The Baron Rosser 1944-2024

 Lord Rosser, life baron, who died 10 April, 2024, aged 79, was a trade union leader and Labour politician who was a member of the House of Lords. He latterly served as Shadow Spokesperson for Transport and Home Affairs in the House of Lords.

Richard Andrew Rosser was born 5 October, 1944, was employed by London Transport he joined the staff of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) early in his working career, representing London Transport's white-collar staff in negotiations with the management. He rose through the ranks of the TSSA to be an Assistant General Secretary (one of two, at the time), and in 1989 he was elected General Secretary of the union (i.e. in day-to-day control, but answerable to an elected Executive Committee of lay members, and to the Annual Conference). Rosser was re-elected twice, serving a total of fifteen years in office before his retirement in 2004 – a record second only to the thirty years (1906-1936) served by Alexander Walkden.

During his time at the TSSA, Rosser was also a magistrate and was Chairman of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party in 1997–98.

Rosser was the Labour candidate for Croydon Central at the general election of February 1974, but was not elected.

Following his retirement from TSSA Rosser was created a life peer on 14 June 2004 as Baron Rosser, of Ickenham in the London Borough of Hillingdon, taking his seat in the House of Lords on the Labour Party benches in the summer of 2004. In addition to transport matters, he took an interest in penal policy, being chair of the Prison Service Audit Committee and a non-executive member of the Prison Service change programme board.

Lord Rosser served as an Opposition Whip and Spokesperson for the Labour Party on defence, home affairs and transport at various times from 2010. He stood down from the Labour front bench in 2022 due to ill health. 

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Christine, Baroness Cobbold 1940-2024

 Christine, Baroness Cobbold, who died from pancreatic cancer, 7 April, 2024, aged 83, was a Bohemian aristocrat, chatelaine of magnificent Knebworth, who helped her husband to preserve his family seat with a string of celebrated rock festivals.

Christine Elizabeth Stucley, known universally as Chryssie, was born 25 April, 1940, a scion of the baronets of that name, third daughter of Maor Sir Dennis Stucley, 5th Baronet (1907-1983), who owned both the fortified gatehouse Affeton Castle near Bideford and the imposing Hartland Abbey, hunted four days a week and founded the Taw and Torridge pack, by his wife the former Hon Sheila Margaret Warwick Bampfylde (1912-1996), scion of the Barons Politimore.

She married 7 January, 1961, the then Hon David Antony Fromanteel Cobbold (born 14 July, 1937), son of the 1st Baron Cobbold, KG, GCVO, PC, DL (1904-1987), sometime Governor of the Bank of England, and Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth II, and his wife the former Lady Margaret Hermione Millicent Bulwer-Lytton (1905-2004), scion of the Earls of Lytton. Her husband succeeded his father, 1 November, 1987, as 2nd Baron Cobbold (cr UK, 1960).

Lady Cobbold was widowed 9 May, 2022. She leaves issue, three sons, Henry, Peter and Richard, and a daughter, Rosina. Her eldest son is the 3rd Baron Cobbold (born 12 May 1962).

In 1969, she and her husband David, had begged to open his mother’s dilapidated family seat Knebworth House and its 250-acre park to the public to help with the running costs. His parents — had no time to keep the house going and it needed substantial restoration work, with a 14-acre “wilderness garden, extensive dry rot, fungus and every sort of beetle”.

The young Cobbolds were then in the vanguard of historic house owners sharing their heritage, but with far less money than rivals such as Longleat and Woburn Abbey. The struggle to keep the estate afloat amid wildly fluctuating fortunes dominated the next 35 years of the Cobbolds’ lives, but they approached each setback and windfall with humorous stoicism.

When in 2000 the couple handed on the estate, by now protected by a charitable conservation trust, to their eldest son Henry and his American wife Martha (née Boone), it was a thriving business that had welcomed millions of visitors to events ranging from medieval banquets and Wild West reenactments to wedding receptions and athletics meets.

