CONYNGHAM, The Most Hon 8th Marquess 1951-2025

[Tim]

The 8th Marquess Conyngham died 18 June 2025, aged 74. 

He was b 23 May 1951, s of the 7th MARQUESS CONYNGHAM 1924-2009 by his 1950 m (diss 1970) to Eileen Wren d 2016 dau of Capt Charles Wren NEWSAM d 1962 by his 1922 m to Eileen b 1886 d 1947, dau of George Neville USSHER b 1856 d 1921.

He married, firstly, 1971 (dissolved 1985) Juliet Ann KITSON, dau of Robert Richard Buller KITSON b 1918 d 1996 (s of Capt James Buller KITSON b 1883 d 1976 by his 1913 m to Hon Frances Margaret Palmer b 1889 d 1958, dau of Robert Jared Bliss Howard OBE b 1859 d 1921 by his 1888 m to The BARONESS STRATHCONA AND MOUNT ROYAL b 1854 d 1926) by his 1946 m (dissolved; her 2nd h of 4) Penelope Ann b 1923 d 2014, dau of Maj Gerald STEELE CBE DSO b 1874 d 1944 by his w Maud MacKinlay d 1944. They had 1 son and 1 daughter.

Lord Conyngham married, secondly, 1985 Lady Iona Charlotte b 1953, dau of 6th EARL OF VERULAM DL 1912-73 by his 1938 m to Marjorie Ray d 1994 dau of Walter Atholl DUNCAN of Cadogan Sq, London. They had 1 daughter.

His son from his first marriage, Alexander Burton CONYNGHAM, styled Earl of Mount Charles, b 30 Jan 1975, succeeds as 9th MARQUESS CONYNGHAM. The new heir apparent is his elder s, Rory Nicholas Burton CONYNGHAM, now styled Earl of Mount Charles (b 2010).

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025/06/19/lord-henry-mount-charles-has-died-at-age-of-74-family-announces/

[Tim]

I believe the line of succession is currently as follows:

1. Rory Nicholas Burton CONYNGHAM, styled Earl of Mount Charles b 2010 (eldest s of 9th Marquess)

2. Lord Caspar CONYNGHAM b 2012 (brother of 1)

3. Lord Simon Charles Eveleigh Wren CONYNGHAM b 1953 (uncle of 9th Marquess)

4. Lord Frederick William Patrick CONYNGHAM b 1959 (brother of 3)

5. The 9th Baron Londesborough b 1959 (3rd cousin 3x removed of 9th Marquess - descended from 1st Baron Londesborough, youngest son of 1st Marquess Conyngham)

6. Hon. James Frederick DENISON b 1990 (son of 5).

Tim

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Thanks, Tim.

Brooke

[Paul Theroff]

"The death has occurred of Henry Conyngham, The 8th Marquess Conyngham (Lord Henry Mount Charles), Slane Castle, Co. Meath.

"Henry passed away peacefully on Wednesday, 18th June, in St. James’s Hospital with family by his side after a long and valiant battle with Cancer. He will be missed by his wife Iona, children Alex, Henrietta, Wolfe, and Tamara, his brothers Patrick and Simon, family, friends, and all who knew and loved him...

"For those wishing to sign, or share fond memories of Slane, a book of condolences will be available at Slane Castle on Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st June from 10am–6pm.

"Henry will then repose at the Castle on Tuesday 24th and those wishing to pay their respects are invited to do so between 3pm–7pm. The funeral will take place on Wednesday 25th at 12 noon in St. Patrick’s Church of Ireland, Slane, C15 HK88...

"For those unable to attend the service, it will also be live streamed"

Source: https://rip.ie/death-notice/henry-conyngham-the-8th-marquess-conyngham-lord-henry-mount-charles-meath-slane-597514

[Robert Jewell]

I would add, as number 3, Lord (Gerald) Wolfe Conyngham, born 1978, bumping the others down. See the obit Paul Theroff posted:  children Alex, Henrietta, Wolfe, and Tamara. He's a chef.

