Sir Thomas Henry Milborne-Swinnerton-Pilkington, 14th Baronet

 Sir Thomas Henry Milborne-Swinnerton-Pilkington, 14th Baronet died 17 December, 2024. He was 90.

He was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Royal Scots Greys, and was sometime chairman of Charente (formerly Charente Steamship Co), and Deputy Chairman of Cluff Mining Ltd. The Old Etonian was Senior Steward of the Jockey Club, 1994-1998.

He was born 10 March, 1934, son of Sir Arthur Milborne-Swinnerton-Pilkington, 13th Baronet (1898-1952), and his wife the former Elizabeth Mary Harrison, eldest of the eight daughters of Maj. John Fenwick Harrison (who died 1966), of King's Walden Bury, Hitchin, Hertfordshire. father, 

He succeeded his father, 24 July, 1952, as 14th baronet. The baronetcy was created Nova Scotia, 1635.

He married 17 November, 1961, Susan Adamson, daughter of Norman Stewart Rushton Adamson, of Durban, South Africa, by whom he had issue, a son, Richard Arthur, and two daughters, Sarah and Joanna. The son, born 4 Sept, 1964, succeeds as 15th baronet.

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Diana Constance Faure Walker 1921-2024

 Diana Constance Faure Walker died 3 December, 2024. She was 103.

She was born Diana Constance Seth-Smith, 3 June, 1921, scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Major Kenneth Arthur Seth-Smith, of Chesterwood Grange, Haydon Bridge, co. Northumberland, by his first wife Doris Roberta McKergow, only daughter of Lt Col Robert Wilson McKergow OBE, of Twineham Grange, co. Sussex; and married firstly, 2 Sept, 1948 (div 1956), Charles Stewart McDonnell Vane-Tempest (1921-2008), scion of the Marquesses of Londonderry, son of Ernest Charles William Vane-Tempest (1894-1957), and his wife the former Aline Mary Loftus St George (1897-1967); she married 2ndly, 23 January, 1961, Owen Stanley Buckmaster, 2nd Viscount Buckmaster (1890-1974), son of the 1st Viscount Buckmaster, GCVO, PC (1861-1934), and his wife the former Edith Augusta Lewin (who died 1935). Diana's second husband died 25 September, 1974. She married 3rdly, in 1982, Maj. Roderick Edward Faure Walker (1914-2002), head of that landed gentry family, and leaves issue from her first marriage, Charles Vane-Tempest (born 18 Apr, 1950), and Aline Vane-Tempest (born 10 Dec, 1952).

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Brigid Eleanor Shennan 1936-2024

Brigid Eleanor 'Biddy' Shennan died 9 December, 2024, aged 88.

She was born 20 July, 1936, younger daughter of Major Kenneth Gordon Woodbine Shennan, MBE (1893-1971), and his wife the former Lilah Maude Daly (1906-1988), scion of that Irish landed gentry family, and was a twin sister of Maj. Malcolm Shennan, and sister of Clare and David.

Her father was descended from the Woodbine Parish landed gentry family, and her mother was descended from the Barons Dunsandle and Clanconal.

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Penelope Mary Quine (nee Engleheart) 1934-2024

Penelope Mary Quine (nee Engleheart), who died 7 December, 2024, aged 90, was a scion of the Engleheart landed gentry family. She was born 9 February, 1934, the second daughter of Francis Henry Arnold Engleheart (1896-1963), sometime head of that landed gentry family, by his wife the former Filumena Mary Mayne (1900-1983), scion of that landed gentry family, descended from the Barons Clifford of Chudleigh; & married 1960, Hector William Quine (1926-2015), son of Herbert Leigh Quine (1890-1949), and his wife the former Gladys Foster (1889-1934), by whom she had issue, a son, Adrian Francis (b 10 June, 1967), and a daughter, Francesca (b 15 February, 1972).

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George Wilfred Temple Hall (born 13 Nov, 2024)

Harriet Georgina Hall (nee Usborne, born 1991), wife of Patrick W.T. Hall, and scion of the Usborne landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, George Wilfred Temple, 13 November, 2024.

