Centenarians in Debrett's Part 5 (2026)

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colinp

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Dec 23, 2025, 8:58:37 AM12/23/25
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This follows on from  Centenarians in Debretts (Part 4) (2025)

Possible centenarians for 2026:

Sir Dallas Bernard, 2nd Baronet b 14 Dec 1926 – of Wroughton, Wilts

 

BARRETT-LENNARD Bt (1801) – Godfrey Trevor Barrett-Lennard, psychologist/author, b 1926 – of Wembley Downs, Western Australia

 

BEAUFORT D – Arthur Henry Somerset b 30 May 1926 – of Dalveen, Queensland

 

BRADFORD E – Victoria Mary Bridgeman b 24 Feb 1926 – of London NW8

 

BYASS Bt (ext) – Pamela Julia Veall nee Byass, dau of 2nd Bt, b 11 Dec 1926 – of Newbridge-on-Wye, Powys

 

CARBERY B – Trevor Wallace D’Arcy-Evans b 1926 – of Jennapullin, Western Australia

 

CAYLEY Bt (1661) – (Katherine) Sonia, Baroness ffrench nee Cayley b 2 Dec 1926 – of Kelso, Roxburghshire

 

COURTOWN E – John Walter Stopford b 7 Mar 1926 – of North Canterbury, NZ

 

DACRE B/HAMPDEN V – Patricia Helen Winifred Micheletto formerly Lubbock nee Brand b 11 Dec 1926 – of Lausanne, Switzerland (her h Pierre Micheletto may be b 1925)

 

EBRAHIM Bt (1910) – Ariff Ebrahim b 17 Nov 1926

-          Munira Ebrahim b 1926

 

FFRENCH B – see Cayley Bt above

 

FORBES ADAM Bt (1917) – Penelope, Lady Forbes Adam nee Munday, widow of the 4th baronet b 9 Oct 1926 (Companies House) – of Escrick, York

 

GARDNER B (dormant) – Hazel Mendes nee Gardner b 1926

-          Florence Hoffland nee Gardner b 1926 - of Naini Tal, India

 

GIBSON Bt (1931) – Diana Madeleine Gibson b 17 Feb 1926 -  of Buenos Aires, Argentina

 

HAMPDEN V – see Dacre B above

 

MALET Bt (1791) – Wendy Malet b 21 Mar 1926 – of Gillingam, Dorset

 

SIMEON Bt (1815) – Cdr Hugh Michael Simeon b 1 Nov 1926.  I have a note stating he died in 2011 citing http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Hugh-Michael-Simeon-91635971 (link not working) and which I may have reported on.  I wonder whether this was correct as Companies House shows him as an active director of ZZCM Investments Holdings Ltd (incorporated in Zambia) with a correspondence address West View Lane, South Norwalk, Connecticut 06854, United States (last address in DPB 2019 Rowayton, Connecticut)

 

SOUTHWELL V – Hon Susan Mary Macrae nee Southwell b 19 Dec 1926 – of Slacks Creek, Queensland, Australia

 

SPEARMAN Bt (1840) – Richard Ian Campbell Spearman b 14 Aug 1926 – of Winchester, Hants

 

STARKEY Bt (1935) - Phoebe Olivia Shone nee Long (dau of Sylvia Augusta LONG dau of 1st Bt) b 25 Oct 1926 m 1954 Henry Martin Shone (d 1990)

 

 

Also the following are likely to be centenarians (from the date of their marriage) if still alive

 

CROFT Bt (1671) – Barbara Croft nee Carter m 1943 Frederick James Croft – of Barraba, NSW

 

EDEN Bt – Patricia Everett nee Brook m 1944 Michael Charles Eden (ka 1944) - of Roeburndale, Lancs

 

GIBBONS Bt – Phyllis Sheehan nee Greenwood m 1945 John Hayton Gibbons (1909-1963) – of Newport, NSW, Australia

 

GREY E – Wendy Ursula Grey nee Wray m 1943 Major Martin Grey (1913-1975) – of Ditchling, Sussex

 

GUNNING Bt (1778) – Patricia Mary, Lady Gunning nee O’Connor m 1940 Sir Orlando Peter Gunning (1908-1964) – of London SW3 (there is a probate record for a Patricia Mary Gunning died 16 Feb 2014)

 

MACARTNEY Bt (1799) – Geraldine Macartney nee Leach m 1945 Lt-Cdr John Hussey Burgh Macartney (1915-2001)  - of Balgowlah, NSW, Australia

 

MANCHESTER D - Katharine Mary Montagu nee Jenkins m 1946 John Drogo Montagu (1923-2010) – of Plants Green, Warminster, Wilts

 

MANSEL Bt (1622) – Mary Germaine Mansel nee LIttlewood m 1941 Regnier Ranulf Dabridgecourt Mansel (1919-1984) – of Maesycrugian, Carmarthenshire

 

