Edmund Henry Byng, 6th Earl of Strafford, (27 January 1862 – 24 December 1951), styled Viscount Enfield between 1899 and 1918, of

Wrotham Park Wrotham Park (pronounced , ) is a neo-Palladian English country house in the parish of South Mimms, Hertfordshire. It lies south of the town of Potters Bar, from Hyde Park Corner in central London. The house was designed by Isaac Ware in 1754 ...

in the parish of

South Mimms South Mimms is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of South Mimms and Ridge, in the borough of Hertsmere in Hertfordshire in the East of England. It is a small settlement located near the junction of the M25 motorway with the ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

(later in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

) and

5, St James's Square 5, St James's Square (anciently Wentworth House) is a Grade II* listed historic townhouse in London, England, built 1748–51 by William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford (1722–1791) to the design of Matthew Brettingham Matthew Brettingham ...

, London, was an English peer.

Origins

He was the second son (the first having died in infancy) of Reverend

Francis Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford Rev. Francis Edmund Cecil Byng, 5th Earl of Strafford (15 January 1835 – 18 January 1918) was an English Anglican minister and member of the peerage. Background Byng was born 15 January 1835, third son of George Byng, 2nd Earl of Straffo ...

(1835–1918) by his wife Florence Louisa Miles (1840–1862), a daughter of

Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet Sir William Miles, 1st Baronet (13 May 1797 – 17 June 1878), was an English politician, agriculturalist and landowner. He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church, Oxford, and was created a baronet on 19 April 1859, of Leigh Court, ...

, who died giving birth to him.

Career

He was a County Alderman in

and

. He was elected a

Fellow of the Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity and organization devoted to the worldwide animal conservation, conservation of animals and their habitat conservation, habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained London Zo ...

(FZS) in July 1902. He was registered as an associate member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (AMCE). He held the office of Justice of the peace and Deputy lieutenant for the county of Middlesex.

Marriage and children

He married Mary Elizabeth Colebrooke, a daughter of Sir Thomas Colebrooke, 4th Baronet by whom he had two daughters and co-heiresses:''Debrett's'', 1968, p. 1060 *Lady (Florence) Elizabeth Alice Byng (1897–1987), eldest daughter, who was bequeathed by her father his two principal properties, Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire and

in London. In 1928 she married Michael William M. Lafone of Kenya, the son of Major Edgar Mortimer Lafone (1867–1938), 4th Queen's Own Hussars and Chief Constable of the Metropolitan Police. Edgar's father was

Alfred Lafone Alfred Lafone (13 February 1821 – 26 April 1911) of Hanworth Park, Feltham, Middlesex, was a British leather merchant and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in London. He was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Membe ...

(1821–1911) of

Hanworth Park London Air Park, also known as Hanworth Air Park, was a grass airfield in the grounds of Hanworth Park House, operational 1917–1919 and 1929–1947. It was on the southeastern edge of Feltham, now part of the London Borough of Hounslow. In t ...

, a wealthy leather merchant and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament for

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

. She divorced her husband in 1931, having had issue: **Julian Michael Edmund Lafone (born 1928), a barrister who in 1952 changed his surname by deed poll to his matronymic "Byng", following a similar action by his mother following her divorce in 1931 and paternal inheritance in 1951. He attempted to evict his mother from Wrotham Park in a lawsuit presided over in the high court by Lord Oliver of Aylmerton. He inherited Wrotham Park and 5, St James's Square. In 1960 he married Eva Finola Wellesley-Wesley, only daughter of Capt. Michael Wellesley-Wesley, of Tahilla, County Kerry, Ireland, by whom he had issue including: ***Robert Michael Julian Wentworth Byng (born 1962), since 1991 owner of Wrotham Park. ***Georgiana Margaret Elizabeth Byng (born 1964). *Lady Mary Millicent Rachel Byng (born 1899), younger daughter, who married Major-General Robert Francis Brydges Naylor, by whom she had children: **Christopher Charles Francis Naylor (born 1929) **Edmund John Robert Naylor (born 1930) **Mary Elizabeth Katharine Naylor (born 1933)

Succession

Upon his death in 1951, he was succeeded in the titles, but not in his estates, by his nephew, Robert Cecil Byng, 7th Earl of Strafford.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strafford, Edmund Henry Byng, 6th Earl of 1862 births 1951 deaths Earls in the Peerage of the United Kingdom

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name 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 nobles *Ed ...

Members of Middlesex County Council Fellows of the Zoological Society of London