This intriguing book is really a detective story, revealing what turned out to be a most unusual cast of characters and some eyebrow-raising family secrets. It is a story of wealth and privilege, unhealthily close family connections, and pedigrees of both the human and canine varieties. Centre stage are three eccentric, quintessentially English sisters - Letitia, Maud and Mary - whose story vividly captures a way of life that no longer exists. Spanning counties, grand houses and centuries, William M. Hartley draws on oral and archival sources to give us a fascinating glimpse inside `a most singular household' which adds greatly to the social history of both the North West and Great Britain.