Baron Field of Birkenhead, CH, PC, DL 1942-2024

 The Baron Field of Birkenhead, CH, PC, DL, who died 23 April, 2024, aged 81, was, as Frank Field, a Labour MP who dedicated his career to tackling child poverty.

Frank Ernest Field was born 16 July, 1942, son of Walter and Annie Field. He served as the MP for Birkenhead for 40 years, 1979-2019, as the Labour MP until August, 2018, and thereafter as an independent. . In 2019, he formed the Birkenhead Social Justice Party and stood unsuccessfully as its sole candidate in the 2019 election. After leaving the House of Commons he was awarded a life peerage in 2020 and sat in the House of Lords as a crossbencher. From 1997 to 1998, Field served as the Minister of Welfare Reform in Tony Blair's government. Field resigned following differences with the Prime Minister; as a backbencher he soon became one of the Labour government's most vocal critics. Field was elected Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee in June 2015. Following the 2017 general election he was re-elected unopposed. In August 2018, Field resigned the Labour whip citing antisemitism in the party, as well as a "culture of intolerance, nastiness and intimidation" in parts of the party, including in his own constituency. Field lost a confidence vote in his constituency party a month before his resignation, after siding with the government in Brexit votes. His resignation of the whip also led to his departure from the wider membership of the Labour Party, according to the Labour National Executive Committee, although Field disputed this.

Frank Field was sworn of the Privy Council in 1997. He was appointed as a deputy lieutenant for the county of Merseyside in October 2011.  At the age of 75 he was moved to the retired list.

Field was awarded an honorary fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University on 12 July 2016. In 2017, he was awarded the Langton Award for Community Service by the Archbishop of Canterbury "for sustained and outstanding commitment to social welfare". Field was nominated for a life peerage in the 2019 Dissolution Honours, and his peerage was gazetted in the name, style and title of Baron Field of Birkenhead, of Birkenhead in the County of Merseyside, on 11 September 2020.

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The King's St George's Day appointments to the Order of the Garter

 His Majesty the King has made some appointments to England's senior order of chivalry, the Order of the Garter.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester, GCVO, DStJ,  77, the Danish-born wife of the King's cousin, the Duke of Gloucester, becomes a Royal Lady of the Order. The former Birgitte van Deurs (born 20 June, 1946) married Prince Richard in 1972, and has been a 'working royal' for over half a century.

Air Chief Marshal the Lord Peach, GBE, KCB, DL (born 22 February, 1956), who becomes a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, is a retired senior RAF officer. After training as a navigator, Peach commanded IX (Bomber) Squadron and then became Deputy Station Commander RAF Bruggen. He was deployed as NATO Air Commander (Forward) in Kosovo in 2000. He went on to be Chief of Defence Intelligence in 2006, Chief of Joint Operations in 2009 and the first Commander of Joint Forces Command in December 2011 before being appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff in May 2013. Peach succeeded General Sir Nick Houghton as Chief of the Defence Staff on 14 July 2016. He succeeded General Petr Pavel as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee on 29 June 2018, serving as such until his retirement from NATO in June 2021.

Lord Kakkar, KBE, PC (born 28 April 1964), is a professor of surgery at University College London and life peer. Kakkar is Chair of King's Health Partners, the Academic Health Science Centre, Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, London, and lectures and publishes widely on his specialism. He has worked with the NHS on its strategy to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). He is a Commissioner of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, former chair of the Board of Governors at Alleyn's School, Dulwich, and a Trustee of the Dulwich Estate. Kakkar was created a life peer on 22 March 2010 as Baron Kakkar, of Loxbeare in the County of Devon, and introduced in the House of Lords the same day. He sits on the crossbenches. He was Chairman of the House of Lords Appointments Commission from 2013 to 2018.

Lord Lloyd-Webber, (born 22 March 1948) is a composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. Several of Lloyd Webber's songs have been widely recorded and widely successful outside of their parent musicals, such as "Memory" from Cats, "The Music of the Night" and "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" from Evita, and "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. In 2001, The New York Times referred to him as "the most commercially successful composer in history". The Daily Telegraph named him in 2008 the fifth-most powerful person in British culture, on which occasion lyricist Don Black said that "Andrew more or less single-handedly reinvented the musical."

