Thursday, December 31, 2020

Aphra Ayla Gladstone (born 2020)

 Reyhan Gladstone (nee Akyildiz), wife of Jack William Gladstone (born 28 July, 1989), gave birth to a daughter, Aphra Ayla, in 2020.

Jack is the son and heir of Sir Charles Angus Gladstone of Fasque, 8th Baronet (born 11 April, 1964), and his wife the former Caroline Thomas. He married in 2016, Reyhan Akyildiz.

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David Ean Coleridge 1932-2020

 _. David Ean Coleridge, who has died aged 88, was Chairman of Lloyd's 1991, 1992 [Deputy Chairman 1985, 1988, & 1989].

He was born 7 June, 1932, son of Guy Cecil Richard Coleridge, MC, and his wife the former Katherine Cicely Stewart Smith, and was educated at Eton. He was descended from a brother of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Career: Glanvill Enthoven, 1950-57; R.W. Sturge & Co., 1957-95, Director 1966-95; Chairman, A.L. Sturge Holdings Ltd [now Sturge Holdings PLC], 1978-95; Chairman, Oxford Agency Holdings Ltd 1987-90; Ockham Holdings, 1995; Director, R.A. Edwards [Holdings] Ltd 1985-90; Director, Wise Speke Holdings Ltd 1987-94; Member of the Council and Committee of Lloyd's 1983-92; &c.

Married in 1955, Susan Senior, by whom he had three sons, including Nicholas Coleridge, CBE, Chairman of the Victoria and Albert Museum, Chairman of the Prince of Wales' Campaign for Wool and Chairman of the Gilbert Trust for the Arts. He is an ambassador for the Landmark Trust and a patron of the Elephant Family.


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Quinn Eliza W. Bacon (born 2020)

 Connie Eloise Bacon (nee Arkell, born 1989), wife of Nathaniel John Walter Bacon (born 1989), gave birth to a daughter, Quinn Eliza W, in 2020.

Nathaniel Bacon is the third son of Sir Nicholas Hickman Ponsonby Bacon, OBE, 14th & 15th Baronet (Premier baronet of England) (born 17 May, 1953), and his wife the former Susan Henrietta Dinnis (born 1955).

Connie Bacon is a descendant of the Boynton baronets, daughter of Nicholas Henry Arkell (born 1955), and his wife the former Miranda Elizabeth Watson-Smyth .

Sir Henry Boynton, 9th Baronet [1778-1854] >Rev Griffith Boynton [1815-98] > Eliza Boynton > Madeleine Pedder > Edward Watson-Smyth [1923-2004] > Miranda Watson-Smyth > Connie Arkell [b 1989]

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David Wolfson's life peerage gazetted as Baron Wolfson of Tredegar

 _. The life peerage awarded to David Wolfson, a newly appointed junior justice minister, has been gazetted in the name, style and title of Baron Wolfson of Tredegar. He is to be introduced into the House of Lords on 7 January, 2021.

One of the first decisions David Wolfson made on being elevated to the House of Lords was to honour his roots. For the Liverpool-raised barrister, who was this week made a life peer and appointed junior justice minister, will be known as Lord Wolfson of Tredegar. He chose the South Wales town as it was where his paternal great-grandfather, Aaron, emigrated to from what is now present-day Ukraine.

Mr Wolfson told the Jewish Telegraph: “As a Jewish community in Britain, we live in what the Talmudic rabbis called a ‘kingdom of kindness’.

“This is a tolerant country where we can practise our religion, and where we have full civil and religious rights.

“I wanted to take the name of a place which will remind me of — and also speak to — those issues.

“We came here as immigrants and British society enabled us to thrive as a community.

“It is important for me to remember those early days and where our roots are, which, in my case, is in South Wales.

“My great-grandfather is buried in Merthyr Tydfil and my great-uncle Jack was actually born in the middle of the 1911 anti-Jewish riots in Tredegar.”

His position at the Ministry of Justice — which puts him on leave of absence from his chambers at One Essex Court — sends him to the Lords, where he will sit as a Conservative peer.

Called to the Bar in 1992 and made a QC 11 years ago, London-based Mr Wolfson has worked on various matters for the Government over the past few years.

“I will be dealing with the Ministry of Justice brief in the Lords, introducing bills, answering questions and speaking on legislation,” he said.

“In particular, I will be focusing on civil justice and doing all I can to make sure London keeps its place as the pre-eminent litigation and arbitration centre that it is.”

Educated at Liverpool’s King David High School, Mr Wolfson is the son of Rosalind and Bernard Wolfson, who now live in Jerusalem.

His father was also a lawyer and district judge.

His sisters are Rina Wolfson in London and Hannah Cohn who, with his brother, Jonny, reside in Israel.

Mr Wolfson’s paternal grandfather was Rev Sam Wolfson, who served Liverpool’s Greenbank Drive Synagogue for more than 40 years.

“My grandfather was a formative influence on me,” he recalled. “I learned with him and he taught me how to leyn.”

Mr Wolfson studied at Jerusalem’s Yeshivat Ha-Kotel, before he read Oriental studies, specialising in Hebrew and Aramaic, at Selwyn College, Cambridge.

He started his law career at 3 Verulam Buildings, where he spent five years, before moving to One Essex Court.

Mr Wolfson, who is father to 18-year-old Sam, Zara, 16, and 13-year-old Abi, has represented banks, hedge funds and oligarchs — including acting for Russian-Israeli tycoon Arkady Gaydamak when he sued his former business partner Lev Leviev.

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Hon Rosanna Alice Cathcart [born 2020]

Camilla Petronell [Willa] Cathcart, styled Lady Greenock [born 1987, nee Malcolm], wife of Alan George Cathcart, styled Lord Greenock (born 16 March, 1986), gave birth to a daughter, the Hon Rosanna Alice Cathcart, in 2020.

Lord Greenock, a scion of the Earls Cathcart ( Earl, UK, cr 1814), is the only son and heir of the 7th Earl Cathcart (b 30 Nov, 1952), of Gateley Hall, Dereham, Norfolk, by his wife the former Vivien Clare Skinner (b 1954).

Lady Greenock is the former Camilla Petronell (Willa) Malcolm, scion of the Malcolm baronets (Bt, NS, cr 1665), only daughter of Sir Alexander James Elton Malcolm, 13th Baronet (b 30 Aug 1956), of Brinecombe, Somerset, by his wife the former Virginia Elizabeth Coxon.

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Bush/de la Force engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 31 December, 2020, between Alexander Paul Bush [born 1989], son of Dr John T. Bush [born 1956], of Curdridge, Hampshire, and his wife the former Sarah Fenning [born 1958], & Alexandra Eloise de la Force [born 1989], descended from the Barons Mostyn, daughter of the late Piers de la Force [1946-2017], and his wife the former Caroline Sarah Cator [born 5 July, 1954], scion of that landed gentry family.

2nd Earl of Leicester [1822-1909]-->Hon Reginald Coke [1883-1969]-->Katharine Coke [b 1927]-->Caroline Cator [b 1954]-->Alexandra de la Force [b 1989]

2nd Baron Mostyn [1795-1884]-->Hugh Lloyd-Mostyn [1838-1930]-->Elizabeth Lloyd-Mostyn [d 1967]-->Peter Cator [1924-2006]-->Caroline Cator [b 1954]-->Alexandra de la Force [b 1989].

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Claudia Frances Tom 1932-2020

. Claudia Frances Tom, who died 22 December, 2020, aged 88, was descended from the Vyvyan baronets.

She was born 29 February, 1932, daughter of Arthur Claude Vyvyan-Robinson [1880-1960], and his wife the former Patricia MacDonnell [1901-82]; married 1957, Capt Henry Graham Tom [1923-2000], son of William Howard Graham Tom [1895-1961], of St Kew, Cornwall, and his wife the former Selina Maud Hawkey [1898-1978], by whom she had two daughters, Elizabeth and Juliet.

Sir Richard Vyvyan, 3rd Bt [d 1724]-->Richard Vyvyan [1701-71]->Rev Richard Vyvyan-->Philip Vyvyan-Robinson [1777-1870]-->Rev Philip Vyvyan-Robinson [1820-88]-->Philip Augustus Vyvyan-Robinson [1852-1911]-->Arthur Claude Vyvyan-Robinson [1880-1960]-->Claudia Frances Vyvyan-Robinson [1932-2020].

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Cecily Mary Helen Neilson [born 29/11/2020]

 _. Isobel Mary Neilson (nee Mostyn, born 28 July, 1987), wife of Gregory Robert Neilson (born 1985), and scion of the Mostyn baronets, gave birth to a daughter, Cecily Mary Helen, 29 November, 2020, a sister for Augustine Joseph Mostyn, who was born 29 August, 2018.

Gregory is a son of Gordon Neilson (b 1949), by his wife the former Helen Russell, and Isobel is a dau of Brigadier Philip Joseph Mostyn (born 3 Sept, 1955), by his wife the former Helen Catharine Stewart Nickerson [b 9 July 1959], a descendant of the extinct Dukes of Newcastle-under-Lyne, &c.

The 4th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne [1785-1851]-->Lady Henrietta Pelham-Clinton [d 1890]-->Henrietta Tennyson-d'Eyncourt [b 1864]-->Helen Maud Tarleton-->Elizabeth Fagan [b 1929]-->Helen Nickerson [b 1959]-->Isobel Mostyn [b 1987]-->Cecily Neilson [b 2020].

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Jake Tristan M. Morley (born 2020)

  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 son, Jake Tristan M, 2020, a brother for Minnie Fiona, born 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.

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Moses Olakusibe Babafemi Jeremiah Modupe-Ojo [born 2020]

 ._ Maddison May Olamide Modupe-Ojo (b 16 May, 1994), wife of Olaoluwa Olamide Modupe-Ojo, and descended from Queen Victoria, gave birth to a son, Moses Olakusibe Babafemi Jeremiah, 2020, a brother for Daphne Oluwamayomikun Oluwatosin Ogoluwa, who was born 26 November, 2016, and for Phoebe Abidemi Morianugba Oluwatosin, who was born 15 December, 2018.

 Maddison is the daughter of Jeremy Alexander Rothwell Brudenell and his wife the former Edwina Victoria Louise Hicks (b 1961), elder daughter of the late David Nightingale Hicks by his wife the former Lady Pamela Carmen Louise Mountbatten (b 1929), younger daughter of the late 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

 Maddison's husband is a musician under the name "Jazz Purple".

