Deane/Overton marriage

 The marriage took place in 2017, between the Hon Jonathan FitzMaurice Deane (born 7 June, 1986), son and heir of the 9th Baron Muskery (born 26 March, 1948), and Baroness Muskery (nee Rita Brink), & Kim Overton.

-=-

Earl of Burford marries Sarah Davenport

 The marriage took place in 2017 between the Earl of Burford and Sarah Davenport.

Charles Francis Topham de Vere Beauclerk, styled Earl of Burford (born 22 February, 1965), married firstly, 29 Dec 1994 Louise Ann Beatrice Fiona Robey, 1st daughter of Col Malcolm Vernon Robey, and has issue, a son, the Hon James Malcolm Aubrey Edward de Vere Beauclerk, styled Lord Vere of Hanworth (who was born 2 August 1995). 

The Earl of Burford is the son and heir of the 14th Duke of St Albans (born 19 January, 1939), and his first wife the former Rosemary Frances Scoones.

-=-

Ramsay/Park marriage

 The marriage took place in 2017 between Christopher Ramsay (born 18 Feb, 1984), scion of the Earls of Dalhousie, son of the Hon John Ramsay (born 9 Aug, 1952),and nhis wife the former Louisa Jane d'Abo (born 8 January, 1955), and Lauren Park.

Christopher Ramsay is a grandson paternally of the 16th Earl of Dalhousie, KT, GCVO (1914-1999).

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Rufus Peter Francis Montagu Douglas Scott [born 2017]

 Lady Charles Montagu Douglas Scott [nee (Frances) Flora Jane Summerfield, born 1986], wife of Lord Charles David Peter [Charlie] Montagu Douglas Scott [born 1987], scion of the Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry, gave birth to a son, Rufus Peter Francis, in 2017.

Lord Charlie Montagu Douglas Scott is the second son of the 10th Duke of Buccleuch, KT [born 14 February, 1954], and his wife the former Lady Elizabeth Marian Frances Kerr [born 8 June, 1954], scion of the Marquesses of Lothian. 

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Hamish Frederick Elphinstone (born 2017)

Rosie Elphinstone (nee Davies), wife of the Hon Fergus David Elphinstone (born 1985), scion of the Lords Elphinstone, gave birth to a son, Hamish Frederick, in 2017.

Fergus is the third son of the late 18th Lord Elphinstone (1953-1994), and his wife the former Willa Mary Gabriel Chetwode (born 25 May, 1954), scion of the Barons Chetwode.

-=-

Primrose Ashley Gray Seth-Smith 1921-2017

_. Primrose Seth-Smith, who died at Leigh, Dorset, 30 December, 2017, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

She was born 19 January, 1921.

-=-

Cleo Lascelles [born 2017]

_. Laura Lascelles [nee Bailey], wife of Thomas Robert Lascelles [born 7 September, 1982], scion of the Earls of Harewood, and descended from the Royal House of Windsor, gave birth to a daughter, Cleo, in 2017.

Thomas Lascelles is the only son of the Hon [Robert] Jeremy Hugh Lascelles [born 14 February, 1955], by his first wife, the former Julie Baylis [born 19 July, 1957], and is a grandson of the 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE [1923-2011], and a great-grandson of HRH The Princess Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood [1897-1965], and a great-great-grandson of HM King George V [1865-1936].

-=-

Dorrien Smith/Monson marriage

 The marriage took place in 2017 between Michael Horace Dorrien Smith (born 11 March, 1987), scion of that landed gentry family of Tresco Abbey, second son of Robert Arthur Dorrien Smith (born 15 May, 1951), and his former wife the former Lady Emma Windsor-Clive (born 13 February, 1954), scion of the Earls of Plymouth, & the Hon Isabella Monson (born 10 July, 1986), daughter of the 12th Baron Monson (born 19 October, 1955), and his first wife the former Hilary Martin.

-=-

FitzGerald/Tellwright marriage

_. The marriage took place in 2017, between Mr Edward FitzGerald (b 1988), scion of the Dukes of Leinster and heir pres to his uncle, the 9th Duke of Leinster, only son of the late Capt Lord John FitzGerald (1952-2015), by his wife the former Barbara Zindel, & Laura Caroline [Flo] Tellwright [born 1987], yr dau of Mr (William) Kirkland Tellwright [born 1956], of Shropshire, by his wife the former Hon Caroline Fiona Fitzherbert (b 1956), second dau of the 14th Baron Stafford (1926-86).

-=-

Earl Compton marries Emilia Hungerford

 The marriage took place in 2017 between Daniel Bingham Compton, styled Earl Compton [born 16 January, 1973], son and heir of the 7th Marquess of Northampton [born 2 Apr, 1946], of Castle Ashby and Compton Wynyates, by the first of his six wives, Baroness Henriette Luisa Maria Bentinck, and Emilia Jasmine G. Hungerford [born 1979], daughter of [John] Patrick Hungerford, by his wife the former Gabriele Bagusat.

