On this Day in History ... 25th October

History of the Dukes of Normandy by William of Jumieges. The king of the Franks therefore assembled his forces and came in great haste to fortify the upper town, and ordered his army to encamp at Saint-Aubin. The duke's soldiers, learning of his arrival, sent out some of their own to see whether they might draw away any of the enemy from the royal host, whom they could capture unawares in hiding places. When they came, they drew off no small part of the army, and, feigning flight, led them into ambushes. Then immediately those who seemed to flee turned about and began fiercely to cut them down, so that in this conflict many were slain, among whom was Enguerrand¹, count of Abbeville, was run through and slain; and Hugh, named Bardulf, was captured with many others. When the king learned this, he sent supplies into the castle for which he had come, and, grieved at the loss of his soldiers, withdrew in disgrace. William, too, not long afterward, being pressed by famine, unwillingly surrendered the castle and went into exile from his native land. At length, with his wife, who was the sister of Guy², count of Ponthieu, he sought out Eustace³, count of Boulogne, and, receiving food and clothing in his household, remained an exile until his death.

Rex ergo Francorum copias sumpsit et superioris oppidi causa muniendi properantissime advenit, et exercitum castra metari apud sanctum Albinum jussit. Cujus adventum milites ducis comperientes, de suis miserunt, si quos forte hostium a regio cœtu abstraherent, quos illi in latibulis degentes incautos exciperent. Quo dum venissent, non minimam exercitus partem inde protraxerunt, et fugientes in insidias induxerunt. Statim vero qui videbantur fugere, versa facie coeperunt eos acriter cædere; adeo ut in hoc conflictu cum pluribus Ingelrannus Abbatisville comes confossus perimeretur, ac Hugo cognomento Bardulfus cum multis aliis caperetur. Quod ut rex agnovit, alimoniam castello pro quo venerat, intromisit, et moestus propter milites amissos cum dedecore recessit. Willelmus quoque non longo post inedia affectus cum suis invitus castellum reddidit et ipse a nativo solo in exsilium discessit. Denique cum uxore sua, sorore scilicet Widonis comitis Pontivi, Eustachium Boloniæ comitem expetiit, et in ejus familia victum et vestitum percipiens, usque ad mortem suam extorris remansit.

Note 1. Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu, was killed in battle on 25th October 1053 supporting William of Talou aka Arques (age 27). He was the eldest son and heir of Hugh II, Count of Ponthieu and his wife Bertha of Aumale. Sometime before 1049 he married Adelaide, daughter of Duke RoberKing Edwardt I of Normandy, and was, therefore, brother-in-law of Duke William I of Normandy, the Conqueror. The marriage was annulled by the Council of Reims in 1049.

Note 2. Guy aka Wido Count of Ponthieu (age 33), ~1020-1100, was a younger brother of Enguerrand, Count of Ponthieu who succeeded to his brother's title 1053. Guy was succeeded by his daughter Agnes who married Robert II of Bellême aka Montgomery and whose son William succeeded to the title Count of Ponthieu when Agnes died sometime after 1105.

Note 3. Eustace, II Count of Boulogne (age 38), ~1015-~1087. He fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings. In 1047 he married Goda aka Godgifu, daughter of the King Æthelred the Unready of England, sister of King Edward the Confessor (age 50). Eustace and Goda's marriage was annulled when Eustace was excommunicated by Pope Leo IX for marrying within the prohibited degree of kinship; they were half third cousin twice removed, possibly closer. He subsequently married Ida of Lorraine (age 13), daughter of Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine, with whom he had four children.

Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1529. 25th October 1529. Bradford, 256. 6026. Chapuys (age 39) to Charles V (age 29).

On the receipt of your letter on Thursday the 21st, dated Piacenza, I sent to Windsor to ask for an audience. As the administration has fallen principally into the hands of the Duke of Norfolk (age 56), and the communication is more agreeable to him than that of the marriage, I hastened to visit him. The Cardinal (age 56), who was dis-evangelised on the day of St. Luke the Evangelist (18 Oct.), has been deprived of his offices. I was received by the Duke with great distinction, and expressed to him the regard in which you had always held him for his goodwill. He seemed highly pleased, and said that he and his family had always been attached to the house of Burgundy; that no one more lamented the late disagreements than himself, but that all the evil and misunderstanding ought to be attributed to those who formerly directed the King's councils, acting by their own will and authority, with which the King himself was often dissatisfied.

