 |
| Max Rocha. |
Honor is a niece of Isobel, Countess of Strathmore & Kinghorne, first wife of the late 18th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne.
 |
| Socialite: Honor. |
-=-
Friday, October 30, 2026
Rocha/Weatherall engagement
Eden Isabel Soroka (born 2026)
Ruby Susanna Soroka (née Weatherall, born 1994), wife of Amit, gave birth to a daughter, Eden Isabel, in Honk Kong, 9 September, 2026.
Ruby is a scion of the Keswick family - a business dynasty of Scottish origin associated with the Far East region since 1855 and in particular the conglomerate Jardine Matheson.
She is the middle daughter of (Edward) Percy Keswick Weatherall (born 1957), of Cowhill, Dumfriesshire, and his wife the former Clara Mary Johnston (born 1960), descended from the Chancellor landed gentry family and the Paget baronets.
Ruby is a niece of Isobel, Countess of Strathmore & Kinghorne, first wife of the late 18th Earl.
In October, 2024, Ruby Weatherall announced her engagement to Capt Amit Sharon, younger son of Jonathan and Irit Sharon, of Tel Aviv.
-=-
Thursday, October 29, 2026
George William Horace Weston Brooke (born 2026)
Alice Daisy Brooke (née Jack, born 1991), wife of John Weston (Jock) Brooke (born 23 February, 1992), scion of the Brooke baronets, gave birth to a son, George William Horace Weston, 22 October, 2026, a brother for Amelia Ann Rosemary, who was born 28 October, 2023, and for Bertie Charles Alister Weston, who was born 19 April, 2025.
Jock Brooke, heir presumptive to the Brooke baronetcy, is the son of the late Charles Weston Brooke (1951-2024) , by his wife the former Tanya Elizabeth Maurice, and is a nephew of Sir Alistair Brooke, 4th Baronet (born 12 September, 1947).
Alice Brooke is a daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Alister William Jack, KBE, DL (born 7 July, 1963), a former Conservative MP for Dumfries and Galloway and Secretary of State for Scotland 2019-2024, by his wife the former Elisabeth Ann Hodgson (b 1965). Sir Alister has been nominated for a life barony in Rishi Sunak's Resignation Honours List 2025.
-=-
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
The 4th Marquess of Reading 1942-2026
The 4th Marquess of Reading died 28 October, 2026. He was 84.
 |
| Marquess of Reading. |
He was the 4th Earl of Reading [U.K., 1917], the 4th Viscount Reading, of Erleigh, co. Berks [U.K., 1916], the 4th Marquess of Reading [U.K., 1926], and the 4th Baron Reading, of Erleigh, co. Berks [U.K., 1914].
Simon Charles Henry Rufus Isaacs was born 18 May, 1942, the eldest son of the 3rd Marquess of Reading, MBE, MC (1916-1980), and his wife the former Margot Irene Duke (1919-2015), and he succeeded to the peerages upon his father's death, 2 July, 1980.
The then Viscount Erleigh served as Lieutenant, 1st Queen’s Dragoon Grds 1961-64; Member of Stock Exchange 1970-74; Marketing Dir for Brahmco International 1975-80; with Ralph Lauren Cosmetics 1979-83; with Abbey Lubbock and Abbey Sports and Events 1984-92; Chm: Land’s End John o’ Groats Club 1992-96, Crosswinds 2011, Visionscapes Group 2017; Pres: Dean Close School, 1990-2000; Dir: Global Flying Hospitals 1996-2000, Raven Energy 2015, Unibin Resources 2016, Remit Radar 2016; Member: Board of Directors of CURE International 2004, Mertens House (St Petersburg) 2008, Council of the Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) 2002-08; Trustee: Jewish Natl Fund 2016; Patron: Nelson Recovery Trust 1998, Barnabas Fund, Royal Versailles Ball 2022; Grand Cross of Order of Menelik II (Crown Cncl of Ethiopia) 2022.
He married 12 May, 1979, Melinda Victoria Dewar (born circa January, 1951), younger daughter of Richard John Gresley Dewar (1916-1991), of Seale, Surrey, by his wife the former Andrena V. Hopwood, by whom he had issue, a son Julian Rufus Isaacs, styled Viscount Erleigh (born 26 May, 1986), and two daughters, Lady Sybilla (born 3 November, 1980, and Lady Natasha (born 24 April, 1983).
His only son succeeds to the peerages.
-=-
Baron Davies of Oldham 1939-2026
The Baron Davies of Oldham, PC, died 27 October, 2026, aged 86.
He was a Labour party politician, a former MP, and member of the House of Lords.