It is Earl Compton's second marriage. He has two daughters, Lady Anastasia and Lady Theodora, from his first marriage in 2001, to [Elizabeth] Lucy Cardozo, daughter of Lieutenant-Col Benedict Cardozo.

-=-

Cosmo Waymouth (born 2017)

 The Lady Eloise Anne Elizabeth Waymouth (nee Anson, born 1981), wife of the writer & actor Louis Alexander Philip Waymouth (b 1978), gave birth to a son, Cosmo, in 2017.

Louis is a son of Mr Nigel Waymouth by his late wife the former Lady Victoria Mary Verenia Braganza Yorke (1947-2004).

Lady Eloise is the younger daughter of the late Thomas Patrick John, 5th Earl of Lichfield (1939-2005) of Shugborough Hall, Staffordshire, by his wife the Lady Leonora Mary Grosvenor, daughter of the 5th Duke of Westminster. She is a descendant of the 14th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne, and a cousin of HM Queen Elizabeth II, and is a goddaughter of HRH The Princess Royal.

Louis Waymouth is a grandson maternally of Philip Grantham Yorke, 9th Earl of Hardwicke (1906-74). 

-=-

Minnie Fiona Morley (born 2017)

 The Hon Natasha Fiona Morley (nee Allsopp, born 1986), wife of Capt William Frederick Duncan (Billy) Morley, The Blues & Royals (born 1984), gave birth to a daughter, Minnie Fiona, in 2017.

Capt Morley is a son of Mr Jonathan Derek Morley, by his wife the former Davina Mary Sheffield (b 1 March, 1951), scion of the Sheffield baronets.

The Hon Natasha Morley, a scion of the Barons Hindlip (Baron, UK, cr 1886), is the youngest daughter of the 6th Baron Hindlip & the late Baroness Hindlip.

Capt Billy Morley's mother is a former girlfriend of the Prince of Wales. His father is a brother of Miranda, Duchess of Beaufort. Natasha Morley is a sister of Kirstie Allsopp, the tv presenter, &c.

-=-

Ivo Antony Vesey (born 2017)

 The Hon Cosima Frances Vesey (born 1988), partner of Andre Balazs, gave birth to a son, Ivo Antony Vesey, in 2017.

Cosima Vesey is the only daughter of the 7th Viscount de Vesci (born 8 Oct, 1955), & his wife the former Sita-Maria Arabella de Breffny, dau. of Brian de Breffny, of Castletown Cox, co. Kilkenny, by his wife the Maharaj Kumari Jotsna Devi, dau. of HH Maharajadhiraja Bahadur Sir Uday Chand Mahtab of Burdwan, KCIE. 

-=-

Major-General Bernard Gordon-Lennox, CB, MBE 1932-2017

-. Major-General Bernard Gordon-Lennox, CB, MBE, late the Grenadier Guards, who died 27 December, 2017, aged 85, was a scion of the Dukes of Richmond & Gordon, descended from the Merrie Monarch King Charles II & Louise de Keroualle, Duchess of Portsmouth.

Bernard Charles Gordon-Lennox was born 19 Sept, 1932, elder son of Lt-Gen Sir George Charles Gordon-Lennox, KBE, CB, CVO, DSO (1908-88), by his wife the former Nancy Brenda Darell (who d 1993), daughter of Maj Sir Lionel Darell, 6th Bt, DSO; married, 20 Nov, 1958, Sally-Rose, the only daughter of John Weston Warner, of the Old Rectory, Stanton, Worcestershire, by whom he had issue, three sons, Edward, Angus & Charles.

Thanksgiving Service at the Guards Chapel, London, Friday 23 March, 2018.


-=-

Francis Guy Percy Wyndham 1927-2017

_. Francis Wyndham, writer and journalist and scion of the Barons Leconfield, died 28 December, 2017, aged 93.

Francis Guy Percy Wyndham was born 2 July, 1924, the son of Lt-Col Guy Percy Wyndham, CB, MVO (1865-1941), by his second wife the former Violet Lutetia Leverson (1890-1979), daughter of Ernest David Leverson (1852-1921), and Ada Esther Moses (1862-1933), the novelist Ada Leverson. He was unm.

-=-

Bronwen, Viscountess Astor 1930-2017

_. Bronwen, Viscountess Astor, who died 28 December, 2017, aged 87, was the fashion model _Bronwen Pugh_ and widow of the 3rd Viscount Astor.