From the Daily Telegraph obituary: The Cobbolds’ four children survive her: Henry, the 3rd Lord Cobbold, a former Hollywood screenwriter and keen naturist, is Knebworth’s current custodian; Peter manages a property rental business in Spain; Richard is the director of an international tech company; and Rosina is an artist and alternative education pioneer. Lady Cobbold is also survived by the Ugandan brothers Danny and Harry Matovu, whom she and her husband informally adopted. They were two of Henry’s closest friends at Eton whose parents had suffered persecution under Idi Amin, and who went on to become successful barristers. After handing over Knebworth to the next generation, the Cobbolds moved to a house nearby where Chryssie cared for her husband as he faced Parkinson’s disease. When he died [in 2022] she ordered a coffin decorated with the artwork from his favourite Pink Floyd album and erected a memorial bench beside his grave in Knebworth garden inscribed: “See you on the Dark Side of the Moon”.

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John Jeremy de la Poer Bellew 1937-2024

John Jeremy de la Poer Bellew, who died in the United States, 14 April, 2024, aged 87, was a scion of the Barons Bellew, and a grandson maternally of the 5th Baron Decies. His home was at Preston Hollow, New York.

He was born 19 February, 1937, son of the Hon Patrick Herbert Bellew (1905-1984), a cartoonist, by his 1st wife the     Hon Catherine Moya de la Poer Beresford (1913-1967), daughter of the 5th Baron Decies (1866-1944).

As a young child, in order to escape the imminent risk of enemy bombing in England, John was sent to live with relatives in Canada and the United States. At the war’s end, he reunited with his parents and continued to live in the USA. He graduated from The Lawrenceville School and then Princeton University, where he served in the ROTC. After graduation from Princeton in 1958, John enrolled at The Wharton School. Once he received his MBA, he began his full-time active-duty service at the U.S. Army bases in Fort Bliss, Texas and Fort Dix, NJ. He was then promoted to a Reserve Commissioned Officer of the Army, ultimately rising to the rank of Captain. 

Once John accepted his Reserve commission, he resumed his pursuit of a business career and accepted a role in the international banking division of The Chase Manhattan Bank. He worked in the Bank’s NYC offices for a few years but spent most of the next 20 years as an expatriate banker, beginning with an assignment in London. A few years later, he was relocated to the bank’s offices in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he met his wife, Cynthia. After their marriage, John and Cynthia remained in Johannesburg, where they welcomed the arrival of their son, John Patrick. The family proceeded to enjoy the adventure of several relocations for John’s career. 

John’s next role took him back to NYC and he moved his family to Chappaqua. Hong Kong was the next destination for the family, followed by a return to Chappaqua. John spent time on various responsibilities throughout the NYC branch network, at one point running Chase’s U.N. Branch. 

John’s next position took the family to Dublin, Ireland, where they settled in the nearby town of Bray. Several years later, the family were thrilled when John’s next assignment brought them home again to New York. This time, the family chose to put down roots near Teatown Lake in northern Westchester County. 

In addition to living on 4 different continents, John and his family delighted in travelling to several exotic locations for their vacations, such as the island of Bali in Indonesia and the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa. 

Upon John’s retirement, he and his wife found a home in the Catskill Mountains that allowed them to indulge their love of nature, gardening and antiquing. Their first move was to Roxbury, NY where they lived for 12 years before finally settling in the hamlet of Preston Hollow, NY, 24 years ago. 

John Bellew married 8 January, 1966, Cynthia Annette Saunders, daughter of Ernest J. Saunders, of Johannesburg, South Africa. His wife died in 2018.

He leaves a son, John Patrick Bellew (born 12 Dec, 1966), and a daughter, Catherine Moya Bellew-Morano (born 3 March, 1969).

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Roe/Robinson engagement

 The engagement was announced 15 April, 2024, between Edward Frederick John Roe (born 1994), elder son of Alexander Frederick James Roe, of Upper Farringdon, Hampshire, and his late wife the former Caroline Jane Maltby (1957-2021), & Kate Jane Robinson (born 1996), daughter of Dr Simon Robinson, of Hartwith, North Yorkshire, and his wife Dr Jane Robinson (nee Sawyer).