He served as Government Deputy Chief Whip in the House of Lords from 2003 to 2010, and as usual for a holder of that position, also held the position of Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard.
Bryan Davies was born 9 November, 1939, son of George Davies and his wife the former Beryl Parsons.
He married in 1963, Monica Shearing, ) in 1963, by whom he had issue, two sons, Roderick and Gordon, and a daughter, Amanda.
Davies was Labour MP for Enfield North from February 1974 until he lost the seat in 1979, and was MP for Oldham Central and Royton from 1992 until the seat was abolished by boundary changes in 1997. He was defeated for the Labour selection in the new constituency of Oldham West and Royton by Michael Meacher (then incumbent MP for the old seat of Oldham West). He had also fought Central Norfolk in 1966 and Newport West in 1983.
Davies was created a life and peer, 3 October, 1997, and his peerage was gazetted in the name, style and title of Baron Davies of Oldham, of Broxbourne in the County of Hertfordshire.
He served as Secretary to the Parliamentary Labour Party and Shadow Cabinet from 1979 until 1992. He also served as a member of the Medical Research Council from 1977 to 1979 and chaired the Further Education Funding Council from 1998 until 2000. In 2006, he was appointed to the Privy Council.
Sarah Penelope Brocklebank (nee Scarlett-Streatfeild) 1940-2026
Sarah Penelope Brocklebank died 24 October, 2026, aged 85.
She was born Sarah Penelope Scarlett-Streatfeild, 21 November, 1940, the eldest daughter of Commander Norman John Scarlett-Streatfeild, DSC, RN (1910-1993), of The Rocks, Uckfield, Sussex, head of that landed gentry family, and his wife the former Pamela Susan Oakley (1914-1990), scion of that landed gentry family.
Her father, who had been born Norman John Scarlett, assumed the additional surname of Streatfeild, by Deed Poll, in 1945, on inheriting the Rocks estate.
Sarah married in 1966, Peter Brocklebank (born 1940), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Lieutenant-Colonel Rev. Giles Royds Brocklebank, DSO, MC (1911-1978), and his wife the former Kathleen Enid Becke (1914-1981), daughter of Sir Jack Becke, CBE (1878-1962), by his wife the former Enid Margaret Mary (1884-1969).
She leaves a son, Nicholas James (born 1967), and a daughter, Henrietta Jane (born 1970).
-=-
The Hon Sandra Daphne de László (nee Hacking) 1950-2026
The Hon Sandra Daphne de László, who died 12 October, 2026, aged 76, was a scion of the Barons Hacking.
Sandra trained at the Victoria and Albert Museum, achieving a Diploma (with Credit) at the Study Centre for the History of the Fine & Decorative Arts 1972-3. For eleven years she worked part time in the Picture Department at Spink and Son, then as a guide at the Tate Gallery and at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital for their Healing Arts Programme. She has been working on the De László Catalogue Raisonné since she dared to write her first letter to an owner in New York in 1989.
She was co-curator with Christopher Wood and Richard Ormond of the de László exhibition A Brush with Grandeur at Christie’s London in January 2004, and its accompanying catalogue. She was co-curator for the exhibition De László in Holland at the Museum van Loon, Amsterdam, March – June 2006, and British Editor of the book De László in Holland.
In 2010 the National Portrait Gallery in London mounted a Special Display: Philip de László, Portraits, to celebrate the completion of the indexing of the artist’s papers by Sandra’s team – a 5 year endurance test of transcribing & translating some 15,000 letters and documents. The Catalogue Raisonné is still very much in progress and the illustrated picture descriptions are published online. In 2016 Sandra and her editors attained the 1,000 mark (the equivalent of some several printed volumes) – which may be less than one quarter of the final count of portraits painted by de László.
She was born 10 June, 1950, the elder daughter of the 2nd Baron Hacking (1910-1971), and his wife the former Daphne Violet Finnis (1915-1998).
She married 18 July, 1972, Damon Patrick de Laszlo (born 8 October, 1942), son of Group Capt David Patrick de Laszlo (1909-1980), and his wife the former Hon Deborah Hamar Greenwood (1917-1980), daughter of the 1st Viscount Greenwood, PC (1870-1948).
Damon de Laszlo is one of the seven grandsons of the great portrait painter Philip de Laszlo (1869-1937).
Sandra de Laszlo leaves issue, two sons, Robert (born 1977), William (born 1979), and a daughter, Lucy (born 1975).
-=-
William Lorn Kerr Cowie, the Hon Lord Cowie 1926-2026
William Lorn Kerr Cowie, Lord Cowie, who died 23 October, 2026, aged 100, was a Scottish Senator of the College of Justice and Scotland international rugby union player.
