Black Diamonds

The Downfall of an Aristocratic Dynasty and the Fifty Years That Changed England

By: Catherine Bailey

Narrated by: Gareth Armstrong

Fans of Downton Abbey now have a go-to resource for fascinating, real-life stories of the spectacular lives led by England's aristocrats. With the novelistic flair and knack for historical detail that Catherine Bailey displayed in her New York Times best seller The Secret Rooms, Black Diamonds provides a page-turning chronicle of the Fitzwilliam coal-mining dynasty and their breathtaking Wentworth estate, the largest private home in England.

When the sixth Earl Fitzwilliam died in 1902, he left behind the second largest estate in 20th-century England, valued at more than three billion dollars in today's money - a lifeline to the tens of thousands of people who worked either in the family's coal mines or on their expansive estate. The earl also left behind four sons, and the family line seemed assured. But was it? As Bailey retraces the Fitzwilliam family history, she uncovers a legacy riddled with bitter feuds, scandals, and civil unrest, as the conflict between the coal industry and its miners came to a head.

©2007 Catherine Bailey (P)2014 Tantor

A part of England I knew little about

Although I have traveled in the UK quite a bit, Yorkshire has not been as well visited as other areas. This book is written in such a way to make me glad they are restoring Wentworth House and that I can hope to visit it in the time to come. A full understanding of both the family and the history of the house is given in this book.

Kick and Peter

Well done. Anyone interested in Kick Kennedy will truly appreciate her ans Peter's story. Thanks

A great read.

An interesting way to portray the history of mining in England. Fascinating story of an aristocratic family with secrets forever lost to history.

Could use a good editor...

A little long and wordy. Summary not accurate. More about coal mining than the family. A little inconsistent with sequence and generations. A bit difficult to follow the names and people in some cases. OK but did not feel I learned much.

A Good Listen

What did you like best about this story?

One, great presentation of the facts of England's history. Of the 20th century
Two, The reader did A great performance.
Three The author did a great job laying out the downfall of the English aristocracy.