able to maintain Royal Lodge, and you might have a point. (He got his lease with the proviso he must maintain the property from his own £.) Without his allowance from Charles, he doesn't think he can afford it.

Your theory has a lot of merit. The Wessexes don't own Bagshot Park, so I assume the terms of their lease are similar. It's so much money to maintain these large, old houses, and could easily eat up a lot of their inheritance from TQ&PP. And Bagshot is huge. Even in my books the houses/gardens owned by the duke/earl whatever are sometimes split to be open to the public/weddings etc to increase revenue.

It does rather feel like Charles wants minor royals out of large royal properties, though. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but perhaps going forward it's better to give the lesser royals (so Charlotte/Louis of the next generation) smaller, more financially feasible estates that they can own outright and pass down to their children.

[valflaame]

on his desk is a simple letter. neat, proper, waxen sealed with the appropriate honorifics donning the back in fine purple cursive -- 'lord arvis', as the standing of emperor was still unknown to jakob. it reads,

'lord arvis,

i humbly accept your invitation to tend to the incidents in your home, jugdral. whilst i would have insisted on accompanying my liege regardless of your request, i will see to it that your faith in me is not misplaced.

in my absence, i kindly ask you ensure that my son, dwyer, is put into group work for his reason classes. i've not seen his teamwork skills in some time. he will despise you for it, but pay that no mind.

yours sincerely,

jakob'

Arvis holds the letter in his hands and carefully opens the seal. He reads it once, then again. He exhales -- though he only has known Jakob for a short amount of time, he has to believe he can trust him. He hasn't many friends in the monastery (yet, is probably what Deirdre would say), and because of that he does not have many options on who to ask for assistance. This is a large undertaking, there is no doubt about that. Arvis believes, whether against his better judgement or not, that Jakob is capable of reporting his findings.

He tells himself that, anyway. To not go on this mission is hard for him; his home is under attack, and his people are suffering. For all that they can say about Arvis -- 'traitor', 'killer', 'murderer' -- he cares so much about the future of his people that it hurts. Anything for them, anything to bring peace and prosperity to the land. To usher in a better future. To ensure there are no tyrannical dukedoms. To stop the abuse of power, to bring together all the people under the banner of one common name; to stop what had been done to Isaach, to Agustria, to give life and agency back to the people who had lost their homes to banditry and overzealous kings. To return to the average citizen: freedom. To give to those who would rule: restraint. Anything -- there is nothing that Arvis would not do to bring forward his ideal world.

Except Deirdre asked him not to go, so he didn't.

He puts the letter down. Folds it in half. Tucks it into the drawer. The weight of the world weighs heavy on his shoulders, and it's a burden he alone is meant to bear. It means nothing, the words of those who would hurt him or his wife. It matters not if history writes him as a deceptive snake; he will also be remembered as the man who did what was necessary. The moment he was born of an authoritarian duke, bathed in the fires of Velthomer, and forced to watch the abuse suffered by his mother from his father's palm... he has known that he would be despised and hated. What defines him is he is making something of it.

He wishes he could be there to fix his empire that he loves so, so much. But he can't. He needs to put his wife first.

He just hopes that Jakob is capable and strong enough for the task.

[stastrodome]

“My library was dukedom large enough. The menu at Italian Beef and Pizza was much better than Eat, Pray, Love. “

[mushroompollution]

General:

Name: Leo

Pronouns: he/they/she/any

Sexuality: asexual

Birthday: October 25 (scorpio)

Age: 22

Appearance:

Height: 5'5"

Eyes: don't worry about it (ᅌᴗᅌ✿)

Hair: Black. Long, to about mid-back. Probably Leo's most prominent feature, their thick hair is almost always an unkempt, unbrushed disaster. Their bangs are shaggy and hang over the top half of their glasses, with the corners flipping out awkwardly where they hit the rims wrong.

Race: human / white

Other:

Glasses: Leo is never, ever seen without their large, round, thick-lensed glasses. He has frames in several colors of metal, but they're all otherwise similar, and thick enough to consistently obstruct his eyes in photographs

Dress: When they have to be presentable for formal occasions and meetings, Leo dresses in delicate ouji-style tailcoats with billowing sleeves and so many bows. Otherwise, they prefer to wear oversized collared shirts, sweaters, or sweatshirts twice their size. They steal Elliot's clothes more than buying their own.

