Mitford family tree

Six sisters and a brother grew up in the same Cotswold house and were taught by the same governesses. Among the sisters were a bestselling novelist, a fascist, a friend of Hitler's, a communist and a duchess. The Mitfords spent most of the 20th century arguing with each other, mostly in letters, and many of those letters have been published. Here's the whole family, with the husbands and the next generation.

Farve and Muv

David Mitford, later the 2nd Baron Redesdale, married Sydney Bowles in 1904. The children called them Farve and Muv. David had a loud temper, distrusted foreigners and books, and had read only one novel in his life, or so Nancy liked to claim. Sydney believed in fresh air and plain food, and didn't think girls needed school. Apart from a short spell for Unity and Diana, the sisters were taught at home, first at Asthall Manor and then at Swinbrook House, which David built in 1926.

Both grandfathers were remarkable in their own right. Bertram Mitford was a diplomat in Japan in the 1860s and wrote Tales of Old Japan. Thomas Gibson Bowles founded two magazines, Vanity Fair and The Lady.

The seven children

• Nancy (1904–1973), the eldest and the sharpest tongue. Her novel The Pursuit of Love (1945) put the family into fiction as the Radletts, with Farve as the roaring Uncle Matthew. She spent most of her later life in France.
• Pamela (1907–1994), the quiet one, known to her sisters as "Woman". She loved the country, chickens and cooking. The poet John Betjeman fell for her. She married Derek Jackson, a physicist who also rode in the Grand National and married six times in all.
• Tom (1909–1945), the only boy, a barrister and a fine musician. He is said to have asked to fight in Burma rather than against the Germans, and he died there of his wounds in 1945.
• Diana (1910–2003), thought the most beautiful of them. She left her first husband, Bryan Guinness, the brewing heir, for Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists. They married in Berlin in 1936, at Joseph Goebbels's house, with Hitler as a guest. Both were imprisoned for much of the war.
• Unity (1914–1948), whose middle name was Valkyrie. She moved to Munich, got to know Hitler, and shot herself in the head the day Britain declared war on Germany. She survived, was brought home, and died nine years later from the effects of the bullet.
• Jessica, known as Decca (1917–1996), who went the other way politically. She ran off to the Spanish Civil War with Esmond Romilly, a young communist and Winston Churchill's nephew by marriage. They moved to America, where Esmond joined the Canadian air force and was killed in 1941. She stayed, joined the Communist Party, worked for civil rights, and wrote The American Way of Death, a bestselling attack on the funeral business.
• Deborah, known as Debo (1920–2014), the youngest. She married Andrew Cavendish, who unexpectedly became Duke of Devonshire. She spent the next 50 years turning Chatsworth into one of the most visited houses in England. She was the last of the sisters to die.

Cousins and in-laws

The family tree reaches into some unlikely places. Clementine Churchill, Winston's wife, was David Mitford's first cousin, because their mothers were sisters. That made Jessica and Esmond Romilly second cousins when they eloped. Deborah's husband only became duke because his elder brother, William, was killed in action in 1944. William had married Kathleen Kennedy, a sister of John F. Kennedy, only a few months before. So Deborah had a Kennedy sister-in-law, and she and Andrew were guests at JFK's inauguration in 1961.

The next generation

Nancy and Pamela had no children, and neither did Tom or Unity. Between them, the other three sisters had eleven:

• Diana's sons with Bryan Guinness were Jonathan and Desmond. Desmond spent his life saving Ireland's Georgian buildings. With Mosley she had Alexander and Max. Max later ran the FIA, the governing body of world motor sport.
• Jessica's first daughter, Julia, died of measles as a baby in 1938. Constancia was born in 1941, a few months before her father was killed. With her second husband, Robert Treuhaft, a civil rights lawyer, Jessica had Nicholas, who died in a road accident at ten, and Benjamin.
• Deborah had Emma, Peregrine (later the 12th Duke of Devonshire) and Sophia. Three more babies died just after they were born.

Quick answers

How many Mitford sisters were there?

Six: Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Unity, Jessica and Deborah. They also had one brother, Tom.

Which Mitford sister was the fascist?

