The Baroness Weatherill 1928-2026

 The Baroness Weatherill, who died 2 July, 2026, aged 97, was the widow of the life peer the Baron Weatherill, KStJ, PC, DL (1920-2007), who as the Rt Hon Bernard Weatherill, was Speaker of the House of Commons, 1983-1992.

She was Daphne Iona Lyn Eatwell, born in 1928, daughter of Henry Thomas Eatwell (1901-1958), and his wife the former Edith Gertrude Jones (1898-1962), and married in 1949, the then (Bruce) Bernard Weatherill (born 25 November, 1920), son of Bernard Bruce Weatherill (1883-1962), and his wife the former Annie Gertrude Creak (1886-1966).

Her husband was elected the Member of Parliament on 15 October 1964 for Croydon North East as a Conservative. He became a party whip three years later, and deputy Chief Whip six years after that. He was re-elected seven times for the same seat until his retirement in 1992.

On his retirement as Speaker of the Commons Bernard Weatherill was raised to the peerage for life as Baron Weatherill, of North East Croydon in the London Borough of Croydon. He died 6 May, 2007.

Baroness Weatherill had issue , two sons, Bernard Richard (1951-2021), Henry Bruce (b 1953), and a daughter, Virginia (b 1955)

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The Baron Sanderson of Bowden 1933-2026

The Baron Sanderson of Bowden, who died 2 July, 2026, aged 93, was a Scottish Conservative Party politician and a life peer.

He was a member of the House of Lords from 1985 until his retirement in 2018.

Charles Russell Sanderson was born 30 April, 1933, son of Charles Plummer Sanderson, and his wife the former Martha Evelyn Gardiner.

He was Chairman of Clydesdale Bank PLC 1999-2003, Deputy Chairman 1996-99, and in 2003, he was appointed Vice Lord Lieutenant of the Borders Region (Roxburgh, Ettrick & Lauderdale).

 He was knighted in 1981, and was created a life peer in 1985 as Baron Sanderson of Bowden, of Melrose in the District of Ettrick and Lauderdale and spoke regularly in the House of Lords. Bowden in his title is taken from a village in the Roxburghshire area of the Scottish Borders.

From 1987 to 1990 Lord Sanderson was a Minister of State in the Scottish Office, responsible for housing, agriculture and fisheries. He also served as Chairman of the Conservative Party in Scotland in the early 1990s.

Lord Sanderson retired from the House of Lords on 29 March 2018.

He married in 1958, Frances Elizabeth Macaulay, by whom he had issue, two sons and two daughters.

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Elvidge/Power engagement

 The engagement was announced 4 July, 2026, between George Rufus Tristram Elvidge (born 5 October, 1996), son of Rusty G.C.F. Elvidge, of Painswick, Gloucestershire, and his wife the former Victoria T. Holland, & Emilia Mary Power (born 1998), daughter of Anthony George Bertram Power (born 23 Apri, 1968), of Belvedere Ostrense, Italy, and his wife the former Giuliana Erica Sharp.

Emilia Power descends from the Earls of Lichfield:-

Thomas Anson, 2nd Earl of Lichfield > Hon Sir George Augustus Anson > Claud Ronald Anson > Mary Anson > Margaret Dene > Anthony Power >Emilia Power

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Thomas Arthur Sampson (born 2026)

 Lily Annabel Mary Sampson (nee Bristow, born 1989), wife of Hamish A. Sampson, gave birth to a son, Thomas Arthur, 25 March, 2026, a brother for Wilbur Riley, who was born 21 Nov, 2021, and for Rowan Alexander, who was born born 12 July, 2023.

Hamish is a son of Mr and Mrs Nigel Sampson, of Thorpe Underwood, North Yorkshire.

Lily is a daughter of Mr Timothy Dominic Ian James Bristow [born 1 July, 1959], of the Isle of Wight, and his former wife the former Annabel J.D. Palmer [now Mrs Richard Fife, of Great Langton, North Yorkshire].

Lily Bristow's grandfather, James Percy Bristow married in 1958, the Hon Caroline Jean Lawson Johnston [born 25 Dec, 1935], daughter of the 2nd Baron Luke [1905-96].

