James Driscoll Griffin died at Lyme, Connecticut, United States, 14 May, 2023, aged 97.
He was born at West Lafayette, Indiana, 31 January, 1926, son of Edwin G. Griffin, of Evanston, Illinois; and married 18 June, 1960, the Lady Jane Bingham (born 13 October, 1932), elder daughter of the 6th Earl of Lucan (1898-1964), and his wife the former Kaitlin Elizabeth Anne Dawson (1900-1985), by whom he had issue, three sons, Nicholas, John, and Benjamin, and a daughter, Kaitlin.
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The 6th Baron Strathspey, who died 26 May, 2023, aged 79, was Chief of the Name and Arms of Grant.
He was the 6th Baron Strathspey (pronounced "Strathspay" - Peerage of the UK, cr 1884), and a Baronet (Nova Scotia, cr 1625), and 33rd Chief of the Clan Grant. His home was at Lochbuie, Isle of Mull, Argyllshire.
James Patrick Trevor Grant of Grant was born 9 September, 1943, son of Lt-Col the 5th Baron Strathspey (1912-1992), and his 1st wife the former Alice Bowe (who died 24 May, 2002), daughter of Francis Bowe, of Timaru, New Zealand. Alice married in 1953, as her 2nd husband, Brig Alasdair Gillean Lorne Maclean of Pennycross (d 1973).
He succeeded his father, 27 January, 1992, as 6th Baron, 18th Baronet, and 33rd Chief of the Clan Grant. He married firstly, 6 Aug, 1966 (div 1984), Linda Pigott, daughter of David Pigott, of Forfarshire; and married 2ndly, 1985 (div 1993), Margaret Drummond, daughter of Robert Drummond, of Fife.
He leaves three daughters from his first marriage, Carolyn (b 4 Mar 1967), Philippa (b 2 Jun 1971), and Victoria (b 30 Mar 1976).
He is succeeded in the family honours by his younger half-brother, the Hon Michael Patrick Francis Grant of Grant (who was born 22 Apr, 1953), who is unmarried.
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Sophie Amelia Brandram (nee Ferguson, born 13 Oct, 1992), wife of Capt Nicholas George Brandram (b 23 Apr 1982), Scots Guards, gave birth to a son, Felix Robert, 29 May, 2023, in London.
The infant is descended from the Royal House of Greece. Nicholas Brandram is the only son of Richard Paul George Andrew Brandram (1948-2020], by his former wife the former Jennifer Steele (b 1951 - now Mrs Robert Enslow).
Sophie Brandram is a daughter of Jakes D. Ferguson, of Hampshire, and his wife the former Mary V. Mann.
Capt Brandram's paternal grandmother was HRH Princess Katherine of Greece & Denmark (1913-2007), who married Richard Campbell Andrew Brandram (1911-94) and became (by courtesy of King George VI) 'Lady Katherine Brandram'.
Nicholas Brandram's first marriage to Katrina Davis ended in divorce in 2014. He announced his engagement to Sophie Ferguson in May, 2021, and thet married 17 Dec, 2021.
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The Hon Margaret Anne Christian, who died 18 May, 2023, aged 82, was a scion of the Lords Reay.
She was born Margaret Anne Mackay, 13 March, 1941, the second daughter of Æneas Alexander Mackay, 13th Lord Reay (1905-1963), and his wife the former Charlotte Mary Younger (who died 26 June, 2000); and married 23 December, 1976, Allen Leslie Christian (who died in 2022), of Upper Huntlywood, Earlston, co. Berwick, and Key Largo, Florida, USA, only son of E L Christian, of Evanston, Illinois, USA.
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Lady Philippa Mimi Jacqueline Henrietta Lord (nee Howard, born 1985), wife of Archie Lord, gave birth to a daughter, Athena Rainbow Twinkerbell, 25 February, 2023, a sister for Ottilie Winifred, who was born 16 November, 2018.
Lady Philippa is a daughter of the 21st Earl of Suffolk & Berkshire (1935-2022), of Charlton Park, Malmesbury, by his 3rd wife, the fomer Linda Jacqueline Paravicini (born 1950, an ex wife of Viscount Bridport).
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Elena Rose Orde-Powlett (nee Gibson, born 1987), wife of Hon Nicholas Mark Orde-Powlett (born 1985), scion of the Barons Bolton (Baron, GB, cr 1797), gave birth to son, Christopher David B. Orde-Powlett, in 2023, a brother for Evie Philippa who was born in 2019.