In reply to his remark that he should like to serve your Majesty against the Turk, I praised his virtuous feelings, and told him that was the main object of my communication; but for the better security of peace, which the King had done so much to establish, one unhappy difference between himself and the Queen remained to be settled. I told him that, however strongly he might feel from family considerations, he could not but feel as a true knight, nor act otherwise than if it had been his own daughter, and as conscience directed; and that your Majesty was convinced that he had not been the promoter of this step. He replied that he would sooner have lost one of his hands than that such a question should have arisen; but it was entirely a matter of law and conscience, and he had never been appealed to; that it had been submitted to ecclesiastics and doctors, who had pronounced against the validity of the marriage; that if the dispensation you held was illegal, the King would consider himself the most abused prince in Christendom; and that if you had not declared yourself in it so openly, it might have sooner been brought to a satisfactory issue. I explained to him the constraint under which you acted; and that, as to the king of England not having declared himself a party in the matter, it was clear that he had done so from the proceedings of the English ambassadors at Rome. Finding he remained thoughtful, I changed the subject. Shortly after he turned to me with a laugh, and said, "How glad the Emperor will be to hear of this fall of the Cardinal, and his loss of office?" I answered, I thought you would, but not from any hatred you had to the Cardinal; and that he could have done neither good nor ill to you, and was not of such importance as that you would care to be avenged, or trouble yourself about his disgrace; but what you rejoiced at was, that the king of England would now learn who had been his evil counsellors, and leave the management of affairs to men who from birth and circumstances were more competent. I told him that I was the first who had broken through the chain of paying court to the Cardinal, and addressed myself to him. He thanked me for my good intentions, and said that the government was managed not by an individual but by the Council, where he usually assisted, and would promote Your Majesty's interests.

In order to please the Duke I asked him what I should do, although I had already sent one of my secretaries to the King. He told me that the King had ordered that application should be made direct to himself, before any other person was acquainted with the communication. He followed me to the hall, using very courteous language.

On the 22nd my secretary returned from Windsor, stating that the King would be at Greenwich on Saturday, and I was to go the day after. On my reaching Greenwich [Map] I found a civil gentleman, named Poller (Bollen?), sent by the King to conduct me to the palace. There I found the bishop of London (age 55), who led me to the King's antechamber, where the Court was assembled, and was received by two dukes and the archbishop of Canterbury (age 79). I conversed with these lords, waiting for the King to go to mass; and we talked of the conference at Bologna. The King, on going to mass, came directly to me, and taking me by the sleeve said, with the utmost graciousness, "You have news from my brother the Emperor." On answering Yes, he asked the date, and then said your Majesty was very careful to give him information. I assured him that you were anxious to make him partaker of all affairs, and thus show your brotherly affection. I then presented your letters, and, as to the particulars of my credentials, he said that the ambassadors in your court were authorised to treat about them. Speaking of your going into Italy I bespoke his good offices.

On his return from mass, he came up to me again, and resumed the subject. When we talked of the necessity of resisting the Turk, and of the Pope's arrival at Bologna on the 5th, I said I thought it advisable that he should commission his ambassadors with the Pope to treat; and I combated his remark that he could do but little against the Turk, seeing he was wealthy, and as absolute in his dominions as the Pope. He urged that this affair was chiefly yours, and if you wished to accomplish it you must make peace with the princes of Italy. I assured him you had never ceased from efforts in this direction. The conversation then turned on the duke Francesco Sforza; and I urged, in opposition to his remark, that your proceedings were as favorable to the Duke as could be. He objected to the cession of Pavia and Alexandria, alleging the cruelties which had taken place at Sienna. I told him Pavia was out of dispute, as it was already given up. "Between ourselves," said he, "I think it is a great shame that whilst the Turk is in Austria, the patrimony of the Emperor, he should not rescue it, but make war upon Christians." On my urging the danger that might be expected from Sforza and the Venetians if your troops were withdrawn, he urged that neither could do anything. Shortly after, changing his tone, he said, with some emphasis, "My brother the king of France has made your Emperor a marvellous offer." This he repeated three times. I said, if it were so, he had now done a virtuous part, and kept his professions. After various other topics it grew late. Not a word was said of the Queen. After dinner he asked me if I had anything more to say.

