Eleanor Doughty
@brushingboots.bsky.social
Writer on the aristocracy, big houses, old money; author of HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern aristocracy, which is out now! Views my own, yours for £. [email protected]
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/453305/heirs-and-graces-by-doughty-eleanor/
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/453305/heirs-and-graces-by-doughty-eleanor/
Pinned
It’s tough being a toff — the decline of the British aristocracy
In Heirs and Graces, Eleanor Doughty documents how aristocrats are surviving in an age of inheritance tax, from turning their estates into safari parks to working for B&Q
www.thetimes.com
‘This is a marvellous book’
Heirs and Graces is reviewed in today’s Times and I am a little emotional (again).
www.thetimes.com/article/68f2...
Heirs and Graces is reviewed in today’s Times and I am a little emotional (again).
www.thetimes.com/article/68f2...
Sweet lord there is someone on this train talking about sovereignty and ‘taking back control’ and suddenly it is 2015 again
November 26, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Sweet lord there is someone on this train talking about sovereignty and ‘taking back control’ and suddenly it is 2015 again
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
Highly recommended.
Even I, an Irish socialist, found it engrossing and educational :)
Even I, an Irish socialist, found it engrossing and educational :)
Super excited to say that I’ll be at Hatchards Piccadilly tomorrow signing books for their Christmas customer evening! Come and buy a copy of HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, from me! It makes a delicious Christmas present
www.hatchards.co.uk/events/hatch...
www.hatchards.co.uk/events/hatch...
www.hatchards.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Highly recommended.
Even I, an Irish socialist, found it engrossing and educational :)
Even I, an Irish socialist, found it engrossing and educational :)
Super excited to say that I’ll be at Hatchards Piccadilly tomorrow signing books for their Christmas customer evening! Come and buy a copy of HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, from me! It makes a delicious Christmas present
www.hatchards.co.uk/events/hatch...
www.hatchards.co.uk/events/hatch...
www.hatchards.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Super excited to say that I’ll be at Hatchards Piccadilly tomorrow signing books for their Christmas customer evening! Come and buy a copy of HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, from me! It makes a delicious Christmas present
www.hatchards.co.uk/events/hatch...
www.hatchards.co.uk/events/hatch...
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
Utterly amazed and delighted to discover that my book HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, has been named one of the FT's history books of the year! I am positively vibrating with glee – how fabulous! Thank you so much @frederick65.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
Best books of 2025: History
Frederick Studemann selects his must-read titles
www.ft.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Utterly amazed and delighted to discover that my book HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, has been named one of the FT's history books of the year! I am positively vibrating with glee – how fabulous! Thank you so much @frederick65.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
Bizarre transcribing moment of the morning.
Extremely nice interviewee: 'Well done on being left-handed'
Me: 'Ah yes, I'm a witch, they should have drowned me'.
????
Extremely nice interviewee: 'Well done on being left-handed'
Me: 'Ah yes, I'm a witch, they should have drowned me'.
????
November 21, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Bizarre transcribing moment of the morning.
Extremely nice interviewee: 'Well done on being left-handed'
Me: 'Ah yes, I'm a witch, they should have drowned me'.
????
Extremely nice interviewee: 'Well done on being left-handed'
Me: 'Ah yes, I'm a witch, they should have drowned me'.
????
Utterly amazed and delighted to discover that my book HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, has been named one of the FT's history books of the year! I am positively vibrating with glee – how fabulous! Thank you so much @frederick65.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
Best books of 2025: History
Frederick Studemann selects his must-read titles
www.ft.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Utterly amazed and delighted to discover that my book HEIRS AND GRACES, a history of the modern British aristocracy, has been named one of the FT's history books of the year! I am positively vibrating with glee – how fabulous! Thank you so much @frederick65.ft.com
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
www.ft.com/content/a7c7...
