Wedlock: How Georgian Britain's Worst Husband Met His Match by Wendy Moore

 From Goodreads

WEDLOCK is the remarkable story of the Countess of Strathmore and her marriage to Andrew Robinson Stoney. Mary Eleanor Bowes was one of Britain's richest young heiresses. She married the Count of Strathmore who died young, and pregnant with her lover's child, Mary became engaged to George Gray. Then in swooped Andrew Robinson Stoney. Mary was bowled over and married him within the week. But nothing was as it seemed. Stoney was broke, and his pursuit of the wealthy Countess a calculated ploy. Once married to Mary, he embarked on years of ill treatment, seizing her lands, beating her, terrorising servants, introducing prostitutes to the family home, kidnapping his own sister. But finally after many years, a servant helped Mary to escape. She began a high-profile divorce case that was the scandal of the day and was successful. But then Andrew kidnapped her and undertook a week-long rampage of terror and cruelty until the law finally caught up with him

My thoughts

I grabbed a paper copy of this from somewhere, I was taken by the title and the synopsis.  This is a non fiction book that reads almost like a story.  It is a book that I dipped in and out of over 4 years, as it sadly kept getting put to one side with being non fiction..  The majority of the last 200 or so pages have been read over the last couple of months though.

This book is based upon the ancestors of the Royal family and boy, what a history lesson it is of them. All I can say, is what a hellishly sadistic and  man Andrew Robinson Stoney was.  He married Mary Eleanor Bowes was one of Britain's richest young heiresses.  He had plans to get his filthy hands on her wealth and had no thoughts or concerns as to what lengths he would go to to get at it.

I really enjoyed reading about the history behind the family and I can recommend it to others if the book ever crosses your path..

The last line sums the book up well and is what I was thinking about it as I really enjoyed reading it.

'An outlandish fantastical  story, only the truth could be more astonishing.'