Two of them, in different ways. Diana married Oswald Mosley, the British fascist leader, and never really changed her views. Unity was devoted to Hitler personally and lived in Munich in the 1930s.

Which Mitford sister was the communist?

Jessica, or Decca. She stopped speaking to Diana for most of her life over it.

Was Nancy Mitford's family in her novels?

Very much so. The Radlett family in The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate is the Mitfords barely disguised, and Uncle Matthew is Farve.

Which of the Mitfords lived longest?

Deborah, who died in 2014 aged 94.

Bertram Mitford married Clementine Ogilvy. Bertram is a man. Clementine is a woman. They had a son called David Mitford.
Bertram was born in 1837. Bertram died in 1916. Bertram is a diplomat.
Thomas Gibson Bowles had a daughter called Sydney Bowles. Thomas is a man. Thomas was born in 1841. Thomas died in 1922. Thomas is a magazine publisher.

David Mitford married Sydney Bowles in 1904. David is a man. Sydney is a woman.
David was born on 13 March 1878. David died on 17 March 1958. Sydney was born in 1880. Sydney died on 25 May 1963.
David is also known as Farve. Sydney is also known as Muv.
They had seven children, Nancy Mitford, Pamela Mitford, Tom Mitford, Diana Mitford, Unity Mitford, Jessica Mitford and Deborah Mitford.
Nancy was born on 28 November 1904. Pamela was born on 25 November 1907. Tom was born on 2 January 1909. Diana was born on 17 June 1910. Unity was born on 8 August 1914. Jessica was born on 11 September 1917. Deborah was born on 31 March 1920.
Nancy is a woman. Pamela is a woman. Tom is a man. Diana is a woman. Unity is a woman. Jessica is a woman. Deborah is a woman.
Pamela is also known as Woman. Jessica is also known as Decca. Deborah is also known as Debo.

Nancy married Peter Rodd in 1933. Peter is a man. They divorced in 1957. Peter was born in 1904. Peter died in 1968.
Nancy died on 30 June 1973. Nancy is a novelist.
Pamela married Derek Jackson in 1936. Derek is a man. They divorced in 1951. Derek was born in 1906. Derek died in 1982. Derek is a physicist.
Pamela died on 12 April 1994.
Tom died on 30 March 1945. Tom is a soldier.
Diana married Bryan Guinness in 1929. Bryan is a man. Bryan was born in 1905. Bryan died in 1992. They had two sons, Jonathan Guinness and Desmond Guinness. Jonathan was born in 1930. Desmond was born in 1931. Desmond died in 2020.
Diana and Bryan divorced in 1933.
Diana married Oswald Mosley in 1936. Oswald is a man. Oswald was born in 1896. Oswald died in 1980. Oswald is a politician. They had two sons, Alexander Mosley and Max Mosley. Alexander was born in 1938. Max was born in 1940. Max died in 2021.
Diana died on 11 August 2003.
Unity died on 28 May 1948.
Jessica married Esmond Romilly in 1937. Esmond is a man. Esmond was born in 1918. Esmond died in 1941. They had two daughters, Julia Romilly and Constancia Romilly. Julia was born in 1937. Julia died in 1938. Constancia was born in 1941.
Jessica married Robert Treuhaft in 1943. Robert is a man. Robert was born in 1912. Robert died in 2001. Robert is a lawyer. They had two sons, Nicholas Treuhaft and Benjamin Treuhaft. Nicholas was born in 1944. Nicholas died in 1955. Benjamin was born in 1947.
Jessica died on 22 July 1996. Jessica is a writer.
Deborah married Andrew Cavendish in 1941. Andrew is a man. Andrew was born in 1920. Andrew died in 2004. Andrew is a duke. They had three children, Emma Cavendish, Peregrine Cavendish and Sophia Cavendish. Emma was born in 1943. Peregrine was born in 1944. Sophia was born in 1957. Emma is a woman. Peregrine is a man. Sophia is a woman.
Deborah died on 24 September 2014. Deborah is a duchess.

About the Mitford family: Brought up in the Cotswolds, at Asthall Manor and then Swinbrook House, and taught at home.