Major Families

There are a number of major noble families, all with holdings both within Sable City itself, across the Kingdom, and out into the Commonwealth. There are also a number of more minor ones - mainly at the ranks of viscount, baron, baronet or knight - who would like to improve their lot, as well as others who are ennobled for performing great services to King and Country. The Royal Court is quite busy, with representatives of many families having lesser positions around the palace - for example as pages, ladies in waiting, and functionaries working under the direction of the more senior members of the palace staff. However, while a certain amount of jockeying for position does go on, for the most part its reasonably good-natured. The major noble families are as follows:

The Dukes of Avonbridge (the Ryan family):

The head of the is family Ian, Duke Avonbridge, who has held that position for about sixty years. The family mainly have holdings to the west of the city, and in the city of Avonbridge to the north, although they also have some business interests out into the Commonwealth. Ian is widowed, his wife having died about five years ago, and has one son, Oliver, and three daughters (including Caroline, who is married to Matthew Blake),  and a number of grandchildren (including Oliver's son Tristan, an artist of some note who has been studying with Princess Cerian). He keeps very much to himself nowadays, leaving his heir, to deal with the day-to-day running of the Avonbridge estates.

The Dukes of Fairview (the Collins family):

The head of the family is Aldous, Duke Fairview, KG. Aldous was formerly a general officer in the Sable forces, before he inherited the title of Duke on the death of his father (also called Aldous) nearly a hundred years ago. Aldous is known to be Talented, and the Talent has run pretty strongly through his family. He is married to Lucille, with whom he shares his well earned retirement, and they have two sons, Francis and Brett; four daughters - Diane, who is married to Charles de Courtney; Elizabeth, the Sable Consul to Berlin; Charlotte, and the youngest Jennifer, who is married to Martin Blake - and a collection of grandchildren, one of whom - Marion, daughter of Marquis Francis - is Commander of the Riversend Garrison.

The Dukes of Richmond (the Blake family):

At some point in the past, the Blake family did some service for the King - the details of which are lost in antiquity - and were raised to the rank of Duke as a reward. Many of them are Talented, and have been involved with magic in the Kingdom since its earliest days. Until early in SY153, James Blake, KG was Duke of Richmond and head of the house. However, his wife Alice died in January of that year, and with the King's permission, he finally abdicated his responsibilities as Duke to his eldest son, Martin, effective on May 1st SY153.

James is ex-military and former commander of the Sable Royal Engineers, and has five children: Martin, Nigel and his twin Nadia, Anthony (commander of the Royal Engineers) and Alexandra (married to Prince Francis). His brother Simon, is head of the White Guard. He is widowed, and has two children - Mark and Theresa - and a number of grandchildren.

The new Duke, Martin, is a Professor at the Sable Mage College, specialising in Structural and Combat magic. He is married to Jennifer (neé Collins) and they, in turn, have five children (Matthew, Richard, Auzella, Alison and Peter) and a pair of young grandchildren (Matthew's children, Jonathan and Felicity), meaning that the Blake family as a whole currently spans four living generations. The Blake and the Collins families are closely allied and have inter-married in the past.

The Marquises of Bradgate (the de Courtney family):

The head of the family is Charles de Courtney, who is married to Diane Collins, daughter of Aldous Collins. The de Courtney family are the third and final noble house which has exhibited the Talent for more than two generations. Both Charles and his wife are Talented, and have connections with Sable Mage College. They have four surviving children, two in their eighties (Peter, Marie) and two somewhat younger (Lisa, Carl). A third son, Richard, was killed in action some years ago.

The Marquises of Stratford (the Lascelles family):

Head of the family is Alexander, who became the Marquis on the death of his father Jeremy a few years ago. Alexander has several other brothers and sisters, as well as multiple grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Sarah who recently joined the Royal Court after attending Sable Mage College as the first Talented member of her family. She also has two brothers and a collection of nephews and nieces, making the Lascelles family one of the biggest noble houses in Sable. His mother, Samantha, the former Dowager Marquise died in November 153.

