MANNERS / Murray engagement

[Richard R]

From the Telegraph & Times of 5 Dec 2020: Mr J.P. Manners and Miss A.F. Murray - The engagement is announced between Joseph, son of Mr and Mrs Charles Manners, of Woodend, Northamptonshire, and Alice, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs Ross Murray, of Llanover, Monmouthshire.

Joseph Peter (b 1991) s of Charles Henry MANNERS (b 1957, gs of 4th Baron MANNERS (1897-1972) and Mary Edith GASCOYNE-CECIL (1900-94 gd of Queen VICTORIA's last Prime Minister the 3rd Marquess of SALISBURY (1830-1903) and 1st Earl of LATHOM (1837-98)) etc etc) and Nichola Elisabeth H (b c1964) d of Peter De Montford Howard THOMPSON (1932-85) of Astley Farm, Bridgnorth, Shropshire.

[?Alice Frances (b 1991 reg Q2 Gwent) d of (Michael) Ross MURRAY (b May 1963) by his 1987 m (reg Q4 Gwent) to Helen E HERBERT (b 1962 reg Q3 Gwent)]

[S R Eglesfield]

From the locational information in the announcement, it seems clear that Richard has correctly identified the prospective bride. Her mother, Mrs Ross MURRAY, née (Helen) Elizabeth HERBERT, is the elder daughter of Robin Arthur Elidyr HERBERT (born 1934) and his wife (married 1960), Margaret Griswold, née  LEWIS, daughter of Geoffrey Whitney LEWIS, the sometime delegate of the USA to NATO. Robin Herbert was the son of Colonel Sir John Arthur HERBERT, GCIE (16 XII 1895 - 11 XII 1943), MP (Conservative) for Monmouth from 1934 to 1939, and his wife (married 11 VI 1924), Lady Mary Theresa FOX-STRANGWAYS (23 I 1903 - 26 I 1948), the elder daughter of the 6th Earl of Ilchester.

Sir John Herbert was the son of General Sir Arthur James HERBERT, GCVO (22 VIII 1855 - 31 VIII 1921) and his American wife, Helen Louise GAMMELL. Sir Arthur Herbert was a younger brother of the 1st and last Baron Treowen; they were the eldest two sons of John Arthur Edward JONES (12 X 1818 - 18 VIII 1895), High Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1849, who changed his surname to HERBERT by Royal sign-manual on 2 October 1848. John Jones/Herbert was himself the son of John JONES (died 22 IV 1848) of Llanarth Court and his wife (married 11 IX 1817), Lady Harriet James PLUNKETT (died 22 III 1871), daughter of the 8th Earl of Fingall.

John Arthur Edward JONES was married on 12 November 1846 to the Hon Augusta Charlotte Elizabeth HALL (23 IX 1824 - 3 XI 1912), the daughter of Benjamin HALL, 1st and last Baron Llanover (8 XI 1802 - 27 IV 1867), who inherited the Llanover estate through his wife (married 1823), Augusta (21 III 1802 - 17 I 1896), the youngest daughter of Benjamin WADDINGTON. Lord Llanover, as First Commissioner of Works, oversaw the later stages of the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament; he was a tall man, and "Big Ben", the bell in the clock tower (now the Elizabeth Tower) is said by some to be named after him.