MILMAN Bt (1800) – Noreen J Pryor nee Elliot m 1944 Gerald Stephen Milman (1908-1987) – of Sirras de Cordoba, Argentina (she wrote a letter to the Telegraph 24.03.2010 about Argentinian titles as “(Mrs) Noreen J. Pryor (Señora Noreen J. Elliot de Pryor)”)

MOON Bt (1887) – Ann Beare nee Melhuish m 1945 John Richard Philip Moon (1915-1978) – of St Margaret’s Bay, Dover, Kent

PETRE B - Pamela Mary Bannister nee Pratt m 1941 Gerard Malcolm Mary Laurence Petre (1916-1944) – of North Cheriton, Somerset

PROBY Bt (1952) – Patricia Amelia Proby nee Pearce m 1942 Claud Proby (1917-1987) – of Great Waldingfield, Sudbury, Suffolk

RAMSAY Bt (1806) – Helen MacGregor Ramsay nee Shaw m 1944 Cdr Alexander Robert Ramsay (1910-2004) – of South Brisbane, Qld, Australia

 

ROSSE E – Veronica Rosetta de Courcy Parsons nee Glover m 1945 Maj Arthur Christopher Parsons RA (1919-1999) – of Odiham, Hants

 

ROWLEY Bt (1786/1836) – Dale Rowley nee Antellin m 1941 Frederick Duncan Lorin Rowley (1912-1968) – of Palm Springs, California

 

SLEIGHT Bt (1920) – Jacqueline Margaret, Lady Sleight nee Carter m 1942 Sir John Frederick Sleight, 3rd Bt

 

TEYNHAM B -  Patricia Audrey Straight formerly Martin formerly Trevor Roper nee Edwards m 1942 Fl/Lt Richard Dacre Trevor Roper DFC (1915-1944) – of Winnersh, Berks

Henry W

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Dec 26, 2025, 7:26:23 AM12/26/25
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BEAUFORT D – Arthur Henry Somerset b 30 May 1926 – of Dalveen, Queensland
Died 15 October 2020.

CARBERY B – Trevor Wallace D’Arcy-Evans b 1926 – of Jennapullin, Western Australia
Died 13 February 2001

GREY E – Wendy Ursula Grey nee Wray m 1943 Major Martin Grey (1913-1975) – of Ditchling, Sussex
Died 28 November 2008

RAMSAY Bt (1806) – Helen MacGregor Ramsay nee Shaw m 1944 Cdr Alexander Robert Ramsay (1910-2004) – of South Brisbane, Qld, Australia
Died 11 July 1990

Henry W

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Dec 26, 2025, 10:33:22 AM12/26/25
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MANCHESTER D - Katharine Mary Montagu nee Jenkins m 1946 John Drogo Montagu (1923-2010) – of Plants Green, Warminster, Wilts
https://warminsterjournal.co.uk/four-generations-gather-as-resident-celebrates-101st-birthday/
Known as Mary Montagu.  Found living May 2025, her 101st birthday was celebrated.

Henry W

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Dec 26, 2025, 5:33:01 PM12/26/25
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SIMEON Bt (1815) – Cdr Hugh Michael Simeon b 1 Nov 1926.  I have a note stating he died in 2011 citing http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Hugh-Michael-Simeon-91635971 (link not working) and which I may have reported on.  I wonder whether this was correct as Companies House shows him as an active director of ZZCM Investments Holdings Ltd (incorporated in Zambia) with a correspondence address West View Lane, South Norwalk, Connecticut 06854, United States (last address in DPB 2019 Rowayton, Connecticutt)

I posted on 27 December 2021:
SIMEON baronets: Hugh Michael SIMEON, born 1926, desc from 4th son of 1st Bt, DIED 30 May 2011
http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Hugh-Michael-Simeon-91635971
The date of birth given matches exactly thepeerage (https://thepeerage.com/p57686.htm#i576860)
------------------
I would never knowingly mislead the group, but similarly cannot open the link (or find a notice / record elsewhere).  I obviously considered the possibility of a mistaken identification and corroborated on the DoB.  These days even with the most basic death notice I will copy out any relevant detail and post in italics here for the very reason of disappearing links that we lose information from.

colinp

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Dec 27, 2025, 6:28:36 AM12/27/25
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Thanks Henry.  I think the reference to ZZCM Investments was a bit of a red herring.  The company was incorporated in Zambia and was only registered at the UK Companies Registry because at one time it had a place of business in the UK.  It was "administratively closed" in 2004 by the UK Companies Registry and there would be no reason then why anyone would note the death of one of the directors in the UK Companies Registry though of course Cdr Simeon's death may be noted at the Zambian equivalent.  I have deleted his name from my own centenarians list accordingly and reinstated the note of his death on my copy of DPB.  You make a very good point about not just linking to online notices and articles but reproducing the substance of the notice here in case the links are broken/lost.

Tim

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Dec 27, 2025, 6:28:10 PM12/27/25
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COURTOWN E – John Walter Stopford b 7 Mar 1926 – of North Canterbury, NZ
Found living (as of 24 April 2025) - interviewed by a New Zealand news outlet whilst preparing to take part in Anzac Day commemorations:

"Amberley veteran John Stopford was in Germany when Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party came to power.