Harriet is the elder daughter of Andrew Thornton Usborne (born 16 September, 1956), of Lincolnshire, by his wife the former Lamorna M.H. Forder.

Patrick Hall is a son of Paul Hall, of Fulham, and his wife Susie.

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Amelia Lily Butterfield Colville (born 2024)

 Olivia Colville (nee Pettit), wife of Alexander Keith Colville [born 1993], gave birth to a daughter, Amelia Lily Butterfield, 22 November, 2024.

Alexander Colville is a son of Mr Jeffrey Rex Colville [born 1956], of Englefield Green, Surrey, and Mrs Colville [nee Price].

Olivia is a daughter of Timothy John Pettit [born 1959], of Godalming, Surrey, and his wife the former Susan J Butterfield.

The infant's aristocratic ancestry:-

George North, 3rd Earl of Guilford > Susan, Baroness North > William North, 11th Baron North > Hon Susan Georgina North > Col. John Sidney North FitzGerald > Georgiana Mary FitzGerald > Timothy John Pettit > Olivia Pettit > Amelia Colville

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Beatrice Florence Elise Westacott (born 13 Dec, 2024)

 Eloise Margaret R. Westacott (nee Cazalet, born 15 Aug, 1991), wife of William Robert Westacott (born 1984), gave birth to a daughter, Beatrice Florence Elise, 13 December, 2024.

William is a son of Christopher Robert Westacott (born 1949), of Frogmore Farm, Berkshire, and his wife the former Rowena Jane Evans (born 1963).

Eloise is a scion of the Cazalet landed family, of Fairlawne, daughter of Peter Charles Grenville Cazalet (born 1959), of Monk Soham, Suffolk, and his wife the former Victoria Jane Perry.

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Laing/Graham-Campbell engagement

 The engagement was announced 21 December, 2024, between Henry Laing, son of Mr and Mrs Rodney Laing, of Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, and Emily Marguerite Graham-Campbell (born 11 September, 1997), daughter of Robert John Graham-Campbell, 11th of Shirvan (born 14 Aug, 1964), of that Scottish landed gentry family, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, by his wife, the former Henrietta Heneage (born 1965), scion of that landed gentry family.

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Life peerages: Starmer to nominate dozens of life peers

The prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to nominate dozens of new peers to the House of Lords, with a number of former MPs and short-lived ex-Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray among those set to be honoured.

Former shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire, who lost her Bristol Central seat at the general election, is among those set to receive a peerage, along with Julie Elliott, Lyn Brown and Kevin Brennan – who stood down prior to voters going to the polls in July.

The list also includes Mike Katz, the national chair of the Jewish Labour Movement.

Prior to today’s announcement, Labour had 187 members of the House of Lords, while the Conservatives have 273, the Liberal Democrats 78, 57 from other parties and independents and 184 crossbenchers.

It comes as the Labour government works towards scrapping hereditary peers from the House of Lords, with a manifesto commitment of replacing it altogether with an “alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations”.

Those nominations:-

Professor Wendy Alexander FRSE – Vice Chair of the British Council, former Member of the Scottish Parliament for Paisley North and previously Labour Leader in the Scottish Parliament.

Sir Brendan Barber – former General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress and former chair of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Luciana Berger – former Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree and current Chair of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.

Mary Bousted – formerly the Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), and education policy adviser.

Kevin Brennan – former Member of Parliament for Cardiff West and former Minister of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

Lyn Brown – former Member of Parliament for West Ham and former Shadow Minister.

Dinah Caine OBE CBE – Chair of Camden STEAM, formerly Chair of Goldsmiths University and CEO and Chair of Creative Skillset.

Kay Carberry CBE – former Assistant General Secretary of the British Trades Union Congress (TUC).

Margaret Curran – former Member of Parliament for Glasgow East and formerly Minister within the Scottish Executive.

Thangam Debbonaire – former Member of Parliament for Bristol West and former Shadow Secretary of State.

Julie Elliott – former Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central and former

David Evans – former Labour Party Regional Director, Assistant General Secretary and General Secretary of the Labour Party 2020-2024.

