Heirs and Spares

Nicola here, talking slightly tongue-in-cheek about a certain trope in fiction, that of birth order. The concept of the “heir and the spare” is something that has been discussed quite a lot lately and it’s a theme that those of us who read historical romance are very familiar with. The noble family is desperate to have an heir (usually male, since women can’t inherit the majority of British titles) and that person will be expected to carry on the traditions of the family, inherit the title and any entailed fortune that goes with it. They will be in line to take the responsibility for the crumbling stately pile and if it really is crumbling, find an heiress whose inheritance fortunately comes from trade or some other source, to prop it up. It feels like a heavy weight for the heir to carry. The emphasis here is on responsibility and continuity. However, there’s a snag. What if something happens to the heir? Then you will need a spare – two boys at least – to ensure the continuation of the family line. So, to be on the safe side, most families try not to stop at one.

Whilst this is a trope in fiction and the source of many a plot, it is also a storyline you see in the UK magazines and newspapers every so often. There are a number of aristocratic families
where the parents have had two, three, even four girls before they finally conceived the longed-for boy. As another variation on a theme, it makes the news if the heir to a 700-year -old estate announces he’s going to sell, or isn’t going to continue the family “business.” Breaking away from that weight of tradition feels very difficult, a monumental effort creating shock waves. But I’m talking about fiction in this blog post, and older history, rather than any recent examples, so let’s get back to the books with these themes.

So in your historical romance you have the poor old heir who inherits the weight of responsibility for keeping things going. Maybe he’s a workaholic who needs to discover or embrace his “fun” side, or ask for help. Or he could be the opposite and be completely irresponsible, committed to a frivolous lifestyle; in 1748, Viscount Bolingbroke described his heir and nephew Frederick (pictured) as “the bane of my life.” The estates are in grave danger unless the heir can pull himself together.

Back in the (very old) days being a second son or further down the tree gave you quite a good chance of inheriting. If we look at British royalty, two of the sons of William the Conqueror became King of England and a third would very much have liked to. King John succeeded his brother Richard the Lionheart. Henry VIII was a second son and so was Charles II. There are plenty of other more recent examples. And again, you see this in historical fiction as well. War, carriage accidents, illness, all sorts of bad luck could rob a family of its firstborn. Sometimes the brothers are close and it’s a horrible experience for the second one to have to step up on losing his elder brother. Sometimes they haven’t known each other well. Sometimes they have even been at loggerheads and are regretting it. Some of the spares don’t want to give up their work or the lifestyle they have carved out for themselves to take on the responsibilities of an estate.

There are many variations. One I’ve particularly noticed is younger sons who have been in the Army in the Napoleonic Wars coming unexpectedly into a title. Given that the tradition that younger sons of the nobility and gentry would have a career either in the army or the church, this isn’t surprising, although I’d love to read a historical romance where a son who’d been a vicar had to step up to take a title. I’m sure there must be some. And this really did happen – twice in the Craven family the sons of clergymen found themselves next in line for the Barony.

The inversion of this plot is the eldest daughter who has a range of younger siblings and feels a responsibility to marry well to provide for them. When I was a teenager one of my favourite reads was Arabella by Georgette Heyer where (if I remember correctly) the heroine pretends to be vastly wealthy in order to catch a husband. "I am the rich Miss Tallant!" The sense of responsibility felt by the eldest can take many forms.

An honourable mention here goes to the “villain” plot. Royal and aristocratic history is littered with examples of relatives scheming against one another. (Bad King John again, for one!) Not for nothing is Game of Thrones known to be based on “real” history. And this is what makes it such a fine source of inspiration for fiction. Nor is it only at the higher echelons of society that this happens. People have been discussing birth order for years and the effect that has on character and family relationships. You get rivalries and alliances. My husband is the classic eldest child in the sense of being responsible and taking a lead. I’m sure we all know plenty of “second” and “youngest” children who either conform to the stereotype of their role in the family or complain about being typecast. And don’t even get me started on the stereotypical “only child.” If one more person tells me I’m spoiled and cosseted because I had no siblings, I will stamp my foot. But joking apart, there is often some truth in stereotypes and also plenty of times when they don’t hold up. It’s the universal elements that make these issues of sibling relationships something we can all relate to in real life and in fiction.