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
New favourite about page. www.vhely-hutchinson.com/about
About — Victoria Hely-Hutchinson
www.vhely-hutchinson.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:34 AM
New favourite about page. www.vhely-hutchinson.com/about
If you want a challenge, let me recommend to you doing a talk on the history of the British aristocracy to a room full of sixth formers
November 18, 2025 at 7:45 PM
If you want a challenge, let me recommend to you doing a talk on the history of the British aristocracy to a room full of sixth formers
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
This week's Great Estates is on Gorhambury, the winner of this year's Georgian Group's restoration prize: how a duke's daughter Rosie Grimston masterminded a generational overhaul of a house that needed lots of love, influenced by her childhood at Floors Castle
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
‘I went on a grand tour of country houses before renovating my own’
Great Estates: Rosie Grimston’s mission to turn Gorhambury into ‘Chatsworth on a budget’
www.telegraph.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 9:04 AM
This week's Great Estates is on Gorhambury, the winner of this year's Georgian Group's restoration prize: how a duke's daughter Rosie Grimston masterminded a generational overhaul of a house that needed lots of love, influenced by her childhood at Floors Castle
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
This week's Great Estates is on Gorhambury, the winner of this year's Georgian Group's restoration prize: how a duke's daughter Rosie Grimston masterminded a generational overhaul of a house that needed lots of love, influenced by her childhood at Floors Castle
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
‘I went on a grand tour of country houses before renovating my own’
Great Estates: Rosie Grimston’s mission to turn Gorhambury into ‘Chatsworth on a budget’
www.telegraph.co.uk
November 17, 2025 at 9:04 AM
This week's Great Estates is on Gorhambury, the winner of this year's Georgian Group's restoration prize: how a duke's daughter Rosie Grimston masterminded a generational overhaul of a house that needed lots of love, influenced by her childhood at Floors Castle
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/dd16c66...
Have to say I didn't think I'd ever be spending a Saturday afternoon reading the rule of St Benedict but hey, here we are. Work as a writer! It's so... random
November 15, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Have to say I didn't think I'd ever be spending a Saturday afternoon reading the rule of St Benedict but hey, here we are. Work as a writer! It's so... random
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
Beautiful piece by @TimAdamsWrites on the brilliant Observer journalist Rachel Cooke who could write wonderfully about anything, has died tragically young and will be hugely, hugely missed by so many people.
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Remembering Rachel Cooke | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 14, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Beautiful piece by @TimAdamsWrites on the brilliant Observer journalist Rachel Cooke who could write wonderfully about anything, has died tragically young and will be hugely, hugely missed by so many people.
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Been on a work trip so extraordinary today that I didn’t even take any pictures, truly the marker of greatness (and of a very private interviewee)
November 14, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Been on a work trip so extraordinary today that I didn’t even take any pictures, truly the marker of greatness (and of a very private interviewee)
Lovely tale from Alec Guinness' time at a Cistercian abbey, bumping into a fellow retreat guest in the corridor
November 12, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Lovely tale from Alec Guinness' time at a Cistercian abbey, bumping into a fellow retreat guest in the corridor
Very pleased to say that I am on the excellent Better Known podcast this week talking about things that should be… better known! And actually I think my choices are quite inspired if I do say so myself
betterknown.co.uk/better-known...
betterknown.co.uk/better-known...
Better Known
Six things you love which should be better known
betterknown.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Very pleased to say that I am on the excellent Better Known podcast this week talking about things that should be… better known! And actually I think my choices are quite inspired if I do say so myself
betterknown.co.uk/better-known...
betterknown.co.uk/better-known...
It is a mark of how utterly fascinating the next interview that I am due to write up is that I am actively choosing to do the transcribing for it on a Sunday evening. Writing is the best, huh?
November 9, 2025 at 7:27 PM
It is a mark of how utterly fascinating the next interview that I am due to write up is that I am actively choosing to do the transcribing for it on a Sunday evening. Writing is the best, huh?
The very first hint of the sun today has just come, at this late hour of... 15:43. Great!
November 6, 2025 at 3:43 PM
The very first hint of the sun today has just come, at this late hour of... 15:43. Great!