Pandora Hearts, but make it modern! Some things will be completely fun new AU adventures, and some will follow the actual plot of the source manga... to a certain point.

Warnings: Leo's backstory involves some heavy topics like child abuse, unethical experimentation, and child death. I'll do my best to tag anything as needed!

post will be updated with info/links to come

VENT BLOG: @hauntedphase

Resource Links:

Manga Context Tag

Glossaries:

Characters: Dukedoms || Pandora & Others

Places || Terms

my characterization of Leo is heavily influenced by @laciie, who I used to rp w as Elliot, so I want to make sure to put some credit where it's due

[daimonclub]

Ebooks Promotion

Best quotes on books (It's free) Ebooks promotion, Classic Books and E-books support and advertising by the Daimon Club Crew, Carl William Brown and the literary blog the World of English, that is English-culture.com Reading good books could help soothe human stupidity, the problem is that stupidity doesn’t like to read. Carl William Brown A blot in thy escutcheon to all futurity. Miguel De Cervantes A library is a hospital for the mind. Anonymous Man is an over-complicated organism. If he is doomed to extinction he will die out for want of simplicity. Ezra Pound Be circumspect how you offend schollers, for knowe, a serpent tooth bites not so ill, as dooth a schollers angrie quill. John Florio St. Michael’s Shield of Truth Prayer. St. Michael, you are our defender and safeguard against evil. Placeyour Shield of Truth over us and defend us in the battle which Satan wages against truth. Help us to seethe righteous path of Holy Love.Clarify our choices between good and evil by placing us always behind your Shield of Truth. Amen.

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Humor and George Mikes WORLD BOOKS IN THE NET is a free web resource which contains links to free downloadable e-books, publishers, authors, technical papers, documents, as well as user contributed content, articles, reviews and comments. A literary social sharing service to students, teachers, researchers and e-book lovers. Anna’s Archive (better to use a VPN to surf this website, with Opera browser you get it for free) is a free non-profit online shadow library metasearch engine providing access to a variety of book resources (also via IPFS), created by a team of anonymous archivists (referred to as Anna and/or the Pirate Library Mirror (PiLiMi) team), and launched in direct response to law enforcement efforts, formally assisted by The Publishers Association and the Authors Guild, to close down the Z-Library (Free access to knowledge and culture) website in November 2022. As such, the Anna’s Archive team claims to provide metadata access to Open Library materials, to be a backup of the Library Genesis and Z-Library shadow libraries, presents ISBN information, has no copyrighted materials on its website, and only indexes metadata that is already publicly available. Anna’s Archive notes that their website, a non-profit project, accepts donations to cover costs (hosting, domain names, development and related). Nonetheless, besides the recently launched Anna’s Archive website, many other alternative workarounds to the recent attempts to take down the Z-Library (better to use a VPN to surf this website, with Opera browser you get it for free) platform have been reported. Daimon E-Books Directory is a free web resource which contains links to free downloadable e-books, publishers, authors, technical papers, documents, as well as user contributed content, articles, reviews and comments. Daimon E-Books Directory is a service to students, researchers and e-book lovers. To learn more and find a lot of links, resources and free material visit our Daimon Library ; otherwise you can ask to join our Daimon Club Private Area - Here You Can Find a lot of Interesting Material. In the meanwhile if you like eating, food and cooking from Italy you can read a lot of interesting recipes in a useful htm internet book! For the time being we can suggest you these free books: Against Intellectual Monopoly by Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine ; The Alchemy of Finance by George Soros, on the secrets to his success. Full Audio Book and pdf one at this link.

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[milenapetrofig]

Blenheim

The palace remains the home of the Dukes of Marlborough, the present incumbent of the title being Charles James Jamie Spencer Churchill, twelfth Duke of Marlborough. Charles James succeeded to the dukedom upon his father's death on 16 October 2014. As of October 2016 the Marlborough have to tender a copy of the French royal flag to the Monarch on the anniversary of the Battle of Blenheim as rent for the land that Blenheim Palace stands on.[59]

The palace, park and gardens are open to the public on payment of an entry fee of maximum £32 as of September 2022 Several tourist entertainment attractions separate from the palace are the Formal and Walled Gardens, Marlborough Maze and the Butterfly House. The palace is linked to the Walled Garden by a miniature railway the Blenheim Park Railway. The public have free access to about five miles or eight kilometres of public rights of way through the Great Park area of the grounds which are accessible from Old Woodstock and from the Oxfordshire Way and which are close to the Column of Victory.

