The Angel and the Cad: Love, Loss and Scandal in Regency England

By Geraldine Roberts

Macmillan

Pages 339  Hardback

This is the story of Catherine Tylney Long of Draycot House, not too far from Chippenham in Wiltshire. She lived there with her father, mother, two sisters and her younger brother. She was brought up gently by her kind mother and learned to be kind and charitable. Being of such a sweet and gentle nature she was frequently referred to as the Angel. However, these were the days of primogeniture, and though the oldest child, it was her young brother who was the heir to the estate. Catherine’s hopes in life, therefore, were for a good husband to keep her and care for her.

The Tylney Longs were not fabulously wealthy but nevertheless were living a comfortable life and were able to extend welfare throughout the local community. All this was to change when Catherine’s father inherited a vast fortune from his uncle, John, Earl Tylney, who had died a bachelor. Sadly, tragedy was to befall the Tylney Long family when first Catherine’s father died and soon after her young brother. These events left Catherine as the eldest daughter, an heiress to a vast fortune when she did come of age. This fortune was greater than the wealth of the royal princes in its extent and included estates, property such as Wanstead House, the first Palladian designed house in the country and which she would one day call home and £300,000 as well as an income of £40,000 per annum.

All this wealth made Catherine very interesting as a marriage prospect and she drew the attention of many suitors, but Catherine was determined to marry for love and in this lay her folly.

How well does anyone know the person they are to marry? Catherine was advised against her marriage to the nephew of the Duke of Wellington, but she was deeply in love and blind to common sense

Her choice would bring with him his own ideas of how to live and they were not similar at all. Lost fortune and scandal followed them, but Catherine remained true to herself no matter how much pressure she was under. This marriage would bring her to her knees and decimate most of what she held dear. Thankfully she constantly had the support of her family and some very good friends.

I will disclose no further details of Catherine’s story, as it is best discovered by reading this book. It clearly reveals the difficulties women had at that time if they were in a bad marriage and it also illustrates that wealth was not always a protection. A wise marriage may have been the answer. This book is well written, and you very quickly want to know how the story unfolds and it is not always predictable. I highly recommend this tale especially if you want to know about the behaviour of the Cad. You will not be disappointed.

The Angel and the Cad by Geraldine Roberts, is available to view at the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, reference SUB.921

Eileen Sutherland

Community History Advisor