She was born in 1930, as Janet Bronwen Alun Pugh, the youngest daughter of His Honour Sir (John) Alun Pugh (1894-1971), of the Old Rectory, Dunsfold, Surrey, by his wife the former Kathleen Mary Goodyear, and married, 14 Oct, 1960, as his third wife, William Waldorf Astor, 3rd Viscount Astor, of Cliveden, Buckinghamshire, who had been a figure in the Profumo Affair of 1963. Her husband died 8 March, 1966. The marriage produced two daughters, Janet, born in 1961, since September, Duchess of Richmond & Gordon, wife of the Duke of Richmond & Gordon, and a daughter, Pauline, born in 1964.

Lady Astor's step-son is the current 4th Viscount Astor.

-=-

Sir Robert Bayley Emilius Laurie, 7th Baronet 1931-2017

_. Sir Robert Laurie, 7th Bt, died 27 Dec, 2017.

Ian Ronald Malcolm 1946-2917

_. Ian Malcolm, who died on Christmas Day 2017, aged 71, was a scion of the Malcolms of Poltalloch, the Scots landed family, asnd descended from the Dukes of Wellington.

Ian Ronald Malcolm was born 25 March, 1946, elder son of Colin Ronald Malcolm (1906-59), by his wife the former Ruth Margaret Poyer Lewis, daughter of Sir William Lewis, OBE, of that landed family.

Mr Malcolm's grandfather, Ronald Malcolm (1876-1949) was chairman of the royal bankers, Coutts & Co.

Mr Malcolm married in 1988, the Hon Annabel Mary Adelaide Norrie (b 1945), scion of the Barons Norrie, daughter of the 1st Baron Norrie, GCMG, GCVO, DB, DSO, MC (1893-1977). No children.

A Service of Thanksgiving takes place at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace, Tuesday 23 January, 2018.

-=-

Hon Hugh Toby Eady 1941-2017

_. The Hon Hugh Toby Eady, who died 24 December, 2017, aged 76, was a scion of the Barons Swinfen (Peerage of the UK, cr 1919).

He was born 28 February, 1941, the second son of the 2nd Baron Swinfen (1904-77), by his first wife the former Mary Aline Farmar (the writer Mary Wesley, CBE 1912-2002), daughter of Colonel Harold Farmar, CMG, DSO.

Mr Eady leaves a widow, Xinran.

Private funeral followed by a Memorial Service at the London Book Fair in the Spring of 2018.

-=-

James Cecil Seager Warman (born 2017)

_. Susanna Maud Warman (born 25 March, 1981, nee Joicey-Cecil), scion of the Marquesses of Exeter, wife of Jake M.G.S. Warman, gave birth to a son, James Cecil Seager, 26 December, 2017.

Jake Warman is the son of Mr Alister S. Warman, of London, & Mrs Mary Anne Guthrie-Warman (nee Mary Anne Guthrie), of Vancouver, Canada.

Susanna Warman is the second daughter of James David Edward Joicey-Cecil (b 24 Sept, 1946), of Milton Abbas, Dorset, by his wife the former Jane Susanna Brydon Adeley.

Susanna Warman is a kinswoman of Her Majesty the Queen. Her grandfather, Edward Wilfred George Joicey-Cecil, married 1945, Rosemary Luisa Bowes Lyon (1915-89), a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, daughter of Capt the Hon Fergus Bowes Lyon (1889-1915), a brother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

-=-

Inigo Norton Sebastian Mountbatten Hooper (born 2017)

_. The Lady Alexandra Victoria Edwina Diana Hooper (b 5 December, 1982) wife of Thomas Edward Huntly Hooper, and scion of the Earls Mountbatten of Burma, gave birth to a son, Inigo Norton Sebastian Mountbatten, 21 December, 2017.

Lady Alexandra is the elder but only surviving daughter of the 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma (b 1947) of Broadlands, Hampshire, by his wife the former Penelope Meredith Eastwood (b 1953).

Inigo is the first grandchild for Earl and Countess Mountbatten.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh attended the wedding, 25 June, 2016, at Romsey Abbey, of Lady Alexandra and Mr Hooper.  The bride was given in marriage by the Prince of Wales due to the illness of the bride's father.

The Duke of Edinburgh stood as godfather to Lord Mountbatten, then Norton Knatchbull, at his christening 70 years ago.

Brodie heirs may lose inheritance

Van Straubenzee/Jenks engagement

__. The engagement was announced 22 December, 2017, between Charles Anthony van Straubenzee (born 1988), scion of that landed family, third son of Alexander Henry van Straubenzee (born 1951), of South Witham, Lincolnshire, by his wife the former Claire Sonia Fenwick (born 1954), & Daisy Philippa Jenks (born 1991), elder daughter of Philip Richard Jenks, of Churt, Surrey, by his wife the former Alexandra Ulrike Wilson Nicol, daughter of Alexander J.W. Nicol by his wife Christine von Canstein.