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Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Commander John Alexander de Mussenden Leathes, OBE, RN 1928-2020

 _. Commander John Alexander de Mussenden Leathes, OBE, RN, who died 19 December, 2020, aged 92, was a scion of the Leathes landed gentry family, of Herringfleet; born in 1928, ; son of Lieutenant-Commander John Duncan de Mussenden Leathes, RN [1896-1932], and his wife the former Florence Beatrice Taylor [1898-1978]; and married 1967, Sara Elizabeth [Sally] Collard, daughter of John Marlowe Collard, by whom he had issue, a son William [born 1968], and a daughter, Amanda [born 1971].

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Robert Joseph Arthur [Bertie] Snowball 1981-2020

 _. Robert Joseph Arthur [Bertie] Snowball, who died 24 December, 2020, aged 39, was descended from the Longmore landed gentry family, the Barons Forres, and the Maitland baronets.

He was born in 1981, the eldest son of Capt Patrick J.R. Snowball and his wife the former Jennifer Maitland Longmore [born 29 January, 1953],  and was a grandson of Wing Commander William James Maitland Longmore, CBE [1919-88], and his wife the Hon Jean Mary Williamson [1919-2009], daughter of the 2nd Baron Forres [1888-1954.]

Sir Alexander Maitland, 2nd Bt [1755-1848]-->Augustus Maitland [1800-55]-->William Maitland [1847-1919]-->Marjorie Maitland [1884-1959]-->William Longmore [1919-88]-->Jennifer Longmore [1953- ]-->Bertie Snowball [1981-2020]

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Jocelyne Isolda Tait [nee Speyer] 1933-2020

 _. Jocelyne Isolda Tait, who died 13 December, 2020, aged 87, was descended from the Barons Ravensworth.

She was born in 1933, daughter of Edward Richard Speyer, of The Rookery, Hoddesdon, co Hertford, and his wife the former Hon Beatrice Sophie Liddell [1906-87], daughter of the 6th Baron Ravensworth [1869-1932].

She married in 1958, Alan Richard Tait, by whom she had a son, Matthew [born in 1960].

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James Hamilton Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe (born 2020)

 Lady Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe (nee Susannah Ellen Muffley Prins, born 1982), 2nd wife, since 2017, of Sir Euan Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, 3rd Baronet (born 22 June 1966), gave birth to a son, James Hamilton, in 2020, a half-brother for Barnaby C.harles, who was born 28 October, 2005, and for Flora Susan born 29 April, 2007, and Frederick Christopher, born 30 May, 2009.

Lady Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe is a daughter of Gwythian Isaac Thomas Prins (born 1950), and his wife ther former Miriam J. Borop.

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Tuesday, December 29, 2020

The peerage conferred upon the Master of the Rolls has been gazetted

 _. The Queen has been pleased by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the Realm dated 23 December 2020 to confer the dignity of a Barony of the United Kingdom for life upon The Right Honourable Sir Terence Michael Elkan Barnet Etherton, Knight, by the name, style and title of BARON ETHERTON, of Marylebone in the City of Westminster.

Lord Etherton has been Master of the Rolls since 2016. The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, Civil Division, and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, Lord Etherton is the second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice. The position dates from at least 1286, although it is believed that the office probably existed earlier than that.

The Times (8 Feb 2006) reported that the then High Court Judge Sir Terence Etherton, 54, a Judge of the High Court Chancery Division since 2001, had contracted a civil partnership - aka a gay marriage - with his partner Andrew Stone. In December 2005, it was reported that the Government had given the Garter Principal King of Arms, Peter Gwynn-Jones, until the middle of January to pronounce upon whether or not gays marrying titled partners under the new Civil Partnership Act should receive titles themselves. Gwynn-Jones may bow to pressure from a large faction in the College of Arms which believe that if women receive their husbands' titles, so should homosexuals. It was reported that a compromise was likely to be made so that peers marrying gays or knights will be allowed to style themselves 'The Honourable', while keeping their own surnames. "So, Sir terence's spouse Mr Stone can look forward to styling himself 'The Honourable Andrew Stone', ...unless Mr Gwynn-Jones has ruled otherwise...

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Cleone St Quentin Pengelley 1952-2020

 _. Cleone St Quentin Pengelley, who died 21 December, 2020, aged 68, was a descendant of the Cayley baronets. She was born in 1952, daughter of Anthony Bruce Askew [1917-1980], and his wife the former Patricia St Quentin Cayley [1922-2014];  and married in 1977, Maxim Hastings Pengelley [born 1946], son of Captain Patrick Lionel Pengelley, MC [1921-1993], and his wife the former Anthea Joan Hewlett [1921-2007], by whom she had a son and a daughter.

Sir William Cayley, 1st Bt [1610-81]-->Cornelius Cayley [1644- ]-->Cornelius Cayley [1692-1779]-->John Cayley [1730-95]-->John Cayley [1761-1831]-->John Cayley [1816-1900]-->Claud Cayley [1854-1928]-->Edward Cayley [1887-1941]-->Patricia Cayley [1922-2014]-->Cleone Askew [1952-2020]

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Jonathan Reade Godwin-Austen 1962-2020

 _. Jonathan Reade Godwin-Austen, who died 25 December, 2020, from cancer, aged 58, was a scion of the Godwin-Austens of Pirbright Manor.

He was born in 1962, son of Dr Richard Godwin-Austen [1935-2017], of Papplewick, co Notts, and his first wife the former Jennifer Jane Himely [1937-96]; and married 1stly, in 1996, Mary Catherine Drummond Cavender [born 1961], daughter of David Alan Cavender, of The Manor House, Dowlish Wake, Somerset, by his wife the former Jennifer Catherine Luke; married 2ndly, Francesca, daughter of Mr & Mrs Karl Creasy, of Ely. He is survived by his wife and leaves three children from his first marriage, Henry [born 1997] and Annie [born 2000], and George [born 2003]. 

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Monday, December 28, 2020

Mary Dolores [Lola] Burdett [born 18/12/2020]

 _. Teresa Burdett [nee Ballester], wife of [Charles] Nicholas Wentworth Burdett [born 1978], gave birth to a daughter, Mary Dolores, to be known as Lola, in Seville, 18 December, 2020, a sister for Charles William Francis, who was born 23 Sept, 2017. 

Mr Burdett is a son of Charles Albert Burdett [born Blau, 1942], and a grandson of Albert Charles Blau and his wife Constance Hay Burdett [1909-2008], daughter of Sir Charles Burdett, 8th Baronet [1875-1918].

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Fedellma [Della] Howard [died 2020]

 _. Fedellma Teresa Mary Howard, always known as Della, who has died aged 96, was a philanthropist and London hostess. 

She was the former Fedellma Brennan; and married in Chelsea in July, 1951, Denis Valentine Eliot Howard [1919-94], scion of the Dukes of Norfolk [descended from a brother of the 5th Duke], son of Geoffrey Eliot Howard [1877-1956]. 

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Sunday, December 27, 2020

Grubb Villiers-Stuart/Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg marriage

 _. The marriage took place 19 December, 2020, of Alexander Henry de Gruce Grubb Villiers-Stuart [born 1984], son of Nicholas de Cruce Grubb [born 28 November, 1950], and his wife the former Barbara Villiers-Stuart [born 7 Aug, 1955], and Princess Teresa Elisabeth Marina Franziska zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg [born 1988], daughter of Prince Johannes zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, and his wife the former Bettina von Molo.

Alexander is a descendant of the 1st Marquess of Bute, and a descendant of King Charles II. His bride is also a descendant of the 'Merrie Monarch'.

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Griffiths/Lascelles engagement

 _. The engagement has been announced between Archie James Griffiths [born 30 May, 1999], son of Colin J. Griffiths and his wife the former Allison J Hillary, & Charlotte Patricia Lascelles [born 24 January, 1996], scion of the Earls of Harewood, eldest daughter of the Hon Mark Hubert Lascelles [born 5 July, 1964], and his 1st wife the former Andrea Kershaw [born 16 June, 1964].

Charlotte is a granddaughter of the late 7th Earl of Harewood, KBE [1923-2011], of Harewood House, Leeds, and his second wife the former Patricia Elizabeth Tuckwell [1926-2018], and is a great-granddaughter of HRH The Princess [Victoria Alexandra Alice] Mary, Princess Royal, Countess of Harewood [1897-1965], and a great-great granddaughter of HM King George V [1865-1936].

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Clementine Victoria Jane Sheffield [born 19/12/2020]

 _. Ellen Francis Gibbons [born 1992], actress, partner of Robert Charles Berkeley Sheffield [born 1 September, 1984], of Sutton Park, near York, gave birth to a daughter, Clementine Victoria Jane, at York, 20 December, 2020.

Robert is the son and heir of Sir Reginald Adrian Berkeley Sheffield, 8th Baronet [born 9 May, 1946], and his wife the former Victoria Penelope Walker, and is a half-brother of Samantha Cameron, wife of the former prime minister, David Cameron.

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Saturday, December 26, 2020

Major John David Pierrepont Poyntz 1938-2020

 _. Major John David Pierrepont Poyntz, scion of that landed gentry family, of Tylston Lodge, has died aged 82. He was an officer in the Royal Engineers, the last from the regiment to be an HM Inspecting Officer of Railways. He retired in 2006.

He was born 27 May, 1938, son of Capt Richard Stephen Pierrepont Poyntz, FRGS [1883-1958], and his wife the former Eileen Ann Bourke. The Poyntz family provided two Earls Spencer with brides. The first Earl married Margaret Georgiana Poyntz [1737-1814], and the fourth Earl married his cousin, Georgiana Poyntz [1799-1851].

In 1974, he married Anna Moore.

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Hugh Damian Elwes 1943-2020

 _. Hugh Damian Elwes, who died 20 December, 2020, aged 77, was a scion of that landed family, of Roxby.

He was born 27 September, 1943, the second son of Lieutenant-Col Sir Richard Everard Augustine Elwes, OBE [1901-1968], and his wife the former Mary Freya Sykes [1904-94], daughter of Sir Tatton Sykes, 6th Baronet [1879-1919], of Sledmere.

Hugh's elder brother was the actor Mark Gervase Elwes, and his sister, Mary Freya [known as Polly] [1928-87], was the BBC TV-in announcer, and panellist on What's My Line.

