Edmund Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy explained

Honorific Prefix:	The Right Honourable
The Lord Fermoy
Birth Name:	Edmund James Burke Roche
Birth Date:	20 March 1939
Death Place:	Hungerford, Berkshire, England
5th Baron Fermoy
Nationality:	British
Spouse:	Lavinia Frances Elizabeth Pitman
Issue:	Frances Roche Elizabeth Roche Maurice Roche, 6th Baron Fermoy Edmund Roche
Parents:	Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy Ruth Sylvia Gill

Edmund James Burke Roche, 5th Baron Fermoy (20 March 1939 – 19 August 1984), was a British businessman who held a title in the Peerage of Ireland. He was the maternal uncle of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Early life and education

He was born on 20 March 1939, the only son and youngest child of Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy, and his wife, Ruth Sylvia Gill, youngest daughter of William Smith Gill.^[1] His father died in 1955.

He was a graduate of Eton and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Career

He became the 5th Baron Fermoy in 1955 when his father died. He was an elected member of Newbury District Council between 1976 and 1979. He was chairman of Eddington Bindery Ltd, based at the Fermoy family home near Hungerford.^[2] He was also a steeplechase jockey.

Marriage and children

He was married to Lavinia Frances Elizabeth Pitman (born 1941), daughter of John Pitman (a descendant of Sir Isaac Pitman) and Elizabeth Donaldson.

They had four children:

• The Hon. Frances Caroline Burke Roche (born 31 March 1965), married Peter Stanley in 1990. They have three children:
  • Richard Hugh Edward Stanley (born 1 May 1993)
  • Portia Ruth Isobel Stanley (born 19 April 1995)
  • Algernon Edmond Stanley (born 8 March 1999)
• The Hon. Elizabeth Burke Roche (27 March 1966 – 2 April 1966)
• Maurice Burke Roche, 6th Baron Fermoy (born 11 October 1967), married Tessa Kayll on 26 March 1998. They have two daughters.
• The Hon. Edmund Hugh Burke Roche (born 5 February 1972), married Phillipa Katie Victoria Long in 2004. They have three children:
  • Rosie Jeanne Roche (born 21 June 2005)
  • Archie Edmund Roche (born 5 October 2007)
  • Agatha Frances Roche (born 15 October 2009)

Death

After suffering from depression for a long period of time, he died from suicide by gunshot at his home, Eddington House, in Hungerford on 19 August 1984.^{[3] [4] [5]} He was 45.^[6] He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.

In 1995, Fermoy's widow, Lavinia Fermoy, married Nigel Edward Corbally Stourton, a grandson of Alfred Stourton, 23rd Baron Mowbray.

Royal connections

Lord Fermoy and his family have close connections to the British royal family. His mother was a longstanding member of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's household.^[6] His sister Frances was the mother of Lady Diana Spencer.^[6] As the bride's maternal uncle, Lord Fermoy attended her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Person Page 156. The Peerage. 19 December 2012 . 9 June 2013.
2. Web site: A Visit to British Binders & Binderies. February 1981 . Cool. 9 June 2013.
3. News: . Lord Fermoy Shoots Himself. Uncle of Princess of Wales i. Lord Fermoy, the uncle of the Princess of Wales, shot himself today at his home, the police said. He was 45 years old. ... Lord Fermoy, born Edmund James Burke Roche, became the fifth Baron Fermoy in 1955, succeeding his father, a former Conservative Member of Parliament. His mother, Ruth, Dowager Lady Fermoy, has been lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother for 30 years. Lord Fermoy's sister, Frances Shand-Kydd, is the mother of the Princess of Wales. ... . . 20 August 1984 . 2015-05-04 .
4. News: Hugo Vickers. Obituary: Ruth Fermoy. The Independent. 8 July 1993. 9 June 2013.
5. News: The Dowager Lady Fermoy; Diana's Grandmother, 84. 9 June 2013. The New York Times. 8 July 1993.
6. News: Lord Fermoy kills self. 21 July 2013. Sarasota Herald Tribune. 20 August 1984. Associated Press. Hungerford.