William Cowie played rugby at Fettes where he played Centre. He attended Clare College, Cambridge after Fettes but his studies were interrupted by WWII. In Glasgow, Cowie played and captained Kelvinside-West after the 2nd world war. His legal work took him to Edinburgh and Cowie then played for Edinburgh Wanderers. He was capped for Scotland once in 1953. He played in the Five Nations match against England at Twickenham Stadium on 21 March that year.
Cowie became a Senator of the College of Justice in 1977. He joined the Faculty of Advocates in Edinburgh in 1952, becoming an Advocate Depute in the Crown Office Scotland staying there till 1967. He was made Queen's Counsel in 1967. He reprised his role as Advocate Depute from 1969 to 1977.
Cowie became a Senator of the College of Justice in Scotland, staying in the role from 1977 to 1994. He then became a Judge of the Court of Appeal, Botswana from 1995 to 1998.
-=-
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Stephen Bernard Turville Constable-Maxwell 1963-2026
Stephen Bernard Turville Constable-Maxwell, who died 16 October, 2026, aged 62, was a scion of the Lords Herries of Terregles.
He was born 15 December, 1963, the second son of Robert John Turville-Constable-Maxwell (1933- ), and his wife the former Susan Mary Gaisford St-Lawrence (born 1936), scion of that Irish landed gentry family.
Stephen's maternal grandfather, represented the chief female-line descendants of the former St.Lawrence familial Irish Barons Howth (created c.1425) and Earls of Howth (created 3rd September 1767-extinct 9th March 1909).
He married 16 May, 1992, Louise A. Crossland (born 1964), daughter of Alan Crossland, of Wychnor, Burton-on-Trent, by whom he had issue, Olivia Sarah Turville (Liv) (born 13 Jan 1995), Kate Sophie (born 2 Sept, 1996), and Thomas William Turville-Constable-Maxwell (born 8 April, 1998).
He also leaves a fiancé, Lucy.
-=-
Sir John Philip Howard-Lawson, 6th Baronet 1934-2026
 |
| Sir John Howard-Lawson. |
Sir John Philip Howard-Lawson, 6th Baronet, died 17 October, 2026. He was 92.
His home was Hunter Hall, Great Salkeld, Penrith.
He was born John Philip Lawson, 6 June, 1934, the eldest son of Sir William Howard Lawson, 5th Baronet (1907-1990), of Corby Castle, by his wife the former Joan Eleanor Stamer (1909-1989).
A descendant of the 4th Duke of Norfolk, he assumed the surname and arms of Howard, 1962, and the surname of Howard-Lawson in 1992.
He succeeded his father, 3 June, 1990, as the 6th Baronet, of Brough Hall, Catterick [created UK, 1841].
He married 17 September, 1960, Jean Veronica Marsh (who died 2001), daughter of Colonel John Evelyn Marsh, OBE, DSO, by whom he had issue, two sons, Philip and Thomas, and a daughter, Julia.
His elder son, Philip (born 28 June, 1961), succeeds to the baronetcy.
In 2012 Sir John won a legal battle with his own son over the sale of their £2.5million 13th century ancestral home. Philip Howard, had claimed he was entitled to £1.5million from the sale of Corby Castle, which had been in the family since 1611. Mr Howard's father Sir John Howard-Lawson, Bt, sold the Cumbrian castle in 1994 for £2.5million, along with its contents and a thousand acres of land. Mr Howard claimed his father had no right to sell the property, originally built as a peel tower in the 13th century, as he had failed to comply with the terms of a will made in 1934. Philip Canning Howard, his great-great-grandfather, had dictated that in order to inherit Corby Castle, his heirs must change their surname to Howard and take up the family coat of arms within 12 months. Mr Howard claimed Sir John had failed to do this, so never validly inherited Corby Castle and should not have benefited from its sale.
Lady Justice Proudman ruled in the High Court that Sir John had validly inherited the property. Her decision was upheld by Lady Justice Arden, Lord Justice Richards and Lord Justice Patten sitting in the Court of Appeal, who awarded Sir John £22,000 costs. Mr Howard, a business consultant, claimed his father, whose original surname was Lawson, had 'forfeited' his right to inherit the castle in 1961 by neglecting the terms of the will. But Sir John, who represented himself, insisted he had begun to use the name before the end of January 1962. The baronet also claimed the family was forced to sell Corby Castle when Philip Howard got into financial difficulties after taking on a major part of the estate. However, the case is not over as Mr Howard has applied to take it to the Supreme Court.
