Research Catalog

The mistresses of Cliveden : three centuries of scandal, power, and intrigue in an English stately home

Title

The mistresses of Cliveden : three centuries of scandal, power, and intrigue in an English stately home / Natalie Livingstone.

Author

Livingstone, Natalie

Publication

New York : Ballantine Books, [2016]
©2015

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	JFE 16-9224	Schwarzman Building - Main Reading Room 315

Details

Description

xv, 494 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

"For fans of Downton Abbey comes an immersive historical epic about a lavish English manor and a dynasty of rich and powerful women who ruled the estate over three centuries of misbehavior, scandal, intrigue, and passion. Five miles from Windsor Castle, home of the royal family, sits the Cliveden estate. Overlooking the Thames, the mansion is flanked by two wings and surrounded by lavish gardens. Throughout its storied history, Cliveden has been a setting for misbehavior, intrigue, and passion--from its salacious, deadly beginnings in the seventeenth century to the 1960s Profumo Affair, the sex scandal that toppled the British government. Now, in this immersive chronicle, the manor's current mistress, Natalie Livingstone, opens the doors to this prominent house and lets the walls do the talking. Built during the reign of Charles II by the Duke of Buckingham, Cliveden attracted notoriety as a luxurious retreat in which the duke could conduct his scandalous affair with the ambitious courtesan Anna Maria, Countess of Shrewsbury. In 1668, Anna Maria's cuckolded husband, the Earl of Shrewsbury, challenged Buckingham to a duel. Buckingham killed Shrewsbury and claimed Anna Maria as his prize, making her the first mistress of Cliveden. Through the centuries, other enigmatic and indomitable women would assume stewardship over the estate, including Elizabeth, Countess of Orkney and illicit lover of William III, who became one of England's wealthiest women; Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the queen that Britain was promised and then denied; Harriet, Duchess of Sutherland, confidante of Queen Victoria and a glittering society hostess turned political activist; and the American-born Nancy Astor, the first female member of Parliament, who described herself as an 'ardent feminist' and welcomed controversy. Though their privileges were extraordinary, in Livingstone's hands, their struggles and sacrifices are universal. Cliveden weathered renovation and restoration, world conflicts and cold wars, societal shifts and technological advances. Rich in historical and architectural detail, The Mistresses of Cliveden is a tale of sex and power, and of the exceptional women who evaded, exploited, and confronted the expectations of their times; Praise for The Mistresses of Cliveden: 'An utterly fascinating and completely beguiling account of three centuries of high living, high politics, and high drama at one of Britain's most famous stately homes. A page-turner from start to finish, it's history with all the good stuff left in'--Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire; 'A wonderful voyage through the fascinating history of Cliveden--this is a brilliant book full of gripping personalities and beautiful detail'--Kate Williams, author of Ambition and Desire ..."--Provided by publisher.

Subject

Genre/Form

Biographies.

Note

"Originally published in hardcover in the United Kingdom by Hutchinson, a member of Penguin Random House, London, in 2015"--Title page verso.

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Call Number

JFE 16-9224

ISBN

9780553392074
0553392077

LCCN

2015049927

OCLC

922155428

Author

Livingstone, Natalie, author.

Title

The mistresses of Cliveden : three centuries of scandal, power, and intrigue in an English stately home / Natalie Livingstone.

Publisher

New York : Ballantine Books, [2016]

Copyright Date

Edition

First U.S. edition.

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Connect to:

Cover image

Other Form:

Online version: Livingstone, Natalie. Mistresses of Cliveden. New York : Ballantine Books, 2016 9780553392081 (DLC) 2016004705

Research Call Number

JFE 16-9224

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