-=-

Crofton/von Maltzahn engagement

_. The engagement was announced 22 December, 2017, between Henry Morgan Crofton (b 1979), son and heir of Sir Edward Crofton, 9th Baronet (b 26 Jul, 1945), of of Rake, Hampshire, by his wife the former Emma Victoria Mildred Dashwood, scion of the Dashwood baronets, and Baroness Sophie von Maltzahn, daughter of Baron & Baroness Imre von Maltzahn, of Shelswell Park, Oxfordshire.

-=-

Duke of Northumberland killed in action

Foale/Clark engagement

__. The engagement was announced 21 December, 2017, between Archie Alexander Foale (b 17 Sept, 1984), eldest son of Dr Rodney Alan Foale, of London, by his former wife the former Lady Emma Cecile Gordon (b 26 May, 1953, now Lady Emma Dewe Mathews, of London) & Sarah Clark, only daughter of the late Roger Clark and of Mrs Clark, of Culverthorpe, Lincolnshire.

Archie Foale is a grandson, maternally, of the late 6th Marquess of Aberdeen & Temair.

-=-

The 7th Baron Lyveden 1938-2017

___. The 7th Baron Lyveden died at his home in New Zealand, 18 December, 2017.

Jack Leslie Vernon was born 10 November, 1938; married 11 Nov, 1961,  Lynette June Lilley, daughter of William Herbert Lilley, of Auckland, New Zealand, by whom he had issue, a son and two daughters. The UK peerage now delvolves upon his only son, the Hon  Colin Ronald Vernon, who was born 3 Feb 1967.

-=-

Dowager Baroness Rockley 1938-2017

_. The Dowager Baroness Rockley, who died 19 December, 2017, aged 79, was the widow of the 3rd Baron Rockey.

She was born Lady Sarah Primrose Beatrix Cadogan, 23 February, 1938, the eldest daughter of the 7th Earl Cadogan (1914-97), by his first wife the former Hon Primrose Lilian Yarde-Buller (d 1970), daughter of the 3rd Baron Churston.

She married 18 Nov, 1958, the then Hon James Hugh Cecil (b 5 Apr, 1934), son and heir of the 2nd Baron Rockley (1901-76, by his wife the former Anne Margaret Meade-Fetherstonhaugh (d. 1980), scion of the Earls of Clanwillian. Her husband succeeded as 3rd Baron Rockey, 6 Jan, 1976, and died 5 December, 2011.

Lady Rockley leaves a son, Anthony, the 4th Baron, and two daughters.

-=-

Hon Matthew Henry Beaumont 1933-2017

__. The Hon Matthew Beaumont, who died 16 December, 2017, aged 84, was a scion of the Viscount Allendale, the fourth son of the 2nd Viscount Allendale, KG, CB, CBE, MC (1890-1956), of Bywell Hall, Northumberland, by his wife the former Violet Lucy Emily Seely, scion of the Seely baronets; married firstly 14 Apr, 1959 (div 1972), Anne Christine Margaret, elder daughter of Gerald Hamilton, married 2ndly, 1973, Belinda Jane Elizabeth Cuthbert, scion of that landed family, eldest daughter of Harold David Cuthbert, of Beaufront Castle, Hexham. From his first marriage he had a son, Justin, and a daughter, Charlotte, who pre-deceased him. His daughter was wife of Lord Cardross, son and heir of the 17th Earl of Buchan.

-=-

Amelia Sophia Weatherall 1929-2017

_. Amelia Sophia (Sophy) Weatherall, who died 16 December, 2017, aged 87, was a scion of the Keswick landed family, and was a one-time mother-in-law of the MP Nicholas Soames, & was mother of Isobel, Countess of Strathmore & Kinghorne.

She was born 27 December, 1929, daughter of David Johnstone Keswick, CMG (1901-76), by his wife the former Nony Barbara Pease (1900-69), scion of that landed family; married 1955, Capt Anthony Anthony Edward Weatherall (1924-2013), of Cowhill, Dumfries, son of Lt-Col Nigel Weatherall by his wife the former Gladys Victoria Drabble, by whom he had issue, Catherine (who was the first wife of the Hon Sir Nicholas Soames, MP), Percy, Isobel (who was the first wife of the 18th Earl of Strathmore & Kinghorne), and Benjamin.

Thanksgiving Service at the Crichton Memorial Church, Dumfries, Wednesday 3 January, 2018.

-=-

Maj Andrew Beatty Houstoun, OBE, MC, DL (died 2017)

_. Major Andrew Beatty Houstoun, OBE, MC, DL, died at Dundee, 16 December, 2017.

Maj Houstoun was a son of William McAulay Houstoun, of Sachel Court, Cranleigh, Surrey; married 14 Aug, 1953, Mary Elizabeth Spencer-Nairn (b 1931), only daughter of Sir Douglas Spencer-Nairn, 2nd Baronet, by whom he had issue, four sons, William, David, Alexander (Sandy), and Neil.

