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Yorkshire: Family on the wrong side of history

The Ingilby family's greatest claim to fame is to have held on to Ripley Castle, in Yorkshire, for 698 years - 26 generations - in spite of having been on the wrong side of just about every conflict in English history.

"We were foolish enough to be Catholics under Elizabeth I." says the present baronet, Sir Thomas Ingilby, with a smile that suggests he's actually rather proud of his pig-headed ancestors.

"We were strong supporters of the king in the Civil War.

"We spent a lot of money buttering up James I when he gained the throne but then got involved in the Gunpowder Plot.

"I think it reached the stage where if a conflict broke out people would postpone deciding which side to support until they saw which way the Ingilbys were going ... and then they'd pick the other one."
Read entire article at New Zealand Herald