Emily Villiers Stuart (b. 1930)

Track 1: The recording begins at the site of the old Desmond castle, where the Villers Stuart ancestors had lived since the 12th century. The Grahams, from Scotland, are also discussed. Track 2: The room which was built directly onto the tower-house, and anecdotal stories about the portraits on the wall there. Emily’s husband James’s inheritance. The size of the estate down through the years, and the staff who worked there. Track 3: The reasons why the family had to leave the estate in the 1950s. Track 4: The situation with the Land Acts, and her father-in-law’s time on the estate. The selling of part of the estate to the Land Commission for £28 an acre. Track 5: The felling of trees in the demesne. Also, the running of the estate in the 1950s by a member of the family. Track 6: Returning in the 1960s, and buying back the estate, which is now run by Emily’s daughter and son-in-law. Track 7: The original house, before it was pulled down in the 1960s, is described. Track 8: Emily’s valiant attempts to keep the family papers together.