He married in 1974, Susan A. Buchanan, daughter of D.W.J. Buchanan, of Sydney, New South Wales, by whom he had two daughters, Chloe [born 1978], and Sophia [born 1984].

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Aubrey Hubert Joseph Marie Forterre [born 16/12/2020]

 _. Alice Victoria Mary Forterre [née Hastings-Bass, born 1983], wife of Antoine Hubert Joseph Marie Forterre [born 1983], and scion of the Earls of Huntingdon, gave birth to a son, Aubrey Hubert Joseph Marie, 16 December, 2020, a brother for Astrid [born 2015], and Alexis [born 2017].

Alice is the elder daughter of the Hon John Peter Robin Hood Hastings-Bass [born 1954], and his wife the former Sophie Scarisbrick [born 1956], and is a niece of the 17th Earl of Huntingdon [born 1948]. [Her father is heir presumptive to the peerage].

Antoine is a son of Didier Forterre [born 1944], of Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris.

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Thursday, December 24, 2020

Agnew/Wilkins engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 24 December, 2020, between John Alexander K. Agnew [born 1983], son of Hugh J. Agnew [born 1950], of Lymington, Hampshire, and Bahnoon Agnew [nee Karim], now Mrs Bahnoon Agnew, of Church Crookham, Hampshire, and Polly Victoria Wilkins [born 1983], daughter of Nicholas Wilkins and Kathryn Wilkins [nee Lunn], of Truro, Cornwall.

John Agnew is a grandson of Capt Peter Douglas Agnew, Irish Guards, and his wife the former Margaret Mary Rose Tawse, and a descendant of the Campbell baronets.

Sir Edward Campbell, 2nd Bt [1822-82] -->Ion Campbell [1868-1915] -->Pamela Campbell [b 1899] -->Capt Peter Campbell [b 1922] -->Hugh Campbell [born 1950] --> John Agnew [b 1983].

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Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Stella Tennant 1970-2020

 _. Stella Tennant, one of Britain's leading supermodels, and scion of the Barons Glenconner, died 22 December, 2020, at Duns, Berwickshire. She was 50.

Stella Tennant was born 17 December, 1970, the third child of the Hon Tobias William Tennant [born 1 June, 1941], and his wife the Lady Emma Cavendish [born 26 March, 1943], and was a granddaughter paternally of the 2nd Baron Glenconner [1899-1983], and a granddaughter maternally of the 11th Duke of Devonshire, KG [1920-2004] and of Deborah [Debo] Duchess of Devonshire, one of the celebrated 'Mitford Sisters'.

Stella Tennant was sometime the 'Face of Chanel' and one of Britain's top catwalk mannequins.

She married 22 May, 1999, David Lasnet, by whom she had four children, Cecily, Jasmine, Iris and Marcel.

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Prof Pieter Grootenhuis 1924-2020

 _.Professor Pieter Grootenhuis, late the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London, died 19 December, 2020. He was 96.

The son of Johannes C Grootenhuis and his wife Anna van den Bergh, he married 1954, Sara J [Sally] Winchester [born 1933], only child of Major Charles Campbell Winchester, MC [1894-1940], of the Royal Scots, and his wife the former Margaret Isobel de Havilland [1901-1970], scion of that landed gentry family, of Havilland Hall, and a cousin of the actresses Dame Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine.

He leaves a son, Hugh, and a daughter, Felicity.

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Major Nicholas Boggis-Rolfe 1940-2020

  _. Maj. Nicholas Boggis-Rolfe, acion of the Boggis landed gentry family, of Edwardstone, died suddenly, 20 December, 2020. He was 80.

He was born in 1940, son of Paul Boggis-Rolfe [1913-1988], and his first wife, the former Juliet McLeod; married 1968, Caroline Christian O'Cock, daughter of Brigadier Michael James Palmer O'Cock, CBE, MC [1919-2007], and his first wife, Elizabeth Jane Hall [1921-70], scion of that landed family, by whom he had issue, a son, Edward [born 1971], and a daughter, Camilla [born 1973].

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Tuesday, December 22, 2020

New life peerages announced

 _. The Queen has been graciously pleased to signify Her intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life upon the undermentioned.

Nominations from the Leader of the Conservative Party:

Rt Hon Sir Richard Henry Ronald Benyon [born 21 Oct 1960] – former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and MP for Newbury. He is a great-great grandson of the Marquess of Salisbury, Prime Minister.

Peter Andrew Cruddas [born 30 Sept 1953] – businessman and philanthropist.

Dame Jacqueline Foster, DBE [born 30 Dec 1947] – formerly Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party in the European Parliament and Member of the European Parliament for North West England.

Stephanie Fraser – Chief Executive of Cerebral Palsy Scotland.

Dean Godson – Director of Policy Exchange. In 2016, the Evening Standard named Godson one of London's most influential people, saying that “Fiercely bright Godson, formerly chief leader writer at the Daily Telegraph, has been described as Britain’s acknowledged expert on the problem of social cohesion.”[Commentator Iain Dale also named Godson as one of the 100 most influential people on the right of British politics, in his annual rankings in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Dale also described Policy Exchange, in a February 2020 article, as "the pre-eminent think tank in the Westminster village".

Daniel John Hannan [born 1 Sept, 1971] – formerly Member of the European Parliament for South East England.

Syed Kamall [born 15 Feb 1967] – formerly Leader of the Conservative Party in the European Parliament and Member of the European Parliament for London.

Nominations from the Leader of the Labour Party:

Cllr Judith Vivienne Blake CBE [born July 1953] – Leader of Leeds City Council since 2015.

Jennifer Chapman [born 25 Sept, 1973] – formerly Member of Parliament for Darlington.


Vernon Rodney Coaker [born 17 June 1953] – formerly Minister of State for Schools and Member of Parliament for Gedling 1997-2019.


Wajid Khan [born 15 Oct 1979] – formerly Member of the European Parliament for North West England 2017-19.


Gillian Joanna Merron – [born 12 Apr, 1959], Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, former Minister of State for Public Health and Member of Parliament for Lincoln.


Nominations for Crossbench Peerages:

Sir Terence Michael Elkan Barnet Etherton PC QC [born 21 June, 1951] – Master of the Rolls from 2016, and Head of Civil Justice.

Sir Simon McDonald KCMG KCVO [born 9 March 1961] – lately Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service.

Sir Andrew Parker KCB [born 1962] – lately Director General of MI5, the Security Service.

The Rt Revd. and Rt Hon Dr John Sentamu [born 10 June, 1949] – Archbishop of York, 2005-2020.


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Caroline Margaret Joan Atkinson [née Chappell] 1966-2020

 _. Caroline Margaret Joan Atkinson [née Chappell], died tragically, 11 December, 2020, aged 54.

She was descended from the Cochrane Earls of Dundonald, born in 1966, daughter of Anthony Cortland Richard Chappell [who died 2007], and his wife the former Vivien Mary Grisell Cochrane [1909-1941]. She married 1995, Edward Atkinson, son of P.N. Atkinson, of London, by whom she had issue, Isobel, Gus, and Barnaby.

8th Earl of Dundonald [d 1778]-->Admiral the Hon Sir Alexander Cochrane [1758-1832]-->Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane [1789-1872]-->Thomas Cochrane [1856-1925]-->John Cochrane [1909-41]-->Vivien Cochrane [1939-2008]-->Caroline Chappell [1966-2020].

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The Baroness Tebbit 1934-2020

 _. The Baroness Tebbit, the wife of Norman Tebbit, the Baron Tebbit, CH, PC, died peacefully in Bury St Edmunds the early hours of Saturday 19 December, 2020. She was 86.

The former Margaret Elizabeth Daines, was born in 1934, daughter of Stanley Edward Daines [1890-1973], and his wife, Daisy Elsie Negus [1895-1972], and  married Norman Tebbit in 1956. The couple had three children.

Lord Tebbit, 89, paying tribute to his wife, said: "Margaret was a nurse and I was a fighter pilot when we met and married in 1956 and we had three children by the time I won the Epping Parliamentary seat in the 1970 General Election. By then we had two sons and a daughter and now we have five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

"In 1984, she was severely injured by the IRA bomb attack on the Grand Hotel, Brighton. Even after two years in hospital she was left substantially paralysed, but she led a remarkably independent life until she contracted Lewy body dementia and required day and night care.

"She succumbed to that illness and passed away peacefully in the early hours of December 19."

Lady Tebbit was born in 1934 and lived in Bury St Edmunds with Lord Tebbit, who was a member of the Conservative Cabinet from 1981 to 1987 as Secretary of State for Employment, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and chairman of the Conservative Party.

On leaving the House of Commons Norman Tebbit was raised to the peerage, for life, in 1992, as Baron Tebbit, of Chingford, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

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Fogarty/Wigram engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 22 December, 2020, between Alex J Fogarty, son of Mr & Mrs Peter Fogarty, of Berkshire, & the Hon Alice Poppy Louise Wigram [born 31 October, 1989], daughter of the 3rd Baron Wigram, MVO [born 18 March, 1949], of Hampshire, and his former wife the former Gabrielle Diana Moore [now Mrs Gabrielle Radford, of Gloucestershire].

Alice's father, the 3rd Baron, served as Equerry to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh 1982-86, and is a grandson of Clive Wigram, 1st Baron [1873-1960], courtier, private secretary to HM King George V, 1931-36.

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Monday, December 21, 2020

Edward Leonard Darwin 1934-2020

  _. Edward Leonard Darwin, who died 17 December, 2020, was a scion of the Darwin landed gentry family, a great-grandson of the great Charles Darwin. 

He was born 21 June, 1934, fourth son of Sir Charles Dalton Darwin, KBE, MC [1887-1962], and his wife the former Katharine Pember [1901-1980]; married 1963, Jennifer Joan Gibbon [Jenny] Proctor [born 1939], daughter of Surg-Rear Adm Richard Louis Gibbon Proctor, CB [1906-69] of Rochester, Kent and his wife Dorothy Joan Hocken (1905-83),  by whom he had a son, Andrew [born 1965], and two daughters, Camilla [born 1969], and Anna [born 1972].

Charles Darwin [1809-82]-->Sir George Darwin [1845-1912]-->Sir Charles Darwin [1887-1962]-->Edward Leonard Darwin [1934-2020].