The Marquises of Wickstone (the Edwards family):

Whereas the Lascelles clan counts as the largest of the noble families, the Edwards family, who hold the Wickstone title, counts as the smallest. It comprises just Joseph Edwards, Marquis Wickstone, his wife Lizabeth, and a son and daughter. The son, Anthony, is married to Jemimah Lascelles, Samantha's eldest granddaughter, although as yet there are no children of that marriage.

The Earls of Corbridge (the Kreuger family):

Originally hailing from the Reich, the Kreuger family moved to Sable City after falling foul of Herzog Delatz and his men, who thought they weren't exactly toeing the Reich line - a valid assumption as they were heavily involved in the Reich Resistance, on Sable's behalf. The family have a strong military tradition, and quickly after their arrival became involved with both the army and the Royal Guard, in reward for which Albrecht, the head of the family, was ennobled to the rank of Earl, and given holdings to the north of Sable City, around the town of Corbridge. Albrecht is married to Margeret, and they have three sons and two daughters - including the well-known Sable reporter Anna-Lise Kreuger - to carry on the family traditions.

The Earls of Mariner (the Walsh family):

A family with a seafaring tradition, they came to the King's attention due to a number of actions they have performed to the benefit of Sable. Members of this family are still active within the Sable navies, both military and merchant. Fraser, the previous Earl, died in late-October 153 and was succeeded by his eldest son Douglas, a serving captain in the Royal Navy. Douglas looks to be in his early-forties, with red-brown hair and dark eyes, and the gravitas of a naval captain. He is married to Heather and they have a son and two daughters. Douglas also has three brothers, two in the Merchant Navy and one who is currently Commandant of the Riversend commercial dockyard, and some of these also have children. Fraser's elder sister, Lucille, is married to Aldous Collins.

The Earls of Masterfield (the Oriens family):

Another Talented member of society, the first member of his family to be so, Earl Paul Oriens was originally a successful businessman, who inherited a significant amount of property when his father died. He used this wisely, investing in both land and in industry and industrial innovation, and soon gained a reputation has having an eye for 'emerging technologies' and what will be successful. He was the driving force behind establishing the Sable Rail Network, for which he was raised to the peerage. Over the years, Earl Oriens has expanded the family estates considerably by dint of his sound business sense. He and his Countess, Cynthia, have five children: Francesca (married with two children of her own), Angela (something of a black sheep), Viscount Anthony (the Earl's son and heir, Talented) , Catherine (currently Lecturer in Theoretical Magic and Mathematics at the University of Sable), and Gabrielle (who is Talented, and recently graduated bachelors from SMC).

As Sable is very much a trading nation, and a number of families which are heavily involved in business and commerce have come to prominence over the years as Sable City, the Kingdom and the Commonwealth have grown and developed. This has usually occurred either if they have cornered a specific market, or though their working generally to set up profitable trade deals, both for themselves and for the Kingdom. A selection of the best known families follows below, although this is far from a complete list:

Dealing mainly in textiles, cloth, wool, cotton, etc. The major family holdings are on Blaine, a Commonwealth Shadow known for producing such products. However, the family started trading in the Sable market about eighty years ago, where they managed to build a good reputation surprisingly fast. Head of the family is Leonard, whose wife, Janna, is a practical and communications magic specialist who teaches part-time at SMC. They have two sons and a daughter, Charlotte. The latter has the dubious reputation of having been sent down from SMC at the same time as the Princess Sarra, due to their involvement with a foolhardy magical prank: both Charlotte and Sarra were severely taken to task by the Magical Oversight Committee.