All here are satisfied with the treaty of Cambray. As for the observance of it, the Queen, as I have already written, has expressed her doubt of its duration. It is supposed to have cost this King 800,000 ducats. He is not therefore likely to break it. People here are not very anxious to repeat the dose, as it is not to their taste. At present they seem on good terms with the French. The ambassador has been only once at court with his brother since my arrival. He has been commanded to deliver his message to the Council, and abstain from communication with the Cardinal; at which he was greatly vexed. Various ambassadors are here. The most in favour is the Milanese, on whom the King has spent money. Those who are now in most credit are the dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk (age 45). There is not a single person about the King who is not saturated with French money; and though they profess great affection to you, their affection for money is much stronger. I have submitted the proposition to the King respecting the sea being kept free from pirates. He has ordered a good reception for Mons. Rosymbez.

The downfall of the Cardinal is complete. He is dismissed from the Council, deprived of the Chancellorship, and constrained to make an inventory of his goods in his own hand, that nothing may be forgotten. It is said that he has acknowledged his faults, and presented all his effects to the King. Yesterday the King returned to Greenwich by water secretly, in order to see them, and found them much greater than he expected. He took with him "sa mye" (his darling-Ann Boleyn (age 28)), her mother (age 49), and a gentleman of his chamber (Norris?) The Cardinal, notwithstanding his troubles, has always shown a good face, especially towards the town, but since St. Luke's Day all has been changed to sighs and tears night and day. The King, either moved by pity, or for fear if he should die the whole extent of his effects would not be found, sent him a ring for his comfort. He has withdrawn with a small attendance to a place ten miles off. They have sent for his son from Paris. People say execrable things of him, all which will be known at this Parliament. But those who have raised the storm will not let it abate, not knowing, if he returned to power, what would become of them. The ambassador of France commiserates him most. It was feared the Cardinal would get his goods out of the country, and therefore a strict watch was kept at the ports, and the watch insisted on opening the coffers of cardinal Campeggio (age 54), notwithstanding his passport, and, on his refusal, broke open the locks. He said they had done him great wrong to suppose that he could be corrupted by the Cardinal, since he had been proof against the innumerable presents offered him by the King.

The Chancellor's seal has remained in the hands of the Duke of Norfolk till this morning, when it was transferred to Sir Thomas More (age 51). Every one is delighted at his promotion, because he is an upright and learned man, and a good servant of the Queen. He was Chancellor of Lancaster, an office now conferred on the Sieur Villeury (Fitzwilliam). Richard Pace, a faithful servant of your Majesty, whom the Cardinal had kept in prison for two years, as well in the Tower of London as in a monastery (Syon House), is set at liberty. Unless his mind should again become unsettled, it is thought he will rise in higher favour at Court than ever.

There is a young man here, sent by the duke of Saxony, who has much business with the King and the bishop of London.

Of the King's affair there is nothing new to communicate, except what the bishop of London has told me, that Dr. Stokesley (age 54) had been sent to France to consult the doctors of Paris. The Queen begs your Majesty will send some respectable person there to do the same, for without some definitive sentence the King will remain obstinate in his opinions. She thinks that delay will be more dangerous than profitable, and therefore we have thought it desirable not to consent to the postponement demanded. To avoid creating suspicion in the mind of the King, she thinks I had better cease to visit her, but she will provide means for my speaking with her in private. London, 25 Oct. 1529.

P.S.-Two days after I had written the above, the Cardinal was definitively condemned by the Council, declared a rebel, and guilty of high treason for having obtained a legatine bull, whereby he had conferred many benefices in the King's patronage. He has been deprived of his dignities, his goods confiscated, and himself sentenced to prison until the King shall decide. This sentence was not given in his presence, but to his two proctors. This he will not find easy of digestion, but worse remains behind (mais encoures ne serat il quicte pour le prix).