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Edmund Walter Nicolson Rood [born 2020]

 _. Juliet Victoria Katharine Rood [born 1988, nee Nicolson], wife of Simon Alexander Rood (born 1985), gave birth to a son, Edmund Walter Nicolson Rood, to be known as Edo, 11 December, 2020, a brother for Albert Alexander Gordon Rood, who was born 7 June, 2018.

Simon Rood is the only son of Mr Peter O. Rood, of Compton Dundon, Somerset, by his wife the former Jennifer J. Sims.

Juliet Rood, a descended from the Royal House, & scion of the Lords Saltoun (Peerage of Scotland, cr 1445), is the younger daughter of Capt Mark Malise Nicolson, of Cairnbulg Castle, Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, by his wife the Hon Katharine Ingrid Mary Isabel FRASER, Mistress of Saltoun (b 11 Oct, 1957).

The infant is a great-grandson of the Lady Saltoun (a peeress in her own right), and the late Capt Alexander Arthur Alfonso David Maule Ramsay of Mar, and a great-great-grandson of HRH Princess Patricia of Connaught (afterwards Lady Patricia Ramsay), and a great-great-great grandson of HRH The Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught & Strathearn, son of HM Queen Victoria, &c.

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Sunday, December 20, 2020

Fremlin-Key/Baring engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 19 December, 2020, between Edward James Fremlin-Key [born 1989], younger son of Jeremy John Fremlin-Key [born 1953], of Wiltshire, and Mrs Virginia Fremlin-Key [nee Neckar], of London, & the Hon Venetia Harriet Anne Baring [born 19 April, 1991], 2nd daughter of the 6th Baron Northbrook [born 21 February, 1954], of Hampshire, and his former wife the former Amelia Sarah Elizabeth Taylor [born 1960], now wife of Andrew Christie-Miller [born 1950], descended from the Vandeleur landed family, and Earls of Norbury.

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Isla Marie Masojada [born 2020]

 _. Rosanna Jean Masojada [born 1989, nee Carson], wife of Adam Lamont [born 1987], gave birth to a daughter, Isla Marie, 12 December, 2020.

Rosanna is a daughter of John Seaton Burrell Carson [born 1952], by his wife the former Janet Clare Bruce [born 1954], scion of the Earls of Elgin & Kincardine, daughter of the Hon James Michael Edward Bruce [1927-2013], and his wife the former Hon Margaret Jean Dagbjort Coats [1928-2007], daughter of the 2nd Baron Glentanar [1894-1971].

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Pilkington/Shearer engagement

_. The engagement was announced 19 December, 2020, between Hubert Edward [Hubie] Pilkington [born 1991], son of Patrick E.F. Pilkington [born 1955], of Coole, County Westmeath, and his wife the former Caroline Frances Talbot-Ponsonby [born 1955], descended from the Earls of Shrewsbury, & Rachael Shearer, daughter of Mr & Mrs Donald Shearer, of Slieverue, Co Waterford.

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Canning/Waterfield engagement

_. The engagement was announced 19 December, 2020, between Alexander G. Canning, younger son of Mr & Mrs Ian Canning, and Elena Grace Waterfield [born 1993], daughter of Patrick Jolyon Waterfield [born 1958], and his wife the former Nadia Marie Anne Stewart-Clark [born 1963], daughter of Sir John Stewart-Clark, 3rd Baronet [born 1929], and his wife Jonkvrouwe Lydia Frederika Loudon (b 1936).

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Tusting/Bowring engagement

_. The engagement was announced 19 December, 2020, between  James Charles Tusting [born 1991], son of [Robert] Nicholas Tusting [born 1959], of Carlton, Bedfordshire, and his wife the former Sara Elizabeth Barker [born 1962], & Cynthia Mary Elizabeth Bowring [born 1991], elder daughter of Thomas Geoffrey Bowring [born 1949], of Halton Park, Lancaster, and his wife the former Amabda Jane Graham Moon [born 1958], scion of the Moon baronets.

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Saturday, December 19, 2020

Devitt/Youngman engagement

_. The engagement was announced 19 December, 2020, between Jack Thomas Michael Devitt [born 29 July, 1988], elder son and heir of Sir James Hugh Thomas Devitt, 3rd Baronet [born 18 September, 1956], of Alresford, co Hampshire, and his wife the former Susan Carol Duffus, and Alice Georgina Youngman [born 1991], daughter of Mr Andrew P. Youngman, of Charlsfield, Suffolk, by his former wife the former Sarah Hawkins [now Mrs Sarah Offord, of Milden, Suffolk]. -=-

Friday, December 18, 2020

Mary Judith Lister [nee Buxton] 1922-2020

_. Mary Judith Lister, who died 11 December, 2020, aged 98, was a scion of the Buxton baronets. She was born 29 April, 1922, daughter of Leland William Wilberforce Buxton [1884-1967], and his wife the former Ada Mary Oakes [who died 1979]; she married 1stly, 6 June, 1942, Philip Arthur Leo Gompertz [who was killed on actiove service weeks later, 19 Aug 1942], married 2ndly, 18 Aug, 1945, Clement Wynter Lister [who died 6 June, 2010]. Mrs Lister was a granddaughter of Sir [Thomas] Fowell Buxton, 3rd Baronet [1837-1915], and his wife Lady Victoria Noel [1939-1916], daughter of the 1st Earl of Gainsborough [1781-1866]. -=-

Michael Henry Dennis Madden 1944-2020

 _. Michael Henry Dennis Madden died 12 December, 2020, aged 76. He married in 1972 [divorced] as her third husband, [Alice Devin] Atalanta Clifford [born 10 May, 1932], scion of the Barons Clifford of Chudleigh, second daughter of Capt the Hon Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford, GCMG, CB, MVO [1890-1969], and his wife the former Alice Devin Gundry [died 1980], by whom he had issue, a son, Henry George Bede, born in 1973. He married 2ndly, circa 1992, Gelda Crosthwaite, who survives him together with his son.

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Patrick Brent Grotrian 1927-2020

 _. Patrick Brent Grotrian, who died 15 December, 2020, aged 93, was a kinsman of the Grotrian baronets [descended from a brother of Sir Herbert Brent Grotrian, 1st Baronet].

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Geraldine Mary Hamilton [née McAndrew] [died 2020]

 _. Geraldine Mary Hamilton [née McAndrew], who died 27 November, 2020 at home in Chichester, aged 87, was a scion of the McAndrew landed gentry family; born in 1933, the elder of the two daughters of Gerald Alexander McAndrew (1894-1950), sometime head of that gentry family of Headley Park, and his wife Patricia Margaret O'Brien (1906-99), daughter of Lt.-Col. Charles Richard Mackey O'Brien ( -1935) and his wife Selina Beatrice Elphinstone (1865-1975) daughter of Sir Howard Warburton Elphinstone, 3rd Baronet (1830-1917).

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Jerram/Torlot engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 18 December, 2020, between Dominic Alistair Jerram [born 1990], younger son of Mark Godfrey Jerram [born 1959], of Chicksgrove, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Nicola Caroline McGuinn Wingfield [born 14 Feb, 1961], scion of the Viscounts Powerscourt, and Francesca Harriet Torlot [born 1991], younger daughter of Nicholas J. Torlot [born 1958], of Titchfield, Hampshire, and his wife Dr Katherine Torlot [nee Pearce].

Dominic descends maternally from the 4th Viscount Powerscourt.

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Thursday, December 17, 2020

Bidgood/St John Webster

 _. The engagement was announced 17 December, 2020, between Jack Bidgood, elder son of the late Mr John Bidgood and of Mrs James Lambert, of Tunstall, North Yorkshire, and Clementine Isabella F.R. St John Webster [born 1989], youngest daughter of Mr Rory St John Webster, of Ash Priors, Somerset, and his wife the former Inga Clinton.

Artist Clementine St John Webster is a sister of Alice St John Webster [born 1982], who married in Somerset, 30 June, 2012, Gerald Avenel. The Duke of Cambridge and the Duchess [a schoolfriend of the bride] attended the wedding.

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Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Bacon/Carter engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 16 December, 2020, between Thomas Castell Bacon [born 1992], youngest son of Sir Nicholas Hickman Ponsonby Bacon, 14th and 15th Baronet [born 15 May, 1953] of Raveningham Hall, Norfolk, and his wife the former Susan Henrietta Dinnis, & Camilla Emily Charlotte Carter [born 1991], younger daughter of Robert George Russell Carter, of Letheringsett, Norfolk, and his wife the former Charlotte M.L. Miller.

Sir Nicholas Hickman, who as a boy was a Page of Honour to the Queen, is England's Premier Baronet.

The Carters are members of the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge's Norfolk circle, dubbed the 'Turnip toffs' by organs of the Press. Camilla's sister stood as a sponsor at Prince George's christening.

Camilla Carter's elder sister Sophie [born 14 Oct, 1982], is the wife of Robert Snuggs. The Cambridges attended the wedding of Sophie and Robert Snuggs at Letheringsett, Norfolk, in September, 2018, and Princess Charlotte acted as a bridesmaid to her godmother. Prince George was a page boy. 

Sophie Snuggs gave birth to a daughter, Amalia Rose Charlotte, 21 June, 2019.

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Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Conrad Robin Asquith 1945-2020

 Conrad Asquith, who died 13 December, 2020, aged 75, was a scion of the Earls of Oxford & Asquith. 

He was an actor, known for White Hunter Black Heart (1990), The Legend of Robin Hood (1975) and Stan & Ollie (2018). 

He was born 10 February, 1945, the elder son of Simon Anthony Roland Asquith (1919-1973), and his wife the former Vivien Lawrence Jones (1923-2018), daughter of Sir Lawrence Evelyn Jones, 5th Baronet (1885-1969).

He married in 1977, Patricia Sproston, by whom he had two daughters, Daisy (born 16 June, 1976), and     Lily (born 12 Apr, 1978).

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Anthony Peter Coote Sykes 1935-2020

 _. Anthony Peter Coote Sykes, a descendant of the Coote baronets, died 14 December, 2020, aged 85.