Edward Roe is descended from the Earls of Malmesbury:-

The 6th Earl of Malmesbury (1907-2000) > Lady Sylvia Harris (b 1934) > Caroline Maltby (1957-2021) > Edward Roe (b 1994)

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Daphne Emma Gillian Cooksley (born 2024)

 Mary Rose Avril Cooksley (born 1991, nee Ropner), wife of Alexander James Cooksley [born 1992], gave birth to a daughter, Daphne Emma Gillian, 31 March, 2024.

Alexander is the elder son of Steven Cooksley, of Coulsdon, Surrey, and his wife the former Gillian Taylor.

Mary Cooksle, a scion of the Ropner baronets, is the eldest daughter of Charles Guy Corban Ropner [born 2 February, 1959], of Bedale, North Yorkshire, and his wife the former Emma Andrews.

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Bodie Giles Edward Agar (born 2024)

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

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

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

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

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Duke of Kent retires as colonel of the Scots Guards

 His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent has retired as Colonel of the Scots Guards - after a tenure of almost 50 years. He was the regiment's longest serving colonel from 9 September, 1974 to 14 April, 2024.

Field Marshal His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO, ADC, the 2nd Duke, was born at 3, Belgrave Sq, W1, 9 October, 1935, the eldest child of HRH The Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, 1st Duke of Kent, KG, KT, GCMG, GCVO, PC (1902-1942), and his wife HRH Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, CI, GCVO, GBE (1906-1968). The Home Secretary, Sir John Simon, was present to verify his birth. 

He is a grandson of HM King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary (1867-1953), a nephew of King Edward VIII (1894-1972), and of King George VI (1895-1952), & a first cousin of HM Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). The Duke of Kent's mother, Princess Marina, was a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021), thus making him a second cousin and at the same time a first cousin once removed of King Charles III.

He was baptized Edward George Nicholas Paul Patrick by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Gordon Lang, in the private chapel at Buckingham Palace, 20 November, 1935. His godparents were his grandparents King George V and Queen Mary and Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, and the then Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII), and Princess Mary the Princess Royal Countess of Harewood, his great-great uncle the Duke of  Connaught & Strathearn (whose son stood proxy), and Princess Lousie, Duchess of Argyll. 

He was styled HRH Prince Edward of Kent from his birth until 1942. His father was killed in a flying accident on active service in Caithness,  25 August, 1942, and Prince Edward succeeded as 2nd Duke of Kent, Earl of St Andrews and Baron Downpatrick, all in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (the peerages were created 12 Oct, 1934). As of August 2024 he has been a duke for 82 years, a record in the annals of the peerage.

The Duke of Kent was educated at Ludgrove, then Eton, then at Le Rosey, Switzerland and at the RMA Sandhurst.

In 1952 he walked in the procession as a 16 year-old at the funeral of his uncle King George VI, and in 1953 he attended the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and knelt in homage to his cousin following the Dukes of Edinburgh and Gloucester. The Duke has acted as a Counsellor of State during periods of the late Queen's absence abroad.

He received a Hon DCL from Durham University in 1961. He has been involved in over 140 charitable organisations.

