Letters to My Sisters

Until Stella Tillyard published her historical novel, “Aristocrats,” in England five years ago, few people knew of the Lennox sisters: Caroline, Emily, Louisa and Sarah--whose lives spanned the latter part of the 18th century and the early part of the 19th century.

They were rich, educated and beautiful. They were granddaughters of the king of England, daughters of a Cabinet minister and wives of politicians and the nobility.

Caroline defied convention by eloping with a shrewd politician, Henry Fox. Emily married a wealthy Irish lord and later a schoolteacher. One of her 22 children was Lord Edward Fitzgerald, the leader of the 1798 Irish rebellion. Louisa married the richest man in Ireland, and Sarah was romanced by none other than King George III and was constantly embroiled in extramartial affairs.

“Aristocrats” quickly became a bestseller in England. “What it has done is create a whole wave of writing about 18th century women,” says Tillyard. “It uncovered an audience that people eally didn’t know was there. There are zillions of books coming out about aristocratic women now.”

This past summer, the six-hour adaptation of “Aristocrats” had the English glued to their TV sets. “People really responded well to it,” says producer Christopher Hall. “Women loved it. The experience of having sisters and being close, it’s a universal thing.”

PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre” is presenting “Aristocrats” over the next three Sundays. Shot entirely in Ireland, the juicy melodrama stars Serena Gordon as Lady Caroline, Alun Armstrong as Henry Fox, Geraldine Somerville as Lady Emily, Sian Phillips as the older Lady Emily, Anne-Marie Duff as Lady Louisa and Jodhi May as Lady Sarah.

England’s current “aristocrats,’ says Hall, loved the series. “They are just human beings,” says Hall. “I know some of the family of the present Duke of Richmond [the sisters’ brother was he first Duke] and they are delighted by the series.”

Hall’s children even attended a nursery school run by ancestor Lady Sarah Gordon Lennox. The current Lady Louisa Lennox, though not an actress, even contacted Hall about playing her namesake in the miniseries. “She said I know this sounds daft, but I know so much about this woman. I feel she is really part of me.”

Tillyard began writing the book while teaching literature at UCLA. A friend working on a medical history came to visit and told her about letters Caroline had written describing the bizarre medical techniques used on her sickly son.

Because Tillyard wanted to know what happened to Caroline’s son, she began to do research. “Amazing materials started to tumble out,” says Tillyard.

She found a plethora of letters written by the sisters to each other in books, libraries and even in the ancestral homes. “They were so wealthy, there were always houses to put letters in,” says Tillyard. “When you have houses that go on standing, there is no reason to move anything.”

The sisters, says Tillyard, wanted to live their own lives. “That is really what the book and the series are about,” she offers. “It’s about four women who were brought up in very constrained circumstances they had to abide by. They thought for themselves.”

What makes “Aristocrats” unique among costume dramas adapted from novels is that generally in those stories, says Tillyard, the heroine has to find a hero. “So it’s always the women we see vis-a-vis the males they are going to marry. But the sisters are the center, and the focus is the relationship between one another. It makes it very strong internally.”

Actor Armstrong says making “Aristocrats” was one of the greatest experiences of his career. The costumes were another matter. “I actually had to resort to wearing a lady’s girdle to keep my stockings up. The things we do for our art! At the end of the show, they presented it to me as a souvenir. My wife is very understanding. When she discovered it in my suitcase she said, ‘What on earth is this?’ I told her the story and she said, ‘I believe you.’ ”

Because “Aristocrats” was shot in Ireland, the production was able to use Emily’s real house and cottage for several scenes. “We shot in her bedroom which has this wonderful Chinese wallpaper on it,” says Hall, adding that they used the famous shell cottage Emily decorated. “She actually started decorating the shell cottage when her eldest son died of TB in England.”

Singer Marianne Faithful, in fact, had just moved out of the cottage before production began.

Tillyard often visited the set. “The actors would come to me and say, ‘Tell me a bit more about myself.’ I would say, ‘you had three illegitimate children who aren’t in the script.’ And they would get very excited!”

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“Aristocrats” airs on “Masterpiece Theatre” Sundays at 9 p.m. through Oct. 24 on KCET and KVCR. The network has rated it TV-14-S (may be unsuitable for children younger than 14 with special advisories for sex).