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The King gives prestigious appointments to family members

The King has granted prestigious new roles to four senior members of the royal family, including his wife, Queen Camilla.

As formally announced by Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Her Majesty Queen Camilla has been appointed to be Grand Master and First or Principal Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Previous Grand Masters have included the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,who held the office from 1953 until his death, the King's great-grandmother – Queen Mary from 1936 to 1953, and King Edward VIII when he was the Prince of Wales from 1917 to 1936.

The King has also granted new honours to the Prince and Princess of Wales. Prince William has been made Great Master of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath. The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725, although it is believed to originally date back as far as the eighth century. It is awarded to members of the military or civil service for exemplary service.  

Previous Grand Masters have included the King when he was Prince of Wales, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, Queen Victoria's husband Prince Albert, and Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex.

And as a completely new appointment, the Princess of Wales has been appointed Royal Companion of The Order of the Companions of Honour. The Order was founded by King George V in 1917 to recognise outstanding achievements in the Arts, Sciences, Medicine and Public Service. While membership of the order confers no title or precedence, those inducted into the order are entitled to use the post-nominal letters CH. Catherine joins the likes of Lord Coe, Dame Judi Dench and Sir Elton John, all members of the order.

Meanwhile, there's a new royal addition to the Order of the Garter – the Duchess of Gloucester has become a Royal Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, and is likely to make her debut at the ceremony on 17 June.

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Sir Peter Maudslay Hordern, DL, PC 1929-204

 Sir Peter Maudslay Hordern, DL, PC, who died on his 95th birthday, 18 April, 2024, was a former Conservative MP, a mainstay of the back benches for over 30 years, and a scion of that landed gentry family.

He was born 18 April, 1929,  elder son of Charles Hubert Hordern (1896-1974), and his wife the former Dorothy Donovan, and a grandson of the Rt. Rev. Hugh Maudslay Hordern (1868-1949), sometime Bishop of Lewes.

He was educated at Geelong Grammar School, Australia and Christ Church, Oxford. He served with the 60th Rifles from 1947 to 1949, joining the regiment of his father and great-uncle, Brig. General Gwyn Venables Hordern CB, CMG, JP. He then became a Member of the Stock Exchange.

Hordern served as Tory MP for Horsham from 1964 to 1974, for Horsham and Crawley from 1974 to 1983 and for Horsham once again from 1983 to 1997. He was sworn of the Privy Council 1993. He served as a deputy lieutenant for West Sussex.

Hordern was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from 1970 to 1987, Chairman of the Finance Committee from 1970 to 1972 and Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission from 1988 to 1997. He was appointed to the Executive of the 1922 Committee in 1967, later becoming Secretary of the 1922 Committee and Chairman of the Conservative backbench Committee on Europe.

Sir Peter was appointed a director of Petrofina UK PLC in 1973 and chairman in 1987. He was appointed a director of F&C Smaller Companies Investment Trust, plc in 1978, and as chairman in 1986. He was appointed a director of TR Technology Investment Trust in 1985 (formerly Atlas Electric and General Trust). In 1982 he was appointed a consultant to Fisons PLC and a consultant to House of Fraser PLC and Pannell Kerr Forster in 1984.

He married in 1964, Elizabeth Susan Chataway (born 1938), daughter of Sir James Denys Percival Chataway (1892-1953), and sister of Sir Christopher Chataway (1931-2014), the long-distance runner, Conservative politician and broadcaster.

He is survived by Lady Hordern and a son, James (born 1967), who married Lady Elspeth Mackay, daughter of the 4th Earl of Inchcape, and a daughter, Sara (born 1971). He was predeceased by another son, Andrew (1965-2009).

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Baroness Massey of Darwen 1938-2024

 The Baroness Massey of Darwen, who died 20 April, 2024, aged 85, was a Labour member of the House of Lords, Vice-Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group Humanist Group (APPHG), until earlier this year, and secretary from 2010-2022.