Career: Major-General (retired) Royal Scots Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers and Greys), Deputy Colonel in Chief (1993); Colonel-in-Chief , the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Devonshire and Dorset Regiment, and Lorne Scots Regiment (Canada); Colonel of the Scots Guards for 50 years 1974-2024; acted as special representaive of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the independence celebrations in Sierra Leone 1961, in Uganda 1962, The Gambia 1965, and Guyana and Barbados 1966, and at the Coronation of the King of Tonga in 1967; Personal ADC to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1966-2022; GSO II Eastern Command  1966-68; an instructor at the RMA Sandhurst 1968-70; and in command of the C Squadron Royal Scots Greys 1970-71; retired as Lieutenant-Colonel 1976; promoted to Major-General in June 1983, and Field Marshal in June 1993; Hon Air Cdre to the RAF Leuchars 1993; Grand Master United Grand Lodge of Freemasons of England from 1967; Grand Master of the Order of St Michael & St George 1967-   ;President of Wellington College (1969); President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission from 1970 to 2023. President of the Scouts Association (1975); Vice-Chairman of the British Overseas Trade Board (1976); Chairman, Duke of Edinburgh's Commonwealth Study Conference (UK Fund); President Royal Masonic Benevolent Institute, Royal Choral Society, Pres Imperial War Museum, Pres the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, Pres the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club Wimbledon from 1969 to 2021; Royal Patron of the Anglo-German Association (1994); from 1971 to 2000 he was President of the Football Association; Patron The Help Poland Fund from 1977; Chancellor of the University of Surrey since 1976; Hon Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society 1993; Hon Freeman of the Clothworkers' Co, Freeman of the Mercers' Company, Hon Liveryman of the Salters' Company, and of the Engineers' Co.

In the early years of their marriage the Kents lived the life of an ordinary army officer and wife. Sir Noel Coward, a great friend of the family, encountered the duke and duchess when he visited Hong Kong in 1963: "Had an enchanting evening with Prince Eddie and Kate, who live in an ordinary officers' issue flatlet in the New Territories and are as merry as grigs and having a lovely time untrammelled by royal pomposity. They really are a sweet couple and it is a pleasure to see two people so entirely happy with each other. I also saw George (Earl of St Andrews), who is thirteen months and blond and pink and smiling."

The Duke of Kent received the Hon Freedom of the City of Georgetown, Guyana (1966); has the Order of St George and St Constantine of Greece (1st Class); the Order of the Tri Shakti Patta of Nepal (1st Class); Grand Band of the Order of the Star of Africa of Liberia; and the Grand Cross of the Order of Al-Nahda of Jordon. HRH has three Coronation Medals - those of George VI (1937), Queen Elizabeth II (1953), and King Charles III (2023), and Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee Medal (1977), Gold Jubilee Medal (2002), Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and Platinum Jubilee Medal (2022).

His Royal Highness was appointed GCVO in 1960; GCMG in 1967; and a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in 1985.

The Duke of Kent married at York Minster, 8 June, 1961, Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley, GCVO (born 22 February, 1933), the only daughter of Colonel Sir William Arthington Worsley, 4th Baronet (1890-1973), of Hovingham Hall, near York, by his wife the former Joyce Morgan Brunner (1895-1979), scion of the Brunner baronets.

The Duke and Duchess of Kent have three children, and one son deceased:-

(1) George Philip Nicholas Windsor, styled Earl of St Andrews from birth (born 26 June, 1962)

(2) Lady Helen Marina Lucy Windsor (born 28 April, 1964)

(3) Lord Nicholas Charles Edward Jonathan Windsor (born 25 July, 1970).

(4) Lord Patrick Windsor (Stillborn 5 Oct, 1977)

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Gobourn/Burnell engagement

 The engagement was announced 13 April, 2024, between Toby Richard C. Gobourn (born 13 November, 1996, younger son of Andrew Dennis Crichton Gobourn (born 1960), of East Lothian, and his wife the former Claire Kelway Smith-Carington (born 1962), scion of that landed gentry family; and Victoria M.M. Burnell, second daughter of Mr and Mrs Nicholas Burnell of Hampshire.

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Bossom/Morgan engagement

 The engagement was announced 13 April, 2024, between Barnaby David Vaughan Bossom (born 28 December, 1995), scion of the Bossom baronets, the third son of Doric Alfred Howard Bossom (born 27 February, 1960), of Salisbury, Wiltshire, and his wife the former Sara Jocelyn Vaughan (born 1958), and Lucy B. Morgan, elder daughter of John and Sharon Morgan, of Houghton, Hampshire.