Do you have siblings? Do you think that birth order affects relationships and how we feel and behave? Is there a favourite book of yours that features sibling relationships; heirs, spares or heiresses? And can anyone recommend to me a Regency that features a vicar-turned-lord as a hero?!

Comments

[Christina Courtenay]

Great post, Nicola! One of my favourites is another Heyer novel - Frederica. She's trying to provide for a whole brood of siblings but instead of offering herself, she's planning on marrying off her incredibly beautiful sister. I love that she's the one the hero wants instead!

[Lil Marek]

One thing I've noticed is that most of the spares seem grateful to have escaped the demands and duties of the title.

I can't recall any of them whining about being the spare. As for vicars inheriting, I can't recall any of them as hero, but in one of Jo Goodman's Compass club books, the inheriting vicar is a thoroughly dastardly villain.

[Nicola Cornick]

Oh, yes that was a fun one as well! There are so many riffs on these sibling stories and so much capacity for romantic relationships!

[Nicola Cornick]

Yes, that's often a theme isn't it, Lil. And if they have to come back and take up the reins unexpectedly it can be difficult for them.

I rather like the sound of the dastardly vicar! I think there may be one of those in another of my favourite Heyers. I will check.

[Kareni]

I feel that I read a romance in which a clergyman inherits the title, but I'm drawing a blank.
(In fantasy, there is The Goblin Emperor where the half-elf/half-goblin fourth son, Maia, becomes Emperor after his father and older brothers all perish simultaneously in an airship crash. Admittedly, he was not a clergyman.)

Thank you for your thoughtful post, Nicola.

[Mary T]

I am the oldest girl in my family. I did have one older brother. I have always felt a sense of responsibility for the others going back as far as I can remember. I sometimes think it may have had something to do with the high praise I would receive from my mother when I ran to get her some item she needed while she was diapering one of the babies (mother's little helper).

A lot of the romance books I have read involve sibling relationships, but my all time favorite is the Slightly series by Mary Balogh. I think that there may be a Grace Burrows book that features a vicar as hero, but I can't for the life of me remember which one.

Great post.

[Janice J.]

I'm not a fan of Frederica because of the way Frederica treats her sister. She wants to marry Charis off to a rich guy for Charis's sake (not just for money for the family) because she thinks Charis would be safe and cared for by such a husband -- but she never gives Charis a vote. Charis is in such awe of her sister and her expectations of her that she is reduced to sneaking around to meet her perfectly eligible suitor, the guy Charis would choose if she were allowed to choose. Frederica never listens to Charis until Alverstoke makes her at the end. I think the moral of it all is that good intentions can be as much of a burden as selfish machinations. There is at the end a hint that Frederica, under Alverstoke's influence, may change her attitude, but I would love to see how their kids turned out :)

[Janice J.]

Regencies with clergy heroes are scarce as hen's teeth, but I know I've read several over the years, in which the hero was not a self-righteous dope like Mr. Collins, but a sincere man with a sincere faith in the teachings of Christ that impelled him to try to serve others. I suppose it's the Bad Boy syndrome -- women believing they can change someone and that'll be more fun for them :)

Two memorable ones were A Gift of Daisies by Mary Balogh and His Saving Grace by Julia Parks.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Great post, Nicola! Naturally I've played multiple variations on the heirs and spares in my books because it makes for such good plot points and motivations. I even had a vicar hero in Not Always a Saint, and his faith was real and practiced, but his first love was medicine so that might not count. And no, he didn't like inheriting a title from a distant cousin. Change is never easy, which certainly factors into an unexpected inheritance, but learning to adapt always interesting as well.