Doreen Elizabeth Massey was born 5 September, 1938. She was educated at the University of Birmingham (BA, DipEd, vice-pres Student Union, Hockey and Cricket blues), and the University of London (MA). A former teacher and education advisor, she was the director of the Family Planning Association from 1989 to 1994. She was made a life peer as Baroness Massey of Darwen, of Darwen in the County of Lancashire, on 26 July 1999. She was introduced on 1 November 1999 to the House of Lords where she served as a member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Integrated and Complementary Healthcare. She is an honorary associate of the National Secular Society, patron of Humanists UK, &c. On 15 September 2010, Massey, along with 54 other public figures, signed an open letter published in The Guardian, stating their opposition to Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK.

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Baroness Gardner of Parkes 1927-2024

The Baroness Gardner of Parkes, JP, who died 14 April, 2024, aged 96, was an Australian-born dentist and Conservative member of the British House of Lords. She was the first Australian woman to have been elevated to the peerage, and as of 2023 is the most senior Life peer in the House of Lords. 

She was born Rachel Trixie Anne McGirr, 17 July, 1927. Trixie Gardner was a councillor of Westminster City Council from 1968 to 1978 and was Lady Mayoress (when her husband was Lord Mayor) during 1987–88. In 1970, she stood for Parliament for the Conservative Party against Labour's Barbara Castle in Blackburn, and in February 1974 stood against the Liberal John Pardoe in North Cornwall. In 1971, she was made a Justice of the Peace. In addition, she was elected as a member of the Greater London Council (GLC) representing Havering (1970-1973) and Southgate (1977–1986) until the GLC's abolition. She held various directorships and was the UK Representative on the United Nations Status of Women Commission 1982–1988. 

She was created a life peer, in June 1981, and took the title Baroness Gardner of Parkes, of Southgate in Greater London, and of Parkes in the State of New South Wales and Commonwealth of Australia.

Fir those interested in the detail of armorial bearing, Baroness Gardner's arms: Arms: Per fess Azure and Vert in chief a representation of the constellation of the Southern Cross Argent issuing in base a Sun in Splendour Or all within a Bordure indented Gold; Supporters: Dexter: a Kangaroo Or gorged with a Crown Pallisado Vert grasping in the sinister forepaw a Branch of Tudor Roses slipped and leaved proper; Sinister: a Lion Or gorged with a Crown Pallisado Vert grasping in the dexter forepaw a Branch of Wattle slipped and leaved proper, the whole upon a Compartment comprising a Grassy Mount growing therefrom two Waratah Flowers slipped and leaved proper; Motto: Keep Going.

 She was ennobled for her two decades of community and local government work as a Conservative, the first Australian woman to be so honoured. On 4 April 2007, she was made an Honorary Fellow of the University of Sydney.

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Lara Emma Benyon (born 2024)

 Sarah Benyon [nee Procter], wife of the Hon Harry C.W. Benyon, descended from the Earls of Clarendon, gave birth to a daughter, Lara Emma, 12 April, 2024, a sister for Archie Philip William, who was born 7 April, 2022.

Harry is the eldest son of the life peer the Baron Benyon [born 1960], of Englefield, Berkshire, by his former wife the former Emma Helen Villiers [born 16 Oct, 1963], scion of the Earls of Clarendon.

Sarah Benyon is the younger daughter of Mr & Mrs Philip Procter, of Skelton, York.

Harry Benyon is a grandson paternally of the late Sir William Benyon [1930-2014], a descendant of the Marquesses of Salisbury. His mother, Emma, is now the Baroness Grimthorpe, of Newmarket, Suffolk, second wife of the 5th Baron Grimthorpe [born 10 Nov, 1954]. Lady Grimthorpe is a descendant of the 1st Earl of Clarendon.

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Julia Helen Rausing (nee Delves Broughton) 1961-2024

 Julia Helen Rausing, who died 18 April, 2024, aged 63, was the wife of the billionaire philanthropist Tetra Pak heir Hans Rausing, and a scion of the Broughton baronets.

She was  born Julia Helen Broughton, 11 February, 1961, the second daughter of Major Sir Evelyn Delves Broughton, 12th Baronet (1915-1993), and his 2nd wife the former Helen Mary Shore; and married at Woburn Abbey, in July, 2014, as his second wife, Hans Kristian Rausing (born 15 June, 1963), son of Hans Anders Rausing, KBE (1926-2019), Swedish industrialist and philanthropist, and his wife Märit.

