Mitfords - Definition and Overview

The Mitfords were an aristocratic British family noted for their accomplishments in writing and their notorious lives, particularly of the daughters of the family, known as the Mitford sisters.

They were the children of David Bertram Ogilvy Freeman-Mitford (1878 - 1958), the second Baron Redesdale, and his wife Sydney Bowles. The family home was Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire.

1. Nancy Mitford (November 28, 1904 - June 30, 1973). She married Peter Rodd and had a longstanding relationship with French politician and statesman Gaston Palewski.
2. Pamela Mitford (November 25, 1907 - April 12, 1994). She married Derek Jackson.
3. Thomas Mitford (January 2, 1909 - March 30, 1945). He died unmarried.
4. Diana Mitford (June 17, 1910 - August 11, 2003). She married aristocrat and writer Bryan Walter Guinness and British Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.
5. Unity Valkyrie Mitford (August 8, 1914 - May 28, 1948). She died unmarried.
6. Jessica Mitford (September 11, 1917 - July 22, 1996). She married Esmond Romilly and Robert Treuhaft.
7. Deborah Mitford (born March 31, 1920). She married Andrew Cavendish, Duke of Devonshire.