[Lynn Pollard]

This book is not quite what you are thinking of, but have you read the excellent Catherine Kullmann's "The Potential for Love"? The hero returns from the Napoleonic wars and is first mistaken by the heroine for her brother, who did not survive Waterloo. The hero is the local vicar's son. They fall in love, plan to marry and raise horses. Then fate throws a googly. The vicar's grandfather was a hated second son by a hated second wife. As a result of an accident while sailing all the male heirs have died. The vicar becomes an earl at the age of seventy and his son and his betrothed have their future turned upside down, including caring for the one survivor of the main line, a young girl. There are other plot lines in the book but this one interested me the most.

[/anne...]

I think someone needs to write the Vicar Inherits The Title! Let's have more gentle heroes!

I seem to remember that it was usual for second and subsequent sons to go into the army or navy (depending on family tradition and inclination), and the youngest into the church. Charles was in the navy (the 'first' service), and Andrew in the army. Poor Edward was never cut out for the services.

[Christina Courtenay]

That is so true - thank you for reminding me Janice! It's a while since I read it so I had forgotten that part. I'd love to see their kids too :-)

[Misti]

Not a vicar turned Lord book, but indie author Beth Brower has a series that features my favorite vicar ever. He's a little unconventional and mysterious. The series is the Unselected Journals of Emma M Lion.

[Annette N]

I am the oldest and yes I believe in birth order creating situations.
I think a series about vicars who are heroic would be interesting. Thanks for this post. Y'all never disappoint.

[Karin]

Vicars heroes are unusual, and I can't think of any who inherit a title. But two untitled vicars I love are in A Woman Scorned by Liz Carlyle(but he's first a soldier, so I don't know if that counts) and A Notorious Countess Confesses by Julie Anne Long. As the titles hint at, both have scandalous heroines I guess to balance the "goodness" of the heroes.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Kareni! I hadn’t thought about fantasy romance, but it’s the same trope whatever the genre!

[Nicola Cornick]

Thanks, Mary, and thank you for sharing your experience of being the responsible eldest girl. It’s very interesting how these dynamics develop.
I will check out Grace Burrowes books for a vicar. I love the Slightly series too.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you for the recommendations, Janice. I think there would be a lot of interest in exploring what it might have been like to be the third son going into the church when he didn’t feel he had a vocation but that was what younger sons do…

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you Karin, I will look out for those tow books.

[Teresa Broderick]

I'm the eldest of four. I have three brothers. Growing up I often felt more like their mother than an older sister. I was looking after one or the other because the first three of us are very close in age. I turned 60 in December, next brother was 59 yesterday and the third is coming up to 58. The youngest is 54. Our Dad died when I was 21 and my mother didn't really act like a mother after that. So a lot of it fell to me. I still worry about them all. We're close though and generally get on very well.
I can't think of any book about a vicar to recommend Nicola but I too love the Georgette Heyer's you mentioned. I thought the same about Frederica as Janice J but overall the story was excellent.
Great post as ususal.

[Jeannette Halpin]

I always feel sort of sorry for the spare, stuck waiting for something that might happen or might not. I like vicars in general, and Grace Burrowes has several vicars who are the heroes:

Daniel's True Desire
Hadrian, Lord of Hope
A Rogue in Winter, which is a novella
and upcoming in February, Miss Devoted

Cheers,

[Sharon Casey]

The Baronetcy of East Bergholt had vicar younger sons inherit at least twice in the succession. The 15th Baronet born in 1966 is Sir Thomas Collingwood Hughes, named after the Reverend Sir Thomas Collingwood Hughes - 8th baronet - who held the title but continued as vicar dying in 1889 at the Rectory in Little Billingham
He was made a widower aged 78 - and remarried at 80! And lived another 8 years.
The 3rd Baronet was also a vicar.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you very much, Lynn. That sounds like a really interesting plot. I enjoy Catherine's books very much and will add this to my to read list.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Mary Jo. It is such a good plot in all its variations, isn't it. Your clergyman hero sounds just what I am looking for!

[Nicola Cornick]

I think that would be a great book, /anne! Yes, that was the usual pattern wasn't it - still paying out to this day!

[Nicola Cornick]

That sounds intriguing, Misti! I will look out for the series.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Annette! Interesting that you have experienced the birth order issue as well. I'm holding out for someone writing heroic vicars!