[bx...@yahoo.com]

DPB Online has yet to update the page, but it's still early.

 For some reason, they do only list 3 children for the late Marquess:  two from his first marriage, Alex, the new (9th) Marquess, and Lady Henrietta, and one daughter from his second marriage, Lady Tamara.  

thepeerage.com shows the same: https://thepeerage.com/p7199.htm#i71990.

It should be noted that Lady Henrietta is married to the 6th Earl of Lichfield.

Hopefully, when DPB Online updates the page, Lord (Gerald) Wolfe Conyngham will be included.

Brooke

[Paul Theroff]

I wonder why the mystery about Wolfe Conyngham, though, especially since he is so well known. There are dozens of articles about him online.

His name does not appear either in the 2011 Debrett's (the most recent I have) or an online Burke's edition from the early 2000s.

[Patricia Light]

His name does not appear in the 2019 Debrett's (the most recent i have) maybe he requested not to be included, who knows.

[Paul Theroff]

That's possible, though it doesn't agree with the fact that he seems to be publicity-hungry (if only to promote his restaurants) and articles usually mention his noble father.

[pyvery]

I think that Gerald-Wolfe Conyngham was adopted by the Mount Charles being the orphaned nephew of Henry's first wife.

[Paul Theroff]

Thanks for that information, which explains everything.

[Jonathan]

Wolfe must be the Gerald Wolfe Kitson-Clancy, reg. Westminster, Q3 1978. His mother was therefore Jessica Ruth Kitson who d. 19 October 1981,  aged 34.

He is therefore not in the line of succession to the marquessate, and I could also not  find a Royal Warrant in the Gazette allowing him to use the style of a son of a marquess.

[Tim]

Dear all,

Thank you for these comments and all your research as part of this fascinating discussion! I apologise for my oversights in the original post; I must admit that I was a little pressed for time when writing my original posts and should probably have prefaced them with "needs more work" or something similar. I still have much to learn from the more experienced members of this group, and am grateful to be part of such a supportive and encouraging forum that will enable me to do so in the months and years to come.

Tim

[bx...@yahoo.com]

Hi Tim.

From my perspective, there's no need to apologize.  I'm sure many of us were grateful for your post.  As long as the basic information that's posted (whether it's a birth, death or marriage) is factually correct, the members of this group can always been counted on to post additional information.

The wonderful thing is that there are so many experienced and learned members.  I've belonged to this group for many years, and I'm constantly learning new information from this talented bunch.

Keep up the good work, everyone!

Brooke

[colinp]

If, as has been stated, Wolfe was legally adopted by the 8th Marquess he is entitled to the courtesy title of Lord by Royal Warrant 30 April 2004 which declared that the adopted children of peers shall be accorded the styles and courtesy titles as are proper to the younger children of peers

[Paul Theroff]

"Henry Vivien Pierpoint Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham died peacefully aged 74 on 18th June following a long and valiant battle with cancer. Funeral arrangements are on

www.slanecastle.ie/2025/06/21/in-memoriam-lord-henry-mount-charles-8th-marquess-conyngham-1951-2025/

Placed By Alexander Conyngham"

Source: The Telegraph, 24 June 2025

On Friday, June 20, 2025 at 6:40:37 PM UTC-5 Paul Theroff wrote:

[bx...@yahoo.com]

DPB Online has now updated this page, to reflect the new (9th) Marquess, and his 2 sons, including the ha.

The line of succession, as presented in Tim's post of June 20, 2025 is accurate.

There is no mention of Wolfe at all, even as an "adopted" brother.

Brooke

[Robert Jewell]

So now we know. Or I think we do.

Thank you everybody.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "Peerage News" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/peerage-news/u-ejrGjZm0w/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to peerage-news...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/peerage-news/1a7a1365-0798-41a8-8fa2-245e5d86d9c5n%40googlegroups.com.

