On September 25, a new period drama landed on Netflix: House of Guinness, which chronicles the privileged lives of four heirs to the Irish beer fortune in the 1800s after the death of their formidable father. Created by Steven Knight, the same man behind the award-winning Peaky Blinders, the well-reviewed series feels like a moody cross between Succession and Downtown Abbey.
It’s also a story that is rooted in reality. The main characters—Arthur, Benjamin, Edward, and Anne—were real-life scions of the famous beer empire. So, as you stream House of Guinness this weekend, here’s a primer to the inspirations behind the juicy, scandalous, and startlingly wealthy characters on your screen.
Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness was the grandson of Arthur Guinness, who founded Guinness in 1759. Almost a century later, Benjamin took control of the business and tripled sales. He also dabbled in politics, becoming the mayor of Dublin in 1851 before he took over the family company. In 1865, he was elected as an MP to the House of Commons. When he died, he left control of the company to two sons: Arthur and Edward.
Arguably his greatest legacy, other than Guinness itself? With his own funds, he led the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, a landmark still visited by millions today.
The oldest son of Sir Benjamin Guinness and the namesake of the Guinness founder. Born in Dublin, Arthur received an elite Anglican education at Eton in England and then headed to Trinity College Dublin—an element that the show plays off of, having Arthur talk in a posh accent and have a fascination with the finer things in life. The real-life Arthur spent much of his money buying up large swaths of land across Galway, including the 33,298-acre Ashford Estate. (Today, the property is a famous luxury hotel.) He also served as a literary muse to James Joyce, who referenced Guinness and the Victorian mannerisms he upheld in Ulysses. In 1876, he was elected as an MP representing the city of Dublin in the British Parliament.
The second and namesake son of Benjamin Guinness. While Arthur, Edward, and Anne (more on the latter two shortly) all built themselves historic legacies, there’s not much about Benjamin in the history books other than that he became the captain of the Horse Guards in England. House of Guinness portrays him as the troubled black sheep of the family—and while there are likely creative liberties there, it’s true that his father did not view him as a successor to the company.
The third son of Benjamin Guinness. In the 1870s, his brother, Arthur, sold him his shares in the family brewing company. He then scaled Guinness to an unprecedented level, taking it public on the London Stock Exchange in 1886. He remained chairman until the day he died. (And when he did, the news made the front page of the New York Times: “The Earl of Iveagh was reckoned as the wealthiest man in Ireland and the second wealthiest in Great Britain, his fortune being estimated at about $100,000,000,” the paper wrote in 1927. )
“His devil-may-care attitude led some to believe he was a dandy, a wastrel of the upper class,” Anthony Mansfield wrote in his history book about the family, The Search for God and Guinness. “But he was smarter than he at first appeared and, typical of his age of manhood. Practiced the art of seeming more cavalier about life than he actually was. In truth, he was a quick study, a man keenly in tune with the times, and a deeply ambitious soul, eager to fulfill every potential of his wealth and privilege.”
The oldest child—and only daughter—of Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness. She’s mostly known for her charity work, especially involving the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. She died at the age of 50 due to a debilitating neurodegenerative disease.