Lord Edward Spencer Churchill, the brother of the current Duke wished to feature a contemporary art programme within the historic setting of the palace where he spent his childhood. He founded Blenheim Art Foundation BAF, a non profit organisation to present large scale contemporary art exhibitions. BAF launched on 1 October 2014 with the United Kingdom's largest ever exhibition by Ai Weiwei. The foundation was conceived to give a vast number of people access to innovative contemporary artists working in the context of this historic palace. In September 2019 on the occasion of the opening of Maurizio Cattelan's show Victory is not an option, the palace was the scene of a robbery: unknown thieves entered the palace at night time just after the opening of the show and stole a golden toilet valuably installed by the artist in one of the bathrooms.

Blenheim Palace is a frequent location for filming. A survey in 2021 noted seventy one appearances in film and television, more than for any other English country house. The site offers a tour of the various filming locations.

A panoramic view of Blenheim Palace is above.

See also

Blenheim Palace in film and media

List of Baroque residences

Noble Households – book with Blenheim Palace inventory of 1740

Footnotes

^ "Blenheim". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 23 September 2014.

^ "Blenheim Palace". World Heritage Sites. UNESCO. Retrieved 8 May 2010.

^ Voltaire wrote of Blenheim: "If only the apartments were as large as the walls are thick, this mansion would be convenient enough." Joseph Addison, Alexander Pope, and Robert Adam normally an admirer of Vanbrugh's also all criticised the design.

^ Churchill: Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1, 129

^ Chandler: Marlborough as Military Commander, 10

^ Holmes: Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius, 92.

^ Churchill: Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1, 164

^ Holmes: Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius, 126

^ Churchill: Marlborough: His Life and Times, Bk. 1, 240

^ Holmes: Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius, 194

^ Jump up to:a b c Stephen, Leslie (1887). "Churchill, John (1650–1722)". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 10. pp. 315–341.

^ "Writing table". The Royal Collection. The Royal Collection Trust. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2016.

^ Field, p. 229, 251–5, 265, 344

^ Jump up to:a b c d e Pipe, Simon (23 October 2007). "Woodstock's lost royal palace". BBC Oxford. Retrieved 29 November 2010.

^ Masset, Claire (2 February 2015). "The imaginative genius of Sir John Vanbrugh, architect of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard". Discover Britain. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ When the Duchess came to build Marlborough House, her London home, in 1706, she employed Sir Christopher Wren. She later dismissed him, The contractors took advantage of him. She personally supervised the completion of the house. See Marlborough House Archived 26 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine.

^ Colvin, p. 850

^ Jump up to:a b Seccombe, Thomas (1899). "Vanbrugh, John". Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 58.

^ Jump up to:a b Baggs, A. P.; Blair, W. J.; Chance, Eleanor; Colvin, Christina; Cooper, Janet; Day, C. J.; Selwyn, Nesta; Townley, S. C. (1990). "Blenheim: Blenheim Palace". In Crossley, Alan; Elrington, C. R. (eds.). A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 12, Wootton Hundred (South) Including Woodstock. British History Online. London. pp. 448–460. ISBN 978-0-19-722774-9. Retrieved 22 September 2022.

^ Jump up to:a b Green, p. 39

^ "Inside Blenheim Palace, a dwelling fit for a duke". Globe and Mail. 28 September 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ The arms of the Duke of Marlborough with the statue of Britannia above Compare with figures on Tomb of Giuliano de Medici, New Sacristy, San Lorenzo, Florence (Category:Tomb of Giuliano de' Medici); figures above Moses and the Brazen Serpent, Sistine Chapel ceiling (File:Michelangelo Buonarroti 024.jpg); Monument of the Four Moors, of Ferdinando I de Medici, Leghorn by Pietro Tacco (File:Livorno, Monumento dei quattro mori a Ferdinando II (1626) - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto, 13-4-2006 01.jpg); Coin of Marcus Aurelius, RIC III 1188, White Mountain Collection (File:Marcus Aurelius Dupondius 177 2020304.jpg)

^ "Blenheim Palace 12342". Country Life Picture Gallery. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ "Blenheim Palace". Patrick Baty. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ Games, p. 334

^ This clock tower, completed in 1710 at a cost of £1,435, was despised by the 1st Duchess, who referred to it as "A great thing where the Clock is, and which is Called a Tower of great Ornament (sic)".