He was born in 1935, a son of Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Thomas Wellesley Sykes [1903-1975], and his wife the former Nina Violet Eyre Coote [1904-35]; married 12 Aug, 1972, Harriet Moyra Aileen Cavendish [born 25 September, 1944], scion of the Dukes of Devonshire, daughter of Richard Edward Osborne Cavendish [1917-72], of Holker Hall, Cark in Cartmel, and his wife the former Pamela June Thomas [died 2006], by whom he had issue, a son, Eyre, and two daughters, Nina and Evelyn.

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Sunday, December 13, 2020

Prince Philippos of Greece & Denmark weds Nina Flohr

 _. The civil marriage took place 12 December, 2020, at St Moritz, between Prince Philippos of Greece [born in London 26 April, 1986], third son and fifth child of Constantine II, King of Greece [born 2 June, 1940], by his wife Queen Anne-Marie Dagmar Ingrid [born 30 Aug 1946], nee Princess of Denmark, and Nina Nastassja Jade Flohr [born 22 January, 1987], daughter of Thomas Flohr [born 7 March, 1960], by his former wife, nee Katharina Konečný.

The only witnesses of the nuptials were King Constantine and the bride's father, Thomas Flohr.

Prince Philippos is a godson of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. His father King Constantine reigned from 6 March, 1964 until 1 June, 1973 when he was deposed by the Greek Junta. However, once a King, always a King. He is a descendant of the British Royal Family, from Queen Victoria, both paternally and maternally.

One line of descent from Victoria:-

Queen Victoria -> Victoria, Princess Royal -> Wilhlem II, Emperor of Germany -> Victoria Luise of Prussia ->Frederika of Hanover -> Constantine II of Greece -> Philippos of Greece


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Harry Newman Gilbey 1975-2020

 _. Harry Newman Gilbey, who died 12 December, 2020, aged 45, was a scion of the Gilbey baronets, and a cousin of James Gilbey, sometime squeeze of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Mr Gilbey leaves a widow, Delphine, and issue, including, Elisabeth Mythée Beverley [born 14 March, 2005], and Jack Newman [born 21 July, 2008].

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Friday, December 11, 2020

The 3rd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, CBE, FBA 1934-2020

 _. The 3rd Viscount Runciman of Doxford, CBE, FBA, died 10 December, 2020. He was 86.

Garry Runciman, as he was informally known, was a historical sociologist, educated at Eton College and at Trinity College Cambridge. Former Master of Trinity, Professor Amartya Sen, recalls Lord Runciman joining the College in the 1950s and being elected to a Title A Fellowship. ‘He was still a Classicist, and his remarkable thesis was on “Plato’s Later Epistemology.”  He moved to Sociology in the 1960s, and it was in his new role that Garry was elected to Title B in 1971.’

Viscount Runciman’s principal research interest was the application of neo-Darwinian evolutionary theory to cultural and social selection. His first major publication was Relative Deprivation and Social Justice: a Study of Attitudes to Social Inequality in Twentieth-Century Britain.  Other works include A Critique of Max Weber’s Philosophy of Social Science, A Treatise on Social Theory, and The Social Animal.

He was elected to the British Academy in 1975 and was President from 2001 to 2005.

Viscount Runciman chaired the British Government’s Royal Commission on Criminal Justice in England and Wales, which was established in 1991 to continue Sir John May’s inquiry into the convictions of the Maguire Seven, and which reported to Parliament in 1993. As a result, a permanent independent Criminal Cases Review Commission was set up to investigate possible miscarriages of justice

In 2004 Runciman edited and contributed to a British Academy occasional paper, Hutton and Butler: Lifting the Lid on the Workings of Power, which explores the events surrounding Britain’s participation in the invasion of Iraq and the ways in which it was presented to the British public.

Lord Runciman received honorary degrees from the Universities of Edinburgh, Oxford, London and York. He was an Honorary Foreign Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an Honorary Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford.

He was born 10 Nov, 1934, son of the 2nd Viscount [1900-89], and his wife the former Katherine Schuyler Garrison [died 1993], and succeeded to the viscountcy, in 1989. He married 17 April, 1963, Ruth Hellman [born 9 Jan, 1936], daughter of Joseph Hellman, of Johannesburg, by whom he had a son and two daughters.

He is survived by his wife, Ruth, Viscountess Runciman of Doxford , DBE, a former Chair of the UK Mental Health Act Commission and founder of the Prison Reform Trust. Their son, Prof the Hon David Runciman [born 1 March, 1967], is Professor of Politics at Cambridge and a Fellow of Trinity Hall. He succeeds his father as 4th Viscount.

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Angela, Lady Nall 1927-2020

 __. Angela, Lady Nall, who died 10 December, 2020, aged 93, was the widow of Sir Michael Nall, 2nd Baronet [1921-2001].

She was born in Hampshire, in 1927, as Angela Loveday Hanbury Coryton, daughter of Air Chief Marshal Sir William Coryton, KCB, KBE, MVO, DSC [1895-1981], scion of that landed family, and his wife the former Philippa Dorothea Hanbury [1905-89], scion of that landed gentry family.

Angela married 3 Apr, 1951, Michael Joseph Nall, of Hoveringham, co Nottingham, son of Sir Joseph Nall, 1st Baronet [1887-1958], and his wife the former Edith Elizabeth Francklin [died 1963]. Her husband inherited the baronetcy, 2 May, 1958, and died 8 September, 2001.

Lady Nall leaves issue, two sons, the elder is Sir Edward Nall, 3rd Baronet [born 24 Oct, 1952]. 

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Luis Hector Sosa Basualdo 1945-2020

 _. Luis Hector Sosa Basualdo, who died in Buenos Aires, 9 December, 2020, aged 75, was a renowned Argentinian polo player, sporting companion of the Prince of Wales, and beloved by gossip columnists in the 1970s for his lothario behavior, and lavish lifestyle from casino to the Golden Eagles polo team. His reputation earned him the nickname Luis 'the Bounder' Basualdo.

He was born 5 September, 1945 in Buenos Aires, the son of Don Hector Sosa Basualdo, an Olympic horseman, and his wife Donna Amanda Teresa Bissoni Facio, a leading socialite.

Basualdo, who came to the UK in the 1960s, mixed in high society polo circles, and friends included the Prince of Wales, Andrew Parker Bowles, Major Ron Ferguson, and a myriad of 'debutantes' all to be found in the pages of Debretts, such names as Guinness, Manners, Ward and Spencer et al. 

In 1972 he eloped with the teenage Hon Lucy Pearson [born 11 April, 1954], daughter of the croseus rich 3rd Viscount Cowdray [1910-95], of Cowdray Park, Sussex. Home was Lodsworth House, Sussex, one of the Pearson family stately piles.

The marriage ended in divorce in 1978. He had two children from his marriage to Lucy Pearson, Charlotte [born in 1974] and Rupert [born in 1976], who both took the Pearson name.

Basualdo was for some years the constant companion of Christina Onassis, who allegedly paid him a vast salary for the connection. 

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Thursday, December 10, 2020

The Earl of Bradford's son and heir engaged

 _. The engagement has been announced between Alexander Michael Orlando Bridgeman, styled Viscount Newport [born 6 September, 1980], and Miss Eliza Liepina [born 1991].

Viscount Newport is the eldest of the four children of the 7th Earl of Bradford [born 3 Oct, 1947], of Weston-under-Lizard, Shifnal, Shropshire, and his former 1st wife the former Joanna Elizabeth Miller [now Mrs Philip Porter, of Hungerford, Berkshire].

Eliza Liepina was educated at Auckland University, New Zealand.

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Wednesday, December 09, 2020

Maj. Paul Nicholas Ayshford Sanford 1931-2020

_.Paul Nicholas Ayshford Sanford, who died 8 December, 2020, aged 89, was a scion of that landed gentry family of Chipley Park; born in 1931, son of Richard John William Ayshford Sanford [1901-1983], and his wife the former [Iona] Betty Giolma [1907-1972]; married 1970, Faith Margaret Turnbull, daughter of William Frederick George Turnbull [1910-93], and his wife the former Kathleen Russell [1917-2005], by whom he had a son, Robert Seymour [born 1972].

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Tuesday, December 08, 2020

Jean Georgiana Ethel Heneage [nee Douglas] 1922-2020

 _. Jean Heneage, OBE, who died 5 December, 2020, aged 98, was a scion of the Earls of Morton, a granddaughter of the 19th Earl.

She was born Jean Georgiana Ethel Douglas, 5 July, 1922, daughter of the Hon William Sholto Douglas [1886-1932], and his wife the Hon Ethel Georgiana Frances Somerset [1889-1981], scion of the Barons Raglan, daughter of the 3rd Baron [1857-1921].

She married 5 March, 1949, Captain Edward Peter Findlay Heneage, DL [1923-2020], scion of the extinct Heneage barons [not descended from the 1st Baron but a kinsman], of North Carlton Old Hall, Lincolnshire, son of  Lt-Col Sir Arthur Pelham Heneage [1881-1971], and his wife the former Anne Findlay. She was widowed earlier this year, 24 March, 2020.

She leaves issue, three sons, Thomas, Charles, and Robert and a daughter, [Julia] Katherine.

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The 13th Lord Belhaven and Stenton 1927-2020

 _. The Lord Belhaven and Stenton, thirteenth holder of a Scottish peerage created in 1647, died at his London home, 2 December, 2020. He was 93. 

Lord Belhaven and Stenton, late lieutenant the Cameronians [Scottish Rifles]; appointed Commander with Cross, of the Polish Order of Merit, in 1995. For almost four decades until the abolition of the rights of hereditary peers to sit in the Upper Chamber in 1999, Lord Belhaven and Stenton was an active Conservative Peer and served on numerous committees including the British-Polish Group, British-Slovenian Group and the British-Slovakian Group. In 1995 he was decorated with the Commander Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in recognition of his active role in British-Polish relations.

He was born 27 February, 1927, as Robert Anthony Carmichael Hamilton, son of the 12th Lord Belhaven & Stenton [1903-61], and his first wife the former Heather Mildred Carmichael Bell [died 1993], and succeeded to the peerage on his father's demise, 10 July, 1961.

He was thrice married, firstly, 27 Sept, 1952 [div 1973], to [Elizabeth] Anne Moseley [died 2011], daughter of Colonel Arthur Henry Moseley, DSO, of Warrawee, New South Wales; married 2ndly, 20 June, 1973 [div 1986], Rosemary, Lady Mactaggart [born 1927], former wife of Sir Ian Mactaggart, 3rd Baronet, and only daughter of Sir Herbert Geraint Williams, 1st Baronet, MP; married 3rdly, 28 Oct, 1986, Malgorzata Maria Hruzik-Mazurkiewicz, daughter of Tadeusz Pobog Hruzik-Mazurkiewicz, of Krakow, Poland.