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Charlotte Francis Champion De Crespigny 1948-2024

 Charlotte Francis Champion de Crespigny, who died in Australia, 4 April, 2024, aged 75, was a scion of that landed gentry family. 

Descended from French nobility,Charlotte descended from Claude Champion de Crespigny, Sieur de Crespigny, whose three sons became free denizens of England by Act of Parliament, passed 5 March 1690.

She was born 3 September, 1948, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Constantine Trent Champion De Crespigny, DSO, VD (1882-1952), a soldier, doctor, abd academic in Adelaide, Australia, and his second wife, the former Mary Birks Jolley (1915-1994); and married Gary Childs, by whom she had issue.

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Colonel Thomas Peter Anson 1933-2024

 Colonel Thomas Peter (Gus) Anson, who died 7 April, 2024, aged 91, was a scion of the Earls of Lichfield.

He was born 5 March, 1933, the second son of Major the Hon Rupert Anson (1889-1966), and his wife the former Marion Emma Ruthven Halliday (1891-1965), and a grandson of the 3rd Earl of Lichfield (1856-1918);  and married 19 December, 1964, Judith Hilary (Judy) Kennard (1942-2015), kin of the Kennard baronets, by whom he had issue, two sons, Henry James (born 2 Jan, 1967), and Patrick John (born 27 February, 1969).

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Cox/Codrington engagement

 The engagement was announced 12 April, 2024, between Ruairidh Alexander Stewart Cox (born 1997), eldest son of Mr Adrian Cox and Dr Karen Bradshaw, of North Barn, Forehill, Pembrokeshire, & Cecilia Elizabeth Lillian Codrington (born 1996), daughter of Sir Christopher George Wayne Codrington, 4th Baronet (born 20 February, 1960), of Fordwells, Oxfordshire, and his wife the former Noelle Lynn Leverson.

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Blackett/von Klitzing engagement

The engagement was announced 12 April, 2024, between Henry Douglas Blackett (born 2 February, 1992), son and heir of Sir Hugh Francis Blackett, 12th Baronet (born 11 February, 1955), of Corbridge, Northumberland, and his wife the former Anna Margaret Coldwell (born 1959), & Joséphine Marie Dorothée Nicole von Klitzing (born 7 August, 1986), daughter of Konstantin Joachim Gebhard von Klitzing (born 21 December, 1951), of Paris, and his wife the former Caroline de Roussy de Sales (born 12 March, 1958).

Townsend/Warde-Aldam engagement

 The engagement was announced 10 April, 2024, between Dr George Jack Nairne Townsend (born 21 May, 1993), middle son of Andrew Townsend, of Faringdon, Oxfordshire, and his wife Margaret Caroline Susan Nairne (born 10 May, 1961), & Eala Saffron Grace Warde-Aldam (born 1993), scion of that landed gentry family, daughter of James Julian (Jamie) Warde-Aldam (born 1957), of Healey, Northumberland, and his wife the former Amynta Wood-Gush.

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Theodore James K. Hosier (born 2024)

Stephanie Noelani Sandy Hosier (born 2 October, 1997, nee Phillips), wife of William James Hosier [born 1998], gave birth to a son, Theodore James K. Hosier, in 2024.

William Hosier is a son of Timothy Roger Bush Hosier [born 1968], and his wife the former Joanna Mary Roderick [born 1967].

Stephanie is the daughter of Capt Mark Antony Peter Phillips, CVO, ADC [born 22 September, 1948], and his second former wife Sandy Pflueger [born 1954].

The bride's father is the former husband of HRH The Princess Royal, Her father, Mark, is descended from the Tiarks (formerly of Foxbury) landed gentry family.

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Musker/Pheysey engagement

The engagement was announced 9 April, 2024, between Hamish FitzRoy Musker (born 1990), scion of that landed gentry family, son of Robert Antony Musker (born 14 June, 1952), of Gloucestershire, and his former wife the former Charlotte Brownlow Patrick (now Mrs Charlotte Harrison, of Norfolk), and Amelia Hope Pheysey (born 1996), daughter of Paul Charles Hargrave Pheysey (born 1962), of Kensington, London, and his wife the former Helen Fifield.