His father was a navyman and posted to the British Embassy.

"My father was at the embassy in Berlin from 1933 to 1934, but because in 1934 things were getting a bit tricky dad said to me and mum 'I think you better go back to England', so we did," Stopford said. [...]

Stopford, 99, was only 17 when he joined the Royal Navy, following in his father's footsteps.

"I was set to be part of the invasion [of Nazi-occupied Europe; parentheses in the original text]. God knows what could've happened then, but coincidence happened, their Lordships said no to 12,000 sailors which meant we then went across to the army and went into training, instead of going across the channel," he said.

He ultimately deployed with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment.[...]

Jackson [William Jackson, another New Zealand WWII veteran also interviewed for the article] and Stopford planned to be among the thousands of New Zealanders at Anzac Day services on Friday."

Tim

Tim

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Dec 27, 2025, 6:39:57 PM12/27/25
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CROFT Bt (1671) – Barbara Croft nee Carter m 1943 Frederick James Croft – of Barraba, NSW

Tim

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Dec 28, 2025, 4:40:41 PM12/28/25
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STARKEY Bt (1935) - Phoebe Olivia Shone nee Long (dau of Sylvia Augusta LONG dau of 1st Bt) b 25 Oct 1926 m 1954 Henry Martin Shone (d 1990)
A possible match found living (as of 21 December 2025):
The below newsletter from St Andrew's Church in Girton, Cambridge for the week beginning Sunday 21 December 2025 mentions a "Phoebe Shone" among other "church family members listed for general prayer". A Phoebe O. SHONE was listed on the open register of electors in the Cambridge area from 2009-2022.

Tim

Henry W

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Jan 4, 2026, 11:48:53 AMJan 4
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As ever my significant thanks and applause to Colin for putting this list together - your continued contribution to the community (amongst many others) is a real asset and appreciated.

A few found by Tim that I think we should note here and I think are correct identifications:

GIBBONS Bt – Phyllis Sheehan nee Greenwood m 1945 John Hayton Gibbons (1909-1963) – of Newport, NSW, Australia
Died 25 March 2004

DACRE B/HAMPDEN V – Patricia Helen Winifred Micheletto formerly Lubbock nee Brand b 11 Dec 1926 – of Lausanne, Switzerland (her h Pierre Micheletto may be b 1925)
She died 2020 (funeral took place 4 Sept, but exact date of death not known)

MACARTNEY Bt (1799) – Geraldine Macartney nee Leach m 1945 Lt-Cdr John Hussey Burgh Macartney (1915-2001)  - of Balgowlah, NSW, Australia
Tentative evidence that she died 2005.  Further work needed.

The following thread is probably an mis-identification, but left visible for further work
PROBY Bt (1952) – Patricia Amelia Proby nee Pearce m 1942 Claud Proby (1917-1987) – of Great Waldingfield, Sudbury, Suffolk
Probably Found Living 2017 - C010 address, electoral roll.

I also have a few more notes of some persons found living:

ROSSE E – Veronica Rosetta de Courcy Parsons nee Glover m 1945 Maj Arthur Christopher Parsons RA (1919-1999) – of Odiham, Hants
Found living 2025 - RG29 address, electoral roll

FORBES ADAM Bt (1917) – Penelope, Lady Forbes Adam nee Munday, widow of the 4th baronet b 9 Oct 1926 (Companies House) – of Escrick, York
Found living 2018 - SE21 address, electoral roll

MALET Bt (1791) – Wendy Malet b 21 Mar 1926 – of Gillingam, Dorset
Found living 2008 - SP8 address, electoral roll

SPEARMAN Bt (1840) – Richard Ian Campbell Spearman b 14 Aug 1926 – of Winchester, Hants
Found living 2009 - S022 address, electoral roll
On Tuesday, 23 December 2025 at 13:58:37 UTC colinp wrote:

Tim

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Jan 19, 2026, 6:02:06 PM (7 days ago) Jan 19
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Just to record the discovery made by Richard R today:
MALET Bt (1791) – Wendy Malet b 21 Mar 1926 – of Gillingam, Dorset

Tim

Henry W

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Jan 24, 2026, 11:35:54 AM (3 days ago) Jan 24
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From Part 3:
Clarke Bt (1882) Elizabeth Elsie Faith Lake nee Clarke b 12 July 1924 (of Shropham, Norfolk)
Death registered Q1 2024, she therefore died aged 99.

Two spouses of persons in Debrett's have recently died and were centenarians but not previously in our lists.
Rear Adm John Oliver ROBERTS  CB, 1st h of Lady Hermione STUART, of the MORAY earls, born 4 April 1924
Died 27 December 2025, aged 101.

Janet, Lady DEVITT (Janet Lilian, nee ELLIS), widow of Sir Thomas DEVITT, 2nd Baronet, born 10 October 1925
Died 2 January 2026, aged 100.
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