Nichoas is the third son of the 8th Baron Bolton (b 14 Feb, 1954), of Bolton Hall, North Yorkshire, by his wife the former Philippa Anne Tapply.
Elena is a daughter of Mr & Mrs David Gibson, of Barleythorpe, Rutland.
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The Lady Natasha Rose Catherine Linda Quick (nee Howard, born 1987), wife of Charles William H. Quick [born 1985], gave birth to a son, Vincent Sam, 15 May, 2023.
Lady Natasha is the younger daughter of the 21st Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire [1935-2022], of Charlton Park, Wiltshire, and his third wife, the former Linda Jacqueline Paravicini [born 1950], previously the wife of the 4th Viscount Bridport, and descended from the Swinnerton Dyer baronets.
Charles Quick is a son of the late Michael Quick, and his wife nee Browning, of Banwell Farm, South Mundham, West Sussex.
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Pamela Mary Trowbridge (nee Bradshaw), who died 30 April, 2023, aged 71, was the wife of Keith Trowbridge, a descendant of the Viscounts Charlemont. She was a daughter of Philip Bradshaw and married in 1980, (Richard) Keith Giles Trowbridge (born 23 Aug, 1950), son of Fl-Lieut Robert Hender Trowbridge (d 1993), and his wife the former Hon Dorothy Frances Lucy St George Caulfeild (1915-2006), daughter of the 12th Viscount Charlemont (1887-1979). She leaves issue, two daughters, Laura (born 1986), and Emma (born 1988).
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The Hon Carolyn Mary Ponsonby, who died 26 May, 2023, aged 84, was a scion of the Barons Sysonsby.
She was born 9 November, 1938, the only daughter of Lieutenant-Col Edward Gaspard Ponsonby, the 2nd Baron Sysonsby, DSO (1903-1956), and his wife the former Sallie Whitney Sanford (who died 1979).
Following her father's death, 21 January, 1956, her mother married as her 3rd husband, 15 Feb, 1958, Maj Edward Robert Francis Compton (1891-1977), of Newby Hall, Ripon, scion of the Marquesses of Northampton.
Carolyn's grandfather, Frederick Edward Grey Ponsonby, 1st Baron Sysonsby, GCB, GCVO, PC (1867-1935), courtier, scion of the Earls of Bessborough, was a godson of the German Emperor Frederick III and the Empress Victoria. The 1st Baron was Equerry-in-Ordinary to Queen Victoria from 1894 to 1901, as Assistant Keeper of the Privy Purse and Assistant Private Secretary to Queen Victoria from 1897 to 1901, to King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910 and to King George V from 1910 to 1914; as Keeper of the Privy Purse from 1914 to 1935, and as Lieutenant Governor of Windsor Castle from 1928 to 1935.
Carolyn Ponsonby, who never married, was a niece of Loelia, Duchess of Westminster (1902-93), and a sister of John, 3rd Baron Sysonsby (1945-2009).
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Sir Derek Spencer, KC, who died 19 May, 2023, aged 87, was Conservative MP for Leicester South 1983-87, and then MP for Brighton Pavilion 1992-97,
He was appointed Solicitor-General in John Major's government in 1992, and knighted.Sir John Aird, 4th Baronet, died 4 May, 2023, aged 83.
Sir John was Chairman and Managing Director of Sir John Aird and Co Ltd 1969-96, and Chairman, Matcon plc from 1981. He was a trainee, Sir Alexander Gibb & Partners 1961-65, and Manager, John Laing and Sons, 1967-69.
George John Aird was born 30 January, 1940, son of Colonel Sir John Renton Aird, 3rd Baronet, MVO, MC (1898-1973), and his wife the Lady Priscilla Heathcote-Drummond-Willoughby (1909-2002), daughter of the 2nd Earl of Ancaster, GCVO, JP, DL (1867-1951), Joint Hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain, &c.
George John Aird was a godson of King George VI, and he served as a Page to his maternal grandfather, the Earl of Ancaster, at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, 2 June, 1953. He was a Page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth II, 1955-1957.
He married firstly, 31 Aug, 1968, Margaret Elizabeth Muir (born 1 Aug, 1946), daughter of Sir John Harling Muir, 3rd Baronet (1910-94), and his wife the former Elizabeth Mary Dundas, scion of the Marquesses of Zetland; he married 2ndly, 2011, Xiao Fen Wang, daughter of Professor Jin Fen Wang, of Beijing.
