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
Poor Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family of Tutzing. On the 15 November 1958, the Franciscan Sisters took responsibility for St. Benedict Hospital in a mission station at Nkandla from the Benedictine Sisters, who had founded it in 1939. The mission served 30,000 Zulus in the region. Since then the Sisters have established orphanages and other hospitals. Administration of all the hospitals in the nation was taken over by the government in 1976. The Sisters chose to remain working in the institutions they had run as part of the staff. They have since developed ministry to AIDS patients. Poor Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Family The Poor