Eric von Dembinski, 1952 - 1953
Scope and Contents
A diary belonging to Eric von Dembinski, a member of an aristocratic Polish family who claimed – among other things – a relationship to the British throne, despite living in relative poverty. The contents cover late August 1952 through the beginning of June 1953, and are written in the third person (ie: “Eric rose early…”) describing the daily life of Eric and his sister Madeleine (“Mad”), the self-styled Prince and Princess von Dembinski, in Belchamp Walter near Sudbury on the Suffolk/Essex border. Their lives are chronicled in fastidious detail ranging from Eric’s 47th birthday meal on September 19th to milk deliveries, rain and snowfall in inches, tracking Sundays without “Caesar” – presumably a dearly departed pet – and a lengthy account of a hospital stay including a description of the celebration of Christmas as a patient. Interspersed with these personal details are some world events including Eisenhower’s election in November of 1952 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June of 1953. Both Eric and Madeleine appear to have been somewhat sickly, and in January 1953 Eric writes of going to Cambridge to declare himself “more than 50% disabled” in order to apply for an attendence allowance.
Dates
- 1952 - 1953
Conditions Governing Access
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
Biographical / Historical
Eric von Dembinski (1905-?) was a member of the von Dembinski family of Poland who claimed direct lineage from King Canute and therefore a connection to the English Royal Family. His mother, who called herself Princess Carmen de Tresca-Bates von Demsinka, fought to prove that via the death of a co-lineal relative the family had a legal right to a large fortune that included land and properties on the continent. Prior to the 1940s, they lived in Barrowgate Road, Westminster, London where they came into contact with the physicist John Fredrick Heard who rented accommodation from the family and later wrote of his time in their company including the observation that “H.R.H. Prince Eric gave every appearance of being retarded” (Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, 1976). Later the family relocated to the Belchamp Walter area, and Madeleine famously became a level crossing keeper at the Rodbridge railway station.
Extent
From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Latin
From the Collection: French
From the Collection: Italian
From the Collection: Welsh
From the Collection: Danish
From the Collection: Swedish
From the Collection: Spanish
From the Collection: German
From the Collection: Norwegian
From the Collection: Persian
From the Collection: Japanese
From the Collection: Russian
From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)
Creator
- From the Collection: Scheetz, Nicholas B., 1952-2016 (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Georgetown University Manuscripts Repository
Lauinger Library, 5th Floor
37th and O Streets, N.W.
Washington DC 20057
speccoll@georgetown.edu