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    Meet the family

    Acquaint yourself with the Curzons. They came from Normandy at the time of William the Conqueror and lived a quiet life in the country, with a few notable exceptions...

    Sir Nathaniel Curzon: a man with a plan…

    Sir Nathaniel and Lady Caroline Curzon; by Arthur Devis
    © NTPL / John Hammond

    Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Lord Scarsdale (1726-1804), was the man behind Kedleston Hall. He never made the Grand Tour, a popular part of the education of young aristocrats at the time, but a love for Italian art and architecture was in his blood.

    He was impatient to improve Kedleston even before he inherited in 1758. Shortly afterwards he was introduced to the young Scottish architect Robert Adam and the rest is history. Find out more about the building of Kedleston Hall.

    …and Lady Caroline: a lady of means

    Sir Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Lord Scarsdale, and his wife, Caroline; by Nathaniel Hone
    © NTPL / John Hammond

    Lady Caroline Colyear (1733-1812) married Sir Nathaniel Curzon in 1750. She shared his delight in collecting paintings and sculpture.

    The building of the new Hall was partly funded by the large dowry given by her father, the 2nd Earl of Portmore, making her as important a figure in Kedleston’s history as her husband.

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    Lord Curzon: our man in India

    Portrait of George Nathaniel, Lord Curzon in the robes of Chancellor of Oxford University; by Sir Hubert von Herkomer
    © NTPL / John Hammond

    The most famous Curzon was George Nathaniel, 1st Viscount Scarsdale (1859-1925). He enjoyed a glittering career at Eton and Oxford, where his ambition and arrogance inspired the rhyme:

    'My name is George Nathaniel Curzon
    I am a most superior person
    My cheek is pink, my hair is sleek
    I dine at Blenheim once a week'

    He became an expert on Asian politics, travelling widely in the region and becoming Viceroy of India in 1899. He later served as Foreign Secretary. Even out of office he was never idle, buying and restoring both Bodiam Castle and Tattershall Castle and bequeathing them to the National Trust.

    Lady Curzon: the woman behind the man

    Lady Curzon in her famous peacock dress; by William Logsdail
    © NTPL / John Hammond    		 Lord Curzon married the American heiress, Mary Leiter, in 1895 after a long distance relationship and secret two-year engagement. Lady Curzon (1870-1906) accompanied her husband to India where, as Viceriene, she was the second highest ranking woman in the British Empire after the Queen.

    She was in poor health following their return to England. She died aged 36, leaving behind their three young daughters.
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    George Nathaniel, Lord Curzon (1859-1925); by William Logsdail
    © NTPL / Andrew Haslam
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