^ "Clock Tower, Blenheim Palace". Getty Images. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ Mavor, p. 23

^ Holmes: Marlborough: England's Fragile Genius, p. 477

^ Historic England, "Blenheim Palace (1052912)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 October 2017

^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g Henrietta Spencer-Churchill

^ Vanderbilt Balsan.

^ Jump up to:a b c d e "Blenheim Palace: Floorplans" (PDF). Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ Jump up to:a b c "The National Pipe Organ Register – Blenheim Palace: the Long Library". www.npor.org.uk.

^ "The National Pipe Organ Register – Blenheim Palace: the Long Library, Abbott organ". www.npor.org.uk.

^ "Blenheim Palace Organ Appeal". Archived from the original on 16 January 2013.

^ Jump up to:a b "The National Pipe Organ Register – Blenheim Palace: Blenheim Palace Chapel". www.npor.org.uk.

^ Bingham, p. 201

^ Walpole to George Montagu, 19 July 1760. Walpole was not pleased with "Vanbrugh's quarries", with the inscriptions glorifying Marlborough "and all the old flock chairs, wainscot tables, and gowns and petticoats of queen Anne, that old Sarah could crowd among blocks of marble. It looks like the palace of an auctioneer, that has been chosen king of Poland."

^ "Blenheim Part II Vision and egos". Record of a Baffled Spirit. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ "Oxfordshire". Fabulous Follies. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ "On the trail of Winston Churchill at Blenheim and beyond". The Telegraph. 23 January 2015. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2018.

^ Historic England, "Blenheim Palace (1000434)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 16 October 2017

^ "Designated Sites View: Blenheim Park". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 12 March 2020.

^ "2nd Duchess of Marlborough". Blenheimpalaceeducation.com. Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2010.

^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1898). "Spencer, Charles (1706-1758)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 53. London: Smith, Elder & Co.

^ Soames, Mary (1987). The Profligate Duke: George Spencer Churchill, Fifth Duke of Marlborough, and His Duchess. Harper-Collins. ISBN 978-0002163767.

^ Purcell, p. 251

^ Until the 1880s, the Law of Entail severely restricted the ability of an individual to sell an inherited property, including books. The restriction could only be circumvented by resorting to, expensive, private civil legislation, as was the Blenheim Settled Estates Act 1880. The Settled Land Act 1882 made the provisions contained in the Blenheim Act more easily and widely available.

^ Klett, Jo; Hodgson, John. "Catalogue of the Sunderland Library". University of Manchester Library via Jisc. Retrieved 5 September 2022.

^ "Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment (1614–1673), and Their Son Frans (1633–1678)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 9 January 2017.

^ "Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment (1614–1673)". Metropolitan Museum. Retrieved 30 July 2018.

^ "Revised Management Plan" (PDF). Blenheim Palace. 2017. p. 26. Retrieved 30 July 2018.

^ Jump up to:a b c Tintner (2015), p. 144

^ Jump up to:a b c Cooper (2014), pp. 128–130

^ "MI5 In World War II – MI5 – The Security Service". www.mi5.gov.uk.

^ Andrew, Christopher (2009). The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5. Allen Lane. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-713-99885-6.

^ Raynor, G. "Former drug addict and ex-convict Jamie Blandford becomes 12th Duke of Marlborough after father dies". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2014.

^ "Interesting Facts About Blenheim Palace". #GetOutside. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 20 October 2016.

^ "Tickets & Booking". The Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation Charity. 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.

^ "Visit and Explore". The Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation Charity. 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.

^ See Ordnance Survey maps via map sources: 51.852°N 1.372°W

^ Westall, Mark (23 July 2015). "Lawrence Weiner American artist and founding figure of Conceptual Art to be next artist at Blenheim Art Foundation". FAD Magazine. Retrieved 2 October 2015.