Sue Gray – former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister and former Cabinet Office Second Permanent Secretary.

Theresa Griffin – former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for North West England.

Anji Hunter – Senior Advisor at Edelman, and former Head of Government Relations in Downing Street.

Carwyn Jones – former Member of the Senedd (MS) for Bridgend and First Minister of Wales.

Mike Katz – National Chair of Jewish Labour Movement and a former Camden Councillor.

Gerard Lemos CMG CBE – Social Policy expert and Chair of English Heritage, Chair of National Savings & Investments (NS&I), and Chair of London Institute of Banking and Finance.

Alison Levitt KC – Master of the Bench of the Inner Temple. Previously Principal Legal Advisor to the Director of Public Prosecutions and a Circuit Judge specialising in serious crime, including rape.

Anne Longfield CBE – Campaigner for children and formerly served as the Children’s Commissioner for England. Founder and Executive Chair of the Centre for Young Lives.

Deborah Mattinson – former Director of Strategy to Sir Keir Starmer. Co-founder of BritainThinks.

Steve McCabe – former Member of Parliament for Birmingham Hall Green and Birmingham Selly Oak, and former Government Whip.

Claude Moraes OBE – former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for London and chair of the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee.

Wendy Nichols – UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside Regional Convenor and Branch Secretary and Labour Councillor.

Simon Pitkeathley – Currently the Chief Executive of Camden Town Unlimited and Euston Town, formerly the Mayor of London’s ‘Champion for Small Business’.

Dame Anne Marie Rafferty DBE FRCN – Professor of nursing policy and former

Dame Anne Marie Rafferty DBE FRCN – Professor of nursing policy and former President of the Royal College of Nursing.

Krish Raval OBE – Founding Director of Faith in Leadership.

Marvin Rees OBE – former Mayor of Bristol and Head of Bristol City Council. Former journalist, voluntary sector manager and NHS public health manager.

Revd Dr Russell David Rook OBE – Partner at the Good Faith Partnership and Anglican priest.

Phil Wilson – former Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, and former Opposition Assistant Whip.

The 7th Baron Carew 1938-2024

 The 7th Baron Carew died 18 December, 2024, aged 86.

Lord Carew, sometime a Captain, Royal Horse Guards, is a former international show jumping rider; Member, Irish Olympic 3-Day Event Team 1968 and 1972; President, Equestrian Federation 1979-84; Chairman, Fédération Equestré International 3-Day Event Committee 1989-97

Patrick Thomas Conolly-Carew was born 6 March, 1938, son of the 6th Baron Carew, CBE (1905-1994), ADC to the Governor of Bermuda 1931-36; served in World War II 1939-45 as Capt and Brevet Maj, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry ; National Chairman, British Legion 1963-66; CBE 1966; British Government Trustee, Irish Sailors' and Soldiers' Land Trust; President, Irish Olympic Horse Society; CStJ, by his wife the former Lady Sylvia Gwendoline Eva Maitland (1913-1991), the only daughter of the 15th Earl of Lauderdale (1891-1953).

He succeeded his father, 27 June, 1994, as 7th Baron Carew (Peerage of Ireland, cr 13 June, 1834), and 7th Baron Carew (cr 9 July, 1838, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom).

He married 30 April, 1962, Celia Mary Cubitt (born 7 December, 1939), scion of the Barons Ashcombe, second daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon Charles Guy Cubitt (1903-1979), and his wife the former Rosamond Mary Edith Cholmeley (1904-1984), scion of the Cholmeley baronets, by whom he had issue, a son, the Hon William Patrick Conolly-Carew (born 27 March, 1973), and three daughters, the Hon Virginia, the Hon Nicola, and the Hon Camila, The son now succeeds to both baronies.

Lady Carew is a cousin of HM Queen Camilla.

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Squadron Leader Christopher Charles Blount, LVO, RAF 1925-2024

Christopher Charles Blount, LVO, RAF, died 18 December, 2024, aged 99.

Blunt, courtier, equerry to Queen Elizabeth II, was a pilot who performed one of the first successful ejections from an inverted plane.

