Person Page - 1344

     Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy, DCVO, OBE, (2 October 1908 – 6 July 1993) was a friend and confidante of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and the maternal grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lady Fermoy was born Ruth Sylvia Gill at her father's house, Dalhebity, Bieldside, Aberdeenshire, the daughter of Colonel William Smith Gill and his wife, Ruth.[1] She showed early promise as a pianist and studied under Alfred Cortot at the Paris Conservatoire in the 1920s.[2]

Her musical career was cut short when she met, and later married in 1931, the wealthy and much older Edmund Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy. Before he died in 1955, they had three children which included her middle child, Frances Ruth (the mother of Lady Diana Spencer). Lady Fermoy did play the piano in public occasionally after her marriage, most notably with Josef Krips at the Royal Albert Hall in 1950, and with Sir John Barbirolli and the Hallé Orchestra at King's Lynn in 1966.[3] She founded the King's Lynn Festival in 1951 and remained closely involved with the Festival for 25 years, persuading Queen Elizabeth to become its patron.[4]

In 1956, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, appointed the Dowager Lady Fermoy an Extra Woman of the Bedchamber. The Queen Mother, being a widow herself, showed a preference for appointing widows to her household, and four years later Ruth, Lady Fermoy was promoted to Woman of the Bedchamber, a post she held for the next 33 years.[5]

The Queen Mother and Lady Fermoy became confidantes and it was largely supposed that they engineered the match between Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Fermoy's granddaughter, Lady Diana Spencer. However, when asked about it, Lady Fermoy remarked, "You can say that if you like – but it simply wouldn't be true".[6] It was also said that she counselled her granddaughter against the marriage.[7]

Lady Fermoy was a firm believer in the sanctity of marriage. In 1969, she testified against her own daughter's fitness as a mother, thus allowing Edward Spencer, Viscount Althorp to retain custody of their children after the couple's divorce.[2]

Lady Fermoy died at her home, 36 Eaton Square, London,[8] aged 84. It was reported that she was not on speaking terms with Diana when she died.[2]¹

     Frances Ellen Work (October 27, 1857 - January 26, 1947) was an American heiress and socialite. She was a great-grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and her great-great-grandchildren include Prince William of Wales, Prince Harry of Wales, and the American actor Oliver Platt.

Born in New York City, she was a daughter of Franklin H. Work, a well-known stockbroker and protégé of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and his wife, Ellen Wood.[1]

In 1880 at Christ Church, New York City, Frances Work married the Hon. James Boothby Burke Roche, who would later become the 3rd Baron Fermoy. They had four children: two daughters Cynthia Roche and Eileen, and twin sons Francis and Edmund. Edmund later became the 4th Baron Fermoy, and was the grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales. Frances divorced Roche for desertion in 1891, before he had succeeded to the barony. Her lawyer was Thomas F. Bayard, former United States Secretary of State.[2]

On August 4, 1905, the Hon. Mrs. Burke Roche married Aurel de Batonyi, a Hungarian-born riding instructor and society horseman. When he had immigrated to the United States on the Majestic in 1891, Batonyi claimed he was a count.[3] It was also suggested that his real name was Arthur Cohn.[4] Frances sued de Batonyi for divorce two years after their marriage, allegedly because her father threatened to disinherit her if she continued to live with her husband.[4]

She was a prominent figure in the New York City and Newport, Rhode Island social sets, and was friends with Mrs Reginald Vanderbilt. Her sister, Lucy Bond Work married Peter Cooper Hewitt, a son of New York City Mayor Abram Stevens Hewitt.

She died in the city of her birth at the age of 89.[1]¹

     James Boothby Burke Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy (28 July 1852 – 30 October 1920) was an Irish peer and a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom House of Commons. He was the great-grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.

He was born at Twyford Abbey, Middlesex in 1852, the son of Edmond Burke Roche, and his wife Eliza Caroline née Boothby.[1] He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge.[2]

He visited the United States where he met and married the heiress Frances Work on 22 September 1880 at Christ Church, New York City. The marriage was not a success and they separated in December 1886. She was granted a divorce on the grounds of desertion on 3 March 1891 at Wilmington, Delaware.[3]

They had four children, twin sons and two daughters:

Eileen (b. and d. 1882).
Cynthia (10 April 1884 - 8 December 1966), who married firstly Arthur Scott Burden (d. June 1921) in 1906 and secondly Guy Fairfax Cary (d. 1950) in 1922. She is the matrilineal great-grandmother of American actor Oliver Platt.
Edmund Maurice Burke (15 May 1885 – 8 July 1955), who was the grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Francis George Burke (15 May 1885 – 30 October 1958), who died unmarried.[2]
In 1896 he stood as an Anti-Parnellite Nationalist candidate in the Kerry East by-election for a seat in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Nationalists had split into two factions after the party leader, Charles Stewart Parnell was named as co-respondent in a divorce. Roche was supported initially by both the Parnellites and the Anti-Parnellites, until it was revealed that he was himself divorced. During the campaign, Roche denied publicly that he knew of the divorce or that he had deserted his wife and children.[4] Although he went on to win the seat, the opposing Unionist candidate gained the highest vote ever recorded for a Unionist candidate in Kerry East.[5] He served one term and did not stand in the following general election in 1900.

