Daniel Rossington
More puppy than man, most days.
Daniel James Rossington, born Lord Daniel Rossington, is the second son to Theodore and Miranda Rossington, 6th Duke and Duchess of Welby. He is the younger brother of Hugh Rossington, the 7th Duke of the Welby, and the heir to the Dukedom of Welby. He is played by Izzie.
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| Portrayed by Jared Padalecki | |
| Full Name | Daniel James Rossington |
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| Associated Noble House(s) | Dukedom of Welby, Marquessate of Easton, Marquessate of Raulings |
| Date of Birth | January 5, 1781 |
| Father | Theodore Rossington |
| Father's Rank | 6th Duke of Welby |
| Mother | Miranda Rossington |
| Mother's Rank | Dowager Duchess of Welby |
| Town Residence | {{{residence}}} |
| School | {{{school}}} |
| University | {{{university}}} |
| Profession | {{{prof}}} |
Family
Neil is the heir apparent to the Dukedom of Welby. He is the second son of Theodore Rossington and Miranda Rossington. His elder brother, Hugh Rossington, is the current Duke, but is dying of consumption. Hugh is already widowed, his wife Jane Rossington dying while giving birth to their daughter, Madalene Rossington.
He is also cousin to Katharine Steele and Julianne Grafton (played by Liz).
Childhood (1781-1792)
As the second son of the Duke of Welby, Neil grew up knowing that he would have very few responsibilities in life. All of the pressure of inheritance fell on his elder brother, Hugh Rossington, who always seemed quite happy to be locked up in the library with his books. Neil, on the other hand, spent the vast majority of his childhood out of doors, always getting into mischief and exploring the Welby estate. At the age of 10, he met his best friend, Patrick Grove. The two boys became inseparable, despite the distance between their houses, and soon Patrick's sister, Penelope Grove, would join the boys, though she was more of a tag-along than a welcomed addition. Neil would routinely make the journey to Pendleston Court for a few months a year, before starting school.
Schooling (1792-1803)
Neil reluctantly tottered off to Eton in 1792, where his extremely social personality ensured that he collected a large amount of new friends, while his studies certainly suffered. Graduating near the bottom of his class, it was with great reluctance that Neil pursued an education at Cambridge, starting in 1799 in Magdalene College. He studied modern history, hoping that he would be able to skim through his program, and he just barely managed to graduate in 1802.
Post-Graduation (1803-1806)
Following his graduation, Neil took the opportunity to travel around the Continent for a year, enjoying the sights, sounds and pleasure of France, Germany, Italy and Greece. He returned at the beginning of 1805, and spent a few months at Pendleston Court with Patrick, Penny and the Marquess. He then traveled to London to witness the 1805 Season with Hugh, causing a variety of problems with his rakish behaviour for his older brother. Following the Season, he then returned once more to Pendleston Court. He was called back to Surrey in February of 1806, as his father had passed away. Hugh was now the Duke of Welby, a position that he had been trained for very well by their father. Neil stayed at home for a month before returning to Cambridge for a while, visiting old friends. In June of 1806, he was called back to Welby once more, this time to stand as witness for Hugh's marriage to Jane Rossington.
Jane (1806-1809)
Neil's meeting with Jane was not conventional - he had not heard of the lady, nor seen her, prior to Hugh's wedding day (despite being in London for her first Season). His first glimpse of her was of her walking down the aisle to meet Hugh at the altar, and much to Neil's surprise, found her to be quite beautiful. It had always been Neil's opinion that Hugh would marry a rather plain lady, perhaps with a large dowry. Hugh had never been eloquent with women, and found more comfort in his books than socializing. It was quite beyond Neil's comprehension how a lady such as Jane would have wanted to marry his brother, and following the ceremony, Neil made it his business to get to know his new sister-in-law. It was with great shock to both Neil and Jane as they discovered how perfectly they seemed to be made to compliment the other. They both enjoyed things the outdoors (a place that Hugh had never developed a love for), and the two found seclusion on the grounds of Welby, enjoying their time together. To Neil, it was if he and Jane were married, though their physical relationship never went past a few stolen kisses around Welby.
This all changed in 1808, when Jane told Neil that she was pregnant with Hugh's child. This was joyful news to Hugh, who was beginning to worry, as Jane had not been pregnant once in the three years they had been married. The two traveled to the Marquessate of Easton following the news, but had to return to Welby before Jane gave birth. She claimed it was due to homesickness, and wanting to give birth in the same home that Hugh and his ancestors had been born in, but she also longed to see Neil again.
On March 22, 1809, Jane went into labour and gave birth to a daughter, Madalene Rossington. While Madalene survived her birth, Jane did not, and succumbed to a fever, dying on March 24, 1809.