He was born 6 February, 1925, son of Air Vice Marshal Charles Hubert Boulby Blount, CB, OBE, MC, RAF (1893-1940), and his wife the former Beatrice Joan Lempriere (1892-1985); and married 12 November, 1957, the Hon Susan Victoria Cobbold (1933-2021), second daughter of the 1st Baron Cobbold, KG, GCVO, PC, DL (1904-1987), and his wife the former Lady Margaret Hermione Millicent Bulwer-Lytton (1905-2004), daughter of the 2nd Earl of Lytton, KG, GCSI, GCIE, GCStJ, PC, DL (1876-1947), by whom he had two sons, James and Oliver, and two daughters, Catherine and Pamela.

Blount was an equerry to Queen Elizabeth II from 1954 to 1957. He accompanied the Queen on a tour of Nigeria in early 1956 and a state visit to Portugal the following year and enjoyed every minute of his time, especially at Sandringham and Balmoral. A lifelong friend of Princess Margaret, who was known for her admiration of RAF officers, Blount liked to say he was little more than a “spare hand” around the royal household, but was proud to have had the chance to serve the Queen in the early years of her reign.

Christopher Charles Blount was born in London in 1925 to a family that became steeped in flying and service in the RAF. His father, Charles, who had served in the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War and was a founder member of the RAF, went on to become an air vice-marshal. He was killed in a flying accident at Mill Hill in 1940. Blount’s elder brother, John, was shot down in a Spitfire over the island of Texel on the coast of the Netherlands in 1941 and spent the remainder of the war as a PoW. He went on to become an air commodore and was captain of the Queen’s Flight before being killed in a helicopter crash in 1967. Blount’s mother, Beatrice Joan (née Lempriere), was originally from Melbourne in Australia. Her brother-in-law, Frank Debenham, was a geologist on Scott’s ill-fated 1910 Antarctic expedition. Blount,was a relative of the singer James Blunt (who has changed the spelling of his surname).

The Blounts made their home in a Jacobean manor house at Barkway in Hertfordshire and had four children: James is a former diplomat who works in business risk management; Ollie is a retired investment banker; Katie runs an interior design business; and Pammy is a travel journalist. Susan Blount died 14 December, 2021, aged 88.

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Christabel Isabel Mary Scott 1942-2024

 Christabel Isabel Mary Scott (nee Ind), who died at her home in North Yorkshire, aged 82, was a scion of that landed gentry family, and descended from the Marquesses of Sligo.

She was born 2 October, 1942, the elder daughter of Harold Hugh Brodie Ind (1914-1977), and his wife the former Phyllis Marion Alice Browne (1913-2008), scion of the Marquesses of Sligo, and married 21 February, 1970, Wing Cdr Robin Worthington Scott (born 1937),  scion of the landed gentry family of Scott of Dittisham Court, a younger son of Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Worthington Scott, OBE, MC (1907-1978), and his wife the former Beryl Guthe, scion of that North Yorkshire landed family, of Kepwick Hall. Mrs Scott survived her husband by 12 days. He died 6 Dec, 2024.

She leaves issue, two sons, Gervase (born 1971), and Nicholas (born 1972).

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Godfrey Hamilton Bland 1943-2024

 Godfrey Hamilton Bland died 7 December, 2024, aged 81.

He was born 3 July, 1943, the second son of Capt James Frankin McMahon Bland (1905-1984), sometime head of that Irish landed gentry family, and his wife the former Jess Buchan Brodie (1908-1984); and married 5 July, 1969, Olga Mary Hohler (1940-2019), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Edward Christopher Hohler (1917-1997), and his wife (Mary Alice Olga Sofia) Jane Lane (1919-2014), daughter of Robert Charlton Lane (1873-1943), and his wife Olga Mary Adelaide FitzGeorge (1877-1928), daughter of Sir Adolphus Augustus Frederick FitzGeorge, KCVO (1846-1922), natural son of HRH Prince George, Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904), cousin of Queen Victoria and grandson of King George III.

He leaves two sons, Richard and Alexander, and a daughter, Olga.

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Belinda Mary Prudence Hodson (née Panton)

 Belinda Mary Prudence Hodson (née Panton) died 7 December, 2024, aged 100.