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Chisenhale-Marsh/Armstrong engagement

The engagement was announced 4 July, 2026, between Hugo Max Chisenhale-Marsh (born 15 February, 1998), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Guy Hugo Atherton Chisenhale-Marsh (born 2 December, 1963), of Gaynes Park, Essex, and his wife the former Liselle Brockman, & Ella R.P. Armstrong, daughter of Mr and Mrs Dominic Armstrong of Great Shefford, Berkshire.

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Ramsay/Hooft Graafland engagement

 Te engagement was announced 4 July, 2026, between Nicholas George M. Ramsay (born 1992), scion of the Erals of Dalhousie, son of Patrick William Maule Ramsay (born 17 May, 1951), of Burmington Grange, and his wife the former Fiona Stoddart, & Jonkvrouwe Nina Grace Hooft Graafland (born 1991) , daughter of Jonkheer and Mrs Ferdinand Hooft Graafland (nee Maureen Walsh), of London.

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Trustram Eve/Kennedy engagement

The engagement was announced 4 July, 2026, between James Arthur Richard Trustram Eve (born 15 May, 1996), scion of the Barons Silsoe, younger son of Richard Malcolm Jannion Trustram Eve (born 9 March, 1963), of Wilbartson, Northamptonshire, and his wife the former Albinia Julia Diggle(born 8 July, 1964), of Inglefied and Wyvill descent, & Charlotte R. Kennedy, daughter of Mr Timothy and Dr Deborah Kennedy, of Kirk Ireton, Derbyshire.

Jamie Trustram Eve is a great-grandson of the 1st Baron Silsoe.

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Berwine Ruth Barrett-Lennard 1928-2026

 Berwine Ruth Berrett-Lennard (nee Cook), died 2 July, 2026, aged 97.

She was born 3 October, 1928, daughter of Dr Leigh Cook, of Claremont, Western Australia, and married in 1953, Irwin Prescott Barrett-Lennard (born 1929), scion of the Barrett-Lennard baronets, son of George Graham Barrett-Lennard (1887-1968), and his wife the former Maud Gladys Hastings Hester, by whom he had issue, three sons, Edward, Hugh and James, and a daughter, Ann.

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Anthony Mackintosh 1938-2026

 Anthony Mackintosh, who has died aged 88, was a cousin of the Viscount Mackintosh of Halifax, though not in remainder to the peerage.

He was founder and executive chairman of London's Groucho Club.

 Mackintosh came from a business family, the same Mackintoshes who made Toff-o-Lux and related sweeties. Amazingly, toffee was invented by Anthony's granny in the 1880s, by mistake (she got the ingredients wrong while making butterscotch). His father, Eric, was a Halifax baker, but all the family went into the toffee business, bought factories, and diversified into chocolate in the Twenties. 

Anthony was born in Norwich, in April, 1938, and grew up in the fens, went to Stowe public school, was conscripted into the Army for two years, studied at Columbia University and worked in the United States before joining the family firm. After its takeover by Rountree, he experienced corporate culture at its most stilted and boring, and got out as soon as he could, thoroughly groomed in business matters.

He was a son of Eric Donald Mackintosh (1906-1978), of Brooke House, Brooke, Norwich, and his wife the former Gwendolyn France (1904-1992), and was a nephew of the 1st Viscount Mackintosh of Halifax (1891-1964).

Anthony's grandfather, John Mackintosh (1868-1920), was father of Harold, the 1st Viscount.

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Miles/Buxton engagement

 The engagement was announced 2 July, 2026, between Edmund Oliver H. Miles (born 1997), son of Christopher M. Miles, of Surlingham, Norfolk, and his wife the former Joanna S.E. Pigott (born 1962), and Kate Patricia Mary Buxton (born 1 October, 1996), scion of the Buxton baronets, eldest daughter of Robin Anthony Buxton (born 21 February, 1963), of Horsey, Norfolk, and his wife the former Suzanna Patricia D'Arcy McCarthy.

Kate Buxton is descended from the Lords Herries of Terregles:-

The 10th Lord Herries of Terregles (1804-76) > Hon Bernard Constable-Maxwell (1848-1938) > Mary Philomena Constable-Maxwell (1893-1953) > John Joseph Buxton (1927-2014) > Robin Buxton (b 1963) > Kate Buxton (b 1996)

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Mikaila Stainton (nee Lykiardopolos) (died 2026)

 Mikaila Stainton (nee Lykiardopolos), died 23 June, 2026. She was 91.

