Introduction
Herein lies the story of a once illustrious house and its family, now greatly reduced as all historic greatness eventually is. The line persists though now in penury: the current Duke lives in a council flat, the size of which is less than that of a footman’s broom closet in the mansions of yesteryear.
Though rarely seen by the public eye, nevertheless this family has exerted tremendous influence on the lives of many thousands of people over many generations.
This then, is their story: an evolution and a devolution. It demonstrates that the mighty may well fall and in their place will arise a lesser version—as the line remains extant though more palatable to our modern tastes. Seen through the eyes of both themselves, their offshoots and those faithful retainers who have persisted through these generations, herein you will unearth—as we have done—an archival record crossing hundreds of years. Private papers, legal documents, letters, newspaper clippings and more delineate a family falling from grace; slowly crumbling as did their titles, houses and estates—attributable significantly to that blind public eye.
On the following pages, you will discover as much of their family tree as pertains to this valuable historic record and a smaller inset demonstrating how our own family intersected with theirs these past 250 years.
You will undoubtedly note a discontinuity in some years. As the estates were broken apart, much of their history disappeared—scattered across the globe like confetti. We have indeed been most fortunate to have kept our own family archives. We are also greatly indebted to the DeMallard family’s preference for amassing as much of these estates as was possible and much that was not of value beyond themselves.
Additionally, we have been most fortunate to have had, within our own circle, a psychic of great renown and perspicacity who, after much concentration, has long been in contact with their family ghost. For every great house—and especially those of such antiquity—has one or two. Where they disappear to, once their home has been demolished, we leave to your imagination. In this instance, the singular family ghost remains the epitome, the stalwart, of the family motto. It is unclear—and cannot be verified for he allows no individual specifics—when he lived but his recollections have proved most enlightening.
As the family is vast across generations, we have in this work, chosen to limit our investigations to the primogeniture and to the lesser female line—those two branches of inheritance most likely to vanish without recognition and yet most revealing of the family’s true character. Should this book prove of interest to scholars and the public alike, we shall endeavour to trace the fortunes of those members who sought power and influence as ViceRoys in the farthest reaches of the Empire. Our family inevitably followed their fortunes where ever they found themselves, except in the council flat.
A.F. Blandy
(The Blandy name was much bandied and besmirched during the 18th century. That taint did not pursue the family through the generations and the name of Blandy is now most suitably associated with centuries’ long, loyal service to a dynastic oligarchy, now much diminished.)
You are here: States of Grace > Biography