Mafalda Beatrix Maria Wilson [born 2015]

_. Princess Maria Theresia von Thurn und Taxis (b 28 Nov, 1980), wife of Hugo J.A.S. Wilson (b 1982), artist, gave birth to a daughter, Mafalda Beatrix Maria, 21 Aug, 2015.

Hugo Wilson is the son of Mr Kenneth Wilson, of East Chisenbury, Wiltshire, and Mrs Diana Wilson, of Battersea, London, & Princess Maria Theresia von Thurn und Taxis is the eldest daughter of Gloria, Princess von Thurn und Taxis (b 23 Feb 1960), (nee Mariae Gloria Ferdinanda Gerda Charlotte Teutonia Franziska Margarethe Frederike Simone Johanna Joachima Josefine Wilhelmine Huberta Countess of Schönburg in Glauchau and Waldenburg)of Schloss St Emmeram, Regensburg, Germany, and the late Johannes, Prince von Thurn und Taxis (1926-1990).

Mafalda Beatrix Maria Wilson [born 2015]

_. Princess Maria Theresia von Thurn und Taxis (b 28 Nov, 1980), wife of Hugo J.A.S. Wilson (b 1982), artist, gave birth to a daughter, Mafalda Beatrix Maria, 21 Aug, 2015.

Hugo Wilson is the son of Mr Kenneth Wilson, of East Chisenbury, Wiltshire, and Mrs Diana Wilson, of Battersea, London, & Princess Maria Theresia von Thurn und Taxis is the eldest daughter of Gloria, Princess von Thurn und Taxis (b 23 Feb 1960), (nee Mariae Gloria Ferdinanda Gerda Charlotte Teutonia Franziska Margarethe Frederike Simone Johanna Joachima Josefine Wilhelmine Huberta Countess of Schönburg in Glauchau and Waldenburg)of Schloss St Emmeram, Regensburg, Germany, and the late Johannes, Prince von Thurn und Taxis (1926-1990).

Mafalda Beatrix Maria Wilson [born 2015]

_. Princess Maria Theresia von Thurn und Taxis (b 28 Nov, 1980), wife of Hugo J.A.S. Wilson (b 1982), artist, gave birth to a daughter, Mafalda Beatrix Maria, 21 Aug, 2015.

Hugo Wilson is the son of Mr Kenneth Wilson, of East Chisenbury, Wiltshire, and Mrs Diana Wilson, of Battersea, London, & Princess Maria Theresia von Thurn und Taxis is the eldest daughter of Gloria, Princess von Thurn und Taxis (b 23 Feb 1960), (nee Mariae Gloria Ferdinanda Gerda Charlotte Teutonia Franziska Margarethe Frederike Simone Johanna Joachima Josefine Wilhelmine Huberta Countess of Schönburg in Glauchau and Waldenburg)of Schloss St Emmeram, Regensburg, Germany, and the late Johannes, Prince von Thurn und Taxis (1926-1990).

Wemyss/Stopford engagement

_. The engagement was announced 26 August, 2015, between James Michael [Jamie] Wemyss (born 1987), son of Charles John Wemyss [b 26 July, 1952], of Invermay, Perthshire, by his wife the former Fiona Elizabeth Penn, & Matilda Rose Philippa Stopford [born 1988] scion of the Earls of Courtown [Peerage of Ireland, cr  1762], daughter of Capt the Hon Jeremy Neville Stopford, LVO [b 1958]., of Charter Alley, co Hampshire, sometime Equerry to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, by his wife the former Bronwen Milner.

Matilda Stopford is a niece of the Earl of Courtown. Jamie Wemyss is descended paternally from the extinct Dukes of Portland, and from the Earls of Elgin & Kincardine, &c. Jamie's grandfather, Lt-Col Sir Eric Penn, GCVO, was a senior member of the Royal Household. So, all in all, a uniot twixt families of courtiers.

-=-

The 10th Viscount Powerscourt 1935-2015

_. The 10th Viscount Powerscourt [Visc, Ireland, cr 1743/Baron Powerscourt, UK, cr 1885], died in Thailand, 25 July, 2015. He was 79.

Mervyn Niall Wingfield was born 3 September, 1935, son of the 9th Viscount Powerscourt [1905-73], by his wife the former Sheila Claude Beddington [d 1992]; succeeded his father in the family honours, 3 April, 1973; married 1stly, 15 Sept, 1962 [div 1974] Wendy Anne Pauline, daughter of Ralph C.G. Slazenger; married 2ndly, 15 March, 1978 [div 1995], Pauline Vann.

Lord Powerscourt leaves two children from his first marriage, the Hon Julia Wingfield (b 5 Aug 1965), and a son, the Hon Mervyn Anthony Wingfield (born 21 Aug 1963), who now succeeds as 11th Viscount Powerscourt.

