BRIGGS, David Hylton c1948-2025

[Richard R]

From the Telegraph of 2 Oct 2025: BRIGGS David Hylton died peacefully on 20th September 2025, aged 77. Husband of Gaby, loving father to Tom and Lucy and grandfather to William. Private cremation. A Service of Celebration of David's life will be held at Chelsea Old Church, 2 Old Church Street, London… on Wednesday 12th November at 12 noon. No flowers please but donations to The Institute of Cancer Research are welcome.

He was s of Wing Cdr G H BRIGGS. He m 1987 Sarah Gillian Gabrielle (Gaby) b 1954 d of Geoffrey Ernald MAITLAND 1918-92 (3xgt gs of Hon Sir Alexander MAITLAND 1^st Bt 1728-1820 who was s of 6^th Earl of LAUDERDALE c1688-1744, as well 5xgt gs of 4^th Earl of FINDLATER 1663-1730, etc) and his 1^st w Diana Joy b 1926 d of Maj James Everard PRIDHAM 1899-1983 by his 1925 m reg Q3 Kent to as her 1^st h Phyllis Strickland BARTLEY 1904-89 scion of that gentry family of East Clare, South Zimbabwe, and had a son and a dau as above.

[S R Eglesfield]

Per company records, he was born on 30 December 1947.

 

His father's full name was Wing Cdr Geoffrey Harry ("Buster") BRIGGS, DFC (22 III 1918 - 13 IV 2005), who was High Sheriff of West Sussex, 1974-75. His mother, who married Wing Cdr Briggs in 1947, was Elizabeth Anne ("Wizzie") SWITHINBANK (11 VII 1924 - 14 IX 1982) of that landed gentry (LG) family, of Denham Court, Denham, Buckinghamshire. Her elder sister, Phoebette SWITHINBANK (2 IX 1916 - 3 V 1991), was the first wife (married 12 XI 1936, as her first husband, divorced 1944) of the 2nd Baron Selsdon; her second husband (married 23 IV 1949, as his first wife) was Simon Talbot SITWELL (14 VIII 1920 - 11 IX 1989), of that LG family, of Barmoor Castle, Lowick, Northumberland.

 

Elizabeth and Phoebette Swithinbank were nieces of Dame Isobel CRIPPS, née SWITHINBANK, GBE (25 I 1891 - 11 IV 1979), who was the wife (married 12 VII 1911) of the Rt Hon Sir (Richard) Stafford CRIPPS, CH, QC, FRS (24 IV 1889 - 21 IV 1952), Chancellor of the Exchequer 1947-50, MP (Labour 1931 -39, Independent Labour 1939-45 and Labour 1945-50) for Bristol East, and (Labour, Feb-Oct 1950) for Bristol South East, the youngest son of the 1st Baron Parmoor.

 

Wing Cdr Briggs was himself the son of Henry Hilton BRIGGS (1872 - 28 X 1921) and his wife (married 1916), Violet Eda BARCLAY (1897 - 7 VIII 1931), of that LG family, of Mathers and Urie.

[S R Eglesfield]

Mrs Diana Joy MAITLAND, née PRIDHAM, was married, secondly, in 1970, to (as his second wife, divorced 1980) Ronald Herbert BALL (19 XI 1925 - 4 X 1995),  who was the younger son of Sir Nigel Gresley BALL, 3rd Bt (27 VIII 1892 - 1978). The GRO index shows a Diana Joy BALL whose death was registered in Surrey in Q1 2016, year of birth 1926, and the matching probate record shows that she died on 13 January 2016. I suspect that this must be her.