Chronicle of Edward Hall [1496-1548]. [25th October 1532]. While the King of England, lay thus at Boulogne, the Frenche King to show himself loving to the noble men of England, the twenty-fifth day of October, called a Chapter of the companions of his Order, called Saint Michael, of whom the King of England was one, and so there elected Thomas Duke of Norfolk, and Charles Duke of Suffolk, to be companions of the said Order, which were brought into the Chapter, and had their Collars delivered to them, and were sworn to the Statutes of the Order, their obeisance to their sovereign Lord, always reserved: which Dukes thanked the French King, and gave to the Officers of Arms two hundred Crowns apiece. All this season the French King and his court were fresh, and his guard were apparelled, in frocks of blue crimson, and yellow velvet. With the French King, was the King of Navarre, the Dauphin of Vien, the Dukes of Orleans, Angouleme, Vendome, Guise, Longueville, the Earles of Saint Panic, Nevers, Etampes, Laval, and many other Earles and Barons and the Prince of Melsse, four Cardinals, and eleven bishops with their trains and escort, which surely was a great company: so continued these two Kings at Boulogne, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and on Friday the twenty-fifth day of October, they departed out of Boulogne to Calais: the French King's train was twelve hundred persons, and so many horse or more, and without Calais two mile, met with them the Duke of Richmond, the Kings bastard son of England, a goodly young Prince, and full of favour and beauty, with a great company of noble men, which were not at Boulogne, so the Duke with his company, embraced the Frenche King, and so did other noble men, then the Lords of England set forward, as the Dukes of Richmond, Norfolk and Suffolk, the Marques of Exeter, the Earls of Arundel, Oxford, Surrey, Derby, Worcester; Rutland, Sussex, and Huntingdon, the Viscounts of Lisle, and Rochford (age 55), the Bishops of London, Winchester, Lincoln, and Bath, the Lorde William Howard, the Lord Maltravers, the Lord Montacute, the Lord Cobham, the Lord Sandys, the Lord Bray, the Lorde Mordant, the Lord Leonard Grey (age 53), the Lord Clinton, and Sir William Fitzwilliam knight, treasurer of the King's house, and Sir William Paulet, Comptroller of the same with a great number of knights, beside the lusty Esquires and young gentlemen. These noble, personages and gentlemen of England, accompanied the French Lords to Newnam Bridge, where as Thomas Palmer, captain of the fortress, with a fair company of soldiers saluted the Kings and so they passed towards Calais: where at their coming, that what out of the Town and the Castle, and what out of Rysbank [Map], and the Ships in the Haven, the French men said they never heard such a shot: And when they were entered the Mill Gate, all the Soldiers of the Town, stood on the one side, apparelled in Red and Blue, and on the other side of the streets, stood all the serving men of England, in coats of Frenche tawney, with their Lords and Masters devises embroidered, and every man a scarlet cap and a white feather, which made a goodly show: there were lodged in Calais that night, beside the town dwellers, eight thousand persons at the least. The King of England brought the French King to his lodging, to the Staple Inn, where his chamber was hanged with so rich verdure, as hath not been seen, the ground of it was gold and damask, and all over the tufts and flowers, were of satin silk and silver, so curiously wrought that they seemed to grow, every chamber was richer, and other: the second chamber all of tissue, with a cloth of estate of needle work, set with great roses of large pearl. The third was hanged with velvet, upon velvet pearled green and crimson, and embroidered over with branches, of flowers of gold bullion, and garnished with arms and beasts of the same gold, set with pearl and stone. If the Frenche King made good cheer to the King of England, and his train at Boulogne, I assure you he and his train, were requited at Calais, for the plenty of wild fowl, venison, fish, and all other things which were there, it was marvel to see, for the Kings Officers of England, had made preparation in every place, so that the Frenchmen were served, with such multitude of diverse fishes, this Friday and Saturday, that the masters of the French King's household, much wondered at the provision. In likewise on the Sunday, they had all manner of flesh, foul, spice, venison, both of fallow deer and red deer, and as for wine they lacked none, so that well was the English man that might well entertain the Frenchman: the Lords of France never fetched their viandes, but they were sent to them, and often time their proportion of victual was so abundant, that they refused a great part thereof.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 25th October 1667. Another by Crispin, the waterman, who said he was upon "The Charles"; and spoke to Lord Bruncker (age 47) coming by in his boat, to know whether they should carry up "The Charles", they being a great many naked men without armes, and he told them she was well as she was. Both these have little in them indeed, but yet both did stick close against him; and he is the weakest man in the world to make his defence, and so is like to have much fault laid on him therefrom. Spragg (age 47) was in with them all the afternoon, and hath much fault laid on him for a man that minded his pleasure, and little else of his whole charge. I walked in the lobby, and there do hear from Mr. Chichly (age 53) that they were (the Commissioners of the Ordnance) shrewdly put to it yesterday, being examined with all severity and were hardly used by them, much otherwise than we, and did go away with mighty blame; and I am told by every body that it is likely to stick mighty hard upon them: at which every body is glad, because of Duncomb's pride, and their expecting to have the thanks of the House whereas they have deserved, as the Parliament apprehends, as bad as bad can be. Here is great talk of an impeachment brought in against my Lord Mordaunt (age 41), and that another will be brought in against my Chancellor (age 58) in a few days. Here I understand for certain that they have ordered that my Lord Arlington's (age 49) letters, and Secretary Morrice's (age 64) letters of intelligence, be consulted, about the business of the Dutch fleete's coming abroad, which is a very high point, but this they have done, but in what particular manner I cannot justly say, whether it was not with the King's leave first asked. Here late, as I have said, and at last they broke up, and we had our commissions again, and I do hear how Birch (age 52) is the high man that do examine and trouble every body with his questions, and they say that he do labour all he can to clear Pett, but it seems a witness has come in tonight, C. Millett, who do declare that he did deliver a message from the Duke of Albemarle (age 58) time enough for him to carry up "The Charles", and he neglected it, which will stick very hard, it seems, on him. So Sir W. Pen (age 46) and I in his coach home, and there to supper, a good supper, and so weary, and my eyes spent, to bed.