[Nicola Cornick]

Three younger brothers! That's an interesting dynamic and it sounds as though your experience has been both challenging and rewarding, Teresa.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you so much for those titles, Jeannette. They will make for interesting reads for me. Yes, as a spare I think you really do need to carve out your own life if you can.

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you, Sharon, that is a really interesting real-life case. I will read up about it.

[Sharon Casey]

1st Baronet (1708-1780)Sir Richard Hughes a naval man rewarded by George III
2nd Baronet his eldest son Admiral Sir Richard Hughes (1729-1812) who has 2 sons and 2 daughters, but sons predecease him.
3rd Baronet his second son Reverend Robert Hughes (1739-1814) who holds title last two years of his life and Vicar in Maker, Devon for most his life.
4th Baronet the eldest son of 3rd Baronet. Sir Richard Hughes (1768-1833.
5th Baronet, his eldest son Sir Richard Hughes (1803-1863) died unmarried
6th Baronet, brother to 5th Baronet, Sir Edward Hughes (1807-1871) died unmarried
7th Baronet, son of 3rd Baronet and brother of 4th Baronet, Sir Frederick Porteus Hughes (1816-1889) no sons
8th Baronet, son of 3rd Baronet and half brother to 7th Baronet, Reverend Sir Thomas Collingwood Hughes (1800-1889) held baronetcy for less than a year
9th Baronet, Sir Alfred Hughes (1825-1898) was 3rd of 5 sons of the 8th Baronet
10th Baronet, Sir Alfred Collingwood Hughes (1854-1932) was the 2nd of 8 sons of the 9th Baronet
11th Baronet, Sir Reginald Johansson Hughes (1882-1945) was only son of 10th Baronet and had no children
12th Baronet, Sir Robert Heywood (1865-1951) was brother to 10th Baronet
13th Baronet, Sir Richard Edgar Hughes (1897-1970) was a grandson of the 9th Baronet. His father was the 6th of 8 sons. (So five uncles and no surviving male cousins)…..long odds on succession at birth
14th Baronet, Sir David Collingwood Hughes 1936-2003 was son of 13th
15th Baronet, Sir Thomas Collingwood Hughes (Dr and Medical Director) 1966- and still alive and has a son born 2003 Alfred Collingwood Hughes

[Nicola Cornick]

Thank you! What an interesting family and an insight into how inheritance can pass to junior lines of the family...

[Patricia A. Justicia-Linde]

Although no title is involved, the opposite occurs to Edward Farrars, from Jane Austen’s SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Because of his honorable conduct towards Lucy Steele in maintaining his engagement to her, a woman of no fortune (despite his love for Elinor Dashwood), in her displeasure with the engagement, his mother disinherits him. He is both a vicar and the eldest son, but he loses his inheritance to his younger brother. Ironically, Lucy Steele jilts Edward for his now wealthy younger brother Robert, opening the door for Edward and Elinor to have their ” happy ever after,” thanks to Colonel Brandon, who will provide Edward with a living. I don’t recall whether or not the elder Mrs. Farrars’ reaction to ending up with having Lucy Steele as a daughter-in-law is ever mentioned.

[Susan/DC]

Patricia Gaffney's TO LOVE AND TO CHERISH, first book in her Wyckerley trilogy, has a lovely vicar hero. Christy is a corrective to all of the books that insist only bad boys can be strong and sexy, because he embodies moral strength and the looks of an angel. The second book in the trilogy, TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, has Christy's opposite. Sebastian is most definitely not a vicar but a true rake rather than the fake rakes found in so many romances, and his growing self-awareness and redemption are well worth the read. I loved both books, but I think it was Christy who stole my heart.

[Nicola Cornick]

Both of these books sounds wonderful and I will see if I can find a copy. Thank you!

[Nicola Cornick]

That's an interesting twist on the idea in Sense and Sensibility, isn't it, and clever in the way that it allows for Elinor and Edward to be together. I wonder what Mrs Farrars was like as a mother in law!