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FREE EXHIBIT RUNS TO DEC 1, 2012
Those who can't wait until January for the third season of the TV series "Downton Abbey" can meet up with the 6th Countess of Carnarvon at a new Portsmouth Athenaeum exhibit opening October 5, 2012. The countess is
"It's just an incredible leap," exhibit curator Ronan Donohue says of Catherine. "This 23-year-old girl born in
The Wendells had homes in
"The two daughters of the family both married earls and became countesses," Donohue said.
Donohue was watching an episode of the wildly popular "Masterpiece Classic" period drama when he realized the family was the same one whose correspondence he had read years earlier when the Athenaeum received 100 boxes of correspondence from the Wendell family. Donohue helped catalog the letters that date back to the 1700s.

SEE MORE PHOTOS BELOW
"I found a lot of the correspondence wildly amusing and interesting," he said. "The part I liked most was the early 20th-century stuff about a Wendell that had married, gone to
That castle turned out to be Highclere, which Donohue said likely resembles the Houses of Parliament because they share the same architect, Sir Charles Barry.
Donohue said Catherine became the countess a year after her marriage. Her father-in-law, the 5th earl, died only a year after discovering the tomb of King Tut.
"Downton Abbey: The Portsmouth Connection" will feature about 60 family photos, including the 5th earl and his adventures in
"They all look exactly the way they should look," Donohue said of the family. "Central casting couldn't have sent you a better cast of characters."
The exhibit will also include photos of Highclere and relevant
The free exhibit at the non-profit membership museum and library founded in 1817 will run through December 1, 2012.
The Athenaeum,
For more information, go to www.portsmouthathenaeum.org