-=-

Lady Patricia Mary Charlemont Kingsbury 1919-2017

_. The Lady Patricia Kingsbury, who died 16 December, 2017, aged 98, was a scion of the Earls of Ypres, and was a granddaughter of Sir John French, the 1st Earl of Ypres, the First World War military leader.

Lady Patricia Mary Charlemont French was born 6 July, 1919, the only daughter of the then John Richard Lowndes French (1881-1958), by his first wife the former Olivia Mary John (died 1934), a descendant of the Earls of Cavan.

Her grandfather, Field Marshal Sir John French was created a viscount in 1916, and an earl in 1922, in which year her father assumed the courtesy title of Viscount French. Three years later, in 1925, her father succeeded as 2nd Earl of Ypres.

Lady Patricia married 24 January, 1942, Henry Edmund Roland Kingsbury (1913-80), scion of that landed family, by whom she had issue, two sons, Philip & Gerald.

-=-

Obituary: Hon Mrs Angela Campbell-Preston

Obituary: Sir Peter Watkin Williams

Kathryn Baroness Vestey (died 2017)

__. Kathryn Lady Vestey, who died 13 December, 2017, was the first wife of the 3rd Baron Vestey, KCVO, Master of the Horse to the Queen.

She was the former Kathryn Mary Eccles, daughter of John Eccles, of Moor Park, co Hertford, and married Lord Vestey, 11 Sept, 1970. They divorced in 1981.

Lady Vestey leaves two daughters, the Hon Saffron Idiens, and the Hon Flora Hall.

Funeral at Cheltenham Crematorium, Wednesday 27 December, 2017.

-=-

Theodore Calcutta MacGregor Aird (born 2017)

Emily Kate Aird (née Pritchard-Gordon, b 1979), wife of Rory Aird, gave birth to a son, Theodore Calcutta MacGregor, 12 December, 2017, a brother for Humphrey, Lily and Gilo, and a half-brother for Jimmy.

Emily is the 2nd dau of Giles William Pritchard-Gordon (b 22 May 1947), of Slaugham Park, Sussex, by his wife the former Veronica Smyth, dau of Ronald Victor Smyth, of Epsom, Surrey; and granddaughter of William Herbert Alexander Pritchard-Gordon (d 1987). 








-==--

Alexander James Macdonald-Buchanan 1931-2017

_. Alexander James Macdonald-Buchanan, who died 11 December, 2017, from Alzheimer's Disease, aged 86, was a grandson maternally of the 1st (and last) Baron Woolavington.

He was born in 1931, a son of Major Sir Reginald Narcissus Macdonald-Buchanan, KCVO, of Cottesbrooke Hall, Northampton, by his wife, Catherine, only child of Lord Woolavington; married 26 April, 1960, Elizabeth Vivian Smith (b 1939), scion of the Barons Bicester, a dau of Maj Hugh Adeane Vivian Smith, MBE, by his wife the former Lady Helen Primrose, daughter of the 6th Earl of Rosebery. Mr Macdonald-Buchanan leaves a widow and four sons, Hugh, James, Nicholas and Charles.

The funeral will take place at St Anne, Scottish Episcopalian Church, Strathpeffer, Ross-shire, Friday 5 January, 2018.

-=-

Sir Hereward Wake, 14th Baronet, MC (1916-2017)

_. Sir Hereward Wake, 14th Baronet, MC, who died 11 December, 2017, aged 101, was the head of an ancient family, one of the few surviving families of the old pre-parliamentary Anglo-Norman baronage. His baronetcy, one of the oldest, was created by King James 1 in 1621.

He was born 7 Oct, 1916, the son of Sir Hereward Wake, 13th Bt, CB, CMG, DSO (1876-1963), by his wife the former Margaret Winifred (Daisy) Benson, and succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death, 4 Aug, 1963.

He married 6 February, 1952, Julia Rosemary, younger daughter of Capt Geoffrey William Martin Lees, by whom he had issue, a son and three daughters.

Sir Hereward was High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1955.

The baronetcy now passes to his only son, Hereward Charles Wake, born 22 Nov, 1952, who married in 1977, Lady Doune Mabell Ogilvy, the eldest daughter of the 13th Earl of Airlie, KT.

-=-

Martha Grace Crofton-Atkins (born 2017)

_. Katherine Crofton-Atkins (nee Inglefield), wife of Charles Crofton-Atkins, scion of that landed family, gave birth to a daughter, Martha Grace, in Hong Kong, 5 December, 2017, a sister for Cleo.

 

 

==

Arthur Nicholas Bond Chapman (born 2017)

_. Laetitia Clare Chapman (nee Musgrave, born 1980), wife of Oliver B. Chapman, gave birth to son, Arthur Nicholas Bond, 9 Dec, 2017, a brother for Wilf.

