The Aristocracy - Survival of the Fittest: 1970-1997 4th part 

"In the family for a thousand years" up for sale.... wow. Now that has to hit you hard.

I want to thank you for uploading these gems.

Very interesting video. I’m American and our family has been here for almost 400 years. However, my family were English aristocrats and lost their estates during the time of Cromwell due to political upheaval and pre-existing financial problems. We obviously live an everyday, unprivileged life, but know the history of the family. I went to England in 2017 and visited the old estate and toured the house. The family living there now is the same family that bought it in 1652 from my family prior to their departure for America. I came face to face with the financial pressures that aristocrats of today are experiencing in keeping up these properties and the cost is monumental as it was in the days my family held the land. While we own property and farmland in America now, our lives are so much more simple and I’m thankful we don’t have the pressures that the British aristocracy is now facing today. It’s wonderful to visit these old homes, but I wouldn’t want the upkeep and cost!!

This was an excellent tv series with so much information about the history and realities of this social class... Thanks very much for posting this video!

A fantastic series....I wonder if the BBC will ever do an update.....say 1997 to present....It would be interesting to find out how many other aristocrats have had to sell off their stately homes and property....I know Sir Josslyn Gore-Booth sold Lisadell House in 2003, which saddens me, as from this program, I thought he would have been one of the ones to succeed in remaining in his ancestral home..Perhaps the constant struggle to maintain such a home was, in the end, too great a burden.

A truly enjoyable series from beginning to end. From an aesthetic perspective the aristocracy has given the world some of the most beautiful examples of architecture, art and craftsmanship. It's unfortunate that egalitarian reformers have corrupted the system with false promises using redistribution of wealth as a means to fool the masses. Reform is not complete, naturally, but it would be most interesting to come back 100 years from now to see what the nanny state has given in exchange for what has been destroyed.

I like how it ended with a sequence of the Queen... after all, the monarch is the ultimate symbol of hereditary aristocracy.

Loved watching these

Darwin said that it was not the survival of the fittest, but the survival of the ones most likely to adapt. The Devonshire Estate understood this well, however the others depended upon their "status" until the end, which turned out of little value on its face.

“A hereditary monarch is as absurd a position as a hereditary doctor or mathematician.” Thomas Paine

Marvelous documentary indeed. Hopefully there will be more documentaries of the sort some time soon.

Really fascinating series, thanks for posting this

The power of a fancy costume never ceases to amaze me.

Aristocracy fueled estrangement for mankind and so much depleted compassion-- there may have been some who were yet able to feel for the common man after living in great privilege.... for the most part, it was like seeing 2 kinds of human beings as different as flowers and otters--- I think of Irish tenant rights--

I feel bad for these guys, but its funny to watch how absolutely dumbfounded they are at the idea of perishing within a capitalist society

I understand what you're saying, but working (polishing and dusting and waxing) beautiful objects with great historical value for a man who delivers pretty speeches doesn't sound much worse than sitting in an office surrounded by lifeless bits of technology, ignored by a business hierarchy too busy with their own rat-race to give a darn about anybody else - both options leave lots to be desired, but i don't think the former is much worse than the latter. and that's the reality for many people.

Living off the land and the generosity of friends….birthday money. EVER THINK OF GETTING A JOB???? Of course not.

Most wealth survives a few generations - it's simply sad that the British aristocracy with it's tradition and titles goes when the money runs out. I have some friends from these families, some had quite grand country houses but the story is always the same, either they or their parents having been born into wealth lack the edge and the drive with which to maintain the family seat. Basically if you have always had money, then how on earth do you learn how to create it? One friend in particular has to rent out his rather grand house in Ireland simply because he lacks the money to maintain it, he has lost well over a million (possibly millions) on failed business ventures and now subsists in a small flat in London on the rental income. Or there is the Lord I know who through divorce and stupidity has to rent out his country home to put his children through public school, his "business" has recently folded and he has staggering debts. Neither will have any real money (by real I mean enough to life the lifestyle of the aristocracy) to pass to their heirs. There are more successful families that I know of, but they are by and large the exception. Incidentally I don't come from a wealthy background at all, yet I am quite successful in my chosen career and while I am in the ascendant I seem to be meeting some of these people on their way down. Changing of the guard you might call it.

Enjoyed Purcell's Rondeau at the end, of course, now this one always associates it with Britten due to it's use in "The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" and subsequently Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom". -It makes me smile.

Rothchild couldn’t give Wolesly a bridge loan? A huge estate gone over 2 mill?

The British have taxed themselves out of existence. The thing about spending other people’s money is that eventually the money runs out. Then all you have left is a larger group of poor who have no one to look to for aid. It’s happened to every culture but we never learn.

Sir Charles Wolesley reminds me a bit of Lionel Hardcastle, just a bit more posh 🤣

i cant get enough of these. dude the singer hahahhhhha ( a bit too much.)

I also sang that tune..The Ash Grove is most associated with this tune but I believe the lady has adapted it to fit the manor..

Are we supposed to feel sorry for someone for spending two million dollars on a garden, and then realize it was too much money? The house was given to the family. None of them ever had to work for it, so they didn't appreciate it. They overspend on clothes, parties and frivolous crap. Most of them land on their feet because these kinds always have money hidden somewhere.

So much for having a Rothschild open your doomed garden project and being a "friend" when in need. "A friend in need is a friend indeed". WolseleyGardens must've been a gargantuan money pit, besides being a bit of a "bad idea". It's a pity that it was beyond help...

Sir Charles died last year

ah, never mind... googled them - turns out she is a second wife and he left his wife for her. She left a wealthy lawyer hubby in the US and his first wife fought the divorce hard and left him half a million in legal fees...explains so much. Shame on the loss of link to a thousand years of history...at least it wasn't a kingdom this time, eh?

This is painful.

Trust me, they are not “hiding their wealth” as stated, the “gentleman” at approximately 7:49 is doing a great injustice by making this statement. He’s referring too perhaps two families, it is an ongoing struggle at these great estates.

Wolsley hall estate is now a nature reserve.

We probably never will.

Could you imagine the guilt Lady Wolseley had and must have about it being her idea to start the project that bankrupted a 1000 year old dynasty....and to be American as well.

ROFL. 6:15 - 6:40 genuine British humor.

Survival of the smartest

Wolseley 's wife sounds American. Surely her relatives could have helped them? 2.5 million doesn't sound like much if she comes from a family wealthy enough to do the cash for title thing...

"Only morons start business on a loan"- Mark Cuban.

Every time I hear the word consumerism thrown about, it sounds like a bunch of haves regretting that the previously have-nots have: such as warm homes, cars, decent clothes, healthcare, education opportunities, worthwhile jobs, pensions, and food on the table instead of grinding poverty, malnutrition, ignorance, superstition, depression, hopelessness, and early death.

I know in the 1890s America billionaires married some of the upper crust in the UK. Does anybody know about that? Email me if so!

Whether or not I will have enough for my Chanel nail polish or lipstick......There must be some money left out of this pile?destitute? .......?

You can't really envy these people. They live, way above, their means, are over their heads in debt, and insist on pouring more money into a bottomless pit. And for what? Their land is probably mortgaged to the hilt. They should cut their losses, get rid of these huge homes and . . . get a job.

Good old Rothschild helping all these guys out!

Lol 😂 silly folk. Exploited the poor serfs. Aristocracy is another word for delusions of grandeur!

Go and get a job like everyone else has to. The days of fawning and tugging the forelock are over with. An unelected troop of clowns in Hse Of Lords making decisions about the UK? The French had the balls to get rid if these types and monarchy. A good job done