Mariette Helena, Baroness Saye and Sele 1936-2026

  Mariette Helena, Baroness Saye and Sele, who who died 6 April, 2026, aged 90, was the widow of the 21st Baron Saye and Sele, and was for many years chatelaine of the family seat, Broughton Castle.

She was born in January, 1936, daughter of Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, GCVO, CMG, CBE, MC (1896-1985), and his wife the former Hilda Violet Helena de Bunsen (1900-1995), scion of the de Bunsen baronets; and married at St Margaret's, Westminster, 4 December, 1958, the Hon Nathaniel Thomas Allen Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (born 22 September, 1920 in a grace and favour apartment in the House of Lords). Her husband discarded his triple-barrelled surname (encapsulating various family cognomens), shortening it to Fiennes by deed poll in 1965. He succeeded his father in the peerage, 21 October, 1968.

Lord Saye’s forebears could be traced back to the Norman Conquest. An ancestor, Geoffrey de Say, was one of 25 barons who signed the Magna Carta and was charged with its implementation. Another ancestor, James Fiennes, fought at Agincourt and befriended the young Henry VI, serving as chamberlain of his household; he was elevated to the peerage as the 1st Baron Saye and Sele in 1447, but his wealth and influence made him a target of the Kentish rebels under Jack Cade in 1450 when he was imprisoned and beheaded.

The 2nd Lord Saye and Sele married a descendant of William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. As a result the family inherited a fortified manor house in Oxfordshire, for which in 1406 Sir Thomas Wykeham, William’s great nephew, had obtained a licence to “crenellate and embattle”. So emerged Broughton Castle, which Richard Fiennes, the 6th Lord Saye and Sele embellished into what is still essentially the Elizabethan mansion that stands today.

The family played a significant role in the English Civil War. The 8th baron became a leader of the Parliamentarian opposition to Charles I, alongside John Pym. In 1642 his four sons all fought against the royalists at Edgehill, the first major battle of the war, just seven miles from Broughton Castle. His second son, Nathaniel Fiennes, MP for Banbury, was notable for his calls for the abolition of the episcopacy. As an officer in the parliamentary army he led the defence of Bristol against Prince Rupert in 1643. When the city surrendered he was arrested, sentenced to death and later pardoned. Nathaniel remained close to Oliver Cromwell and attended his death bed. At the Restoration he and his father were pardoned for their parliamentary sympathies.

When her husband succeeded to the ancient barony of Saye and Sele in 1968 as the 21st incumbent, he also inherited the moated Broughton Castle, set in an 1,800-acre estate, near Banbury in Oxfordshire. Described by Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, a historian, as “the finest and most complete medieval house in the county”, the actual building, which had been in his family for about 600 years, had deteriorated badly. After his father had restored the roof in 1957, the new lord and his wife Mariette overhauled the stonework and windows, and carried out extensive redecoration. He was helped by his training as a chartered surveyor and land agent.

In the early Eighties she and her husband embarked on the main structure, with a £1 million, 12-year programme, supported by English Heritage and completed in 1994. Crumbling stonework, rotting window lead and timbers riddled with deathwatch beetles were all replaced. Broughton provided the backdrop to scenes in [Shakespeare in Love,] Wolf Hall and The Crown, and the discovery on the estate of one of the largest Roman villas in Britain prompted a visit by Channel 4’s Time Team in 2021.

The 21st Baron Saye and Sele lived to a great age and died 20 January, 2024, aged 103.

Lady Saye and Sele leaves issue, two sons, Martin, the 22nd Baron Saye and Sele (born 27 February, 1961), the Hon William Fiennes (born 7 Aug, 1970), and one daughter, the Hon Susannah (born 27 Feb, 1961 twin with her brother). She was predeceased by two sons, the Hon Richard (1959-2001), and the Hon Thomas (1965-68).

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Christopher Charles Jervis Johnson-Ferguson 1933-2026

 Christopher Charles Jervis Johnson-Ferguson, who died 29 March, 2026, aged 92, was a scion of the baronets of that name. 

He was born 14 April, 1933, second son of Sir Neil Edward Johnson-Ferguson, 3rd Baronet (1905-1992), and his wife the former Sheila Marian Jervis (who died in 1985); and married 18 April, 1963, Sarah Loraine (Sally) Sherston-Baker (born 5 November, 1940), second daughter of Sur Humphrey Dodington Benedict Sherston-Baker, 6th Baronet (1907-1990), and his wife the former Margaret Alice Binns (who died 1994), by whom he had issue, a son, Charles (born 6 Dec, 1972), and three daughters, Victoria (born 17 Feb, 1965), Katharine (born 1966), and Lucy (born 30 June, 1974).