[Richard R]

Obit in the Times of 27 June 2025:

Lord Mount Charles obituary: aristocrat who turned castle into rock venue

Irish peer who transformed Slane Castle into an annual festival with a cornucopia of headline acts including the Rolling Stones, Madonna and Oasis, dies aged 74

“Lord Henry”, as the 8th Marquess Conyngham liked to be known in his native Ireland, was a figure of riotous incongruity. Aristocrat and entrepreneur, bohemian and businessman, a sometime poet, journalist, publisher, parliamentary candidate, publican and peer of the realm; he was primarily known as the man who transformed his family’s estate at Slane, Co Meath, into one of the most glamorous rock venues in Europe.

Though born into the purple of the Anglo-Irish nobility, he realised from an early age that it was a birthright which might, had he embraced it more fully than he did, have excluded him from his claim to his Irish identity. Accent, class and an English public school education were usually enough to cause people like Mount Charles to be frequently asked in their own country the derogatory question: “How are you enjoying your holiday here?”

… Henry Vivien Pierpoint Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham, Earl of Mount Charles, Viscount Slane and Baron Minister of Minster Abbey in the County of Kent was born in 1951. His mother, Eileen (née Wren Newsome), was of Anglo-Irish stock and a legendary huntswoman. She showed the doughty spirit inherited by her firstborn, Henry, when Slane Castle was invaded by protesters objecting to the Mount Charles ownership of fishing rights over the River Boyne. She let in 50 rescuing police officers by throwing the castle key in a jar of face cream out of her bedroom window.

Lady Mount Charles’s divorce from her husband, Frederick Conyngham, the 7th Marquess, known as Mount, divided Anglo-Irish Society. From the dashing couple who hosted hunt balls and glamorous dinners, they became estranged when Mount married a lover. Henry’s mother never married again. The marquess moved to the Isle of Man as a tax exile when Ireland introduced a wealth tax. Lady Mount Charles lived on in Ireland until the age of 92, claiming, jokingly, that her longevity was solely aimed at annoying her children.

Mount Charles was educated at Harrow and Harvard. His father was disappointed that he did not take the more traditional Oxbridge route, dismissing Harvard as “not the sort of place where a descendant of Sir Christopher Wren will find solace”…

… Mount Charles married Juliet (née Kitson). They had a daughter and two sons, the eldest of whom, Alexander, succeeds his father in the peerage as the 9th Marquess Conyngham. He divorced his first wife in 1985 and married Lady Iona Grimston, daughter of the 6th Earl of Verulam, who was a Conservative MP and later sat as a Conservative peer in the House of Lords. They had one daughter. He is survived by his wife, children and two brothers…

… Mount Charles was not beyond sending up his ancient background. He particularly enjoyed telling stories of his great-great-great-grandmother’s affair with King George IV and pointing out items at Slane Castle which he would describe as “got through the King’s mistress”.

Lord Mount Charles, 8th Marquess Conyngham, rock promoter, was born on May 23, 1951. He died of cancer on June 18, 2025, aged 74

https://www.thetimes.com/article/10e84edd-f45f-4066-badd-63561ca67974

[bx...@yahoo.com]

"...  two sons" are mentioned from the first marriage, along with a daughter from each of his two marriages.

The only child specifically named in the obit is Alexander.

Brooke

[colinp]

Obit in the Telegraph -  The Marquess Conyngham, music-loving Irish peer who saved Slane Castle with rock concerts – obituary

This is the section which deals with his family:

He met his first wife, Juliet Kitson, at Harvard and they were married in 1971. Her mother, Penelope, was the most self-possessed member of the h​arem at the time maintained by the ageing J Paul Getty.

Henry and Juliet had a son and a daughter, and subsequently adopted the son of her sister, Jessica, who had died young. They were divorced in 1985, and that year he married Lady Iona Grimston, daughter of the 6th Earl of Verulam.

By the way DPB online still calls the new Marquess's yr son Caspar "Hon" not "Lord"

[Patricia Light]

Lord Gerald-Wolf, adopted son, has been added to this title