Take Six Girls: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters (61 page)

Mitford, Jack (uncle) 33, 73

Mitford, Jessica 2, 341–3

abortion 201

appearance 180

appendicitis 38–9

birth 45–6

character in
The
Pursuit of Love
14

childhood and education 50–3, 59

children 198, 200–1, 257, 266, 306, 321

and David (father) 7, 41–2, 76, 325

death 343

and Deborah 4, 7–8, 50, 158, 180, 265

and Diana 62, 94, 155, 161, 186, 244–5, 249, 254–5, 259, 277–8, 305–6, 335, 342

and Esmond Romilly

death of 258–60, 278

elopement and marriage 2, 7–8, 41–2, 180, 182–90

in Rotherhithe 198–201

in the USA 255–6

and Inch Kenneth 284–5, 328, 332

marriage to Robert Treuhaft 261, 262–3

and the Mitford phenomenon 25, 26

and Nancy 157–8, 180, 181, 256–7, 321–2

politics 2, 7, 8, 87, 154–5, 177–81

in the USA 178, 262–3, 306, 318–22

society debut 166–7

and Swinbrook House 14–15, 79–80

and Sydney (mother) 7, 58, 59, 62, 63–4, 65, 260–2, 276–8, 306–7

and Tom (brother) 69, 70, 71

and Unity 4, 9, 49–50, 122, 123, 127–8, 154–5, 180–1

attempted suicide and return home 211

in the USA 211, 254–63

as a writer 263, 341–2

see also
Hons and Rebels
(Jessica Mitford)

Mitford, John, 1st Lord Redesdale (ancestor) 30

Mitford, Nancy 1–2, 244–54

appearance 97, 98–9, 241, 253

and Batsford House 47

BBC documentary about 157–8

biography of Madame de Pompadour 292, 324

character 98, 101–2, 107, 150–1, 249–50, 290–2

childhood 42, 44–5, 53

and David (father) 73–4

death 334–5

and Deborah 2–3

and Diana 11–12, 15, 25, 62, 98, 103, 137, 151–2, 242, 299, 300–8, 317–18, 338

betrayal and detention of 244–50

Diana’s marriage to Bryan Guinness 94, 112–13

on Esmond Romilly 183

and Evelyn Waugh 109

and France 80, 253–4

Frederick the Great
334

friends (Bright Young Things) 107–13

grave 13

and Hamish St-Clair Erskine 68, 70, 104–7, 150, 294

and Inch Kenneth 204

infertility 62–3, 250–1, 291, 301–2

and James Lees-Milne 67, 68

and Jessica 157–8, 180, 181, 256–7, 321–2

elopement and marriage 185, 186–8, 198

and marriage

failure to marry 99–102, 106–7

to Peter Rodd 148, 149–51, 202–3, 247–8, 251, 294

miscarriages 247

and the Mitford phenomenon 12, 15–19, 21–2, 23, 24–5

and Palewski 23, 289–96, 299, 300, 301, 303, 318, 334–5

and Pamela 25, 42, 48, 336

and Paris 80, 293–4

politics 6, 9, 148–9, 156, 178, 180

and publicity 10

society debut 5, 96–104

studies at the Slade School of Fine Art 100

The
Sun King
333

and Swinbrook House 78, 79

and Sydney (mother) 58–64, 91, 250

and Tom (brother) 69, 70, 71

and Unity 267, 268, 269–70

attempted suicide and return home 210–11

death of 310–11

post-suicide attempt 215–16

visit to Bayreuth 32

war work 9, 183, 211, 245–6

as a writer 10, 15–18, 36, 103–4, 121–2, 323–4

see also
under titles of individual works

Mitford, Pamela 1, 2, 19, 355–7

and the Biddesden farm 124–5

character 122, 124

childhood 48–9, 61

death 337

and Diana 241–2

divorce 314

engagement ring 99, 264–5

grave 13

and Hitler 9, 48

marriage to Derek Jackson 156–7

miscarriages 156, 266–7

and the Mosleys’ release 272–4

and Nancy 25, 42, 48, 336

and politics 9, 48

politics 245

and Sydney (mother) 65

war work 263–4

Mitford, Rosemary (cousin) 44

Mitford, Sir John de (ancestor) 30

Mitford, Sydney, Lady Redesdale (mother)