Lord Belhaven and Stenton leaves two children, a son, Frederick, and a daughter, Julia, from his first marriage, and a daughter, Alexandra, from his third marriage. His only son, the Hon Frederick Carmichael Arthur Hamilton, Master of Belhaven, born 27 September, 1953, now succeeds to the peerage,

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Araminta Elspeth Roper Neilan [born 2020]

 _. Alexandra Florence Neilan [nee Roper, born 1987], wife of Samuel John James Neilan [born 1987],  gave birth to a daughter, Araminta Elspeth Roper, 22 November, 2020.

Samuel is the elder son of Steven James Neilan [born 1957], of Argyll, and mis wife the former Anne Marie Maclean.

Alexandra is the daughter of David Alexander Roper, of London, and his former wife the former Hon Sarah Jane Leathes Prior [born 1959], daughter of the life peer and former Conservative Government minister, James Prior, Baron Prior, PC [1927-2016], and his wife the former Jane Primrose Gifford Lywood [1930-2015], scion of that landed family.

=-=



Guy Charles Savory [born 2020]

 _. Rosalie Diana Savory [née Barkes, born 1986], wife of Harry James Savory [born 1986], gave birth to a son, Guy Charles, 27 November, 2020, a brother for Sam Herbert, who was born 1 November, 2018.

Rosalie is a daughter of Mr & Mrs Richard Barkes, of Muckleridge Matfen, Northumberland.

Harry Savory is a son of Nigel Rudolph Savory [born 1953], of Thorpland Hall, Fakenham, Norfolk, by his wife the former Annabel Clare Leslie Melville [born 1956], scion of the Earls of Leven and Melville.

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Posy Isobel Orr-Ewing [born 2020]

 _. Olivia Anne Orr-Ewing [nee Eadie, born 1990], wife of Edward Orr-Ewing (born 1990), scion of the Orr Ewing baronets, gave birth to a daughter, Posy Isobel, 7 December, 2020.

Edward is a son of the Hon Malcolm Archie Orr-Ewing (b 1946), of Syresham, Northamptonshire, by his wife the former Clare Mary Flood, & Olivia Orr-Ewing is the elder daughter of Colonel David Eadie, of Newton Toney, Wiltshire, by his wife the former Camilla F. Beale.

Edward is a grandson of the life peer, the late Baron Orr-Ewing.

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Monday, December 07, 2020

Philip Adrian Scrope 1943-2020

 _. Philip Adrian Scrope, who died 6 December, 2020, was a scion of the Scropes of Danby, and the grandson of an Earl of Mexborough.

He was born in 1943, son of Ralph Henry Scrope [1905-81], and his wife the former Lady Beatrice Anne Savile [1910-73], scion of the Earls of Mexborough, a daughter of the 6th Earl [1868-1945].

The Scrope family (pronounced "Scroop") are seated at Danby, the family's 1,500-acre estate in North Yorkshire. The family descend from one of Edward the Confessor's Norman favourites, and were thus already settled in England at the time of the Conquest. The family motto, Devant si je puis (Forward if I am able), is a sardonic allusion to their name,which means "crab" in the Norman dialect. Establishing themselves in Wensleydale in the 12th century, Scropes distinguished themselves on the Crusades and in the Hundred Years War, were regularly summoned to medieval parliaments as barons, and have produced five Garter knights, and an Archbishop of York.

The Scrope coat of arms, Azure a bend or, was one of the earliest to be adopted and, to amateurs of heraldry, is a celebrated curiosity. Campaigning in Scotland in 1385, Richard, Lord Scrope of Bolton, was aghast to see it borne by a fellow knight, Sir Richard le Grosvenor. The matter was tried in the Court of Chivalry – John of Gaunt, Harry "Hotspur" and Geoffrey Chaucer all giving evidence on Scrope's behalf.

Depositions were conveniently heard in York Minster, the family burial place, where the Scrope arms were prominently on display, as they were – in glass, alabaster and stone – in more than 40 other churches in Yorkshire. The court's decision in favour of Scrope has long rankled with the Grosvenors. Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster, was to name his famous racehorse (the 1880 Derby winner) Bend Or, and it was also his nickname for his grandson, the 2nd Duke, whose chestnut hair reminded him of the horse. For their part, the proud Scropes sport a distinctive family tie, based on their arms, of blue with diagonal gold stripes.

Philip Scrope descended from a junior branch of the family which succeeded to the headship in 1630. Christopher Scrope was by that time a convicted recusant and knew better than to press his claim to the titles and estates. Christopher's son seated himself at Danby-on-Yore, in the heart of the Scrope country, which the family had acquired through an heiress in 1576. Largely rebuilt in the 16th century, Danby Hall incorporates one of the most southerly examples of a peel tower, dating from the early 14th century. A small chamber at the top of the "old Tower" served as a chapel, the only place of Catholic worship for miles around. In the early 1800s a capacious priest's hole was rediscovered at the back of a fireplace. Generations of Scropes were barred, as Catholics, from public office. Their sons were sent abroad, with false identities, for their schooling. Forbidden to own any horse worth more than £5, they depended on kindly Protestant neighbours to hold them in their own names. The Scrope who bred Danby Cade, a famous 18th-century racehorse, was not his legal owner. "Penal times" ended with the passing of the Catholic Relief Act in 1829. Scrope of Danby petitioned in vain for the earldom of Wiltshire, but retained the heraldic supporters (a pair of Cornish choughs) that the family claim by prescription – supporters being an honour usually afforded only to peers and knights grand cross under Royal Warrant.

Philip Scrope married in 1975, Penelope Anne M Williams, daughter of Maj Eric Williams, of Lynturk, Alford, Aberdeenshire, by whom he had a son, Richard [born 1977], and a daughter, Rosalind.

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Yarrow/Stirling engagement

  _. The engagement was announced 7 December, 2020, between Richard Eric Yarrow [born 1994], scion of the Yarrow baronets, only son of Norman Murray Yarrow [born 5 February, 1960], of Gullane, and his wife the former Carol J Hawkins [born 1961], & Sophia Ann Stirling [born 1993], daughter of Chris Stirling, of London, and his wife the former Gillian Waddell.

Richard Yarrow is a grandson of Sir Eric Grant Yarrow, 3rd Baronet [1920-2018].

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David Gerald Charles Guinness 1939-2020

 _. David Gerald Charles Guinness, who died in Gloucestershire, 6 December, 2020, aged 81, was a scion of the banking branch of the eponymous brewing dynasty.

He was born 3 August, 1939, son of Gerald Richard de Capell Brooke Guinness [1899-1975], and his wife the former Desirée Ann Eda Welby, scion of the Earle Welby baronets. 

David is survived by a nephew, Alexander Edward de Capell Brooke [born 27 May, 1968], and by a niece, Carolina Isabella de Capell Brooke [born 22 Aug 1970].

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Hugh Macdonald Teacher 1943-2020

 _. Hugh Macdonald Teacher, who died suddenly in Portugal, 1 December, 2020, aged 76, was a scion of the eponymous whisky distilling family. He was born 7 Dec, 1943, the second son of Brigadier Anthony Donald Macdonald Teacher, OBE [1905-69], and his wife the former Awdry Clarisse Macnaghten [1914-98], descended from the Macnaghten baronets; he married 14 July, 1977 [div 1995], Rosemary Anne Page Wood [born 17 Nov, 1948], scion of the Page Wood baronets, daughter of Sir John Hatherley Page Wood, 7th Baronet 1921-55], and Evelyn Hazel Rosemary Bellville [d 2009], scion of that landed family,

Hugh Teacher leaves a partner, Christine, and a son, James Henry Macdonald Teacher, born 5 July, 1979, to his wife, Rosemary. 

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Sunday, December 06, 2020

Martin Charles Findlay 1935-2020

 _. Martin Charles Findlay, who died 28 November, 2020, aged 85, was a maternal grandson of the 7th Earl of Dartmouth, GCVO.

He was born in 1935, a scion of the Findlay landed gentry family, son of Commander Noel Charles Mansfeldt Findlay, RN [1899-1976], and his wife the Lady Mary Cecilia Legge [1906-2003], daughter of the 7th Earl of Dartmouth, GCVO [1881-1958], sometime Lord Great Chamberlain.

He married in 1966, Davina Margaret Dundas [born 8 Dec, 1939], scion of the Dundas of Arniston baronets, daughter of Maj. Sir Thomas Calderwood Dundas of Arniston, 7th Baronet [1906-70], and his wife the former Isabel Goring [1909-97], scion of the Goring baronets, by whom he had issue, two sons, Mark Simon [born 1967], and Adam James [born 1969].

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Nigel John Trefusis Jaques 1935-2020

 _. Nigel John Trefusis Jaques, who died 5 December, 2020, aged 85, was a descendant of the Barons Clinton; born 1935, son of Leslie Harrison Jaques [1899-1971], and his wife the former Mary Adela White-Thompson [1901-1988], daughter of the Rt Rev Leonard Jauncey White-Thompson [1863-1933], Bishop of Ely, and his wife the Hon Margaret Adela Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis [1866-1939], daughter of the 20th Baron Clinton [1834-1904].

Old Etonian Jaques was a teacher, a popular housemaster at Eton College, who taught Prince William.

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Consuelo Sarah 'Mimi' Judson 1946-2020

_. Consuelo Judson, who died in the United States, 8 November, 2020, aged 74, was a granddaughter of the 10th Duke of Marlborough [1897-1972].

She was Consuelo Sarah Russell, born in New York, 27 Aug, 1946, second daughter of Lieutenant Edwin Fairman Russell [1914-2001], of the US Navy, and his first wife Lady Sarah Consuelo Spencer Churchill [1921-2000], eldest daughter of the 10th Duke of Marlborough [1897-1972], and his wife the former Hon [Alexandra] Mary Hilda Cadogan [1900-61], scion of the Earls Cadogan.

She was a great-granddaughter and namesake of Consuelo Vanderbilt, who married in 1895, the 9th Duke of Marlborough.