The Rausings had donated £330million in more than 1,000 grants, including £50million to UK charities annually, through the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust which they co-founded.

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Hon Rollo Hugh Clifford 1954-2024

 The Hon Rollo Hugh Clifford, who died 27 March, 2024, aged 70, was a scion of the Barons Clifford of Chudleigh.

He was born 15 March, 1954, the second son of the 13th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh (1916-1988), of Ugbrooke Park, Chudleigh, Devon, and his wife the former Hon Katharine Vavasseur Fisher (1919-1999), middle daughter of the 2nd Baron Fisher (1868-1955); and married 1stly, 2 September, 1977 (div), Fiona Margaret Todd, the only daughter of Richard Andrew Palethorpe-Todd OBE, the actor of stage and screen (Richard Todd), of Little Ponton House, Grantham, co. Lincoln; and married secondly, 1989, Mrs Caroline Peta Versen, the only daughter of Peter Marshall Roberts, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

He leaves issue from his first marriage, two sons, Christopher (born 1982) and Alasdair (born 1986), and a daughter, Elizabeth (born 1981), and a from his second marriage, a daughter, Sophie (born 1991).

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Sir Peter Ghislain Batho, 3rd Baronet 1939-2024

Sir Peter Ghislain Batho, 3rd Baronet, died 6 April 2024. He was 84.

Sir Peter was a long-serving Conservative councillor, & he lately represented the Saxmundham area on both Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Coastal District Council. He was a farmer at Saxmundham. 

He was born 9 December, 1939, the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Maurice Benjamin Batho, 2nd Baronet (1910-1990), and his wife the former Antoinette Marie d'Udekem d'Acoz (1902-1994), a cousin of Her Majesty Queen Mathilde, wife of Philippe, King of the Belgians.

He married 29 October, 1966, Lucille Mary Williamson (born 1945), daughter of Wilfred Francis Williamson, of The White House, Saxmundham, Suffolk, by whom he had issue, three sons, Rupert, Alexander and Hugh.

Peter Batho succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death, 12 January, 1990. The title was created in 1928, for his grandfather, Sir Charles Batho (1872-1938), Lord Mayor of London.

Sir Peter was elected to Suffolk County Council for the then Leiston and Saxmundham Division in 1989 and he served for four years. He was then elected to Suffolk Coastal council for Saxmundham in 2003 and served on that council for 12 years - he was council chair in 2006/7.

The baronetcy now passes to his eldest son, Rupert Sebastian Ghislain Batho, who was born 26 October, 1967.

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Margot Naylor-Leyland (born 2024)

 Baronet's heir Tom Naylor-Leyland, and his wife Alice, have had their fourth child, a daughter, Margot, by surrogacy, 14 April, 2024.

Alice Naylor-Leyland (nee Dawson) is the wife of Thomas Philip (Tom) Naylor-Leyland (born 22 January, 1982) scion of the Naylor-Leyland baronets, and heir to the multi-million pound Fitzwilliam fortune.

The infant is a sister to William Thomas (Billy) (born 25 June, 2012), and for Nancy Serena (born 22 September, 2015), and for Felix Amager, (born 24 January, 2019).

Thomas  is the son and heir of Sir Philip Vyvian Naylor-Leyland, 4th Baronet (born 9 August, 1953) and Lady Isabella Lambton (born 17 May, 1956), fifth daughter of Antony Claude Frederick Lambton, the disclaimed 6th Earl of Durham (1922-2006), and his wife the former Belinda Bridget Blew-Jones (1921-2003).

Thomas Naylor-Leyland married in 2011, Alice Moffat Amager Dawson (born 30 March, 1986), daughter of Paul Dawson, of Cologny, Geneva, and Mrs Serena Fresson, of Ham, Wiltshire.

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Ian Angus Ralph Campbell 1951-2024

Ian Angus Ralph Campbell, who died 4 April, 2024, aged 72, was a scion of the Earls Cawdor.