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Hon Margaret Ross van Koetsveld 1934-2026

 The Hon Margaret Ross van Koetsveld (née Geddes), died 3 April, 2026, aged 91.

She was a scion of the Barons Geddes, and a niece of the Hon Margaret Geddes (1913-1997), who married HRH Prince Ludwig of Hesse and the Rhine (1908-1968).

She was born 5 May, 1934, in San Francisco, daughter of the 2nd Baron Geddes, KBE (1907-1975), and his wife the former Enid Mary Butler (who died 28 January, 1999); and married 6 May, 1961,   (Ralph Emilius) Quintus van Koetsveld, son of Johan Emilius van Koetsveld, of Rotterdam, by whom she had three sons, Michael (born 16 March, 1963), Antony (born 20 July, 1964), and Christopher (born 11 Feb, 1969).

Her husband died in November last year aged 96.

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Slee/Crawfurd engagement

 The engagement was announced 8 April, 2026, between Rory William Slee (born 1995), elder son of William A. Slee (born 1963), of Woodtown, Devon, by his wife the former Jane L. Every (born 1965), and Georgina Olivia P. Crawfurd (born 11 November, 1996), daughter of Edward John Payne Crawfurd (born 23 August, 1955), of Paulerspury, Northamptonshire, descended maternally from the Peake landed gentry family, and his wife the former Amy Louise Villiers Smith (born 11 October, 1963), a descendant of the Earls of Clarendon and Barons Northbourne.

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Abel Smith/Siggers engagement

 The engagement was announced 8 April, 2026, between Thomas Patrick Abel Smith (born 1993), scion of that landed gentry family, son of the late (Bertram) Robin Abel Smith (1938-2009), and his wife the former Diana Marjorie Fielder Forsell, of Rotherby, Leicestershire, & Roberta M. Siggers, daughter of Mark James Siggers (born Jan 1955), of Warfield, Berkshire, and Mrs Siggers.

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Richard Alexander Charles Cobbe, CVO 1945-2026

 Richard Alexander Charles (Alec) Cobbe, CVO, of Newbridge House Co Dublin, and Hatchlands Park, Surrey, who died 31 March, 2026, aged 81, was a scion of that Irish landed gentry family.

Alec Cobbe was born in Dublin and studied medicine at Oxford University, where he won a prize for anatomical drawing. After a half year of clinical training in London, he relinquished his medical studies to practise as an artist. He also trained as a picture restorer at the Tate Gallery and the Courtauld Institute of Art. Between 1972 and 1981 Alec worked as a picture restorer successively at the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery and the Hamilton Kerr Institute of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, after which he commenced his own practice. As an artist and designer he specialised in the design of historic interiors and the reorganisation of picture hanging schemes for both public and private historic collections. His works have been the subject of several exhibitions, including at the Prince of Wales Drawing Schools in 1995, a major retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013-14 and a show at Dublin Castle in 2014-15. Alec’s design archive has entered the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum. He has exhibited as an artist throughout his life in Paris, Dublin and London. He has also executed a large number of painted graphic designs for various clients including the Prince of Wales (later King Charles), who contributed a foreword to the Victoria and Albert Museum exhibition publication.

Some highlights of his design work include the design of the Clive Museum at Powis Castle, of the Mary Queen of Scots chambers at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the presentation of major rooms at Kenwood House and Somerset House, the Library in Lupton’s Tower, Eton College, the Sitwell Museum at Renishaw; interior design and picture hangs in numerous country houses, including Dublin Castle, Harewood House, Hatfield House, Hillsborough Castle, Knole and Petworth House.

He was born 9 January, 1945 the second son of Lieutenant Francis Charles Cobbe, RNVR (1913-1949), and his wife and cousin, the former Joan Mervyn Cobbe (1915-2005); and married 25 July, 1970, the Hon Isabel Anne Marie Henrietta Dillon (born 6 September, 1942), the eldest daughter of the 20th Viscount Dillon (1911-1979), and his wife the former Irène Marie France Merandon du Plessis (died 22 Apr, 2008), by whom he had issue, two sons, Thomas (born 26 March, 1973), and Henry (born 1975), and two daughters, Frances (born 9 May, 1971), and Rose (born 26 March, 1973, twin with brother Thomas).

His niece Elizabeth Cobbe is the Countess of Dalkeith, wife of the heir to the Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry.

Alec Cobbe was appointed CVO in February, 2026.