She was a daughter of Constantine Lykiardopolos, of Athens, and married 2 November, 1956, Andrew Thomas Stainton (1925-2001), second son of Sir John Armitage Stainton, KCB, KBE, QC (1888-1957), the lawyer and parliamentary draftsman, by his wife the Hon Janet Bertha Dewar (1895-1979), daughter of the 1st Baron Forteviot (1856-1929).

She leaves a son, John (born 9 Aug, 1968), and three daughters, Deborah (born 16 Nov, 1957), Joanna (born 13 July, 1959), and Antigone (born 13 May, 1962).

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Humphrey Richard Woollcombe Smith 1944-2026

 Humphrey Richard Woollcombe Smith, of Oxton Hall, Tadcaster, the eccentric head of Samuel Smith's brewery, died 29 June, 2026, aged 81.

Mr Smith died on his 41st wedding anniversary.

Humphrey Smith.

The owner and chairman of the Tadcaster-based Sam Smith's Brewery was well-known for his 'traditional' policies as well as his private nature.

Smartphones, children, dogs and swearing were all banned from his pubs across the country, policies which attracted much controversy but also much support.

Mr Smith was described yesterday as a “proper gentleman” by the town’s mayor. Richard Sweeting said Mr Smith’s death marked “the end of an era.”

The flag at Samuel Smith’s brewery was flying at half mast on Tuesday, Mr Sweeting said.

Under Mr Smith’s long ownership, Samuel Smith’s 200 pubs which are run across the country gained a reputation as having strict rules, with laptops and phones barred. Swearing has also been banned within the pubs.

Mr Smith was well-known for dismissing tenants who he believed were flouting these rules, with many Sam Smiths pubs currently vacant.

The brewery, founded in 1758, still uses traditional dray horses and carts for some of its deliveries.

A large number of buildings in Tadcaster are owned by the historic brewery, as well as swathes of land both in and surrounding the town.

Mr Smith lived at Oxton Hall, a Grade II listed house just outside the town, and could often be seen walking through Tadcaster.

The Old Etonian took full control of the brewery alongside his brother Oliver (born 12 Aug, 1947), in the 1980s.

He was born 12 December, 1944, the elder son of Geoffrey Roy Holland Smith (1902-1964), and his wife the former Rosamond Margaret Stirling Woollcombe (1919-1991). His father died 9 May, 1964, and his mother died as the result of a motor accident in 1991.

He married 29 June, 1985, Julia Carlotta Gladstone (born 16 January, 1956), scion of the Gladstone landed gentry family of Capenoch, second daughter of John Gladstone of Capenoch (1908-1977), and his .wife the former Diana Rosamond Maud Fleming-Hamilton (1923-2018).

Humphrey Smith is survived by Julia, and a daughter, Maude Rosamund Gladstone Smith (born 10 April, 1986), and son, Samuel Geoffrey Gladstone Smith (born Dec. 1988).

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Leslie Marshall Gore (nee Peabody) (died 2026)

 Leslie Marshall Gore (nee Peabody), died 16 June, 2026, aged 100.

She was a daughter of Benjamin Bostwick Peabody, of New York, United States, who was a 6 Gt-granddson of John Alden, the Mayflower passenger immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Courtship of Miles Standish", and his wife Priscilla Mullins. 

Leslie was also descended from another early settler family: the Peabody ancestor Francis 'Pebbody' who sailed to America in 1635 on board the sailing ship Planter. Another famous relation is the merchant banker and great philanthropist George Peabody (1795–1869). George's mother, Judith Dodge, was descended from the Spofford family, a dissenting family from Yorkshire, who had likewise emigrated to Massachusetts in the mid-seventeenth century. 

Leslie married 6 May, 1948, Major Humphry Gerard Napier Gore (1916-2008), scion of the Earls of Arran, and a grandson maternally of Field Marshal the 1st Baron Napier of Magdala (1810-1890), son of Colonel Edward John Mounsey Gore (1863-1949), and his wife the Hon Emilia Herbert Fullarton Napier (who died 6 Apr, 1932).

She leaves issue, three sons, Mark (b 26 Aug, 1952), Brendon (b 8 Sept, 1955), and Timothy (b 22 July, 1957).

