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 Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

. 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 Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...

Early life and education

He was born on 20 March 1939, the only son and youngest child of Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, and his wife, Ruth Sylvia Gill, youngest daughter of

William Smith Gill Ruth Sylvia Roche, Baroness Fermoy, (''née'' Gill; 2 October 1908 – 6 July 1993) was a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the maternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was one of the Queen Mother's lad ...

. 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 depa ...

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 academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

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, and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The population of the parish at the 2021 census was 5,869. The Kennet and Avon Can ...

. 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) 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 Phillipa Katie Victoria 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 died from suicide by gunshot at his home, Eddington House, in

on 19 August 1984. He was 45. He is buried in the churchyard of

St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham is a Church of England parish church, in Norfolk, England. It is close to Sandringham House and members of the British royal family regularly attend services when in residence at Sandringham, notably at Chris ...

. 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 The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

. 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 al ...

's household. His sister

Frances Frances is an English given name or last name of Latin origin. In Latin the meaning of the name Frances is 'from France' or 'the French.' The male version of the name in English is Francis (given name), Francis. The original Franciscus, meaning "F ...

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 Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

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

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

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 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 ...

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