The Birchin family has the "honour" of having initially set up both the Sable Commodity Exchange, and later the Sable Stock Exchange. They have extensive agricultural holding around the Commonwealth, notably on Berrin, Weston and Napa, as well as being major investors and shareholders in a number of Commonwealth firms. Their example has been followed by trading and noble families alike - as well as some members of the Sable community as a whole - but by virtue of being first, they hold the Chairs of both Exchanges. Until very recently the head of the family was Alfred, who at the time held the Chair of the Commodity Exchange, which he inherited from his father Matthew. However, Alfred died in early December, and was succeeded by his son Bernard as head of the family. No decision has yet been made on who will succeed Alfred as head of the Commodity Exchange. His brother, Rowland, runs the Stock Exchange. Both are married, and there are a number of children and grandchildren to follow the family traditions when the current incumbents retire from the Exchanges.

The family has a major house and gardens within Sable City, although most of their lands are in the warm continental Shadows of Marin and Waterfield, a couple of Veils out into the Commonwealth. They deal a lot in grain, and also in fruit and vegetables, and are second to none around the Commonwealth as suppliers of fine wines and other beverages - their customers including the Royal family. Head of the family is Marcel, one of the youngest trading family heads, aged in his mid-thirties, having inherited when both his father and grandfather were killed in rail accident on a Shadow they were visiting on business. His mother, Marion, is still alive and was recently appointed Sable Commercial Attaché to Berlin. He is married to Alix McDowell and they have two small children, a son and a daughter.

Head of the family is Michael Gaunt, who is helped by his wife Sophie, with whom he has four children - two boys and two girls - and his brother Nathan. The family originally come from Shadow Berrin, although they have acquired extensive holdings both in the Kingdom and out into the Commonwealth. They deal in materials, such as minerals, ores, fuel and stone. Nathan and his son Joseph are Talented, and Nathan is a lecturer at Sable Mage College. Joseph has never studied magic, dedicating himself to the business and to furthering trade. Michael's eldest son, Phillip, is currently assigned to the Sable Embassy in Berlin, as Deputy Consul (formerly Commercial Attaché).

Marcus, the head of the family, is the younger son of a trading and industrialist family who moved to Sable from elsewhere many years ago. While the family has land in Sable, much of their business is conducted from the industrial Shadow of Gallen. They provide a lot of other building materials for Sable, as well as for the naval industries, and also provide a fair proportion of the arms used by the Sable military. Marcus is a widower with three daughters, who he spent a long time arranging suitable marriages for, and one very spoilt son called Paul (married to Christine, three sons) who was at Sable Mage College at around the same time as Prince Francis.

Something of a wild card family. They have a reputation for having their hands in many pies, and getting whatever needs doing, done...although not necessarily by the nicest means. Head of the family is Jonathan, who is both ruthless and efficient if he wants to get something done. He is helped by his wife, Marie, his three brothers, two sons and daughter (Sarah). The elder son, Milo, was involved in the negotiations to bring the Shadow Anghelt into the Commonwealth, and now it has been admitted, it is rumoured that Jonathan is looking for trading opportunities there.

Head of the family is Michael McDowell, who is currently married to his second wife, Jasmine. McDowell has an extensive family, with three sons and a daughter from his first marriage - the youngest, Alex, is currently serving as Head Footman in Sable Palace, and his twin sister Alix is married to Marcel de Lattre; and four daughters and a son from his current marriage. The family trades in aggregates, stone, wood and other building materials, and was one of the major sponsors behind the building of the Arch of the Ascendant, a major monument within Sable City.

Head of the family is Alexandra, Mayor of Sable. Her husband, Jeremiah, is happy to defer to her on matters of trade as his specific expertise is in commercial law. They have a number of children, many of whom have followed into the family tradition of trade and commerce. The family's trading reputation is in grain and meat, and the eldest child, Susanna, is in charge of the day to day running of the Smedley businesses in Sable City at those times when Alexandra's political duties mean she has to focus her attention elsewhere. In addition to their businesses within the City and the surrounding counties, the family holds a significant amount of land on the agricultural Shadow of Hereford, which is administered by Peter, the elder son.

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