character 64, 242, 276

and Churchill 275

cruises with daughters 50–1, 175–6, 184

daughters’ relations with 58–66, 91, 330–1

and daughters’ society debuts 95–6, 122

and David’s death 327–8

death 61–2, 332

and Deborah 197–8, 266

and Diana 89, 136, 138

distrust of doctors 38–9

as father’s housekeeper 38

and food 38

and Helleu 90–1

and Hitler 14, 65, 175, 191, 192, 217

and
Hons and Rebels
52, 61

and Inch Kenneth 282, 285

and Jessica 7, 58, 59, 62, 63–4, 65, 260–2, 276–8, 306–7

elopement 184–5, 188–9

marriage to David Mitford 39–47

collapse of 217–18

and money 82

and Nancy 58–64, 91, 250, 266, 330, 331

The
Pursuit of Love
296–7

obituary 66–7

in Paris (1926) 80

portrayal in
The
Pursuit of Love
14, 22, 64, 84

and the Second World War 246, 276

pro-German feelings 224, 225, 226–7

and Tom’s death 282–3, 284, 329

and Unity 271–2, 277

attempted suicide and return home 210–12

death of 309–13

Mitford, Tom (brother) 3, 4, 48, 68–73, 89

character 69, 70–2

death 281, 282–4, 298

and Diana 120, 242

disguised as ‘Bruno Hat’ 71, 109

letters 72

memorial to 13

politics 157–60, 190–1

and the Second World War 246, 279–81

sexuality 68–9, 104

Mitford, Unity 2, 3, 19, 26, 31, 153–6, 267–72

appearance 123–4, 213–14

artistic talent 123

biography of 270–1, 311–12

birth 44

character 122–4, 127, 202

childhood 50–1, 53

and David (father) 76

death 309–13

and Deborah 122, 202, 221, 240, 271

and Diana 4–5, 94, 154, 164–5, 168–9, 220, 271, 272

and Germany 33

grave 13

and Hitler 8, 45, 99, 160–2, 164–71, 174–5, 186, 192, 193–5

attempted suicide 204–6

and Jessica 4, 9, 49–50, 122, 123, 127–8, 154–5, 180–1, 187

and Nancy 267, 268, 269–70

parliamentary questions on 214–15, 221

politics/Nazism 7, 8, 9, 87, 153–6, 160–71

and the BUF 163–4

publicity and public opinion on 212–14, 216–18, 219–22

sexuality 164–4

society debut 117, 119, 122–4, 127–8

suicide attempt 204–6, 209–10

return to Britain after 209–18

and Swinbrook House 79–80, 176

and Sydney (mother) 66

and Tom (brother) 71

and Wagner 32

Moran, Caitlin 19

Moreton-in-Marsh 33–4

Morris, William 83–4

Morrison, Herbert 133, 214–15, 249, 273, 274

and Unity Mitford 214–15, 219–20, 221–2

Mosley, Alexander (Diana’s son) 176, 229, 241, 247, 302, 305

Mosley, Cynthia (Cimmie) 88, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 135

death 144–5

Mosley, Lady
see
Mitford, Diana

Mosley, Max (Diana’s son) 237, 241, 247, 298, 317, 326

Mosley, Nicholas (Diana’s stepson) 112, 141, 226, 233, 339

Mosley, Sir Oswald 2, 117, 128–42, 325–7

appearance 130, 132–3, 177

character 129–31

death 338

and Deborah’s marriage 197

and Diana in the postwar years 297–300, 305

and Diana’s imprisonment 239

transfer to married accommodation 242–4

Diana’s love for 9, 11, 135–42, 243–4

Diana’s marriage to 176–8

and Hitler 171, 173, 205, 226, 227

internment 225–7, 244

release under house arrest 248–9, 272–6

Memorandum 133, 134

My Life
158

politics 37, 119, 131–4, 298–9, 325–7

the BUF 6, 37, 134, 139–40, 146–9, 177

New Party 6, 37, 133, 134, 146

Union Movement 325–6

and the Second World War 222–7

sexuality 130–1, 139

and Thomas Bowles 37

and Tom Mitford 158–9, 284

and Unity Mitford 153, 154

Moyne, Lord (Walter Guinness) 93, 136, 137, 228–30, 244

Munich agreement 194, 204

Mussolini, Benito 6, 134, 139, 169, 172, 220, 226

National Government 133–4

Nazism

the ‘Black Book’ 147–8

and Mosley 225

and Tom Mitford 159

and Unity 7, 8, 9, 160–71

nicknames 2, 3, 17, 49, 129, 134, 149

Nicolson, Harold 134

Novello, Ivor 21

Ogilvie-Grant, Mark 108–9, 110, 111, 244, 247, 278

Oglivy, Lady Clementine (grandmother) 34, 46, 106

Oglivy, Lady Helen 44, 45

Orloff, Serge 125

Ormsby-Gore, Mary 154, 163, 221, 270, 311

Orwell, George 179

Palewski, Gaston 23, 289–96, 299, 300, 301, 303, 318, 324, 333, 334–5

Paris

Diana in 89–91

Nancy’s love of 80, 253–4

Pigeon Pie
(Nancy Mitford) 223, 245, 251–3, 264, 291, 304

Pride and Prejudice
(Austen) 25

Pryce-Jones, Erich 164

The
Pursuit of Love
(Nancy Mitford) 36, 41, 59, 68, 304–5, 308, 313, 330

and Asthall Manor 13–14

and Esmond Romilly 183, 184

the ‘Hons Cupboard’ in 55

and
Hons and Rebels
51

and Jessica Mitford 171, 189–90

on marriage 203

and the Mitford’s childhood 55–6, 57–8

and the Mitford phenomenon 2, 10, 12, 15–16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25

narrator 270

and Palewski 290, 295–6, 299

and politics 87, 152

portrayal of Sydney in 14, 22, 64

society debuts in 96, 101

Rattenbury, Alma 69–70

Raubal, Geli 167

Ravensdale, Irene, Lady 88, 130, 144, 145, 146, 166, 225

Ribbentrop, Joachim von 6, 169–70, 191

Rodd, Peter 62–3, 180, 183, 188, 191, 195, 251, 252, 279, 313

character 149–50

death 333

marriage to Nancy Mitford 148, 149–51, 294

and Nancy’s affair with Palewski 290, 291–2

Nancy’s divorce from 324

Röhm, Ernst 165–6

Romilly, Constancia 257, 258, 259, 321, 336, 342

Romilly, Esmond 182–90, 215, 262

Boudilla
183