Lady Justice Arden said as she handed down her judgment that it was a 'very sad case' as the father and son had fallen out in a 'very bitter dispute'. The three judges agreed Mr Howard was trying to recover what he thought was his 'rightful inheritance' but that Sir John had 'sufficiently complied' with the terms of the will. They awarded £22,858 costs against Mr Howard.
The Howard family have previously been embroiled in a royal scandal, when, in 1572, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, was beheaded for treason after scheming to marry Mary Queen of Scots.
His third son, William, bought Corby Castle in Cumbria, in 1611, and for nearly four centuries it passed down through ten generations, reaching Sir John in 1961.
The Howard and Lawson families were combined when Corby Castle passed to Philip Canning Howard's sole heir, his daughter Ursula. She married Sir John's grandfather, Sir Henry, the third baronet in 1899.
-=-
Monday, October 26, 2026
Antoine de Massy 1997-2026
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco have expressed their sadness following the death of Antoine de Massy, aged 29, a member of the extended Princely Family.
 |
| Antoine de Massy. |
In its statement, the Prince’s Palace said that Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene shared in the grief of Antoine de Massy's family and loved ones, extending their sincere condolences during this difficult time.
The Prince’s Palace did not provide any further details about the circumstances of his death.
Antoine de Massy was born 15 January, 1997, son of Christian Louis de Massy y Grimaldi de Monaco (born 17 January, 1949), and his fourth wife Cécile Gelabale (born 1968).
His descent from the the Dukes of Hamilton:-
The 11th Duke of Hamilton (1811-63) > Lady Mary Douglas-Hamilton (1850-1922) > Louis II, Prince of Monaco (1870-1949) > Charlotte Grimaldi, Duchess of Valentinois (1898-1977) > Princess Antoinette of Monaco (1920-2011) > Christian de Massy (b 1949) > Antoine de Massy (1997-2026)
-=-
Charles Rowland Marriott 1936-2026
Charles Rowland Marriott died 17 October, 2026. He was 90.
He was born 5 February, 1936, the son of Rowland Arthur Marriott (1899-1992), of Cotesbach Hall, Leicestershire, and his wife the former Evelyn Alice Ursula Caillard (1907-1982).
He was a great-grandson of the 4th Earl Temple of Stowe (1847-1902).
He married at Winchester, 4 April, 1964, Susan Erica Savill (born 1941), daughter of Kenneth Edward Savill (1906-2007), of Alresford, Hampshire, descended from the Jerningham baronets, and his wife the former Jacqueline Salusbury Hughes (1913-1980), by whom he had issue, Charles Edward Salusbury Marriott (born 1967, married to a Camilla Shand, no relation of the Queen), Hester (born 1969), and Anna (born 1973).
4th Earl Temple of Stowe > Lady Gertrude Temple-Gore-Langton > Evelyn Caillard > Charles Marriott
-=-
Simon Roger Dixon Burdett 1948-2026
Simon Roger Dixon Burdett died 10 October, 2026. He was 78.
He was born in 1948, a son of Peter Dixon Burdett (1925-2007), and his wife the former Diana Elizabeth Oatley (1926-2022); and married 1976, Lucy Mildred Fegen (born 24 March, 1953), daughter of John Charles Fegen, RNVR, DSC (1916-2006), and his wife the former Phyllis Mildred Swann (1919-2010), scion of the Swann baronets, granddaughter of Sir Charles Swann, 1st Baronet, PC ( 1844-1929).
He leaves issue, a son, Jonathan, and two daughters, Chloë (wife of Urs Brugger), and Kitty.
-=-
Saturday, October 24, 2026
The 8th Baron Clanmorrris 1937-2026
The Baron Clanmorris died 1st October, 2026. He was 88.
Before completing National Service Simon Bingham served as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1957–1958. In 1961 he graduated from Queens' College, Cambridge, earning a Bachelor of Arts and later becoming a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Simon John Ward Bingham was born 25 October, 1937, son of the 7th Baron Clanmorris (1908-1988), and his wife the former Madeleine Mary Ebel (1912-Feb 1988), a novelist and playwright.
He succeeded his father, 6 August, 1988.
Simon's sister was Charlotte Bingham (1942-2025), the novelist, playwright, scriptwriter.
The 8th Baron Clanmorris married 28 August, 1971, Gizella Maria Zverkó, daughter of Zandor Zverkó, of Budapest, by whom he had a daughter, Dr the Hon Lucy Bingham (born 15 January, 1974).
Having no male issue he is succeeded by his kinsman, (Robert) Derek De Burgh Bingham (born 29 October, 1942).