On 24th October 1769 Alexander Montgomerie 10th Earl Eglinton (age 46) was shot and killed by an excise officer or Gaudger (Scots) named Mungo Campbell following a dispute about the latter's right to bear arms on the Earl's grounds. The Earl died from his abdominal wounds late that evening at one o'clock on the morning of the 25th October 1769 at Eglinton Castle. His brother Archibald (age 43) succeeded 11th Earl Eglinton.

John Brown, tide-officer or tide-waiter (a customs officer who boarded and inspected incoming ships) at Saltcoats, gave evidence that on the day of the earl's death, Tuesday 24 October 1769, he was on duty and walking with Mungo Campbell "They passed through the grounds of Montfodd, and thereafter crossed a burn, which is the march between Montfodd and the earl of Eglintoun's property, and went through lord Eglintoun's ground towards the sea."

The trial of Mungo Campbell, before the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland, for the murder of Alexander Earl of Eglintoun. Extracted from the records of the court:

That the earl faid to him, That he might have a right to carry a gun, but not upon his lands, without his liberty. That the pannel upon this faid to the earl, I beg your lordfhip's pardon: or, I beg your pardon. That at this time lord Eglintoun was difmounted from his horfe, and advancing nearer the pannel, who again was retiring fometimes backwards, at other times tideways, having his mufket dill pointed at the earl. But the deponent did not obferve whether he had his hand upon the cock or not; neither drd the deponent hear any threatnings uled by the pannel againft the earl. Depones, whein the pannel was retreating, he fell clofe by where the deponent was fitting on his horfe, and by his fall frightened the deponent's horfe, fo that the horfe reeled a little; during which time the deponent did not obferve the pannel, but immediately thereafter, having got -his horfe fettled, he faw the pannel half fitting half lying, and faw him point his gun towards Lord Eglintoun, and immediately fire it. — That at this time lord Eglintoun was within two or three yards of the pannel. That upon this lord Eglintoun gave three or four loud cries, that he was gone. Depones, that the pannel fired his gun without putting it to his fhoulder, but raifed the butt above his haunch, and pointed it at the earl.

Campbell was convicted of murder but hanged himself with a silk scarf provided by his friends before the sentence could be carried out.

A map of the lands of Montfode and Ardrossan in 1769 showing the details of the incident.

Alexander Montgomerie 10th Earl Eglinton: On 10th February 1723 he was born to Alexander Montgomerie 9th Earl Eglinton and Susanna Kennedy Countess Winton. On 18th February 1729 Alexander Montgomerie 9th Earl Eglinton died. His son Alexander succeeded 10th Earl Eglinton.