Oliver Chapman is a son of the late Mr Peter Chapman and Mrs Peter Chapman, of Somerton, Somerset, and Laetitia Chapman is a daughter of Maj Nicholas Musgrave (b 1948), of Stroud, Gloucestershire, lately executive manager of the Cirencester Polo Club, by his wife the former Clare E. Nesbitt (b 1956).

Mrs Chapman's sister, Arabella (b 1982), was briefly the teenage squeeze of HRH The Duke of Cambridge.


 -=-

Rowland Bruce Ranald Critchley (1961-2017)

_. Rowland Bruce Ranald Critchley, who died 9 December, 2017, aged 54, was a son-in-law of Sir Richard Storey, 2nd Baronet.

He was born 27 March, 1961, a son of Lt-Col Ian Ranald Critchley, by his wife the former Isabel Mary Hamilton {descended from Arbuthnott]; married 1988, Elisabeth Storey (b 1964), daughter of the Hon Sir Richard Storey, Bt, by whom he had issue, three children.

Funeral at St James' Church, Muthill, 19 December, 2017.

-=-

Obituary: Lord Ingelwood

Jake Charles Winston Spencer-Churchill (born 2017)

__. Scarlett Spencer-Churchill (nee Strutt, born 1985), wife of Alexander David Spencer Churchill (born 1983), scion of the Dukes of Marlborough (Peerage of England cr 1702), gave birth to a son, Jake Charles Winston, 8 December, 2017.

Alexander Spencer-Churchill is the third son of the late Lord Charles George William Colin Spencer Churchill (1940-2016), of London, by his 2nd wife the former (Elizabeth) Jane Wyndham (b 1948), scion of the Barons Egremont & Leconfield.

Scarlett Spencer-Churchill is a scion of the Barons Belper (Peerage of the UK, cr 1856), daughter of Henry Clavering Tollemache Strutt (b 1953), of Stutton, Suffolk, and Mrs Athena Strutt, also of Stutton.
-=-

Agnes James Morley (born 2017)

_. Olivia Morley {nee French}, wife of William Everard Hugh Morley (born 1980), gave birth to a daughter, Agnes James, 8 December, 2017.

William is the son of Geoffrey John Morley (b 1948), of Mount Ulston, Jedburgh, by his wife the former Christian Aline Arbuthnot (b 1950), scion of the Arbuthnot baronets. His maternal grandfather was Sir Hugh Arbuthnot, 7th Bt.

Olivia is a daughter of Mr & Mrs Richard French, of Le Malardier, Dordogne, France.

-=-

Foale/Grimond engagement

The engagement was announced 8 December, 2017, between James Spencer (Jamie) Foale (born 1986), younger son of Dr Rodney Alan Foale (born 1946), of London, and his former wife Lady Emma Cecile Dewe Mathews (nee Gordon, born 26 May, 1953), scion of the Marquesses of Aberdeen & Temair, & Georgia Celia Grimond (born 1983), daughter of the Hon John Jasper Grimond (born 1946), of Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Roberta Katherine (Kate) Fleming (born 1946), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of Lt-Col Robert Peter Fleming (1907-1971), and his wife the actress Dame Celia Johnson, DBE (1908-1982).

Jamie Foale is a grandson of the late 6th Marquess of Aberdeen & Temair (1920-2002).

Georgia Grimond is a granddaughter of the life peer the Baron Grimond (1913-1993) who as Jo Grimond was Leader of the Liberal Party.

-=-

Peter Tyndall Walwyn, MBE 1933-2017

_. Peter Walwyn, a racehorse trainer with a string of classic victories, died 7 December, 2017, following a stroke.

Peter Tyndall Walwyn was born 1 July, 1933, son of Charles "Taffy" Walwyn, MC, DSO, by his wife the former Gertrude Cowland; married 1960, Virginia Gaselee, daughter of Lt-Col Auriol Gaselee, by his wife the former Myra Randolph, by whom he had issue, a son, Edward, and a daughter, Kate.

-=-

Camilla Marguerite Gray (died 2017)

_. Camilla Gray, who died 7 December, 2017, was the first wife of the late 6th Earl of Erne, KCVO (1937-2015), and was the mother of the 7th Earl.

She was the former Camilla Marguerite Roberts, eldest daughter of Wing Commander Owen George Endicott Roberts, RAF, and a granddaughter of Capt Marshall Owen Roberts, Scots Guards, and was descended from the Barons Dunleath and Dukes of Atholl, &c.

She married firstly, 5 Nov, 1958 (div 1980), the 6th Earl of Erne, by whom she had issue, four daughters and a son. The son, John, is the 7th Earl of Erne (b 19 June, 1971).

Camilla Countess of Erne's second marriage was to Tony Gray.

The funeral is at Barham Crematorium, Canterbury, Wednesday 20 December, 2017.

