Tom, Ned and Kitty: An Intimate Portrait of an Irish Family

by ElizaPakenham (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2008

  $3.26

  The remarkable story of an extraordinary dynasty.

  'I am standing in the dining room of my father's house in Ireland, gazing up at ten Pakenham family portraits. What thoughts went on behind those passive, chalky faces? How can I bring them out of the shadows?'

  Eliza Pakenham, granddaughter of the seventh Earl of Longford, chronicles the fortunes of her colourful ancestors against the backdrop of Napoleonic wars and Irish revolutions.

  Through her painstaking research and discovery of hidden records, she unearthed the story of an extraordinary dynasty peppered with intriguing characters: Kitty, Duchess of Wellington, kept apart from her love for over a decade; Tom, second Earl of Longford, who fathered three illegitimate children; and Ned, the darling of the family, a war hero.

  Through them we learn of life in times of peace and war, of the pain of bereavement, and rapid changes in politics and society. A vivid and absorbing account of a fascinating generation, brought truthfully to life.

• Used

  Hardcover
  2007

  $8.33

  The Pakenhams, originally a Norman family from Suffolk, were 'adventurers' in Ireland in the 1640's. By the 1650's the family aquired the large estates of Tullynally in Westmeath. The succeeding generations have bred remarkable men and women. The period 1760 to 1860 was a purple period: distinguished and daring Pakenham admirals and generals fought in all the major theatres of war - the 1798 rebellion in Ireland, the Peninsular War, the American War of 1812, The Napoleonic Wars, and the Crimea; a daughter, Kitty Pakenham, married Lord Wellington. Correspondence with the famous men and women of the day gives fresh insight into scandal and dramas and an understanding of the political foment of the period.