Fancy just taking a job at Oxford to get over a bad ex – or school, in this case
November 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Fancy just taking a job at Oxford to get over a bad ex – or school, in this case
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
This week's Great Estates is on Weston Park – that great house with a genuinely fantastic collection that Richard Bradford gave to the nation in 1986, after so much heartache, and thanks to punitive death duties. Almost 40 years on, how is it doing now?
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
‘We’re competing against luxury hotels to keep this 350-year-old estate running’
Great Estates: After being sold to the nation to pay death taxes, Weston Park now thrives as a wedding and events venue
www.telegraph.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 9:07 AM
This week's Great Estates is on Weston Park – that great house with a genuinely fantastic collection that Richard Bradford gave to the nation in 1986, after so much heartache, and thanks to punitive death duties. Almost 40 years on, how is it doing now?
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
This week's Great Estates is on Weston Park – that great house with a genuinely fantastic collection that Richard Bradford gave to the nation in 1986, after so much heartache, and thanks to punitive death duties. Almost 40 years on, how is it doing now?
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
‘We’re competing against luxury hotels to keep this 350-year-old estate running’
Great Estates: After being sold to the nation to pay death taxes, Weston Park now thrives as a wedding and events venue
www.telegraph.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 9:07 AM
This week's Great Estates is on Weston Park – that great house with a genuinely fantastic collection that Richard Bradford gave to the nation in 1986, after so much heartache, and thanks to punitive death duties. Almost 40 years on, how is it doing now?
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a19cc3d...
Pls no, not Amal Rajan
November 2, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Pls no, not Amal Rajan
Saturday at home book(plate) signing for Hatchards! If you want one for your own copy or for one you’re buying someone for Christmas, let me know and I will post you one! I love signing stuff
November 1, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Saturday at home book(plate) signing for Hatchards! If you want one for your own copy or for one you’re buying someone for Christmas, let me know and I will post you one! I love signing stuff
This is such a generous, lovely essay by Simon Heffer about my book HEIRS AND GRACES and the subject of it, the British aristocracy – in this month's New Criterion. And what a headline! Best headline I've ever seen on this subject, I reckon
newcriterion.com/article/lord...
newcriterion.com/article/lord...
“Lording it, over,” by Simon Heffer
Simon Heffer on “Heirs & Graces: A History of the Modern British Aristocracy,” by Eleanor Doughty.
newcriterion.com
October 31, 2025 at 11:12 AM
This is such a generous, lovely essay by Simon Heffer about my book HEIRS AND GRACES and the subject of it, the British aristocracy – in this month's New Criterion. And what a headline! Best headline I've ever seen on this subject, I reckon
newcriterion.com/article/lord...
newcriterion.com/article/lord...
Reposted by Eleanor Doughty
For this week's issue of The Tablet I wrote about one of my favourite subjects: the Catholic aristocracy! Ft an outstanding story from Lord Acton about growing up at Marcham Priory, Lord Mansfield's 1990s kidnapping, and a WW1 fighter ace decried for his religion
www.thetablet.co.uk/features/bri...
www.thetablet.co.uk/features/bri...
Brideshead recycled - The Tablet
In the early 1970s at the chapel of Marcham Priory, near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, there lived a cat by the name of Pussy Black. He belonged to the Hon. Marie
www.thetablet.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 8:24 AM
For this week's issue of The Tablet I wrote about one of my favourite subjects: the Catholic aristocracy! Ft an outstanding story from Lord Acton about growing up at Marcham Priory, Lord Mansfield's 1990s kidnapping, and a WW1 fighter ace decried for his religion
www.thetablet.co.uk/features/bri...
www.thetablet.co.uk/features/bri...
I just said ‘I’m so so sorry’ to my dog and am now inexplicably thinking about Nick Clegg. It’s amazing what sticks
October 27, 2025 at 6:43 PM
I just said ‘I’m so so sorry’ to my dog and am now inexplicably thinking about Nick Clegg. It’s amazing what sticks