Sir John leaves issue from his first marriage, a son, Dr James John Aird, and two daughters, Rebecca (born 22 July, 1970), and Belinda Elizabeth (born 14 May, 1972). The son, born 12 June, 1978, succeeds as 5th Baronet.
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The 3rd Baron Kirkwood died at Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 15 April, 2023. He was 91.
Lord Kirkwood was senior lecturer of Metallurgy, 1974-1987 at Sheffield University, South Yorkshire, and was registered as a Chartered Engineer (C.Eng.). He was a consultant at Sheffield University from 1987. His home for many years was at 56 Endcliffe Hall Avenue, Sheffield.
David Harvie Kirkwood was born 24 November, 1931, son of the 2nd Baron Kirkwood (1903-70), and his wife the former Eileen Grace Boalch (died 6 May, 1999); and was educated at Rugby and Trinity Hall Cambridge (MA, PhD); lecturer in Metallurgy at Sheffield University, 1962; Warden of Stephenson Hall, Sheffield University 1974-80; Member of the Select Committee on Science and Technology, House of Lords 1987-92, and 1996-99.
He succeeded his father, 9 March, 1970, in the peerage which was created in 1951 for his grandfather, David Kirkwood, PC (1872-1955), Labour MP for Clydebank, Dumbarton Burghs 1922-50, and for East Dumbarton 1950-51.
He married 31 July, 1965, Judith Rosalie Hunt, daughter of John Hunt, of Leeds, West Yorkshire, by whom he had issue, three daughters, Ruth Emily (born 17 Sept, 1966), Anne Judith (born 24 Apr, 1969), and Lucy Jennifer (born 28 July, 1972).
He is succeeded as 4th Baron by his younger brother, the Hon James Stuart Kirkwood (born 19 June, 1937).
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The first wife of the 13th Duke of Manchester has died at the age of 73.
The former Marion Johanna Stoner (born Hamburg 1 February, 1950), the daughter of Fritz Stoner and his wife Maria. She emigrated with her parents to Australia in 1954.
She married in 1984 in Melbourne, Australia, the then Alexander Charles David Drogo Montagu (born 11 Dec, 1962), son of the then Lord Angus Charles Drogo Montagu (born 9 Oct, 1938), and his wife the former Mary Eveleen McClure. Marion's husband was a grandson of the 10th Duke of Manchester (1902-77), and nephew of the 11th Duke (1929-85).
The 11th Duke of Manchester died in 1985, and her husband's father succeeded to the family peerages. Alexander Montagu was then styled Viscount Mandeville, as heir to his father's dukedom.
Marion's marriage, a violent one, ended in divorce in 1996, Alexander Montagu having married bigamously, in 1992, Wendy Dawn Buford. With the death of the 12th duke, 25 July, 2002, Alexander succeeded as 13th Duke of Manchester (cr 1719), 16th Earl of Manchester, co. Lancaster [E., 1626], 16th Baron Kimbolton of Kimbolton, co. Huntingdon [E., 1620], 16th Viscount Mandeville [E., 1620] , &c.
Marion was unsure of the validity of her divorce in 1996. If the marriage was not dissolved then she became Duchess of Manchester on 25 July, 2002. If the divorce was legal, then she was in fact Marion, Viscountess Mandeville from 1985. Her former husband was styled Viscount Mandeville by courtesy, from 1985 until succeededing to the dukedom.
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Robert Peter Agnew died 16 May, 2023.
He was born in 1953, the son of Sydney Alexander Agnew (1924-2003); and married 1982, Anna Margaret Pepys (born 25 July, 1956), scion of the Earls of Cottenham, daughter of the Rt Rev George Christopher Cutts Pepys (1914-74), a former Bishop of Buckingham, by his wife the former Elizabeth Margaret Ekin (1924-2009), by whom he had issue, two sons, Alexander (b 1984), Thomas (b 1987), and a daughter, Eleanor (b 1990).
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The Hon Mrs Barnaby Hodgson [nee Megan Grace Sandow, born 1990], wife of the Hon Barnaby Peter Granville Hodgson [born 1986], gave birth to a son, Jago Henry Frederick, 18 May, 2023, a brother for Hector James Granville, who was born 17 March, 2020.