Montreal Gazette 1983 Oct. 25th October 1983. Earl of Craven fears old curse and kills himself

EASTBOURNE, England (AP) - The seventh Earl of Craven (deceased) — who lived in fear of a curse that all the males of his family would die young — has killed himself at age 26, police said.

Thomas Robert Douglas Craven fatally shot himself at the home of his mother, Countess Elizabeth Craven, police reported. His body was found Saturday.

None of Craven's direct ancestors going back to the 17th century reached the age of 60.

His father, the sixth earl, drowned at age 47 when he fell off a yacht during a party in 1965. Leukemia killed his grandfather, the fifth earl, at age 35.

The reputed curse says that all Craven boys will die before their mothers. Residents in the earl's village of Hampstead Marshall, Berkshire, said it was uttered by a village mother whose daughter was made pregnant by a Craven ancestor.

"They were a family that over the years never mixed closely in village affairs and I think the curse developed because of the antagomsm between them and the local folk," said one elderly man.

The young earl was unmarried. Anne Nicholson. his former girlfriend and mother of their seven-year-old son, Thomas, was quoted last year as saying:

"The curse of the Cravens does worry him (the earl) a lot. He rarely discusses it. but it's at the back of his mind most of the time. It's an awful thing because it seems to have come true in the past. It makes me worry about our little Tommy."

The earl's only son will not inherit the earldom because he is illegitimate. The title passes to the earl's 22-year-old brother, Simon George Craven (age 22).

The Cravens can trace their line back to William the Conqueror, who invaded England and won its crown in 1066. The Craven estates were once among the largest in Britain, embracing 8,000 hectares in Berkshire alone, but they have dwindled to a few properties.

Leicester Mercury 25 Oct 2012. When historian Catherine Bailey was invited to chronicle the history of the Duke of Rutland's family during the First World War, she uncovered a secret which had remained hidden for more than 60 years. Reporter Peter Warzynski talks to the author about her discoveries... When John Henry Montagu Manners, the 9th Duke of Rutland, died of pneumonia on April 22, 1940, he was remembered as a soldier who fought with comrades on the Western Front. His name and rank formed the centrepiece at the chapel at Belvoir Castle as a tribute to his virtuous war record. But the Duke had spent his final days locked in a dank room at the castle, frantically trying to erase any record of his involvement in the Great War. In all, 249 men from the Belvoir estate were killed fighting on the frontline in France between 1914 and 1918. The Duke was never among them. Despite leading the Remembrance Day parade through Rutland year after year and presiding over the ceremony, his supposed military service was a sham – but not one of his own making. His mother, Violet Manners, the 8th Duchess of Rutland, used her considerable persuasive powers and position to approach Lord Kitchener and Sir John French, the Commander in Chief of the Western Front, to keep her son from the fighting. Eventually, she rigged a series of medical examinations and dashed any hopes John had of battling in the trenches in Ypres with his regiment – the 4th Battalion Leicestershire (the Tigers). In the years before he died, ashamed of his sham military service, the Duke became reclusive as he obsessed over the family's meticulous records. His aim was to erase any reference to his military past and rewrite the family's history – and he succeeded. However, the truth did not come to light until historian Catherine Bailey began combing through the records in 2008. "The archive was prist-ine," she said. "It went all the way back to the 12th century and included tens of-thousands of documents. "But when I began studying them, I noticed gaps." On April 22, 1940, the Leicester Mercury reported "with great regret that the Duke of Rutland, head of the ancient family of Manners, died at his seat". The article paid tribute to the 53-year-old, stating: "He went to the front in February 1915, serving with the rank of Captain." Catherine said: "The family had no idea John had altered documents and letters and rewritten history. It was only when I unearthed a small trunk containing more letters I was able piece together the clues and unravel what had happened." Catherine first entered the Muniment Room at Belvoir Castle – where the family archives are kept – in 2008, after the Duke and Duchess of Rutland agreed to let her research the family for a book about the First World War. "My original idea was to write about a great family during the Great War and the Duke and Duchess agreed to take part. But after just a few months, I noticed things were missing from the records," she said Catherine found three gaps – 1894, 1909 and 1915 – in the otherwise perfect chronological archive. "It soon became a detective story," she said. The first gap related to the death of John's brother, Haddon. "When John was eight his brother died, but the reason for the death was not what the family believed had happened to him." Catherine stops there. "I don't want to give too much of the book away," she explains. "John was banished from Belvoir Castle on the day of Haddon's funeral and spent most of his childhood years estranged from his parents. "That event is the key to his character and shaped the rest of his life." Haddon's death shook Violet, his mother, who made no secret of the fact he was her favourite. But the tragic event had further implications. Were anything to happen to John, she would lose her money and privileges when her husband – the 8th Duke – died. His title and estate would be handed over to his half-brother, leaving Violet penniless. Catherine believes the Duchess's efforts to keep her only son from the frontline were motivated by neurosis rather than love. "She did everything she could to prevent him from fighting on the frontline, because the most likely outcome of being on the Western Front was being killed," she said. It was true John was a Captain in the 4th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment before it was absorbed into the 46th North Midland Division. He was appointed aide-de-camp to General Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley, a role which included instructing soldiers in Britain. However, when he was sent to Ypres, France, in 1915, much to his frustration, he only witnessed the Great War from the safety of Goldfish Chateaux, the Army's regional headquarters. John's exclusion from the carnage of the frontline was due to his mother's relentless interference. Violet wrote letters to GHQ (General Headquarters) and General Wortley and even pressured her daughter into seducing a man whom she thought would be able to influence senior officers. She finally turned to family physician Dr Donald Hood to give false evidence about John's health, claiming he had recurring dysentery. "The more I got to know him, the more his story became a tragic one," said Catherine. "For the first year of the war he did all he could to fight with the men of the 4th Leicesters. "But it was his mother's meddling and constant undermining that finally got him returned home. "He spent the rest of life ashamed and his final years locked away trying to erase his past." The Secret Rooms, published by Penguin, is out on November 1.

