Edmund James Burke Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy (20 March 1939 – 19 August 1984), was a British businessman who held a title in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

. He was the maternal uncle of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

Early life and education

He was born on 20 March 1939, the only son and youngest child of

Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy Edmund Maurice Burke Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy (15 May 1885 – 8 July 1955) was a British Conservative Party politician who held a title in the Peerage of Ireland. He was the maternal grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales. Life and career Roch ...

, and his wife, Ruth Sylvia Gill, youngest daughter of

William Smith Gill Colonel William Smith Gill Order of the Bath, CB Volunteer Officers' Decoration, VD Deputy Lieutenant, DL (16 February 1865 – 25 December 1957) was a Scottish Volunteer Force officer and paint manufacturer. Early life Born at Old Machar, Peter ...

. His father died in 1955. He was a graduate of

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

and the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

Career

He became the 5th

Baron Fermoy Baron Fermoy is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. The title was created by Queen Victoria by letters patent of 10 September 1856 for Edmond Roche. Previous letters patent had been issued on 14 May 1855 which purported to create this barony fo ...

in 1955 when his father died. He was an elected member of Newbury District Council between 1976 and 1979. He was chairman of Eddington Bindery Ltd, based at the Fermoy family home near

Hungerford Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the ...

. He was also a steeplechase jockey.

Marriage and children

He was married to Lavinia Frances Elizabeth Pitman (born 1941), daughter of John Pitman (a descendant of

Sir Isaac Pitman Sir Isaac Pitman (4 January 1813 – 22 January 1897) was a teacher of the :English language who developed the most widely used system of shorthand, known now as Pitman shorthand. He first proposed this in ''Stenographic Soundhand'' in 183 ...

) and Elizabeth Donaldson. They had four children: *The Hon. Frances Caroline Burke Roche (born 31 March 1965), married Peter Stanley in 1990. They have three children: **Richard Hugh Edward Stanley (born 1 May 1993) **Portia Ruth Isobel Stanley (born 19 April 1995) **Algernon Edmond Stanley (born 8 March 1999) *The Hon. Elizabeth Burke Roche (27 March 1966 – 2 April 1966) * Maurice Burke Roche, 6th Baron Fermoy (born 11 October 1967), married Tessa Kayll on 26 March 1998. They have two daughters. *The Hon. Edmund Hugh Burke Roche (born 5 February 1972), married Philippa Long in 2004. They have three children: **Rosie Jeanne Roche (born 21 June 2005) **Archie Edmund Roche (born 5 October 2007) **Agatha Frances Roche (born 15 October 2009)

Death

After suffering from depression for a long period of time, he committed suicide by gunshot at his home, Eddington House, in Hungerford on 19 August 1984. He was 45. In 1995, Fermoy's widow, Lavinia Fermoy, married Nigel Edward Corbally Stourton, a grandson of

Alfred Stourton, 23rd Baron Mowbray Alfred Joseph Stourton, 20th Baron Stourton, 24th Baron Segrave, 23rd Baron Mowbray (28 February 1829 – 18 April 1893) was the son of the nineteenth Baron Stourton and Mary Lucy Clifford, daughter of the 6th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh and his ...

Royal connections

Lord Fermoy and his family have close connections to the British royal family. His mother was a longstanding member of

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

's household. His sister

Frances Frances is a French and English given name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'free one.' The male version of the name in English is Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman", comes from the ...

was the mother of

Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

. As the bride's maternal uncle, Lord Fermoy attended her wedding to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fermoy, Edmund Roche, 5th Baron 1939 births 1984 deaths 1984 suicides People educated at Eton College Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Barons Fermoy

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and ...

English people of Irish descent English people of American descent British politicians who committed suicide Royal Horse Guards officers Suicides by firearm in England