Dukes and Marquess in fiction

[marquess]

It occurred to me what a curiosity it would be to list all the dukes
and marquesses from fiction, along with he novel and the writer.

The marquess of Styne (Goughnt not sure of the spelling) Vanity Fair,
Thackery
The marquess of Shropshire (Ferrar), Forsyth Saga, Goldsworthy.

The Duke of Wessex, Racing Game, Dick Francis)

[Michael Rhodes]

The Duke of Denver (Wimsey) father _Lord Peter Wimsey_ created by
Dorothy L. Sayers

[Michael Rhodes]

_The Duke of Dunstable was a nobleman of proud and haughty spirit,
swift to resent affronts and institute reprisals —the last person in
the world, in short, from whom one could hope to withhold pigs with
impunity_.

By P.G. Wodehouse

[marquess]

The Duke of Ominium and Gatherum, heir Earl of Silverbridge,
Barchester Chronicles & Pallisers Novels, Trollope
The Duke of St Bungay
The Marquess of Oldriquey, heir lord Niederdale (the Way We Live Now)
The Marquess of Bunratty, (Can You Forgive Her)
The Marquess of Hartletop (marchioness only mentioned)
The Marquess of Killeycrankey (brother of Lord George de Bruce
Curruthers)
There was another duke mentioned in the Way We Live Now, who had a
brother that was prominent in the novel
The Duke of Chiswick (Wodehouse), One of the Geeves and Worcester
novels set in America

On 12 Mar, 11:43, Michael Rhodes <mig73allenford2...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

[zetland]

> > By P.G. Wodehouse- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Marquess of Monmouth, Disraeli's Coningsby
Marchioness of Deloraine, Dosraeli's Coningsby
Duke of St. Angelo, Disraeli's Endymion
Marquess of Caterham, Agatha Christie, The Secret of Chimneys (I
always hated that Christie could not spell Marquess)
Duke od Perthshire, Agatha Christie,
Duke of Rule, Barbara Cartland

[Michael Rhodes]

Evelyn Waugh's Marquess of Marchmain in _Brideshead Revisited_.

Thackeray's Marquess of Steyne in _Vanity Fair_.

--

[IrishCent]

The Duke of Holdernesse in The Adventure of the Priory School
The Duke of Carringford in The Adventure of the Two Women

both by Arthur Conan Doyle

[rick.l...@virgin.net]

Georgette Heyer packed her novels with the aristocracy:

Dukes: Avon, Salford, Sale, Wigan

Marquesses: Vidal, Rotherham, Alverstoke

Richard Lichten

[rick.l...@virgin.net]

One of Dennis Wheatley's heroes was the Duc de Richelieu (does that
count?)

Richard L

[marquess]

No, he is French, just British dukes and marquesses.
The marquess of Brithlingsea, in the Buccaneers by Edith Wharton

[rick.l...@virgin.net]

marquess wrote:

>The marquess of Brithlingsea, in the Buccaneers by Edith Wharton

It's 'Brightlingsea'. The Duke of Tintagel appears in the same book.

RL

[Peter FitzGerald]

Why limit it to Dukes and Marquesses? I think a list of all fictional
peers of whatever rank would be rather interesting.

[marquess]

Well because then the list would be virtually infinite. Moreover
marquess are curiosity in the peerage due to their rareness and the
use of them in fiction to give a younger son the title of Lord is most
interesting in itself, Lord Gilbert Hartlip (The Shooting Party) Lord
Ernest Bevil ( Raffles), Lord Frederic Verisoff ( Nicolas Nicolby)

[Stephen & Tom]

> It occurred to me what a curiosity it would be to list all the dukes
> and marquesses from fiction, along with he novel and the writer.

Dozens of mystery writers routinely use the Victorian country house as
a backdrop.

Dorothy Sayers wrote of Lord Peter Wimsey, whose father & then brother
were the Dukes of Denver. (Already mentioned.)

Robin Paige's series starring Lord & Lady Sheridan always feature real
historical characters - these have included the Prince of Wales (who
is a duke), the Countess of Warwick, the Duke & Duchess of
Marlborough, and the episode at Glamis Castle maintains that Albert
Victor, the Duke of Clarence & Avondale, was hidden at that castle
until his death during the reign of his younger brother.

Ngaio Marsh's Roderick Alleyn is the heir to his brother's baronetcy -
a lowly title - but higher ups are involved in a number of his cases.

Anne Perry has members of the nobility at several levels appear in her
William Monk series (Do not confuse with TV detective Monk), her
Thomas & Charlotte Pitt series, & her five-part Reavley series.

-- Stephen Stillwell

[marquess]

I would further add to this old thread my own fictional peers from the 4 detective novels that I started writing in 2018. Lord John Penkarrow, younger son of the Marquis of Liskeard (1551),  earl of Looe (1551) Baron Penkarrow (1520). The wife of the current marquis, Countess of Forth (in her own right 1700). Cadet branch Earls of Harrowgate.