Splendour & Squalor: The Disgrace and Disintegration of Three Aristocratic Dynasties

by Marcus Scriven

From stately homes and prisons to the House of Lords and Edwardian asylums— the stories, spanning the 20th century, of the disintegrating fortunes of three of Britain’s most illustrious aristocratic dynasties and the scapegraces responsible Splendour & Squalor traces the disintegration of three aristocratic dynasties through the twentieth families who seemingly had everything yet decided to take 'the down-escalator of life.' They include the Montagus, Dukes of Manchester, who had once employed Vanburgh—creator of Blenheim Palace, Churchill's birthplace—to remodel their principal family seat, Kimbolton Castle; shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the  Montagus oversaw further renovation—converting the Kimbolton chapel into a bar, and stocking it with glasses decorated with 'pornography of the most interesting kind,' for the benefit of guests like the restless, bisexual Duke of Kent, younger brother of George VI. Four consecutive generations of the family went to jail. The Herveys, Marquesses of Bristol, went inside too, although John Bristol (7th Marquess of Bristol, born 1954; died 1999) spent most of his time investing his inheritance in helicopters, heroin, and—for strictly recreational purposes— a blazing quest for self-gratification which led him into the company of Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger. Splendour & Squalor offers a riveting insight into the disintegration of a once seemingly impregnable elite. The resultant portrait is the authentic Downton Abbey—stripped of gloss, mythology and sentiment, and brought mercilessly up-to-date.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, British Literature

413 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2009

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

The stories of four particularly disastrous aristos who wiped out their family fortunes. This is, sadly, a book of two halves. The first two stories are wildly entertaining, gossippy, sarcastic accounts of the Herveys and Fitzgeralds, with plenty of amusing digressions and sarky comments and footnotes. (eg Carr, Lord Hervey is "relentlessly promiscuous, even by the demanding standards of the 18th-century court.") Thoroughly enjoyable.

Unfortunately the second two, covering the last duke of Manchester and the recent marquess of Bristol are just...unpleasant, tbh: prurient accounts of thoroughly nasty, self-indulgent, spoiled, horrible, badly damaged and grotesquely entitled men. I don't know why the tone changes so dramatically--possibly the author got sick of these bloody people and I couldn't blame him, or maybe it's to do with the latter stories being more recent; it's more fun to spectate human car crashes from a greater distance of time? Either way, I regretted reading the third and only skimmed the fourth, which I found honestly distasteful in the way the (ghastly) subject matter was treated (putting John's bisexuality on a par with his drug use, horrific lack of consideration and dishonesty).

Pity, because the first half was great fun. My ebook was also terribly formatted (Kobo) with random tiny font paragraphs and some lazy footnote errors--again all in the second half, so it looks like the editor/formatter lost enthusiasm along with author and reader.

[Ben Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcus Scriven's "Splendour & Squalor" is a thoroughly researched and beautifully written work that I'd recommend thoroughly. Unlike some writers, the author has identified, tracked down and teased information from sources whose experiences had previously been private. Scriven has then woven this information into a fascinating and at times hilarious account. It would have been easy for him to have dwelt on the "fall from grace" of the four characters, to have allowed the reader moments of schadenfreude ... but these are rarer than I'd expected - and he presents plenty of background information that caused me to challenge the images I'd created of e.g. the Herveys, father and son. I love the author's concise prose, the interest he builds and holds, and the insights he reveals... culminating in a final gem: the thought provoking epilogue. Apparently this is Scriven's first book. I can't wait for more...

[CF · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is an entertaining and interesting look at 4 different people from the British aristocracy during the 20th century. Showing off their astounding weaknesses and terrible behaviour that seems to repeat down the family lines.

These people all had serious problems with drugs, money, and a sense of entitlement. Their inheritances get blown on ridiculous items like luxury cars that they can't even drive, trips away paying for all their friends, and other frivolities. Hardly any of these people were actually involved with the House of Lords, the one who was, often attended just for the free dinners.