She was born in 1924, daughter of Colonel Gerald Richard Vivian Panton (1889-1972), and his wife the former Sybil Gertrude Odlum (1893-1984); and married 10 January, 1948, Capt. David Thomas Hodson (born 13 March, 1920, d.     ), son of the Rev. Reginald Victor Hodson (1887-1976), and his wife the former Mary Joanna Hedderwick (1897-1988), by whom she had issue, a son, Andrew, and three daughters, Lucinda, Teresa and Virginia.

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Paul Jonathan Olsen Knight 1966-2024

 Paul Jonathan Olsen Knight died 10 December, 2024, aged 58.

He was born in 1966, son of Peter Knight and his wife the former Shirley Tomlinson; and married in 1992, Caroline Mary Anne Lamb (born 6 June, 1966), scion of the Barons Rochester, 2nd daughter of the Hon Kenneth Henry Lowry Lamb (1923-1995), and his wife the former Elizabeth Anne Saul (1926-2020), by whom he had issue.

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Sally Berry (nee Cairnes) 1942-2024

 Sally Berry died 12 December, 2024, aged 82. She was a descendant of the Croft baronets, and scion of the Cairnes Irish landed family.

She was born Sally Cairnes,  9 November, 1942, third daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel John Elliot Cairnes (1904-k/a 1943), and his wife the former June Jameson. She married 3 December, 1966, Major Anthony Edward Berry, by whom she had a son, Nicholas (born 1 May, 1968), and a daughter, Suzanna Claire (born 19 Feb, 1972).

Sir Herbert Croft, 9th Baronet > Lucy Barbara Croft > John Elliot Cairnes > Sally Cairnes

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John Richard Blatch 1931-2024

 John Richard Batch, who died 11 December, 2024, aged 93, was the husband of the late Baroness Blatch, CBE, PC, sometime Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords, who died 31 May, 2005, aged 67.

He was born in 1931, a son of George Henry Blatch (1887-1964), and his wife the former Madeline Mary Whitticom (1901-1953), and married in 1963, Emily May Triggs (born 24 July, 1937), daughter of Stephen Joseph and Sarah Triggs, by whom he had issue, two sons and a daughter.

Baroness Blatch's career: WRAF 1955-59; Ministry of Aviation, 1959-63; Member of the Board of Peterborough Development Corporation, 1984-89; Leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, 1981-85; European Economic and Social Committee, 1986-87; Conservative Local National Local Govt Advisory Committee, 1988-92; Baroness in Waiting (Government Whip) House of Lords, 1990; Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment, 1990-91; Minister of State, Department of the Environment, 1991-92; Home Office, 1994-97; Opposition front bench spokesman on education and employment, 1997-2000; Deputy Leader of the Opposition House of Lords from 2000; Vice-President, Local Government Assoc., from 2000; Chairman, Anglo-American Community Relations Committee, RAF Alconbury, 1985-91; President, National Benevolent Institution from 1989; Member, Air League Council, from 1998; Member, Air Cadet Council from 1998; Trustee, Dorman Museum Appeal, Middlesbrough, from 1997; Trustee, RAF Museum, from 1998; President, Shakespeare at The George, Huntingdon, from 1995; Patron, Huntingdon Male Voice Choir, from 1997, &c.

Baroness Blatch was appointed CBE in 1983, and sworn of the Privy Council in 1993. She was raised to the peerage (for life) in 1987 as Baroness Blatch, of Hinchingbrooke, in the County of Cambridgeshire.

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Rev Andrew Alexander Macintosh (died 5 Dec, 2024)

 The Rev Andrew Alexander Macintosh, Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge, former Tutor, Dean and President, died 5 December, 2024, aged 87. 

He was a son of the Rev Felix Macintosh; and married 8 September, 1962, Mary Joan Browning, BEM (born 12 November, 1938), daughter of Colonel George William Browning, OBE, Welsh Guards, and his wife the former Rosemary Sybil Hughes (1909-1995), scion of the Hughes baronets, by whom he had two sons, George (b 1967), Thomas (b 1974), and a daughter, Rachel (b 1964).

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