-=-

Marquis of Lansdowne's heir to marry

_. The engagement was announced 24 Aug, 2015, between Simon Henry George Petty-Fitzmaurice, styled Earl of Kerry (born 24 Nov, 1970), scion of the Marquesses of Lansdowne (Marquess, GB, cr 1784), eldest son and heir of the 9th Marquis of Lansdowne (born 21 Feb, 1941), of Bowood, Calne, co Wilts, by his late former wife the former Lady Frances Helen Mary Eliot (b 1943, d 6 Jan 2004), scion of the Earls of St German, daughter of the 9th Earl of St Germans, & Nadine Alexandra L. Mentior (born 1972), the actress, daughter of the late Mr Marc Mentior, of London, by his late wife the former ____ Hagan.

-=-

Trevor Oswin Lewis, CBE 1935-2015

Trevor Oswin Lewis, CBE, who died 5 August, 2015, aged 79, disclaimed, in 1977, the barony of Merthyr for life. He was the fourth Baron Merthyr (Peerage of the UK, cr 1911).

He was born 29 Nov, 1935, eldest son of the 3rd Baron Merthyr (1901-77), by his wife the former Violet Meyrick (1909-2003), scion of the Meyrick baronets; succeeded his father, 6 Apr, 1977, as a peer and baronet, but disclaimed the peerage for life three weeks later, 26 Apr, 1977.

Trevor Lewis married 18 April, 1964, Susan Jane, daughter of Arthur Birt-Llewellin, by whom he had issue, one son and three daughters.

He is succeeded in his baronetcy and peerage by his only son, the Hon David Trevor Lewis, who was born 21 Feb, 1977.

-=-

18th Earl of Devon 1942-2015

 The 18th Earl of Devon, a descendant of the victors of Agincourt who fought to preserve his ancestral seat, Powderham Castle, died 18 August, 2015. He was 73.

Hugh Rupert Courtenay, the heir male of the ancient Frankish house of Courtenay, was born 5 May, 1942, son of the 17th Earl of Devon (1916-98), by his wife the former Sybil Venetia Taylor (former wife of the earl's cousin, the 6th Earl of Cottenham); married 9 September, 1967, Diana Frances Watherston, eldest daughter of Jack Watherston, by whom he had issue, a son and three daughters. He succeeded his father in the family honours, 19 Nov, 1998; he served as a deputy lieutenant for the county of Devon and was later Vice Lord Lieutenant. He is succeeded by his only son, Charles Peregrine Courtenay, styled Lord Courtenay (born 14 Aug 1975), who is married to the American actress, Allison Langer, by whom he has issue.

-=-

Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach/Page engagement

_. The marriage will take place in Weimar, Germany, later this month Aug 2015, of His Highness Prince Georg-Constantin of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b 1977), only son of His Highness Prince Wilhelm-Ernst of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (b 1942), of Munich, by his former wife the former Eva Katharina Kovarcz de Kovarczfalva (b 1945, wife since 1991 of HSH Prince Carl Friedrich von Wrede), of Schloss Sandsee, Germany, & Miss Olivia Page, second daughter of Mr Christopher Page, of Boston, Mass, USA, & Mrs Mike van Oudtshoorn, of London NW3.

Prince Georg-Constantin is a descendant of King George I

-=-

Maclean/Dickson marriage

_.  The Duke of Cambridge & Miss Pippa Middleton attended the marriage at All Saints Church, Thurlestone, Devon, 15 August, 2015, between Bear Ian Andrew Maclean (b 1980), second son of Angus Nigel Garnet Maclean, 8th of Kilmoluaig, of Bembridge, by his late wife the former Lady Sarah Elizabeth Jane Finch-Knightley (1950-2005), scion of the Earls of Aylesford (Earl, GB, 1714), & Daisy C. Dickson, daughter of Mr & Mrs Robert Dickson, of Barnes.

-=-

Obituary: Rev Sir James Roll, Bt

George Bingham, son of the missing Earl of Lucan, to marry

. The engagement has been announced 11 August, 2015, between George Charles Bingham, the would-be 8th Earl of Lucan (born 21 September, 1967), (Peerage of Ireland cr 1795/ Baron Bingham, Peerage of the UK, cr 1934), son Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (b 18 Dec, 1934, missing since 7 Nov 1974), by his wife the former Veronica Mary Duncan, & Anne-Sofie Foghsgaard (born Dec 1977), only daughter of Danish industrialist Lars Foghsgaard (born 1942),  & his wife Suzanne-Charlotte Foghsgaard, of Spott House, Dunbar.

following the disappearance of his father (who if still living is wanted for questioning by the police in connection with the murder of his children's nanny, Sandra Rivett), Mr Justice Morritt, sitting in the Chancery Division of the High Court on 11 Dec 1992, gave the Trustees of the then Lord Bingham liberty to administer the 7th Earl of Lucan's estate under the presumption that he was dead; leave was also granted to have the 7th Earl of Lucan's death sworn in the Family Division of the High Court; following the custom of succession in undisputed Irish peerages, Lord Bingham assumed his father's title as 8th Earl of Lucan and on 8 Dec 1998 he applied to the Lord Chancellor for a writ of summons to the House of Lords as Baron Bingham (a United Kingdom peerage created in 1934 for his great-grandfather) but was refused; it remains open to him to apply to the Registrar of Peerages for inclusion on the Peerage Roll as Earl of Lucan.

