The dead duke, his secret wife, and the missing corpse : an extraordinary Edwardian case of deception and intrigue / Piu Marie Eatwell.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Eatwell, Piu Marie.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Portland, William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, Duke of, 1800-1879--Death and burial.

Portland, William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck.

Portland, William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck, Duke of, 1800-1879.

Eccentrics and eccentricities--England--Biography.

Eccentrics and eccentricities.

Privacy--Social aspects--England--History--19th century.

Privacy.

Secrecy--Social aspects--England--History--19th century.

Secrecy.

Missing persons--England--History--19th century.

Missing persons.

Fraud--England--History--19th century.

Fraud.

Trials (Fraud)--England--History--19th century.

Trials (Fraud).

History.

Social aspects.

Great Britain--History--Edward VII, 1901-1910--Biography.

Great Britain.

England.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xiii, 338 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First American edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton & Company, 2015.

Summary:

"One of the most notorious and bizarre mysteries of the Edwardian age, for readers who loved The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. At the close of the Victorian era, as now, privacy was power. The extraordinarily wealthy 5th Duke of Portland had a mania for it, hiding in his horsedrawn carriage and creating tunnels between buildings to avoid being seen. So when, in 1897, an elderly widow asked the court to exhume the grave of her late father-in-law, T.C. Druce, under the suspicion that he'd led a double life as the 5th Duke, no one could dismiss her claim. The eccentric duke, Anna Maria was sure, had faked his death as Druce, and, therefore, her son should inherit the Portland millions. A lurid, decade-long case was born. Uncovering new archival treasures and offering a 'lively account of ... the lies, deceit, and hypocrisy of Victorian society' (The Times), Piu Marie Eatwell evokes an era in transition, when the rise of sensationalist media blurred every fact into fiction, and when family secrets and fluid identities pushed class anxieties to new heights"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Dramatis personae

Act One: Burial

Scene One: Welbeck Abbey, December 1879

Scene Two: St. Paul's Cathedral, March 1898

Scene Three: Highgate Cemetery, March 1898

Scene Four: Baker Street and Cavendish Square, 1860s

Scene Five: The streetsof London, Summer 1898

Scene Six: Featherstone Buildings, December 1898

Scene Seven: The New London Law Courts, three years later

Act Two: Resurrection

Scene Eight: Bury St. Edmunds, October 1816

Scene Nine: On board RMS Oroya, May 1903

Scene Ten: An office on London Wall, March 1907

Scene Eleven: Marylebone Police Court, October/December 1907

Scene Twelve: The Druce Vault, December 1907

Scene Thirteen: The Police Court, one week later

Act Three: Revelation

Scene Fourteen: London and Welbeck, December 1907

Scene Fifteen: London and Worksop, January 1908

Scene Sixteen: Holloway Prison, January 1908

Scene Seventeen: A London hotel, September 1898

Scene Eighteen: Sledmere House, East Riding, 1870s

Scene Nineteen: A library in Nottingham, October 2013

Scene Twenty: Welbeck Abbey, October 2013

Epilogue: An obscure grave, London, December 2013

Postscript.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-335).

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Shober Family Fund bookplate.

ISBN:

9781631491238

1631491237