The rich

How do the rich keep their money for so many generations?

Moonface & I had a walk through Berkeley deer park the other day. It's a beautiful walled slice of Gloucestershire, rolling parkland full of ancient oaks overlooking the Severn and towards the hills of Wales. Parts of it remind me of the grassy grazed plains of East Africa. It can be quite magical when you come across a herd of deer, especially as there are one or two pure white harts in the herds, which stand out both in the woods and against the brilliant green of the spring grass.

Mind you, I'm prejudiced in favour of the place. Rio was conceived on the riverbank in the grounds of the nearby castle on a fine spring day, many years ago. Happy memories...

But the Berkeley family has been rich for hundreds of years. How did they keep it? They acquired the estates in the 1200's and it was in their castle that Edward III was murdered with a red-hot poker up his arse. Many streets in Bristol are named after the family, and so was Berkley, town and college, in California in the 19th century. Perhaps they are just more grasping than other aristos.