To Marry an English Lord: Tales of Wealth and Marriage, Sex and Snobbery in the Gilded Age (an Inspiration for Downton Abbey) - Paperback

by Gail MacColl (Author), Carol MCD Wallace (Author)

"Marvelous and entertaining." --Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey

Discover the true stories behind the women who inspired DowntonAbbey and HBO's The Gilded Age, the heiresses--including a Vanderbilt (railroads), a LaRoche (pharmaceuticals), and a Rogers (oil)--who staked their ground in England, swapping dollars for titles and marrying peers of the British realm. Filled with vivid personalities, grand houses, dashing earls, and a wealth of period details and quotes on the finer points of Victorian and Edwardian etiquette, To Marry an English Lord is social history at its liveliest and most accessible. Sex, snobbery, humor, social triumphs (and gaffes), are all recalled in marvelous detail, complete with parties, clothes, scandals, affairs, and 100-year-old gossip that's still scorching.

Front Jacket

Gilded Age American Heiresses Take on the Peerage

In 1895 nine American girls, including a Vanderbilt (railroads), LaRoche (pharmaceuticals), Rogers (oil), and Whitney (New York trolleys), married peers of the British realm--among them, a duke, an earl, three barons, and a knight. It was the peak year of a social phenomenon that began in the Gilded Age after the Civil War, and handed down the legacy of Anglomania, preppies, and the world of two television series, Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age.

In all, more than 100 American heiresses invaded Britannia and swapped dollars for titles. Filled with a wealth of historical personalities, grand houses, gossipy anecdotes, and a feature called comme il faut--the very finest points of etiquette that ruled Victorian and Edwardian society--To Marry an English Lord is their story.