Barnaby Hodgson is a son of the life peer Baron Hodgson of Astley Abbotts, CBE [born 1942], of London, by his wife the life peeress Baroness Hodgson of Abinger, CBE [born 1954].Emily Kate L. Dodd-Noble [nee Rowlinson, born 1984], wife of Harry Thomas B. Dodd-Noble [born 1985], gave birth to a son, Cosmo Balthazar Patrick, 6 April, 2023, a brother for Bertie-Fox Burlington Leo, who was born 14 August, 2021.
Harry Dodd-Noble, a descendant of the Merrie Monarch Charles II, is a son of (Simon) Thomas Antony (Tom) Dodd-Noble (b 17 Feb, 1955), of Oxfordshire, by his former wife the former Carolyn A. Botting (now Mrs Carrie Stewart, of London), and is a grandson of Adrian Dodd-Noble (1922-2013) (a grandson maternally of the Baron Kirkley). by his 1st wife the former Lady Elizabeth Theresa Boyle (1920-81), sister of the 13th & 14th Earls of Cork & Orrery.
Emily Dodd-Noble is a daughter of Mr Stephen R. Rowlinson, of East Sussex, by his wife the former Kathleen A. McGowan.
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The Hon Lady Dundas died 22 May, 2023, aged 98.
She was the widow of Sir Hugh Dundas, CBE, DSO & Bar, DFC, a fighter pilot in the Second World War and later senior a senior broadcasting executive. She was a scion of the Barons Trevethin & Oaksey.
The former Hon (Enid) Rosamond Lawrence, she was born 19 June, 1924, the second daughter of the 3rd Baron Trevethin & 1st Baron Oaksey, DSO, PC, DL (1880-1971), the senior British judge at the Nuremberg trials after the Second World War, and his wife the former Marjorie Frances Alice Robinson (who died in 1984); and married 28 January, 1950, Group Capt Hugh Spencer Lisle Dundas (born 22 July, 1920), sciom of the Earls (later Marquesses) of Zetland, son of Frederick James Dundas (1877-1950), and his wife the former Sylvia Mary March Phillipps (who died 30 Dec, 1976),s cion of that landed gentry family.
Her husband joined Rediffusion Ltd in 1961, becoming a director in 1966, and served as Chairman of Thames Television until 1987. He died 10 July, 1995.
The Hon Lady Dundas leaves issue, a son James (born 4 Nov, 1950), and two daughters, Sarah Jane (b 15 Jan, 1953), and Amanda (b 28 March, 1956).
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The engagement was announced 26 May, 2023, between the Hon Robert Anthony Hamilton Wills (born 20 Oct, 1983), son and heir of the 3rd Baron Dulverton (born 2 May, 1944), of Batsford, Gloucestershire, and of his first and former wife Rosalind, Baroness Dulverton (nee van der Velde), of Marbella, Spain, & Sophie Elizabeth Kainradl (born circa 1985), daughter of Mr Peter Kainradl, of Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, and his wife the former Josephine Alice Danneman (born 21 March, 1951).
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Gillian Elizabeth Pole-Carew (nee Burton) died 20 May, 2023. She was 91.
The former Gillian Elizabeth Burton, daughter of Clive Mence Burton, of Cape Province, South Africa, she married 3 April, 1954, Christopher Gerald Pole-Carew (born 17 May, 1931), scion of the Pole baronets, son of Maj Gerald Ayshford Pole-Carew (1887-1969), and his wife the former Eileen Flora O'Callaghan (1893-1989). Her husband died 12 Feb, 2020, aged 88.
Mrs Pole-Carew leaves issue, a son, Peregrine (born 2 Sept, 1957), and two daughters, Delia (born 13 Feb, 1955), and Camilla (born 12 May, 1961).
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The engagement was announced 25 May, 2023, between Harry Caldecott Coulthard (born 1991), son of Michael William Coulthard (born 1958), of Ardnacille, Isle of Scalpay, and Mrs Coulthard, & Mollie Scarlett Davies (born 5 Oct, 1989), younger daughter of Mark Edward Trehearne Davies, CVO (born 20 May, 1948), of Admington Hall, Warwickshire, and his wife the former Antonia Catharine Chittenden (born 1960).
Mollie's brother, Hugo (born 1989), married 20 Aug, 2021, the Lady Jemima Juliet Herbert (born 4 Oct, 1989), daughter of the late 17th Earl of Pembroke (1939-2003), of Wilton House, Salisbury.
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