Fortune's Many Houses: A Victorian Visionary, a Noble Scottish Family, and a Lost Inheritance by Simon Welfare

 

Summary (from the publisher): A unique and fascinating look at Victorian society through the remarkable lives of an enlightened and philanthropic aristocratic couple, the Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen, who tried to change the world for the better but paid a heavy price. This is a true tale of love and loss, fortune and misfortune.

In the late 19th century, John and Ishbel Gordon, the Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen, were the couple who seemed to have it all: a fortune that ran into the tens of millions, a magnificent stately home in Scotland surrounded by one of Europe's largest estates, a townhouse in London's most fashionable square, cattle ranches in Texas and British Columbia, and the governorships of Ireland and Canada where they lived like royalty.

Together they won praise for their work as social reformers and pioneers of women's rights, and enjoyed friendships with many of the most prominent figures of the age, from Britain's Prime Ministers to Oliver Wendell-Holmes and P.T. Barnum and Queen Victoria herself. Yet by the time they died in the 1930s, this gilded couple's luck had long since run out: they had faced family tragedies, scandal through their unwitting involvement in one of the "crimes of the century" and, most catastrophically of all, they had lost both their fortune and their lands.

This fascinating family quest for the reason for their dramatic downfall is also a moving and colorful exploration of society in Victorian Britain and North America and an inspirational feast for history lovers.

Review: This is a joint biography of John Campbell Gordon, 7th Early of Aberdeen and his wife, who was born Ishbel Marjoribanks. Both were born into fabulously wealthy families. In his twenties, Johnny inherited seventy-five thousand acres in Scotland: "He owned, it was said, the largest parcel of prime arable land in Europe, bar those that belonged to emperors or kings" (xiii). Ishbel was born into immense privilege and wealth in 1857: "She was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria's banker, and the daughter of a brewer whose expensive habit of collecting mansions, castles, and rare works of art with which to furnish them, barely dented his vast fortune" (xiii). Together, they lived a lavish lifestyle of numerous homes staffed by hundreds of servants. Yet they were devoted to lives of good work. In particular, Ishbel "became one of the great social reformers of the nineteenth century" (xiv). Yet despite their wealth, by the end of their lives, they had totally depleted their funds on various houses, their lifestyle, and their significant good works. 

Ishbel seems to have worked indefatigably on various projects that caught her interest. For instance, she founded the Haddo House Association, which served as a virtual school for housemaids and cooks and very ahead of its time. Later, in support of this organization, which numbered by then in the thousands of members, she launched and edited a magazine for the organization. Later, this led to a spin-off for children, representing the "world's first magazine for children" (88). Ishbel and Johnny were very solicitous to their servants during a time period when lords and ladies rarely even knew their employees' names. Ishbel always insisted on personally touring the servants' quarters before purchasing or renting any home so she could be satisfied that the space was adequate for their comfort. 

During their marriage, Johnny served as both Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and Governor General of Canada. This was yet another immense drain on their finances, as Johnny's official salary didn't even begin to cover the immense expenses expected for those holding the positions to entertain on a royal scale. In their final years, they lived in greatly reduced circumstances and had to arrange for their expenses paid in exchange for their house to be given up after Johnny's death. After their deaths, it was revealed that Ishbel had been forced to sell off much of artwork and even diamonds and other jewels from the family collection to support their expenses. 

Thanks to their roles and the time period, there is immense detail about the daily comings and goings of Ishbel and Johnny. I felt like the reader gets a keen sense of how they spent their days in the biography. However, in other ways I felt as if I still didn't quite know who they were or how they felt. I didn't get much a sense of their personalities or reactions to events, such as the loss of two of their children or how Ishbel felt when Johnny died before her. Of course, that is the type of detail that likely would not have been noted at the time in the stiff upper lip British aristocracy.  

On a personal note, as a Golden Retriever owner, I was delighted to learn that it was Ishbel's father who is credited with breeding what is now known as the Golden Retriever beginning in the 1860s! Ishbel's youngest brother Archie had a failed attempt at cowboy life in the Texas Panhandle, but it did result in introducing Golden Retrievers to North America, thanks to his dog "Lady."

Stars: 4