^ Kennedy, Maev (28 August 2014). "Ai Weiwei prepares for Blenheim Palace show but must keep his distance". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 October 2015.

^ "Lawrence Weiner. Within a Realm of Distance". 27 July 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.

^ "$5 million solid gold toilet stolen in "surreal" Blenheim Palace heist". De Zeen. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2022.

^ "Blenheim Palace makes most TV and film appearances". Oxford Mail. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2022.

^ "Blenheim... the ultimate movie palace". www.henleylife.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2022.

^ "Go 'on location' with Blenheim Palace's new film trail". Group Leisure and Travel. 8 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2022.

References

Bingham, Jane (2015). The Cotswolds: A Cultural History. Signal Books. ISBN 978-1909930223.

Colvin, Howard (2007). A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840 (4th ed.). New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-12508-5.

Cooper, Dana (2014), Informal Ambassadors: American Women, Transatlantic Marriages, and Anglo-American Relations, 1865–1945., The Kent State University Press, ISBN 9781612778365 – via Project MUSE

Cropplestone, Trewin (1963). World Architecture. London: Hamlyn.

Dal Lago, Adalbert (1966). Ville Antiche. Milan: Fratelli Fabbri Editori.

Downes, Kerry (1979). Hawksmoor. London: Thames & Hudson.

Downes, Kerry (1987). Sir John Vanbrugh: A Biography. London: Sidgwick & Jackson. ISBN 9780283994975.

Field, Ophelia (2002). The Favourite: Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-76808-8.

Games, Stephen (2014). Pevsner: The Complete Broadcast Talks: Architecture and Art on Radio and Television, 1945–1977. Routledge. ISBN 978-1409461975.

Girouard, Mark (1978). Life in the English Country House. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300022735.

Green, David Brontë (1982) [1950]. Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire. Oxford: Alden Press.

Halliday, F. E. (1967). An Illustrated Cultural History of England. London: Thames & Hudson.

Harlin, Robert (1969). Historic Houses. London: Condé Nast Publications.

Mavor, William Fordyce (2010) [1787]. Blenheim, a poem. Gale Ecco. ISBN 978-1170457344.

Pevsner, Nikolaus; Sherwood, Jennifer (1974). The Buildings of England: Oxfordshire. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. pp. 459–475. ISBN 0-14-071045-0.

Purcell, Mark (2019). The Country House Library. New Haven, US and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-24868-5.

Spencer-Churchill, The Lady Henrietta (2013). Blenheim and the Churchill Family – A personal portrait of one of the most important buildings in Europe. CICO Books. ISBN 978-1782490593.

Tintner, Adeline R. (2015). Edith Wharton in Context: Essays on Intertextuality. University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-5840-2.

Turner, Roger (1999). Capability Brown and the Eighteenth century English Landscape (2nd ed.). Chichester: Phillimore.

Vanderbilt, Arthur II (1989). Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt. London: Michael Joseph.

Vanderbilt Balsan, Consuelo (2012) [1953]. The Glitter and the Gold: The American Duchess-In Her Own Words. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1250017185.

Watkin, David (1979). English Architecture. London: Thames & Hudson.

Further reading

Conniff, Richard (February 2001). "The House that John Built". Smithsonian Journeys. Archived from the original on 2 October 2002.

Cornforth, John (2004). Early Georgian Interiors. New Haven, Conn.; London: Yale University Press for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art, pp. 275–9 ISBN 978-0-30-010330-4 OCLC 938151474

Murdoch, Tessa (ed.) (2006). Noble Households: Eighteenth-Century Inventories of Great English Houses. A Tribute to John Cornforth. Cambridge: John Adamson, pp. 273–83 ISBN 978-0-9524322-5-8 OCLC 78044620

Wallechinsky, David; Wallace, Irving (1981). "Excesses of the Rich and Wealthy: The Vanderbilts". The People's Almanac.

Text on the Column of Victory in the grounds of Blenheim Palace

Official website

Churchill by Oswald Birley - UK Parliament Living Heritage

Blenheim Art Foundation

Blenheim Palace at Cotswolds Website

"Blenheim Palace, Blenheim, Oxfordshire Gallery". Historic England 

. The Blenheim Palace Heritage Foundation Charity. 2022. Retrieved 2

[noobiehealergwen]

Gwen lore

Gwendolyn Alfestia comes from a noble family, Originally being born in Doma. The Alfestia household is connected to Rijin royalty. Being that the founder of the Alfestia line was a sibling to the descant of Ganen Rijin. Due to this the Alfestia were a Dukedom of sorts.