-=-

Hoogewerf/Fraser engagement

_. The engagement was announced 8 Aug 2015, between Rhydian Edward Bertie Hoogewerf, son of Mr Edward & the Hon Mrs Hoogewerf, & Eliza Wedderburn Fraser (born 1993), scion of the Barons Lovat (Peerage of Scotland cr 1458-64/Peerage of the UK cr 1837), daughter of Benjamin Hugh Fraser (b 1961), by his wife the former Hon Lucy Elspeth Roper-Curzon (b 1969), a daughter of the 10th Baron Teynham.

Rhydian Hoogewerf is a grandson maternally of the 2nd Baron McGowan.

-=-

Albie James Elphinstone (born 2015)

. Isobel L. Elphinstone (nee Smith), wife of the Hon Angus John Elphinstone (b 1982), scion of the Lords Elphinstone (Peerage of Scotland, cr 1509/10), gave birth to a son, Albie James, 6 August, 2015.

The Hon Angus Elphinstone is the second son of the late 18th Lord Elphinstone (1953-94), by his wife the former Willa Mary Gabriel Chetwode (b 1984) scion of the Barons Chetwode (cr UK 1945), now the Dowager Lady Elphinstone, of Tyninghame, East Lothian.

Isobel Elphinstone is the daughter of Mr Michael Smith, of Savannah, Georgia, USA, and Mrs Donald Gilbert, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

The infant is a descendant of the 14th Earl of Strathmore, and is thus a kinsman of HM The Queen.

-=-

Lord John FitzGerald 1952-2015

_. Lord John FitzGerald, scion of the Dukes of Leinster (Duke, Peerage of Ireland, cr 1766), the racehorse trainer, younger brother and heir presumptive of the 9th Duke of Leinster, died 3 August, 2015. He was 63.

Lord John was born 3 March, 1952, the second son of the 8th Duke of Leinster (Premier Duke, Marquess and Earl in Ireland) (1914-2004), by his 2nd wife the former Anne Smith, scion of that landed family; married 1982, Barbara, eldest daughter of Andreas Zindel, of St Moritz, Switzerland, by whom he had issue, a daughter, Hermione (born 1985), and a son, Edward (born 1988), who is now heir presumptive to the dukedom.

Lord John's wife has been recently been reported to be the partner of racing legend Lester Piggott.

Service of Thanksgiving at St Agnes Church, Newmarket, Suffolk, Tuesday 11 Aug.

-=-

Obituary: Kinta Beevor

Ennever/Wake-Walker marriage

_. The marriage took place, 1 August, 2015, at St Mary's Church, Wimbledon, between Alistair James Ennever (born 1984), son of Mr (Anthony) Michael Ennever, of Shaldon, Hampshire, by his wife the former Kirsty F J Nicholson, & Olivia Rose Wake-Walker (born 1984), scion of the Walker baronets (Baronet, UK, cr 1856, of Oakley House), and a second cousin of the Duke of Cambridge & Prince Harry, daughter of Richard Anthony Wake-Walker (born 1951), of Wimbledon, by his wife the former Sharon Pamela Little (b 1952).

The bride is descended from the 7th Earl Spencer, via her grandmother, Lady Anne Spencer, sister of the 8th Earl Spencer, &c.

-=-

Henry Aurelian William Cavendish (born 2015)

 Victoria Jane Cavendish (nee Townley, born 1982), wife of the Hon Frederick Richard Toby Cavendish (born 1972), scion of the Dukes of Devonshire and in close succession to the dukedom, gave birth to a son, Henry Aurelian William, in July, 2015.

Frederick Cavendish is the only son of (Richard) Hugh Cavendish, the Baron Cavendish of Furness (b 2 Nov 1941) (life peer), of Holker Hall, Cark~in~Cartmel, Cumbria, by his wife the former Grania Mary Caulfeild (b 1947), scion of the Viscounts Charlemont (Visc, Peerage of Ireland, cr 1665).

Victoria Cavendish is a daughter of Mr Charles P. Townley, of Newby Bridge, Cumbria, by his wife the former Roslyn R. Jones.

The Cavendishes married in April, 2014.

-=-