-=-

Jean Frances Woodroffe, CVO 1923-2017

_. Mrs Jean Frances Woodroffe, CVO, who died 7 December, 2017, aged 94, was a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen (when Princess Elizabeth, from 1945) and served as an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber to Her Majesty from 1954. Mrs Woodroffe was a cousin of the Queen by marriage and one of her oldest friends.

She was born 22 February, 1923, a scion of the Hambro banking dynasty, the fourth daughter of Angus Valdimar Hambro (1883-1957) by his second wife, the former Vanda Dorothy Julia Charlton, and married firstly, 19 Sept, 1942, Capt the Hon Vicary Gibbs, of the Grenadier Guards, eldest son of the 4th Baron Aldenham. Her first husband was killed in action at Nijmegan, 20 September, 1944, leaving her with an infant daughter, Jennifer Susan (who was a Lady in Waiting to the Queen Mother 1993-2002). The Hon Mrs Vicary Gibbs married secondly, 29 May, 1946, Rev. the Hon Andrew Elphinstone, a nephew of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who died in 1975. From this marriage she had two children, a daughter Rosemary, born in 1947, for whom the then Princess Elizabeth stood sponsor, and a son James, later the 18th Lord Elphinstone (1953-1994); she married thirdly, in 1980, Lt-Col John William Richard Woodroffe, the widower of her elder sister, Patricia.

Elizabeth Longford in her biography Elizabeth R writes that in 1945 "Princess Elizabeth was given her own footman, and housemaid and second Lady in Waiting (the first was Lady Mary Strachey). The way in which the second appointment was made in March 1945 was characteristic of the Royal Family's touching almost blind trust in their own inner circle.

The Hon Mrs Vicary Gibbs was a pretty 21 year-old widow whose husband, a Grenadier officer, had been killed in Holland. Jean Hambro by birth she was later to become Princess Elizabeth's first cousin by marriage to Andrew Elphinstone. One day Jean Gibbs received a letter from Sir Arthur Penn, the Queen's private secretary, explaining that an additional lady was needed to serve the princess, a lady who could talk about the Grenadiers and Officers' Welfare. Mrs Gibbs had never set eyes on the King or Queen. Nor had Princess Elizabeth ever set eyes on her. Yet this extraordinary 'on trust' arrangement was to work perfectly, lasting from 1945 to 1954, and continuing thereafter on a part time basis."

Jean Elphinstone only gave up full-time work for the Queen when her husband, Andrew, a Church of England priest, took on a parish in Surrey and she went to assist him there.

Mrs Woodroffe is survived by her two daughters, Jenny and Rosie. Her son, Jamie, Lord Elphinstone, died 19 Dec, 1994, aged 41.

The funeral took place at Mere, 19 December, 2017, at noon, followed by a service of Thanksgiving at St Mary's Church, Worplesdon, 10 January, 2018, at which The Queen was represented by Mrs Peregrine Bertie.

-=-

Obituary: Lt-Col Sir William Mount, Bt

Robert Maxtone-Graham (d 2017)

_. Robert Maxtone-Graham, who died circa 5 December, 2017, was a scion of Maxtone-Graham of Cultoquhey, a Scots landed family, the last surviving child of Anthony Maxtone Graham, 16th of Cultoquhey, and of Jan Struther.

Funeral at St Clement's Church, Sandwich, Monday 18 Dec, 2017.

-=-

Pamela Lady Wedgwood (1928-2017)

_. Pamela Lady Wedgwood, who died 5 December, 2017, aged 89, was the widow of Sir John Wedgwood, 2nd Baronet (1907-89), & was Pamela Tudor-Craig, the medieval art historian.

She was born Pamela Wynn Reeves, 26 June, 1928; married firstly, in 1956, James Tudor-Craig, son of Sir Algernon Tudor-Craig; married secondly, in 1982, Sir John Wedgwood, Bt, who died 9 Dec, 1989.

A Memorial Service takes place at St Anne's Church, Lewes, Sussex, 24 March, 2018.

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Richard Godwin-Austen (d 2017)

_. Richard Godwin-Austen, who died 3 December, 2017, aged 82, was a scion of that landed gentry family.

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Sir John Cotterell, 6th Baronet 1935-2017

_. Sir John Cotterell, 6th Baronet, died 4 December, 2017. He was 82.

John Henry Geers Cotterell was born 8 May, 1935, son of Sir Richard Cotterell, 5th Bt, CBE (1907-78), by his first wife the former Lady Lettice Lygon, eldest daughter of the 7th Earl Beauchamp, KG; married 7 Oct, 1959, [Vanda] Alexandra Clare [deceased], only daughter of Maj Philip Bridgewater and a granddaughter maternally of the 4th Baron Vivian, DSO; succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death, 1978.

Sir John leaves three sons, Henry, James and David, and a daughter, Camilla. The baronetcy devolves upon his elder son, Henry Richard Geers Cotterell, who was born 22 Aug 1961.