She was thrice wed, firstly, in 1968 [divorced 1969], James Toback; married 2ndly, 1970, Mark Schulman, of New York; and married 3rdly, William Judson, by whom she had issue.

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Althea Hermione Parsons [née Prowse] 1931-2020

 _. Althea Hermione Parsons died 5 December, 2020, aged 89.

She was born in 1931, daughter of Charles Anthony Stanley Prowse [1904-1981], and his wife the former Esme Edith Millais [1902-1987], scion of the Millais baronets, and was a granddaughter maternally of Sir Geoffrey William Millais, 4th Baronet [1863-1941].

She married in 1968, the Rev. Desmond John Parsons [1925-2014], scion of the Earls of Rosse, of Birr Castle, Co Offaly, son of the Rev. Canon Richard Edward Parsons [1888-1971], and his wife Hester Katherine Drummond [1889-1954], scion of the Drummond Earls of Perth.

Mrs Parsons leaves a son, Benedict and daughter, Francesca.

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Saturday, December 05, 2020

James Brooks Close Agnew 1953-2020

 _.James Brooks Close Agnew, who died 29 November, 2020, aged 67, was a scion of the Agnew baronets [cr 1895].

He was born 12 April, 1953, third son of Stephen William Agnew [1921-2001], and his wife the former Elizabeth Close. He married in 1984, Judith Dianne Gilbert, daughter of Edward Gilbert, by whom he had two daughters, Catherine [born 1986], and Louise [born 1988].

James Agnew was a grandson of Major Sir John Stuart Agnew, 3rd Baronet, DL [1879-1957]. James's elder brother, John [born 30 Aug 1949], is heir presumptive to the family baronetcy.

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Hunter/Plunket engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 5 December, 2020, between Henry V. de Courcy Hunter, youngest son of Mr Archibald J. de Courcy Hunter, of Ludlow, Shropshire, and his former wife the former Antonia W.A. Gell [now Mrs Rory MacDonald, of Wrockwardine, Shropshire], & Emily Lee Plunket [born 1991], scion of the Barons Plunket, eldest daughter of Charles Patrick Benjamin Plunket, MBE [born 2 July, 1947], of Lisbellaw, County Fermanagh, and his wife the former Fiona James.

The bride-to-be is a descendant of the Guinness family, and from the 4th Baron Plunkket

Sir Benjamin Guinness, Bt -->Anne Lee Guinness m. 4th Baron Plunket-->Most Rev Hon Benjamin Plunket-->Benjamin Wm Alan Plunket-->Charles Plunket-->Emily Lee Plunket

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Hall/Farncombe engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 5 December, 2020, between Ashley J. Hall, son of Mr & Mrs Colin Hall, of Chester, and Joanna Abigail Farncombe [born 5 May, 1990], daughter of Andrew David Farncombe, of Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and his wife the former Hon Jenefer Anne Lawson [born 17 December, 1949], eldest daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel the 5th Baron Burnham [1920-1993].

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Manners/Murray engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 5 December, 2020, between Joseph Peter Manners [born 1991], scion of the Barons Manners, son of Charles Henry Manners, [born 21 October, 1957], of Woodend, Northamptonshire, and his wife the former Nichola E. Thompson, & Alice F. Murray, elder daughter of Mr & Mrs Ross Murray, of Llanover, Monmouthshire.

Joseph Manners is a grandson of the Hon Thomas Jasper Manners [born 12 Dec, 1929], and a great-grandson of the 4th Baron Manners [1897-1972], and his wife Mary Edith Gascoyne-Cecil [1900-94], a granddaughter of the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG [1830-1903], Prime Minister three times for a total of over 13 years.

The Barons Manners are a cadet of the Dukes of Rutland.

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Friday, December 04, 2020

Sir John Moodie Graham, 2nd [and last] Baronet 1938-2020

 _. Sir John Moodie Graham, 2nd and last Baronet, died 2 November, 2020. He was 82.

He was Chairman, John Graham [Dromore] Ltd, 1966-83, Building and Civil Engineering Contractors.

He was born 3 April, 1938, son of Sir Clarence Johnston Graham [1900-66], whos baronetcy was one of the last to be created, 23 January, 1964, and his wife the former Margaret Christina Moodie [died 1954].

He succeeded his father in the baronetcy, 22 December, 1966, and married 8 April, 1970 [divorced 1983], Valerie Rosemary Gill, daughter of Frank Gill, of Belfast, by whom he had three daughters, Suzanne, Alyson and Lucy. In 2006 he entered into a civil partnership with David J. Galway, his partner from 1980, who survives him.

Career: joinjed the family firm of John Graham [Dromore] Ltd, Building and Civil Engineering Contractors. Director: Elecrtrical Supplies Ltd, 1967-83; Concrete [NI] Ltd, 1967-83; Ulster Quarries Ltd; Graham [Contracts] Ltd, 1971-83; Fieldhouse Plant [NI] Ltd, 1976-83; Fieldhouse Plant [NI] Ltd, 1976-83; Chairman, Concrete Society, Northern Ireland, 1972-74; Senior Vice-President, Concrete Society, 1980; Director, Kinnegar Inns Ltd, 1981; President, Northern Ireland Leukaemia Research Fund, 1967; Member of Lloyds from 1977.

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The Baroness Clyde [died 2020]

 _. The Baroness Clyde, who died 25 November, 2020, aged 87, was the widow of the Baron Clyde, PC [1932-2009], a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.

She was the former Anne Clunie Hoblyn, and married in 1963, James John Clyde, son of James Latham McDiarmid Clyde, Lord Clyde, PC [1898-1975], a Scottish Judge, sometime Lord Advocate with the title Lord Clyde [but not a life peer].

Her husband was appointed a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary in 1996, and elevated to the peerage as Baron Clyde, of Briglands in Perthshire and Kinross. He died 6 March, 2009.

Lady Clyde leaves two sons, Jamie and Tim.

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Graham-Watson/Nevitt engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 4 December, 2020, between Alexander Cosimo Graham-Watson [born 1989], second son of Andrew FitzJames Graham-Watson [born 22 January,1957], of Longworth, co Oxford, scion of that landed gentry family of Lofts Hall, Saffron Walden, co Essex, and his wife the former Brigitte Claude Marie Jeanson, & Lauren Elizabeth Nevitt, daughter of Mr & Mrs Tom Nevitt, of Long Island, New York.

Alexander's great-great grandfather James Graham-Watson [1850-1931], married 1878, Charlotte Maude Boothby [d 1938], scion of the Barons Boothby.

Alexander is a fourth cousin once removed of Diana, Princess of Wales.

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Thursday, December 03, 2020

Walter George Spencer Woodhouse [born 2020]

 __. Celia Rose Woodhouse [nee McCorquodale, born 1989], wife of George Woodhouse, gave birth to a son, Walter George Spencer, 27 November, 2020.

Celia Woodhouse is a first cousin of the Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex. Harry and Meghan attended Celia's wedding to George Woodhouse, at Stoke Rochford, Lincolnshire, on 16 June, 2018, just a few weeks after their own wedding in Windsor. Celia wore the Spencer tiara famously worn by her aunt, Lady Diana Spencer, at her marriage to the Prince of Wales, 29 July, 1981.

Celia is scion of the McCorquodale landed gentry family, the younger daughter of Mr Neil McCorquodale by his wife the former Lady [Elizabeth] Sarah Lavinia Spencer [b 1955], eldest daughter of the late 8th Earl Spencer [1924-92].

George John Woodhouse [born 1991] is the younger son of Mr Philip J. Woodhouse and the late Mrs Sarah J. [Pudding] Woodhouse [nee George]. 

Charles Woodhouse, George's elder brother, is married to a daughter of Baroness Shackleton, the noted divorce lawyer.

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Wednesday, December 02, 2020

Cecilia de Laszlo [born 2020]

 _. Pamela de Laszlo, wife of Rupert John Richard de Laszlo [born 2 Oct, 1968], gave birth to a daughter, Cecilia, 1 December, 2020.

Rupert, descended from the Dukes of Norfolk, is a great-grandson of the portrait painter, Philip de Laszlo, MVO [1869-1937].

Rupert is a son of Martin Richard de Laszlo [1940-2017], and his wife the former Mary Gwendolen Freeman [born 1 Feb, 1945], daughter of Lieutenant-Col John Edward Broke Freeman [1910-1986], and his wife Lady Winefride Alice Fitzalan-Howard [1914-2006], daughter of the 15th Duke of Norfolk [1847-1917], and his 2nd wife, Lady Herries of Terregles [1877-1945] [a Peeress in her own right].

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Thomas George Ramsay Davidson Clark 1922-2020

 _. Thomas George Ramsay Davidson Clark, who died 28 November, 2020, aged 98, was a scion of the Clark of Edinburgh baronets [cr 1886]; born 21 October, 1922, son of Capt Thomas George Clark [1895-1986], late 7th Battalion the Royal Scots, publisher, by his wife the former Mary Hall Aldcorn; married 1956, Sheila Campbell Brown, daughter of Hebert Campbell Brown, of St Andrews, Fife, by whom he had issue, a son, Nigel, and three daughters, Sheena, Karen and Gillian.

Thomas Clark was a great-grandson of Sir Thomas Clark, 1st Baronet [1823-1900], Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1885-88.

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Edmund Campbell d'Olier Lees 1929-2020

 _. Edmund Campbell d’Olier Lees, who died 19 November, 2020, aged 91, was a scion of the Lees baronets [cr 1804]; born 10 June, 1929, elder son of John Rutherford Lees [1887-1972], who, assumed by deed poll in 1952, the addition surname of d'Olier, for himself and his family, by his wife the former Margery Scott [1894-1975]; married 1960, Hilary Vernon Harbord [born 1937], daughter of John Gilbert Harbord [1904-1984], and his wife the former Audrey Hope Anderson Martin [1913-2002], by whom he had issue, sons Robert and Richard, and daughters, Caroline and Deborah.

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Keith/Showalter engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 2 December, 2020, between Capt Edward Michael Keith, of The Blues and Royals [born 1991], scion of the Keith landed family, of West Barsham Hall, eldest son of James Edward Keith [born 5 March, 1960], of Hoe Hall, Norfolk, and his wife the former Victoria Rosemary Cook, & Ellen Grace Showalter [born 1993], only daughter of Mr & Mrs William Showalter, of McClellanville, South Carolina, and Jordans, Buckinghamshire.

