to commit suicide in 1939 when war was declared between England and Germany. She lived on as an invalid, cared for by her mother, until her death aged thirty-three.
Became a socialist in her teens and eloped, aged nineteen, to civil-war-torn Spain to marry her cousin Esmond Romilly. Moved to America in 1939. Esmond joined the Canadian Air Force and was killed in 1941. Two daughters, Julia (died at five months) and Constancia (‘Dinky’). Married American attorney Robert Treuhaft in 1943. Two sons, Nicholas (died aged ten) and Benjamin. Active member of the American Communist Party, 1944–58, and energetic campaigner for civil rights. The success of her autobiography, Hons and Rebels (1960), enabled her to make a living from writing. Prolific investigative journalist and author of Lifeitselfmanship (1956), The American Way of Death (1963), The Trial of Dr Spock (1969), Kind and Usual Punishment (1973), a second volume of memoirs, A Fine Old Conflict (1977), The Making of a Muckraker (1979), Faces of Philip, A Memoir of Philip Toynbee (1984), Grace Had an English Heart (1988) and The American Way of Birth (1992).
Married, in 1941, Lord Andrew Cavendish, who succeeded his father as 11th Duke of Devonshire in 1950. One son, Peregrine, two daughters, Emma and Sophia. Immunized by her sisters’ fanatical views, she remained firmly apolitical all her life. An astute and capable businesswoman, she was largely responsible for putting Chatsworth, the Devonshire family home, on to a sound footing after she and her husband moved back into the house in 1959. Accused by Nancy of illiteracy, she was suspected by her family and friends of being a secret reader. Diana believed that unlike most people who pretend to have read books that they have not, Deborah pretended not to have read books that she had. She took to writing late in life and produced The House: A Portrait of Chatsworth (1982), The Estate, A View of Chatsworth (1990), Farm Animals (1991), Treasures of Chatsworth (1991), The Garden at Chatsworth (1999), Counting My Chickens (2001), The Duchess of Devonshire’s Chatsworth Cookery Book (2003) and Round About Chatsworth (2005).
| Al | Alexander Mosley, Diana’s son |
| Bird/Birdie | Unity |
| Blor | Laura Dicks, the Mitfords’ nanny |
| Bobo | Unity |
| Boud/y | Unity |
| Cake | Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother |
| Cha | Charlotte Mosley, Diana’s daughter-in-law and editor of these letters |
| Colonel, Col | Gaston Palewski |
| Cord | Diana |
| Count/y | Jean de Baglion |
| Cuddum | Communist |
| Deacon | Elizabeth Cavendish, Deborah’s sister-in-law |
| Debo | Deborah |
| Decca | Jessica |
| Diddy | Ellen Stephens, the Devonshires’ nanny |
| Dink/y/Donk | Constancia Romilly, Jessica’s daughter |
| Duch (my) | Mary, Duchess of Devonshire, Deborah’s mother-in-law |
| Em | Emma Tennant, née Cavendish, Deborah’s elder daughter |
| Farve | Lord Redesdale |
| Fat Friend (F. F.) | President John F. Kennedy |
| Fem | Lady Redesdale |
| French Lady | Nancy |
| Hen/Henderson | Deborah or Jessica |
| Honks | Diana |
| Id/Idden | Ann Farrer, a first cousin of the Mitfords |
| Jonnycan | Jonathan Guinness, Diana’s eldest son |
| Kit | Oswald Mosley |
| Lady | Nancy |
| Leader/Lead | Oswald Mosley |
| Little gurl | Sophia Cavendish, Deborah’s younger daughter |
| Loved One | President John F. Kennedy |
| Maggot | Margaret Ogilvy |
| Mrs Ham | Violet Hammersley |
| Muv | Lady Redesdale |
| Nard/y | Diana |
| Naunce/Naunceling | Nancy |
| Oys | James and Chaka Forman, Jessica’s grandsons |
|
P’s/Parent Birds
|