William Warner Westenra, 7th Baron Rossmore (14 February 1931 – 4 May 2021), known as Hon. William Westenra, and nicknamed Paddy, was an Anglo-Irish noble, photographer and author.

Biography

Born at the family seat of

Rossmore Castle Rossmore Castle, also known as Rossmore Park, was a castle on the outskirts of Monaghan in County Monaghan, Ireland. It was built in the Gothic style in 1827 and was the seat of the Barons Rossmore, but fell into disrepair in the 1940s when t ...

, William Warner Westenra was educated at Scaitcliffe prep school and

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

before reading Theology at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

. He inherited his father's title in 1958, by then his family's ancestral home had long been abandoned by this time, due to

dry-rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...

, and they instead lived in a house on the estate. This was later destroyed by a fire started by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

in 1981. Following the end of his relationship with

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

, he met and married Valerie Marion Tobin, in 1982 and their son, Benedict William was born in 1983, Westenra, upon his marriage to Tobin, adopted her daughter Charlotte, whose father was

Leonard Whiting Leonard Whiting (born 30 June 1950) is a British retired actor and singer widely known for his role as Romeo in the 1968 Zeffirelli film version of ''Romeo and Juliet'', a role which earned him the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year ...

. Charlotte took the Westenra family name. He continued to work as a photographer and painter for many years. He later returned to Glin Castle where he had first encountered Faithfull and her then-boyfriend,

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

, to photograph the castle for an upcoming coffee table book. His marriage to Valerie was dissolved, prior to his death in 2021. His son Benedict inherited the barony and assumed the title 8th Baron Rossmore upon it being proved.

References

1931 births 2021 deaths Barons in the Peerage of Ireland 20th-century Anglo-Irish people People educated at Eton College Alumni of the University of Cambridge People from County Monaghan {{Ireland-writer-stub

Rossmore Rossmore may refer to: * Rossmore, Johannesburg, South Africa * Rossmore, West Virginia, United States Australia *Rossmore, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Rossmore, Queensland, a neighbourhood in the Gympie Region United Kingdom *Rossm ...