Leslie's Mayflower descent:-

John Alden (~1599 - 1687) & Priscilla Mullins (1602 - 1680)

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Elizabeth Alden (~1624 - 1717) & William Peabody (1620 - 1707)

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William Peabody (1664 - 1744) & Judith (1669 - 1714)

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Joseph Peabody (1710 - ) & Elizabeth Briggs (1714 - )

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Parker Peabody (1735 - 1818) & Sarah Spofford (1737 - 1812)

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John Parker Peabody (1797 - 1842) & Amy Chapain (1763 - 1810)

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Benjamin Peabody (1800 - 1877) & Julia Backus Bostwick (1802 - 1874)

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Amos Henry Peabody (1841 - ) & Sophia Waterbury (1845 - 1896)

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Benjamin Bostwick Peabody (1879 - 1965) & Helen Frances Seaverns ( - 1969)

Leslie Marshall Peabody (d 2026) & Humphrey Gerard Napier Gore (1917 - 2008)

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Cora Elizabeth Monckton (born 2026)

 Bethany Rose Monckton (nee Watkinson, born 1994), wife of Oliver George Carlos Monckton (born 29 Aug, 1993), scion of the Viscounts Galway, gave birth to a daughter, Cora Elizabeth, 8 June, 2026.

Bethany is a daughter of Dr Anthony and Dr Melanie Watkinson, of Dulford, Devon.

Oliver is the son of Piers Alastair Carlos Monckton (born 23 Oct, 1962), of Stretton, Staffordshire, and his 1st wife, Georgiana Byng (born 31 March, 1964), of Adbury, Berkshire, descended from the Lafone landed family, and Earls of Strafford.

Oliver's grandfather, Julian Michael Edmund Lafone (1928-2011), scion of that landed gentry family, who in 1969 assumed the surname of Byng in lieu of his patronymic, was a grandson maternally of the 6th Earl of Strafford (1862-1951).

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Graham Samuel Riddell 1961-2026

Graham Samuel Riddell, who died 23 June, 2026, at Temuka, New Zealand, aged 65, was a scion of the Riddell baronets.

He was born in 1961, son of John Buchanan Riddell (1924-1969), and his wife the former Barbara Ruddenklau, and descended from the 2nd baronet.

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Walford/Bungaroo engagement

The engagement was announced 27 June, 2026, between Edward Daniel Walford (born 1988), son of Peter Vivian Walford (born 1953), of Burwash, East Sussex, and the the Hon Claire Elizabeth Walford (nee Pennock) (born 1958), & Tamara Bungaroo (born 1989), daughter of Sen Bungaroo, of Langstone, Hampshire, and his wife the former Maria Valdes Martinez.

Edward Walford is a grandson of the life peer the Baron Pennock (1920-1993).

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Robin Thomas Littleton Salmon 1943-2026

 Robin Thomas Littleton Salmon died 17 June, 2026, aged 82. He was descended from the Barons Hatherton.

He was born 3 October, 1943, the second son of Frank Robert Salmon (1910-1997), and his wife the former Patricia Jean Even Painton (1917-1997); and married 6 April, 1974, Amanda Cadbury (born circa 1947), daughter of Alan Cadbury, by whom he had issue, a son, Benjamin (born 22 Feb, 1979), and a daughter, Matilda (born 24 May, 1981).

2nd Baron Hatherton > Reat Admiral the Hon Algernon Litteton > Isobel Littleton > Frank Salmon > Robin Salmon

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Kemmis Betty/Stitt engagement

 The engagement was announced 27 June, 2026, between Alexander Peter L. Kemmis Betty (born 7 November, 1984), son of Richard H. St M. Kemmis Betty, of The Queen's Own Hussars, of Milton on Stour, Dorset, and his wife the former Victoria Lacon (born 1952), scion of the Lacon baronets, & Rachael J. Stitt, elder daughter of Prof and Mrs Alan Stitt, of Killinchy, Co Down.

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Wright/Coulthard engagement

The engagement was announced 27 June, 2026, between P. Caspar E. Wright,  scion of the Wright landed gentry family, son of Timothy E. (Tiff) Wright, of Dunblane, Perthshire, and his wife the former Michaela Wordie, & Tamara Coulthard (born 9 March, 1999), daughter of Roger Coulthard, of Edinburgh, and his wife the former Lucinda Miller.

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