The Disappearing Duke: The Improbable Tale of an Eccentric English Family

by Crofts, Andrew; Freeman-Keel, Tom

• ISBN13: 9780786710454
• ISBN10: 0786710454
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-02-06
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

Shortly after the fourth Duke of Portland died in 1854, the fifth duke began construction of a fantastic underground palace beneath the family's estate. Was it a physical representation of a secret underground life he was living as a London businessman with two families? In this work of historical detection, the authors reconstruct a century of controversy surrounding the Cavendish-Benticks, culminating in one of the most bizarre and publicized cases the British courts have ever seen. A man steeped in layers of deliberately manufactured mystery, the fifth Duke of Portlandunmarried and childlessstarted life as Lord John Bentick, became the Marquess of Tichfield upon the suspicious death of his elder brother, and passed on his title to a cousin when he perished in 1879. But some claimed that he had forged a second identity as Thomas Druce, owner of the Baker Street Bazaar and subject of countless rumors about his secretive lifestyle throughout British high society. Druce allegedly died in 1864, but his burial produced suspicion when it was claimed his coffin was filled with lead rather than a corpse. When Druce's daughter-in-law surmised that he might have survived for 15 more years, she set out to shake the foundations of British society by proving that her son, Sidney Druce, was the rightful heir to the dukedom. In a legal battle straight out of Alice in Wonderlandwith accusations of madness, perjury, and even grave robbingthe previously unassailable aristocratic establishment threatened to topple. The Disappearing Duke is a most extraordinary and improbable tale that will delight history buffs, mystery lovers, Anglophiles, and anyone who delights in the absurd. An index with sources is included.

Author Biography

Tom Freeman-Keel is the author of From Auschwitz to Alderney, a controversial book about the Germans' preparations to extend the "final solution" to Britain. His long career has included a period as a political journalist for London's Daily Express Andrew Crofts is an experienced writer of fiction and nonfiction and has published nearly 40 books

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. VII
Trouble in the Cemetery	p. 1
An uncomfortable Childhood	p. 11
Increased Expectations	p. 21
Sweet Sixteen	p. 29
A Proud Father	p. 48
A Man of Mystery	p. 65
Enter Disraeli	p. 73
A Death in the Family	p. 85
The Duke Is Dead, Long Live the Duke	p. 107
Going Underground	p. 115
A Pauper's Grave	p. 127
The Death of Mr. Druce	p. 136
Dr. Harmer and the Madhouse	p. 145
A Revelation	p. 148
Sidney's Birthright	p. 165
Lifting the Stones	p. 184
Revelation Upon Revelation	p. 199
George Hollamby's Case	p. 210
Sensation Upon Sensation	p. 221
Great Barristers in Battle	p. 234
Opening the Coffin	p. 272
The Fate of the Witnesses	p. 282
Return to the Status Quo	p. 290
The Dukes of Portland	p. 295
The Main Characters	p. 297
Timeline of the Lives of the Fifth Duke of Portland and Thomas Charles Druce	p. 298
Index	p. 305
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