Samuel George Armstrong Vestey, 3rd Baron Vestey, (19 March 1941 – 4 February 2021), was a British peer, landowner, and businessman. He served as

Master of the Horse Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today. (ancient Rome) The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

from 1999 to 2018. Lord Vestey was part of the family dynasty that founded and still runs the Vestey Holdings multinational corporation.

Early life and education

Vestey was born on 19 March 1941 as the son of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

The Hon. William Howarth Vestey, a

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

officer who was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

in 1944 during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and Pamela Vestey (née Armstrong; 1918–2011). He was a great-grandson of the celebrated opera singer Dame Nellie Melba on his mother's side. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

before attending Sandhurst and serving as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the Scots Guards.

Business career

Vestey was the chairman of the Meat Training Council from 1991 to 1995, before becoming chairman of the Vestey Group (now Vestey Holdings) in 1995. He was also a

liveryman A livery company is a type of guild or professional association that originated in medieval times in London, England. Livery companies comprise London's ancient and modern trade associations and guilds, almost all of which are styled the "Wors ...

of the

Worshipful Company of Butchers The Worshipful Company of Butchers is one of the Livery Company, Livery Companies of the City of London, England. Records indicate that an organisation of butchers existed as early as 975; the Butchers' Guild, the direct predecessor of the prese ...

. In 1980, A ''Sunday Times'' investigation revealed that he and his cousin Edmund were found to have paid just £10 in tax on the family business's £2.3m profit made by the Dewhurst chain.

The Wave Hill walk-off

Vestey, through his family company, owned the Wave Hill Station in Australia at the time of the Gurindji strike (also known as the Wave Hill walk-off) which ran for nine years from 1966, after 200

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

workers staged a strike against poor working conditions and pay, and land dispossession. His role in the strike was mentioned by Ted Egan's song "Gurindji Blues", written in 1969 with Lingiari, and later popularised in the 1991 song by Paul Kelly and Kev Carmody, " From Little Things Big Things Grow". He also gets a mention in Irish folk musician

Damien Dempsey Damien Dempsey (born 9 June 1975) is an Irish singer and songwriter who mixes traditional Irish folk contemporary lyrics that deliver social and political commentaries on Irish society. Damien sings in his native, working-class accent in the Eng ...

's song "Wave Hill Walk Off", on his 2016 album ''No Force on Earth''.

Public service

In 1954, Vestey succeeded his grandfather in the peerage title at the age of thirteen. His family seat is Stowell Park Estate in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, where his father is buried. He was

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

(1988–1991) and then Lord Prior (1991–2002) of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, having been appointed Bailiff Grand Cross (GCStJ) in 1987. He became a Deputy Lieutenant of

in 1982. From 1999 to 2018, Vestey served as

to the

Sovereign of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers regulated by the British cons ...

, who appointed him

Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the m ...

(KCVO) in the 2009 Birthday Honours. The Queen promoted Vestey to

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

(GCVO) in December 2018, on the occasion of him relinquishing his appointment as Master of the Horse. He was appointed as a permanent

Lord-in-waiting Lords-in-waiting (male) or baronesses-in-waiting (female) are peers who hold office in the Royal Household of the sovereign of the United Kingdom. In the official Court Circular they are styled "Lord in Waiting" or "Baroness in Waiting" (without ...

to The Queen in August 2019.

Personal life

Vestey married Kathryn Eccles (died 13 December 2017) on 11 September 1970, and they were divorced in 1981. They have two daughters and four grandchildren: *The Honourable Saffron Alexandra Vestey (27 August 1971). She married Matthew Charles Idiens and they were divorced in 2001. They have two children. She married Charles Foster in 2008. **Alfred John Simon Idiens (1 April 1996) **Megan Rose Idiens (27 July 1998) **Evelyn Grace Foster (6 March 2009) **William George Foster (7 November 2011) *The Honourable Flora Grace Vestey (22 September 1978). She married Laurence J. Kilby and they were divorced in 2010. She married James Hall in 2011. He married Celia Elizabeth Knight (1949 – 28 November 2020) on 22 December 1981. Celia Vestey was a godmother of the

Duke of Sussex Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is a hereditary title of a specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. It has been c ...

. They have three children: * William Vestey, 4th Baron Vestey (27 August 1983). He married Violet Gweneth Henderson on 29 September 2012. They have two children: **Ella Victoria Vestey (13 July 2015) **Samuel Oscar Mark Vestey (7 November 2018) *The Honourable Arthur George Vestey (1985). He married Hon. Martha Beaumont in June 2015. They have three children: **Frank William Vestey (25 July 2016) **Cosima Dora Vestey (30 November 2018) **Daisy Celia Vestey (12 January 2021) *The Honourable Mary Henrietta Vestey (1992). She married Edward Cookson in May 2019. **Lyra Celia Cookson (18 November 2021) His elder son, William, served as a

Page of Honour A Page of Honour is a ceremonial position in the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. It requires attendance on state occasions, but does not now involve the daily duties which were once attached to the office of page. The only ...

from 1995 to 1998. The Vestey family's combined wealth (Lord Vestey with his cousin, Edmund Hoyle Vestey) amounts to approximately £1.2 billion, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2013.Profile
, bbc.co.uk; accessed 29 August 2015.

Honours

Service Medal of the Order of St John Ribbon

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, 3rd Baronet Vestey of Bessémer House * Grand Bailiff of the Order of St John *

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

Service Medal of the Order of St John The Service Medal of the Order of St John is awarded to recognise both conspicuous and long service with the Venerable Order of St John, particularly in St John Ambulance, both in the United Kingdom and in a number of other Commonwealth of Nati ...

Arms

Notes

References

External links

''Debrett's People of Today''

Order of St John website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vestey, Samuel Vestey, 3rd Baron 1941 births 2021 deaths People from Cotswold District British people of Australian descent Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Deputy lieutenants of Gloucestershire People educated at Eton College Bailiffs Grand Cross of the Order of St John Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Scots Guards officers 21st-century British landowners 21st-century British farmers British billionaires British philanthropists

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

Vestey