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Vestey/Foster Moseley engagement

 The engagement was announced 4 April, 2026, between Richard George Archibald Vestey (born 17 December, 1997), scion of the Vestey baronets, third son of George Moubray William Vestey (born 17 September, 1964), of Great Thurlow, Suffolk, and his former wife Ms Rachel Philippa Osborne, of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, & Francesca Lily Foster Moseley (born 1999), youngest daughter of James Moseley, of Upper Oddington, Gloucestershire and his wife nee Quiggin.

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Cordelia Aprille Ames Florence De Groat (born 2026)

Lara Alexandra de Groat (nee Ouvaroff, born 1996), wife of Cameron J.M. De Groat, gave birth to a daughter Cordelia Aprille Ames Florence, 26 March, 2026.

Cameron is a son of Mr and Mrs M.J.M. Groat, of Wimborne, Dorset.

Lara is a daughter of Count Dominic William Ouvaroff (born December, 1966), of Wandsworth, London, and his wife the former Jennifer Baxendale.

The infant is descended from the Marquesses of Exeter:-

The 3rd Marquess of Exeter (1825-95) > Lord Francis Cecil (1851-89) > Violet Cecil (died 1953) > Aubretia Ames > Count Stephen Ouvaroff (1935-2017) > Count Dominic Ouvaroff (b 1966) > Lara Ouvaroff (b 1996) > Cordelia de Groat (b 2026)

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Hector George Lowe (born 2026)

Clementine Mary R. (Clemmie) Lowe (born 1991, née Francklin), wife of Frederick James (Fred) Lowe (born 1991), gave birth to a son, Hector George, 16 March, 2026, a brother for Harry Alexander, born 12 March, 2024.

Clementine Lowe is a daughter of William Alexander Mavourn Francklin (born 1958), scion of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Celina Lucinda Palmer (born 15 May, 1961), scion of the Palmer baronets, daughter of Sir Geoffrey Christopher John Palmer, 12th Baronet (born 30 June, 1936).

Fred Lowe is a son of Rupert James Graham Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, and his wife the former Nicola Chapman, and is descended from the Baker baronets:-

Sir George Edward Dunstan Sherston Baker, 4th Baronet > Henrietta Baker > Michael Chapman > Nicola Chapman > Fred Lowe

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Inigo Basil John Agar (born 2026)

 India Sarah T. Agar (nee Clevely, born 1991), wife of Charles Christopher Edward Agar [born 29 July, 1989], scion of the Earls of Normanton, gave birth to a son, Inigo Basil John, 27 March, 2026, a brother for Bodie Giles Edward, who was born 15 March, 2024.

Charles Agar is a son of the Hon Mark Sidney Andrew Agar [born 2 Sept, 1948], of Hilton, Dorset, and his wife the former Arabella Clare Gilbey [born 14 July, 1953], scion of the Gilbey baronets.

India Agar is a daughter of Rupert Clevely, of River, West Sussex, and his wife the former Joanna Beatrice Taswell Greenwell [born 14 Jan, 1962], scion of the Greenwell baronets, descended from the 1st Bt.

Charles Agar is a grandson of the 5th Earl of Normanton [1910-67].

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Dudley/Tindley engagement

The engagement was announced 3 April, 2026, between Carl W. Dudley (born May, 1991), the only son of Mr Roy Dudley and the late Mrs Dudley, of Milton, Staffordshire, and Sophie Jean Home Tindley (born 1993), daughter of George William Tindley (born Nov, 1958), of Bramdean, Hampshire, and his wife the former Lucinda Home Franks (born 17 March, 1964), granddaughter of Sir David Home, 13th Baronet.

Sir David George Home, 13th Baronet (1904-1992) > Anne Home (1942-1986) > Lucinda Franks (b 1964) > Sophie Tindley (b 1993).

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Chichester/Maslin engagement

 The engagement was announced 3 April, 2026, between Edward John Chandos-Pole Chichester (born 27 July, 1991), son and heir of Sir James Henry Edward Chichester, 12th Baronet (born 15 October, 1951), of Radbourne Hall, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, and his wife the former Margaret Anne Chandos-Pole (born 1952), and Madeleine J. Maslin, elder daughter of Mr Charlie Maslin, of Gunningrah, NSW, Australia, and Mrs Anne Maslin, of Barwon Heads, Victoria, Australia.

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Anthony Robert Edmund Pretor-Pinney 1930-2026

 Anthony Robert Edmund Pretor-Pinney, who died 23 March, 2026, aged 95, was head of that landed gentry family of Somerton Erleigh.