On 24th October 1769 Alexander Montgomerie 10th Earl Eglinton (age 46) was shot and killed by an excise officer or Gaudger (Scots) named Mungo Campbell following a dispute about the latter's right to bear arms on the Earl's grounds. The Earl died from his abdominal wounds late that evening at one o'clock on the morning of the 25th October 1769 at Eglinton Castle. His brother Archibald (age 43) succeeded 11th Earl Eglinton.

John Brown, tide-officer or tide-waiter (a customs officer who boarded and inspected incoming ships) at Saltcoats, gave evidence that on the day of the earl's death, Tuesday 24 October 1769, he was on duty and walking with Mungo Campbell "They passed through the grounds of Montfodd, and thereafter crossed a burn, which is the march between Montfodd and the earl of Eglintoun's property, and went through lord Eglintoun's ground towards the sea."

The trial of Mungo Campbell, before the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland, for the murder of Alexander Earl of Eglintoun. Extracted from the records of the court:

That the earl faid to him, That he might have a right to carry a gun, but not upon his lands, without his liberty. That the pannel upon this faid to the earl, I beg your lordfhip's pardon: or, I beg your pardon. That at this time lord Eglintoun was difmounted from his horfe, and advancing nearer the pannel, who again was retiring fometimes backwards, at other times tideways, having his mufket dill pointed at the earl. But the deponent did not obferve whether he had his hand upon the cock or not; neither drd the deponent hear any threatnings uled by the pannel againft the earl. Depones, whein the pannel was retreating, he fell clofe by where the deponent was fitting on his horfe, and by his fall frightened the deponent's horfe, fo that the horfe reeled a little; during which time the deponent did not obferve the pannel, but immediately thereafter, having got -his horfe fettled, he faw the pannel half fitting half lying, and faw him point his gun towards Lord Eglintoun, and immediately fire it. — That at this time lord Eglintoun was within two or three yards of the pannel. That upon this lord Eglintoun gave three or four loud cries, that he was gone. Depones, that the pannel fired his gun without putting it to his fhoulder, but raifed the butt above his haunch, and pointed it at the earl.

Campbell was convicted of murder but hanged himself with a silk scarf provided by his friends before the sentence could be carried out.

A map of the lands of Montfode and Ardrossan in 1769 showing the details of the incident.

Alexander Montgomerie 10th Earl Eglinton: On 10th February 1723 he was born to Alexander Montgomerie 9th Earl Eglinton and Susanna Kennedy Countess Winton. On 18th February 1729 Alexander Montgomerie 9th Earl Eglinton died. His son Alexander succeeded 10th Earl Eglinton.