NEVILL, David Michael Ralph 1941-2025

[Richard R]

From the Telegraph of 19 April 2025: NEVILL David Michael Ralph of Birling died peacefully in Tunbridge Wells Hospital on 20th March aged 53 [sic, aged 83]. Devoted husband of Katherine, beloved father of Guy, Anna and Georgie and loving Granpop.

He was s of Lt Michael George Ralph NEVILL 1917-ka1943 (gt gs of 4^th Earl of ABERGAVENNY 1792-1868 who was f of 1^st Marquess of ABERGAVENNY 1826-1915) and Maureen Ethné David 1920-2002 d of Maj Arthur Tahu Gravenor RHODES 1893-1947 and Hon Helen Cecil Olive PLUNKET 1895-1968 d of 5^th Baron PLUNKET 1864-1920 and Lady Victoria Alexandrina HAMILTON-TEMPLE-BLACKWOOD 1873-1968 d of 1^st Marquess of DUFFERIN & AVA 1826-1902. He m 1972 Katherine Mary d of Rossmore David WESTENRA of Christchurch, NZ (?scion of the ROSSMORE barons), and had a son and two daus as above.

His son GUY MICHAEL ROSSMORE Nevill b 12 Nov 1973 succeeds him as presumptive heir to his cousin the 6^th & final Marquess of ABERGAVENNY b 1955 who is married with a dau. Should Guy survive the demise of the last Marquess, Guy will become 11^th Earl of ABERGAVENNY & Viscount Nevill cr 1784 as well Baron [A]BERGAVENNY. Guy is married in 2008 and has three sons born between 2010 and 2015.

[Henry W]

I know Debrett's lists the 6th Marquess as 23rd Baron [A]BERGAVENNY, but I thought it was now accepted that all creations of this barony (many in error) were baronies by writ, so descended to heirs general, and all are now abeyant.

See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Bergavenny

https://groups.google.com/g/peerage-news/c/PiiIgGwcJUw/m/KmPEZB2UAgAJ

It appears that the 3rd Marquess was 8th Baron of a 1724 creation, and on his death in 1938 the title went into abeyance between his two daughters (and their heirs), where it remains.

[Richard R]

Debretts lists the 6^th Marquess of Abergavenny as the 24^th holder of the barony.

The last print edition of Burke’s Peerage & Baronetage includes the following historical note:

…The Barony created in 1450 [ie by the summons of Sir Edward Nevill to parliament] would by subsequent doctrine have been regarded as heritable by an heir general, such as a sole heiress. But this doctrine did not become a hard and fast rule till the late 17th century. So after Feb 1586/7, when the 4th Baron Bergavenny left a sole heiress, Mary Nevill(e), she did not inherit. Instead, following considerable vacillation by the House of Lords, the Crown decided that the heir male was entitled to inherit, not the heir general. It might seem as if the  Crown did this because the Barony was thought to be one by tenure, and indeed the heir male Edward Nevill(e) already held the castle and demesne  lands of Abergavenny. Moreover the precedence (ie, notional date of first summons to Parliament) assigned the Barony of Bergavenny on 25 May 1604 was 1295, when the first Baron Bergavenny, whether by tenure or not, was summoned to Parliament. Meanwhile the Crown terminated the Barony of Despenser in favour of Mary Nevill(e)  as compensation for its refusal to recognise her as heir to her father’s Barony of Bergavenny. The effect on the Barony of Bergavenny was to make it heritable by heirs male only thereafter…

[bx...@yahoo.com]

DPB Online has now updated this page, to reflect this death.

David's only son, GUY MICHAEL ROSSMORE (b. 1973) succeeds his father as the hp to his cousin's Earldom of Abergavenny.  (There is no heir to the marquessate).

Guy's 3 sons are the only others  in remainder to the Earldom of Abergavenny and the Viscountcy of Nevill.  They are:

1. George David Roland (b. 2010)

2. Frederick Guy James (b. 2012)

3. Ralph William James (b. 2015).

Brooke