He was born at Bath in April, 1930, son of Lieutenant-Commander Giles Robert Pretor-Pinney, RN (1897-1942), and his wife the former Lucy Theodosia Gascoigne Fowle (1901-1980); and married in 1963, Laura Haight, daughter of George Winthrop Haight, of New York, United States, by whom he had issue, two sons, Giles Winthrop Pretor-Pinney (born 1963), and Gavin Edmund Pretor-Pinney (born 1968), and a daughter, Jennifer Clare (born 1966), wife of the Hon Jonathan Williamson (born 1965), son of the life peer the Baron Williamson of Horton.

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Margaret Vyner 1929-2026

Margaret Vyner (nee Heathcote) died 27 March, 2026. She was 96.

She was born in London in 1929, daughter of Capt Ralph Heathcote, DSO, RN (1901-1990), of The Snab, Gressingham, Lancaster,  by his wife the former Margaret Helen Richards (1906-1968); and married firstly, 7 September, 1951 (div. 1958), the then Hon Hugo John Laurence Philipps (1929-1999) (from 1993 the 3rd Baron Milford), son of the 2nd Baron Milford (1902-1993), and his wife the former Rosamond Nina Lehmann(1901-1990); and married 2ndly, 13 October, 1958 (div. 1982), Henry Vyner (1932-1996), of Studley Royal, Ripon, son of Commander Clare Vyner, RN (1894-1989), and his wife the Lady Doris Hilda Gordon Lennox (1896-1980), bridesmaid to Lady Elizabeth Bowes Lyon in 1923, daughter of the 8th Duke of Richmond & Gordon (1870-1935).

She leaves a daughter from her first marriage, the Hon Anna Philipps (born 17 Apr, 1954), and two daughters from her second marriage, Harriet Vyner (born 18 Aug, 1959), and Violet Vyner (born 21 March, 1962).

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The Baroness Holderness 1927-2026

 The Baroness Holderness, who died 29 March, 2026, aged 98, was widow of the life peer the Baron Holderness.

She was sometime President of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for the Disabled.

She was born in October, 1927, as Eleanor Diana Myrtle Kellett, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Orlando Kellett, DSO, FRGS (1902-1943), Irish Guards, and his wife the former Helen Myrtle Dorothy Atherley (died 16 March, 1976), and married 15 April, 1947, the then Hon Richard Frederick Wood, MP, PC, DL, (born 5 Oct, 1920), third son of the 1st Earl of Halifax, KG, GCSI (1881-1959), sometime Viceroy of India and Foreign Secretary (the 'Holy Fox') by his wife the former Lady Dorothy Augusta Evelyn Onslow (1885-1976), scion of the Earls of Onslow, CI, DCVO, sometime Extra Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Her husband was a Conservative politician who held numerous ministerial positions from 1955 to 1974. He was distinctive in having lost both his legs in action in North Africa during World War II. He was Conservative MP for Bridlington from 1950 to 1979.  He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Derick Heathcoat-Amory during his time successively as Minister of Pensions between 1951 and 1953, Minister of State at the Board of Trade between 1953 and 1954, and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries between 1954 and 1955. Wood was then Joint Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Pensions and National Insurance between 1955 and 1958. He was minister of Labour between 1958 and 1959 and at the minister of Power between 1959 and 1963. Wood urged Prime Minister Anthony Eden not to respond to the Suez Crisis with overt aggression, but his advice was ignored because of his father's association with appeasement and the Munich Agreement. 

In 1959 Wood was sworn of the  Privy Council  served as Minister of Pensions and National Insurance from 1963 until the Conservative Party lost power in 1964.[3] When the Conservatives returned to power in 1970, he was Minister of Overseas Development for the duration of the Heath Government.

After he retired as an MP, her husband was raised to the peerage for life as Baron Holderness, of Bishop Wilton in the County of Humberside. From 1987 to 1991 he was an energetic chairman of the Disablement Services Authority, charged with the improvement of artificial limb services: he then served as a junior Minister on services for disabled people. 

She was widowed 11 Aug, 2002.

Lady Holderness leaves issue, a son, the Hon Edward Orlando Charles Wood (born 14 Aug, 1951), and a daughter, the Hon Emma Myrtle Mary Anne (born 13 Feb, 1949), wife of Sir Edward Nicholas Brooksbank, 3rd Baronet  (born 4 Oct, 1944).