-=-
De Castellane/Dawson engagement
 |
| Comte Boniface de Castellane. |
The engagement was announced 24 October, 2026, between Comte Boniface Louis Albert Charles de Castellane (born London, October, 1993), elder son of Comte Bernard de Castellane,of Esparron de Verdon, Provence, and his wife the Lady Charlotte-Anne Montagu Douglas Scott (born 9 January, 1966), and Miss V.G. (Emily) Dawson, daughter of John Dawson, of Aldeburgh, Suffolk, and Mrs Dawson.
Comte Boniface de Castellane is a maternal grandson of the late 9th Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry, KT (1923-2007).
-=-
Albert Hieronymus Fromanteel Lytton Cobbold (born 2026)
The Hon Mrs Edward Lytton Cobbold (née Meyer-Johann), wife of the Hon Edward Lytton Cobbold (born 23 April, 1992), gave birth to a son and heir, Albert Hieronymus Fromanteel, 14 October, 2026, a brother for Hermione Elizabeth, who was born 17 October, 2024.
Edward Lytton Cobbold is the son and heir of the 3rd Baron Cobbold (born 12 May, 1962), of Knebworth, Hertfordshire, and his wife the former Martha Frances Boone.
Mrs Cobbold is the former Helena Meyer-Johann, daughter of Frau Dr Ulrike and Herr Dr Carsten Meyer-Johann, of Enger, Germany.
The Cobbold peerage was created in 1960 for Edward's great-grandfather, Cameron Fromanteel Cobbold, KG, GCVO, PC, Governor of the Bank of England 1949-61, and Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II 1963-1971.
-=-
Riddell-Webster/Jones engagement
The engagement was announced 24 October, 2026, between Thomas Sheridan Riddell-Webster (born July, 1995), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Major-General Michael Lawrence Riddell-Webster (born 1960), head of that family, of Perthshire, and his wife the former Sarah Mariah Clottilde Findlay (born 1962), & Darcey Kate Jones (born 1995), daughter of Richard Jones, of Herefordshire, and his wife nee __Dobel.
Thomas Riddell-Webster is a great-great grandson of Sir Alexander Sprot, 1st Baronet, and Sir Frederick Meyrick, 2nd Baronet
-=-
Friday, October 23, 2026
Nicola Jane Meinertzhagen 1946-2026
Nicola Jane (Nikki) Meinertzhagen died 15 October, 2026.
She was the widow of Peter Richard Meinertzhagen, scion of a wealthy merchant banking dynasty, and scion of that landed gentry family of Mottisfont Abbey, Romsey and Brockwood Park.
She was born in 1946, as Nicola Jane Phillips, daughter of Edward John Stanley Phillips (died circa 2008), of Old Place, Boveney, Berkshire, by his wife Edith Ruth Jane Lampard (1912-2003).
She married 19 April, 1967, Peter Richard Meinertzhagen (born 16 Apri, 1946), son of Daniel Meinertzhagen (1915-1991), was one of four so-called "Colonels" (managing partners) who ran the merchant banking house of Lazards — in a style so relaxed that he habitually snoozed at his desk after lunch with a copy of The Times over his face, and argued against competitive "touting for business".
Peter's mother was Marguerite Josephine Leonard (1914-2003)
Her husband was born into an Anglo-German dynasty which had been prominent in the City since a Daniel Meinertzhagen from Bremen married the daughter of another émigré, Frederick Huth, and became a partner in his London banking house in 1833. Though Huth & Co lost much of its trade-finance business during the First World War and closed in 1936, the Meinertzhagens became part of the City establishment — and lived in appropriately grand style at Mottisfont Abbey in Hampshire.
Peter’s uncle Luke Meinertzhagen (1916-84), was senior partner of Cazenove, while another uncle, Sir Peter Meinertzhagen (1920-99), ran the Commonwealth Development Corporation.
Her husband died 28 November, 2012, aged 66.
Nikki Meinertzhagen leaves four daughters, Candida, Lara, Natasha, and Alicia. A fifth daughter, Petra, predeceased her in 2010.
-=-
Allen/Ruck Keene engagement
The engagement was announced 23 October, 2026, between Sean C. Allen, son of Mr Patrick Allen and the late Mrs Allen, of Thursley, Surrey, and Daisy Valentine Ruck Keene (born 23 May, 1996), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Jonathan George Ruck Keene (born 3 June, 1953), of Chipping Warden, Northamptonshire, and his wife the former Laura Carolyn Schomberg (born 17 July, 1950), scion of that landed gentry family.
-=-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)