He was born 26 June, 1951, the elder son of Major Angus Mervyn Campbell (1918-2011), and his wife the former Rosemary Madeline Hamilton Fraser (1926-2022), a descendant of the Abel Smith landed family; and married in 1984 (div 2011), Jacqueline Jowett, daughter of John Jowett, by wom he had two sons, Edward (born 1988), and Frederick (born 1990), and a daughter, Laura (born 1995).

Ian Campbell was a great-grandson of the 3rd Earl Cawdor, PC, JP, DL (1847-1911).

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Sir (John) Chippendale (Lindley) Keswick

 Sir John Chippendale Lindley Keswick, known universally as 'Chips', who died 17 April, 2024, aged 84, was a merchant banker and member of the Keswick family who control Jardine Matheson, founded by William Jardine. He was chairman of Arsenal Football Club from June 2013 until his retirement in May 2020.

Sir Chips was a close friend of the King and Queen, and his wife, Lady Sarah, is one of Queen Camilla's 'Queen's Companions'.

Part of the Keswick family business dynasty, Keswick was born 2 February, 1940, the second son of Sir William Johnstone "Tony" Keswick (1903–1990) and his wife the former Mary Lindley (1911-2009), daughter of the Rt Hon Sir Francis Oswald Lindley, PC, GCMG (1872-1950), and was the grandson paternally of Henry Keswick (1870-1928). 

He was educated at Eton College and the University of Aix-Marseilles.

Chips was chairman of Hambros Bank from 1986 to 1998. He was a director of Arsenal Football Club from November 2005, and the chairman from August 2013, when he succeeded Peter Hill-Wood, until his retirement in May 2020. A former director of the Bank of England and De Beers Consolidated Mines.

Sir Chips was a member of the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland, Royal Company of Archers from 1976, and was knighted in 1993.

Keswick married 23 April, 1966, the Lady Sarah Ramsay (born 18 Oct, 1945), second daughter of the 16th Earl of Dalhousie, KT, GCVO, GBE, MC (1914-1999), sometime Lord Chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and his wife the former Margaret Elizabeth Mary Stirling (1914-1997). Lady Sarah has been a lifelong friend of Queen Camilla, and is now a member of Her Majesty's household as a Queen's Companion, a title replacing the now defunct title 'Lady in Waiting'.

Chips Keswick leaves issue, three sons, Tobias (born 1968), David (born 1968), and Adam (born 1973).

Sir Chips was a member of gentleman's clubs White's and the Portland. He supported "Business for Sterling", and sat on the board of corporate donors to the Conservative Party.

He was a keen racehorse owner and hunter. He was a joint owner with Queen Camilla of several racehorses.

Keswick's elder brother Sir Henry Keswick (born 29 September, 1938) and younger brother Simon Keswick (born 20 May, 1942) are chairman and director of Jardine Matheson Holdings.

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Hon Sarah Elizabeth Ann Raynar (née Butler) 1932-2024

 The Hon Sarah Elizabeth Ann Raynar (née Butler), who died 6 April, 2024, aged 91, was a scion of the Viscounts Mountgarret.

She was born 26 December, 1932, the only daughter of the 16th Viscount Mountgarret (1903-1966), and his 1st wife the former Eglantine Marie Elizabeth Christie (1908-1990), scion of that landed gentry family; and married 5 November, 1955 (div 1976), Geoffrey Kenneth Sefton Raynar (1918-1981), son of Joseph Percival Raynar (1869-1951), and his wife the former Kate Bickers (1883-1960), by whom she had issue, two sons, Rupert (born 28 January, 1957), and James (born 4 July, 1962).

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Joan Mary Galpin Boswell 1927-2024

Joan Mary Galpin Boswell, who died 9 April, 2024, aged 96, was the widow of David Boswell, 16th of Auchinleck.

She was the former Joan Mary Galpin White, daughter of Douglas Cecil White [1895-1971], of Combe Down, Bath, and his wife the former Charlotte Galpin Lilley [1892-1968]; and married 1950, David Boswell, 16th of Auckinleck (1927-2022), son of Capt Philip Rutherford Boswell [15th] of Auchinleck, MC [1889-1969], and his wife the former [Elsie] Kathleen Hunter [1900-1968]. Her husband died 1 February, 2022. She leaves two sons and two daughters.

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