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Oswald Quintin Astley Birtwistle (born 2026)

Iona Violet Astley Birtwistle (née Fraser, born 1991), wife of James N.V. Astley Birtwistle, gave birth to a son, Oswald Quintin, 24 March, 2026.

James id the second son of Mr & Mrs Pip Astley Birtwistle, of South Elmham, Suffolk.

Iona Astley Birtwistle is the second daughter of Mr Charles Torquil de Montalt Fraser, of London, by his former wife the former Hon Lucy Pearson [born 11 Apr, 1954], scion of the Viscounts Cowdray [now the Hon Mrs Lucy Beauchamp, of Fittleworth, West Sussex].

Iona is a granddaughter maternally of the 3rd Viscount Cowdray [1910-95].

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Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling name the day

Peter Phillips, only son of the Princess Royal and the King's nephew, and Harriet Sperling, his girlfriend of two years, have announced their marriage date.

The 'royal' couple are to wed in a private ceremony in the Cotswolds this summer. Peter and Harriet will marry at All Saints' Church in the village of Kemble, near Cirencester, on Saturday 6 June, 2026.

 The pair announced their engagement on 1 August 2025. Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November, 1977), is the only son of Capt Mark Anthony Peter Phillips (born 22 September, 1948), late the Queen’s Dragoon Guards, scion of that landed gentry family, and his first wife HRH The Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise, Princess Royal, KG, &c (born 15 Aug, 1950).

Harriet Eleanor Sperling (born 1980), is a daughter of the late Rupert Hugh Sanders (1944-2023) and his wife the former Mary Elizabeth Hoskins (born 1950).

Peter Phillips, nephew of the King, and Queen Elizabeth II's eldest grandchild, was first seen on the arm of a new girlfriend two years ago.  Harriet, described in the Sun newspaper as "a paediatric and specialist nurse and freelance writer in her 40s" was seen with Phillips at the Badminton Horse Trials where she was introduced to Queen Camilla.

Harriet wrote in March 2024 of the struggles, and joys, of her life as a single parent bringing up her young daughter, Georgina Isabella (born in 2012). She highlighted how while 'parenting solo can be tough' it 'can also be the most beautiful, precious relationship.' Harriet said: 'In the earlier years of my journey as a single mother to my daughter, resources were scarce, and the future was uncertain. 'Yet, in the absence of material security, I discovered the strength and life that comes from true selfless love. A love that is able to be solely devoted to your child.'

Harriet's first marriage was to Antonio St John Sperling (born with the surname Di Martino in Nov 1981), who was a son of Domenico Di Martino & of Sonia Anne Agnes Sperling (1952-2017), scion of that landed gentry family, of Lattenbury Hill, St Ives, Huntingdonshire, and descended from Admiral Sir Henry Loraine Baker, 2nd Baronet, CB.

Harriet's life as a struggling single parent belies her aristocratic and distinguished ancestry. The NHS nurse was born Harriet Eleanor Sanders, her birth registered at Swindon, in the first quarter of 1980, daughter of solicitor Rupert Hugh Sanders (1944-2023), and his wife the former Mary Elizabeth Hoskins (born 1950), daughter of Richard Samuel Hoskins (1912-78), of Park Corner, Cirencester, and his wife (nee Wakefield).

Harriet's mother featured in Tatler in 1971 on their 'Girls in Pearls' page following the announcement of her engagement to Rupert Sanders, whose ancestry is rich in the landed 'beerage' and stockbroking.

Harriet's grandfather Maj Geoffrey Thomas St John Sanders (1911-86), a High Sheriff of Gloucestershire, married Eleanor De Zoete (1910-78), of the Mill House, Radwell, scion of the De Zoete stockbroking dynasty, daughter of the Old Etonian stockbroker and famed England cricketer Herman Walter De Zoete (1877-1957).

Herman De Zoete was a right-handed batsman who bowled both slow left-arm orthodox and left-arm medium pace, and played for Cambridge University in the 1890s. He was part of the De Zoete & Bevan stockbroking family who were bought out by Barclays Bank in 1986. De Zoete married in Essex in 1903, Dorothy Courage (1877-1972), scion of the Courage landed gentry family, whose fortune was based on brewing from the 18th century. 

Dorothy Courage was the tenth child of Edward Courage (1832-1904), of Shenfield Place, Brentwood, Essex, and Hanover Square, London, an old Harrovian, head of the Courage landed gentry family, by his wife the former Helen Rosa Marshall (1837-96), a scion of that landed gentry family of Hardres Court, Canterbury.

Harriet has siblings: Nicholas (born 1975), Louisa (born 1976), and Rebecca (born 1986).

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