Mitford family to "The Times" journalist Ben Macintyre, as "Diana the Fascist, Jessica the Communist, Unity the Hitler-lover; Nancy the Novelist; Deborah the Duchess and Pamela the unobtrusive poultry connoisseur". The family traces its origins in Northumberland back to the time of the Norman conquest. In the Middle Ages they had been Border Reivers based in Redesdale. The main family line had seats at Mitford Castle and Mitford Old Manor House prior to Mitford Hall in 1828. The sisters achieved notoriety for their controversial but stylish lives as young people, then for their public political divisions between communism and fascism. Nancy and
Pamela (name) Pamela (name) Pamela is a feminine given name. Pamela is often abbreviated to Pam. Pamela is infrequently used as a surname. Sir Philip Sidney invented the name Pamela for a pivotal character in his epic prose work, "The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia", written in the late 16th century and published posthumously. The name is widely taken to mean "all sweetness", formed on the Greek words παν "pan" ("all") and μέλι "meli" ("honey"), but there is no evidence regarding what meaning, if any, Sidney intended for it. The Samuel Richardson novel "Pamela" in 1740 or 1741 inaugurated the use of Pamela