One of the things about being awarded, or inheriting, a peerage or baronetcy in the Early Modern period was the necessity to keep up appearances. Great families would compete to have better servants than their contemporaries. Whilst employing a better butler or housekeeper would be a relatively inconspicuous maintenance issue, a designer or gardener could really make a mark for the landowner or themselves and Chatsworth, home of the Cavendish Dukes of Devonshire, has among the best gardens north of Versailles and I had the great pleasure to inspect them after a few hours in the inland resort of Matlock Bath and a night in Long Eaton.
murreyandblue 