The house of Alfestia heavily focused on sons rather then daughters. As men were the only ones to become heirs. For girls they had very little say and power over their own life there only purpose was to become a perfect bride and have children.

Unfortunately for Gwendoyln, she was the only girl out a set of triplets, the other two being boys. Her father, Duke Hendrix named her two brothers Calen and Klaus respectively. Gwendolyn however had to be named by her mother as her father didn't care about her at all.

From the very beginning she was separated for her brothers. When they got to play in the mud she was in side, forced to practice her sewing. When the boys got old enough to horse back ride, Gwendolyn had to learn literature. She was never allowed to attend parties like her brothers either.

Gwen's relationship with her father was awful. They never talk and the only time she sees him was during dinner, family events, or worse when she was in trouble. To receive punishment from her father due to making mistakes most children would her age. He would not hesitate to physically torment and abuse her getting his anger out. He was such a large man and Gwendoyln who was only a little girl couldn't fight back for years growing a fear of sorts for men.

[jasonsutekh]

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)

A man sets about killing all relations that stand between himself and the dukedom in order to avenge his mother who was exiled from her family and condemned to poverty.

 In most technical and aesthetic aspects this film is worth a watch, the large halls and lawns are used effectively so there’s often something to look at. There’s some variety in the kills which is innovative for a dark comedy this early. The lead is enjoyable enough, resembling in face and diction a young Christopher Lee, which somehow suits the odd comedy style.

 As far as the comedy goes it’s entirely British but limited and not funny in a practical way. The most effective part of the humour was that some of the relatives were all played by the same actor, even the suffragette, and it wasn’t directly mentioned. It’s unfortunate that we can’t align with the main character much due to his aims being to become what he detests most.

 It’s amusing that all authority and upper class figures are represented as being either entirely incompetent or doddering hypocrites. There’s no police presence until the end and they suspect nothing of any real crime, meanwhile the wealthy entrants all display vices that directly contradict their profession or stated ethics.

 The ending is very predicable as the narrative follows a form well broken into the audience zeitgeist. There are hints so obvious about the betrayals they’re practically stated and the last revelation is clear from the structure right at the beginning. It’s fair to say at this point in cinema history that the femme fatale is ceasing to be a clever plot device and is now a tired archetype, especially if nothing new or subversive is brought to the role.

 4/10 -It’s below average, but only just!-

[verseandrhyme]

my library was dukedom large enough

The students return to the monastery with some answers, but more questions than ever before. What information you manage to uncover is swiftly censured by the Church as they continue to formulate their response on this matter. For those who live their lives pursuing knowledge, it’s time to bust into the restricted sections of the library and really start looking for the answers you deserve.

The library was deafening in its silence. It was never a popular spot for students to congregate, as too often they were chased from its walls for their ‘unforgiveable ruckus” by those devoted to memorizing the words printed upon every individual page that lined the shelves. For the most part, the room was quiet, filled with the light of many lit lamps to keep readers company.

Though, for the more thrill seeking, there were still its appeals.

The restricted section of the library was a shining beacon, taunting students with its very existing. What knowledge could possibly line those shelves? What tales were deemed unfit for their eyes? Worlds existed just beyond their reach, and a roped off section and a stern word from their local disciplinarian were all that separated the curious from their treasures.

Mitama had no interest in any of that. She had simply been searching for a good place to nap, and who would think to come disturb her where she was hidden among the bookshelves of the restricted section?

Though, much to her pleasure, it seemed that she would not be left in peace. The sound of steps and pages flipping roused Mitama from her dreams. Her neck was stiff enough to let her know she’d been hidden there awhile, but that did not mean she was prepared to give up her rest just yet.

Peeking out from behind the bookshelf, Mitama spotted the one responsible for her horrid interruption. “You know,” She whispered from the floor, staring up at them with an unimpressed gaze. “You are not supposed to be wandering or reading this section of the library. What would happen were someone to let word spread of you being here?”