Capt Edward Keith is a great-nephew of the late Baron Keith of Castleacre [1916-2004], life peer, businessman and banker. 

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Bethell/Mills engagement

 _. The engagement was announced 2 December, 2020, between Nicholas Bethell [born 1990], acion of the landed gentry family of Bethell of Rise, third son of Hugh Adrian Bethell [born 23 April, 1952], of Rise, East Riding of Yorkshire, by his wife the former Sarah Elizabeth St Aubyn [born 28 June, 1955], scion of the Barons St Levan, & Alice Victoria R. Mills [born 1991], elder daughter of Andrew Mills, of Farthinghoe, Northamptosnhire, and his wife the former Vanessa A. Harford.

Nicholas's paternal grandfather, Richard Anthony Bethell, married 27 Sept, 1945, Lady Jane Pleydell-Bouverie [1923-2006], daughter of the 7th Earl of Radnor [1895-1968]. On Nicholas's maternal side he descends from the Barons St Levan, of St Michael's Mount, Penzance, and the Earls of Morley, &c.

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Harbord-Hamond/Fellowes engagement

 _. The union of two aristocratic dynasties, Lord Suffield's heir and Lord De Ramsey's daughter.

The engagement was announced 2 December, 2020, between the Hon Samuel Charles Anthony Harbord-Hamond [born 4 February, 1989], eldest son of the 13th Baron Suffield [born 10 July, 1956], of Wandsworth, London, and his wife the former Katharine Margaret Lucy Seymour [born 15 December, 1959], scion of the Marquesses of Hertford, & the Hon Flora Mary Fellowes [born 1991], younger daughter of the 4th Baron De Ramsey [born 27 February, 1942], of Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire, and his wife the former Alison Mary Birkmyre [born 5 Sept, 1954], scion of the Birkmyre baronets.

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Tuesday, December 01, 2020

Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore 1948-2020

 The UK Supreme Court has paid tribute to one of its first judges, Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore, who has died aged 72.


His death was announced just two months after he retired, having served in the UK's highest court since it was established in 2009.

Lord Kerr was also lord chief justice of Northern Ireland from 2004 to 2009.

The President of the Supreme Court, Lord Reed, described him as a kind and modest man with an "instinctive sense of justice" who would be much missed.

"Justices and staff alike are shocked by the news, and we offer our deepest sympathy to Lady Kerr, her children and their families," he said.

Lord Kerr had a long and illustrious legal career which took him to the very top of the UK justice system.

Born Brian Francis Kerr in 1948, his family lived in Lurgan, County Armagh, and he was educated at St Colman's College in Newry, County Down.

He studied law at Queen's University Belfast and was called to the bar in 1970.

The father of two became a QC in 1983 and within 10 years, he was a judge.

"He became a High Court judge at the age of 44, at a time when the decision to serve as a judge in Northern Ireland required courage and a strong sense of duty." said Lord Reed.

He later rose to become lord chief justice - the most senior judge in Northern Ireland - and served five years in that post.

When the Supreme Court was created in 2009, the then Sir Brian Kerr was one of the first judges to be appointed to the newly-formed institution.

Having served exactly 11 years on the UK's most powerful court, he retired from the Supreme Court on 30 September.

His death was announced by a fellow judge at Craigavon Crown Court in County Armagh on Tuesday morning.

Just before he started a trial, Judge Patrick Lynch QC told the jury he had just received the news that the "local boy" had died suddenly.

He added that Lord Kerr had "a distinguished career as a junior barrister" before being called to the bar.

Judge Lynch also told the jury that on his appointment to the Supreme Court, he took the title of Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore in tribute to his Lurgan roots.

Despite climbing to the top of his profession, Lord Kerr once said that he "fell into law by default" and had little ambition to become a judge.

In an address to the Supreme Court on Tuesday afternoon, its president Lord Reed said: "Brian was a deeply valued colleague, a kind and modest man of the utmost integrity, who will be deeply missed by all those who had the pleasure of working with him."

He added that his late colleague had the most distinguished of legal careers and "left us a legacy which will be drawn on well into the future.

"Through his judgments and during hearings, Brian demonstrated his strong and instinctive sense of justice, and his thoughtful and principled approach to resolving legal problems.

"He will never know the full extent of the impact which his considerate, good-humoured and encouraging nature had on the court, the staff of the court, and his judicial colleagues."

The Supreme Court flag will fly at half-mast on Tuesday and Wednesday in tribute to Lord Kerr.

Felix Francis Rios-Perez [born 2020]

 _. Laura Alexandra Rios-Perez [née Mildmay-White, born 1988], wife of Daniel Rios-Perez [born 1988], and cion of the St John Mildmay baronets, gave birth to a son, Felix Francis, 27 November, 2020.

Daniel is a son of Francisco Rios-Lopez, and Mrs Margarita Perez-Freijo, of Isleworth, London, and Laura is a daughter of Richard Francis Bingham Mildmay-White [born 1949], of Rougham, Suffolk, and his wife the former Sara J. Cleland [born 1952].

If the family adhere to the Spanish system of names, then the baby is Cecilia Rios-Mildmay.

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Lady Vestey, the Duke of Sussex's godmother, dies suddenly, aged 71

 _.The Baroness Vestey, who died suddenly, 28 November, 2020, aged 71, was the wife of courtier, Sam Vestey, the 3rd Baron, former Master of the Horse to the Queen. She was a godmother of the Duke of Sussex, standing sponsor at his christening almost 36 years ago.

Lady Vestey was a close friend of the Queen and Prince of Wales, a member of their 'racing circle'.

She was born at Oxford in 1949, as Celia Elizabeth Knight, a daughter of Major [Hubert] Guy Broughton Knight, MC [1917-93], head of that landed gentry family, of Lockinge Manor, Wantage, and his wife the former Hester Loyd [1920-2002], scion of the Loyds of Lockinge. Celia's elder sister, Henrietta [born in 1946], is the retired English Thoroughbred racehorse trainer, best known as a trainer of National Hunt racehorses, wife of Terry Biddlecombe [1941-2014], the champion jockey.

She married in 1981, as his second wife, Samuel George Armstrong Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey, GCVO [born 19 March, 1941], of Stowell Park, Gloucestershire, the billionaire landowner, who served the Royal Household as Master of the Horse, in attendance on the Queen at the annual Birthday Parade.

She stood sponsor at the Christening of Prince Harry at Windsor, on 21 Dec, 1984. Harry's other godparents were his uncle, the Duke of York, his father's cousin, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, Mrs William Bartholemew, a former flatmate of Diana, Princess of Wales, Bryan Organ, the portrait painter, and Gerald Ward, scion of the Earls of Dudley, a landowner chum of the Prince of Wales.

Lady Vestey was the mother of two sons, the Hon William Vestey [born 27 Aug, 1983], and the Hon Arthur Vestey [born in 1985], and a daughter, the Hon Mary Henrietta Vestey [born in 1992]. 

Her eldest son served the Queen as a Page of Honour, 1995-98. 

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David John Mordaunt 1937-2020

 _. David Mordaunt, the former Sussex cricketer, teacher and expeditioner, scion of the Mordaunt baronets, died 28 November, 2020. He was 83.

David John Mordaunt was born 24 August, 1937, son of Eustace John Mordaunt [1901-88], and his wife the former Anne Frances Gilmour [1916-76].

He was a great-great grandson of Sir John Mordaunt, 9th Baronet [1808-45].

Mordaunt was a right-handed batsman who bowled right-arm medium-fast. He made his first-class debut in 1958 for Sussex in the game against Oxford University, scoring 96 in the second innings, when he was caught trying to hit his fourth six, which would have given him a century on debut. From 1958 to 1960, Mordaunt played 19 first-class matches for Sussex as an amateur, his final match for the county coming against Gloucestershire in the 1960 County Championship. He scored 586 runs for Sussex at a batting average of 24.41, with five half-centuries and highest score of 96. With the ball he took 19 wickets at a bowling average of 28.89, with a single five wicket haul of 5 for 42.

Mordaunt left Sussex at the end of the 1960 season. He played his final first-class match in 1964 for Marylebone Cricket Club against Ireland. With the MCC he also toured North America in 1959, South America in 1964-65, and North America again in 1967.

In 1964 Mordaunt joined the minor county Berkshire, and made his Minor Counties Championship debut against Devon. From 1964 to 1974, he played 40 Minor Counties Championship matches for Berkshire. He made his List A debut for Berkshire against Somerset in the 1st round of the 1965 Gillette Cup, scoring 60, including four sixes off the bowling of Bill Alley, and winning the man of the match award. He played three further one-day matches for the county, against Hertfordshire in the 1st round of the 1966 Gillette Cup, against Gloucestershire in the 2nd round of the same tournament, and finally against Hertfordshire in the 1976 Gillette Cup. In his four one-day matches he scored 144 runs at an average of 36.00, with two half-centuries and a highest score of 60. With the ball he took three wickets at an average of 44.00, with best figures of 3/24.

His grandfather, Gerald Mordaunt [1873-1959], played first class cricket for Oxford University, Kent County Cricket Club, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the Gentlemen and other amateur sides between 1893 and 1904, and his great-grandfather, John Mordaunt [1837-1923], was also a cricketer.

Mordaunt taught mathematics at Wellington College, and was also a noted expeditioner, leading three Royal Geographical Schools Expeditions to the Arctic and, in 1983, a Royal Geographical Society expedition through Nepal to the base of Annapurna.

He married in 1990 [divorced 2002], Dr Catharine Hilary Mayne, daughter of John Fraser Mayne, CB.

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Sir Richard Henry Clay, 7th Baronet 1940-2020

 _. Sir Richard Clay, 7th Baronet, died 28 November, 2020. He was 80. 

Richard Henry Clay was born 2 June, 1940, the son of Sir Henry Felix Clay, 6th Baronet [1909-1985], and his wife the former Phyllis Mary Paramore [died 1997]; and succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death in July, 1985; educated at Eton; FCA. He married 14 September, 1963, Alison Mary Fife, daughter of Dr James Gordon Fife, by whom he had issue, three sons and two daughters. The eldest son, Charles Richard Clay, born 18 Dec, 1965, succeeds to the baronetcy, created in 1841, for his ancestor, William Clay, MP for Tower Hamlets, and Secretary of the Board of Control for India, 1839-41, &c.

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