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The 4th Baron Holmpatrick 1955-2024

 The 4th Baron Holmpatrick died 21 March, 2024. He was 69.

The peer was a descendant of the Iron Duke, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

Hans James David Hamilton was born 15 March, 1955, son of the 3rd Baron Holmpatrick (1928-1991), and his wife the former Anne Loys Roche Brass (who died 1998); and succeeded to the peerage (created in 1897), on his father's death, 15 February, 1991.

Lord Holmpatrick married 19 July, 1984, Mrs Gill Francesca Anne du Feu, 1st daughter of Squadron Leader Kenneth James Toby Harding, DFC, RAF, of Binisafua, Minorca, Spain, by whom he had issue an only son, the Hon James Hans Stephen Hamilton (born 6 October, 1982).

The peerage now passes to his brother the Hon Ion Henry James Hamilton (born 12 June, 1956).

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Elizabeth Jane Scrope 1937-2024

 Elizabeth Jane Scrope, who died 20 March, 2024, aged 86, was a scion of the Scrope landed family, of Danby.

She was born 5 June, 1937, daughter of Richard Ladislas Scrope (1901-1990), head of that ancient dynasty, and his wife the former Lady Jane Mary Egerton (1909-1978), scion of the Earls of Ellesmere.

Miss Scrope was a granddaughter maternally of the 4th Earl of Ellesmere (1872-1944).

She was unmarried.

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Edward Charles McCorkell (born 2024)

 Emily Flora Isobel McCorkell [née Ayles, born 1990], wife of Harry James Michael McCorkell [born 1988], scion of that Irish landed gentry family, gave birth to a son, Edward Charles, 26 March, 2024, a brother for William and Sophia.

Emily is a daughter of Dr Anthony Charles Murray Ayles, and his wife the former Catherine Rose Law [born 1962], scion of the Barons Ellenborough.

Harry is the son of John Barry Ernest McCorkell [born 1952], and his wife the former Sara Caroline Paget Galbraith [born 1950], a granddaughter of the 1st Baron Strathclyde .

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Lord Hoyle, JP 1930-2024

 The Lord Hoyle, JP, life peer and former Labour MP, died 6 April, 2024, aged 94.

Eric Douglas Harvey Hoyle, Baron Hoyle was born 17 February, 1930. He was chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party from 1992 to 1997 and a lord-in-waiting from 1997 to 1999. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Nelson and Colne from 1974 to 1979 and Warrington North from 1981 to 1997.

Doug Hoyle first stood for Parliament at Clitheroe in 1964, but came second. In 1970, he first fought Nelson and Colne, and was defeated by the Conservative incumbent David Waddington by 1,410 votes. He fought the seat again in February 1974, and reduced Waddington's margin to 177. He was finally elected at the general election of October 1974 for Nelson and Colne by 669 votes; this was the first Labour gain to be announced on election night. Hoyle narrowly lost his seat at the general election of 1979, but returned to Parliament in 1981 when he saw off a strong challenge from Roy Jenkins in a traditionally safe Labour seat. This was a notable by election in Warrington when enthusiasm for the newly created Social Democratic Party was at its peak. Constituency boundaries were redrawn for the general election of 1983, when he became MP for Warrington North.

Hoyle retired from the House of Commons at the general election of 1997, and on 14 May 1997, he was created a life peer as Baron Hoyle, of Warrington in the County of Cheshire. He retired from the Lords on 25 June 2023.

Lord Hoyle was a son of William Hoyle and his wife Leah Ellen. He married in 1953, Pauline Spencer (who died in 1991). His only son is Sir Lindsay Hoyle, MP (born 10 June, 1957), who has been Member of Parliament for Chorley since 1997 and Speaker of the House of Commons since 2019.

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