Funeral at Byford Church, Thursday 14 Dec, 2017.

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Campbell/Gray engagement

_. The engagement was announced 5 December, 2017, between James J.M. Campbell, only son of the late Mr & Mrs Neil Campbell, & Octavia L.H. Gray (born 1987), elder daughter of Sir William Gray, 3rd Baronet (b 26 Jul 1955), by his former wife the former Catherine Naylor.

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Marcus Hobbs (born 2017)

_. Emily Rose Hobbs (nee Arundell, born 1988), wife of Edward J.B. Hobbs, and scion of the Barons Talbot of Malahide, gave birth to a son, Marcus, 2 December, 2017.

Edward Hobbs is the elder son of Mr & Mrs John Hobbs, of Wandsworth, London, & Emily Hobbs is the second of the four daughters of the Hon Richard John Tennant Arundell (b 28 Mar, 1957), heir app to the peerage, of Wardour, Wiltshire, by his wife the former Jane Catherine Unwin.

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Lt-Cdr Sir Richard David Michael Richardson-Bunbury, 5th Bt 1927-2017

_. Lt-Cdr Sir Michael Richardson-Bunbury, 5th Baronet, died 1 December, 2017, aged 90.

Richard David Michael Richardson-Bunbury was born 27 Oct, 1927, son of Richard Richardson-Bunbury (1899-1951) by his wife the former Florence Margaret Gordon Thomson, and succeeded to the baronetcy (cr 1787) on the demise of his kinsman, Sir Mervyn, 21 Oct, 1953; married 15 July, 1961, Jane Louise, daughter of Colonel Alfred William Pulverman, by whom he had two sons, Roger and Thomas. The elder son died in 1995.



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Sitwell/Lopes marriage

__. The marriage took place 1 December, 2017, at Chelsea Register Office, between William Ronald Sacheverell Sitwell (born 2 Oct, 1969), scion of the Sitwell baronets, second son of the late Francis Trajan Sacheverell Sitwell (1935-2004), by his wife the former Susanna Carolyn Cross, scion of the Cross baronets, & the Hon Emily Jane Lopes (b 1987), daughter of the late 3rd Baron Roborough (1940-2015), by his 2nd wife (and first cousin once removed) Sarah Anne Pipon (b 1951).

It is William Sitwell's second marriage. In 1999 he married Laura Barbara McCorquodale (born 1972), scion of that landed family, dau of Capt Euan McCorquodale.

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Plumptre/Steidl engagement

_. The engagement was announced 1 December, 2017, between the Hon Edward Brook Plumptre (b 26 Apr, 1989), scion of the Barons FitzWalter, elder son of the 22nd Baron FitzWalter (b 18 Oct 1952), of Goodnestone Park, Canterbury, by his wife the former (Alison) Sally Quiney, & Tessa Claire Steidl (born 1990), daughter of Nicholas W. Steidl, of Wandsworth, London, by his wife the former Henrietta L. Vance.

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Ryder/Arnold engagement

_. The engagement was announced 1 December, 2017, between the Hon Henry Mansell Dudley Ryder (born 1985), scion of the Earls of Harrowby, third son of the 8th Earl of Harrowby, by his late wife the former Sarah Nichola Hobhouse Payne, & Emily M.M. Arnold, daughter of Sir Thomas Arnold, by his wife the former Elizabeth Nevile.

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Baring/Williscroft engagement

_. The engagement was announced 1 December, 2017, between Samuel Nigel Baring (born 1987), scion of the Barons Northbrook, elder son of Peter Baring (born 1939), of Ardington, Oxon, by his wife, the former Rose Adams, & Camilla A. Williscroft, daughter of Mr Richard Williscroft, of West Ashling, Chichester, by his former wife, the former Anthea Jarrett (now Mrs Anthea Pearce, of Winchester).

Mr Peter Baring is the heir pres to his cousin, the 6th Baron Northbrook.

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14th Lord Elibank 1923-2017

_. The Lord Elibank, who died 30 November, 2017, aged 93, was the 14th Lord in the peerage of Scotland (cr 1643), and the 14th baronet (Bt, Scotland, cr 1628).

Alan D'Ardis Erskine-Murray, was born 31 Dec, 1923, son of Maj Robert Alan Erskine-Murray, OBE (1874-1939), by his wife the former Eileen Mary MacManus, and succeeded to the peerage and baronetcy on the death of his cousin, 2 June, 1973; married 1 Sept, 1962, Valerie Sylvia Dennis [died 13 January, 1997], by whom he had issue, two sons, Robert and Timothy.

The elder son, the Hon Robert Francis Alan Erskine-Murray, Master of Elibank, born 10 Oct, 1964, succeeds as 15th Lord Elibank and 15th Baronet.

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Obituary: Colonel Lord Freyberg