By Birmingham UK Com
The story really begins in Scotland where there is a villagenamed after the Cartlands and where the family are reported inancient Chronicles as being in Lanarkshire as far back as AD1200. Some of the Cartlands moved south and Barbara Cartland'sGreat Grandfather had an estate in Worcestershire. At the timeof the Industrial Revolution in 1840 he moved to Warwickshre andbuilt a large house in open countryside at a place which is nowknown as Kings Norton in Birmingham. A wealthy man with a BrassFactory in Birmingham, his second son, James Cartland, became agreat Financier and Barbara Cartland's Grandfather.
James Cartland helped to build up the City of Birmingham and wastwice offered a Baronetcy and a Knighthood - all of which herefused. James married Flora Falkner who was a direct descendantof King Robert the Bruce of Scotland. The couple only had oneson, James Bertram Falkner Cartland, who fell in love andmarried with Mary ( Polly ) Hamilton Scobell. The couple movedto Worcestershire and on July 9th 1901 at Vectis Lodge,Edgbaston - Barbara Cartland (Mary Barbara Hamilton Cartland )was born.
The family, were originally born into an enviable degree ofmiddle class security, but the suicide of her paternalgrandfather left them short of money. The family were forced tomove to Amerie Court in Pershore. Tragedy struck once again whenMajor James Cartland was killed in France in the final weeks ofthe ending of the First World War. Barbara Cartland was justseventeen. When asked by her mother where she would like tolive, Barbara Cartland chose London and the family, includingher two brothers Ronald and Anthony, subsequently moved to thecapital. Her enterprising mother opened a London dress shop tomake ends meet "Poor I may be," Polly Cartland once said, "butcommon I am not". Anthony and Ronald would both be killed inbattle, one day apart, in 1940.
After attending Malvern Girls' College and Abbey House, aneducational institution in Hampshire, Cartland became asuccessful journalist and a gossip columnist. Her first novel,"Jigsaw," was published in 1923. It was a huge success andBarbara Cartland began to write seriously in order to earn money.
In 1927 Barbara Cartland married Alexander George McCorquodale,a former Officer of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders whowas heir to a British printing fortune. They had a daughtercalled Raine who became "Deb of the Year" in 1947 and much laterthe stepmother of Diana, Prince of Wales.
In 1935, Barbara's brother, Ronald, was working in theConservative Central Office and anxious to become a candidate inthe Labour held Kings Norton Division of Birmingham. In thosedays a Member of Parliament had to pay their own expenses ofaround £1,000. Ronald was only earning £4 a week.
These were turbulent times for the family as Barbara, had nowdivorced her husband whose family confiscated his money and leftBarbara and Raine, aged four, with a Marriage Settlement of £500per annum. The divorce involved charges and countercharges ofinfidelity and Barbara Cartland would later marry one of the menAlexander McCorquodale accused her of dallying with, his cousin- Hugh Mc Corquodale.
At this time Barbara Cartland was writing for a weekly magazineand several newspapers but always under an assumed name so thatno one knew who the writer was. Determined that her brothershould stand for Kings Norton she wrote 10,000 words a day inorder to pay for his Election Expenses. The house that herGrandfather had built was still in Kings Norton. Labour decidedto field a well known politician. Barbara Cartland wrote andcanvassed on behalf of her brother who finally won with amajority of nearly 6000. All the hard work and commitment hadpaid off.
Ronald and Anthony Cartland were both killed in the Second WorldWar. At the entrance to Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershirethere is a Calvary erected to the memory of Barbara Cartland'sFather, Mother and two Brothers. Cartland Road in Kings Nortonis named after the family. Barbara Cartland went on to write abiography about Ronald which included his best politicalspeeches. In 1936 Barbara Cartland married Hugh McCorquodale, anofficer of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and who hadreceived the Military Cross for Gallantry. The couple had twosons, Ian and Glen. Barbara Cartland speaks fondly about thefamily visits to Scotland.
" I travel all over the world. I am thrilled by the exoticbeauty of the East and the vital virility of the West.
But as I turn for home, my heart is in the Highlands"
Barbara Cartland lived at Camfield Place, Hatfield,Hertfordshire. The family still own the Estate which wasoriginally settled on by a Knight in 1275. It once featured aTudor Manor House which was pulled down by Beatrix Potter'sGrandfather who rebuilt the house in 1867. Beatrix Potter wrotethat Camfield was the place that she loved best and where shewrote "The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The estate features an OakTree, planted by H.M. Queen Elizabeth in 1550 whilst she wasimprisoned at Hatfield.
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