This goes to show how with money, you can be let off almost anything. These men got themselves into a lot of trouble at times and, whilst some got short prison sentences (much shorter than you or I would get for the same offence), most of them were able to pay their ways out, or get someone else to.

Quite well written in a light and jovial way, it still has a serious side. I enjoyed this.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on immense amounts of research, Splendour and Squalor contains the stories of four individuals from three different British aristocratic dynasties, all of them black sheep in various ways, and how their lives brought about the downfall of their respective families over the course of the 20th century. A little like watching a car crash, but a fascinating read.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The difficult thing about e-books is that I forget to check the page length before picking them up and diving in. Amazon is saying the book is only 413 pages, but I suspect Amazon lies. I know it felt a lot longer.

Scriven looks at four modern bad boys of the aristocracy in excruciating detail. And I do mean...excruciating. At times I wondered if we were just going through their day planners and noting whether they brushed their teeth or not. Rather than painting their lives in broad strokes, he uses a microscope and a piece of human hair.

Two of the bad boys were father/son, which made it a wee bit less interesting. It's far more fun to see families fall if it's not just a case of "apple/tree."

The book is interesting in that it shows how the lifestyle and the grandeur just fell apart and you were left with whole generations of people who had no idea how to survive. But the interest wanes under the onslaught of detail. It became tiresome and a chore. At points I almost screamed "I GET IT. HE IS HIGH ON COCAINE AND FLYING AROUND WITH RUPERT EVERETT." (No, really that pretty much happened.)

I just felt exhausted at the end and a bit like I wasted my time learning about people who I would have found a closet to hide in if they had wanted to talk to me at a party.

[JW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going in, I knew nothing about the aristocrats profiled. I had never heard of any of these people. And yet, I found myself reading the book every chance I could get, fascinated by the story of their decline and fall. The author makes this odd world of noble pretension existing beyond its expiration date glitter like fool’s gold.
The kindle edition had only a few typos. Every now and then the odd “note357” (or another number) would appear in the middle of a sentence. The footnote function worked well on the Kindle for Windows app. You’ll want to check the footnotes: they tell at least half the story.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining look at aristocratic degenerates.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book on how three families that had everything could implode to such an extent. A great read for anyone interested in the British aristocracy.

[Helen Carolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful read. Here Scriven takes a look at five men all born into the aristocracy and with all the advantages that entailed. Yet by the time they died most were living in penury, shunned by society and crushed under the weight of expectation placed on them. Scriven's book is both heartbreaking and tragic.

[Bill McFadyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aristocrats - what are they good for ? This book suggests - Absolutely nothing.
An interesting jaunt through the lives of four dysfunctional 20th century aristocrats.
I should have some sympathy - sadly not - each one was a bigger arse than the next.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well researched book about the failings of 4 aristocrats who brought about the downfall of their families & heritage.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

How amazingly rotten these men were! One wonders that the aristocracy survives.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thilliing ride along with the protagonists whose dirty washing is laid out for all to see. By the end I was disgusted that such ghastly people could have squandered so much money, believing that this was their right. They were totally oblivious to where that money had come from (mainly the labour and rent from their tenant farmers) and had complete disregard for others. I wanted to vomit, but, captivated, I read on.

Scriven's line is sometimes difficult to follow as he jumps across generations: thank goodness for the family trees at the beginning, although these were too truncated to be useful at times. The notes and references at the end were also helpful, somewhat. This is where Mr Google came to my aid, especially with sites such as thepeerage.com. AlthoughI found reading the book benefitted from some cross-referencing with the internet, frequently my searches led me back to this book. A bit frustrating! Even Scriven's web page is uninformative. A "dramatis personae" section explaining who was who would have been very helpful, particularly when one has to mentally juggle several marquisses in a row. Some tighter editing wouldn't go astray either, but then that's a perennial problem. Perhaps a new edition that includes all those omitted could be called "Splendour, Squalour and Squander".

Recommended for sticky beaks and anyone who wonders what it would be like to be filthy rich......and filthy!

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read if you are an anglophile. Interesting to read about aristocratic dynasties.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter, but the writing is not very engaging and it is bogged down in relaying details.