On 1 September 1920 he succeeded his brother as Baron Fermoy. Just two months later he died at Artillery Mansions, Westminster, London. He was buried at St Marylebone Cemetery, Finchley on 3 November 1920.[6]¹

     Thomas I (died 1296) was the fourth margrave of Saluzzo from 1244 to his death. He succeeded his father Manfred III.

Under the reign of Thomas, Saluzzo blossomed, achieving a greatness which had eluded his ancestors. He crafted a state the borders of which remained unchanged for over two centuries. He extended the march to include Carmagnola. He was often at odds with Asti and he was a prime enemy of the Charles of Anjou and his Italian pretentions. During his tenure, he made Saluzzo a free city, giving it a podestà to govern in his name. He defended his castles and roccaforti (strongholds) vigorously and built many new ones in the cities.

He was succeeded by his son Manfred. Thomas also had a daughter, Alice of Saluzzo, who married Richard Fitzalan, 8th Earl of Arundel.¹

     Manfred III (died 1244) was the third marquess of Saluzzo, from 1215 to his death. He was the son of Boniface of Saluzzo and Maria di Torres of Sassari (in Sardinia). Since his father died in 1212, he succeeded his grandfather Manfred II as marquess on the latter's death in 1215. His paternal grandmother Azalaïs or Adelasia of Montferrat was regent during his minority until 1218. During that period, his grandmother paid tribute to Count Thomas I of Savoy.

Manfred fought the expansionistic policies of Thomas, as had his father, and he defended the borders of his march with care. He died in 1244 and was succeeded by his son Thomas.¹

     Manfred II (1140 – 1215) was the second margrave of Saluzzo from his father's death in 1175 to his own. He was the son of Manfred I and Eleanor. He placed the capital of the margravate definitively in Saluzzo.

He married Azalaïs of Montferrat before 1182, forming an alliance with one of the most powerful dynasties in northern Italy.

Manfred expanded the march and fought against the expansionism of the neighbouring counts of Savoy. After several minor skirmishes, the two principalities came to terms in 1213 and peace was established for the final two years of his life. Since his eldest son Boniface had predeceased him in 1212, he was succeeded by his grandson, Manfred III, under the regency of Azalaïs. She had to pay tribute on behalf of young Manfred, and for the next century, Saluzzo was a vassal of Savoy.

He had at least five children with her:

Agnes, married Comita III of Torres
Boniface (the heir, who predeceased his father), married Maria, daughter of aforementioned Comita
Margaret, married Geoffrey de Salvaing
(unnamed daughter), married Marquis William II of Ceva
Thomas
He also fathered an illegitimate son, Bastardino.¹

     Manfred I (died 1175) was the first margrave of Saluzzo, serving in that capacity from 1125 until his death. He was the eldest son of Boniface del Vasto, the margrave of Western Liguria, of a noble stock which had ruled the region between Savona and Ventimiglia for generations. Boniface received the county of Saluzzo in feudum directly from its suzerain, Ulric Manfred, margrave of Turin, and gave it to his son. The county comprised the land between the Alps, the Po River, and the Stura. Manfred transmitted the margravate to his son by Eleanor, Manfred II, and the dynasty which reigned until the Renaissance was born.¹

     Roger de Beaumont-le-Roger (c. 1015 – 29 November 1094) was son of Humphrey de Vielles (himself a great-nephew of the Duchess Gunnora of Normandy) and his wife Albreda de la Haye Auberie. Roger de Beaumont, Lord of Beaumont-le-Roger and Pont-Audemer, Viscount of Hiesmes, was thus a second cousin once removed of the Conqueror.

Roger was nicknamed Barbatus or La Barbe because he wore a moustache and beard while the Normans usually were clean shaven. This peculiarity is recognized in the thirty-second panel of the Bayeux Tapestry where he is depicted sitting at a feast with Duke William on his left hand, Odo, brother of William and Bishop of Bayeux, in the centre.

Planché tells us that "he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish family." There is an explanation for this - as an older cousin who had never rebelled against the young Duke, he was part of the kinship group of noblemen that William relied upon in governing Normandy and fighting off frequent rebellion and invasions. The historian Frank McLynn notes that William relied on relatives descended via his mother (namely his half-brothers and brothers-in-law) and on relatives descended from the Duchess Gunnora's sisters, since his own paternal kin had proved unreliable.

Wace, the 12th century historian, says that "at the time of the invasion of England, Roger was summoned to the great council at Lillebonne, on account of his wisdom; but that he did not join in the expedition as he was too far advanced in years." Although Roger could not fight, he did not hesitate in contributing his share of the cost, for he provided at his own expense sixty vessels for the conveyance of the troops across the channel. Furthermore, his eldest son and heir fought bravely at Hastings as noted in several contemporary records. As a result, Roger's elder sons were awarded rich lands in England, and both eventually were made English earls by the sons of the Conqueror.

He married circa 1048 or earlier Adeline of Meulan (ca. 1014-1020 - 1081), daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan and Oda de Conteville, and sister and heiress of a childless Count of Meulan. Meulan eventually passed to their elder son who became Count of Meulan in 1081.¹

     William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, (died 1088) was one of the Norman nobles who fought at the Battle of Hastings and became great landowners in England.

He was a son of Rodulf II de Warenne and Emma and a grandnephew of duchess Gunnor, wife of duke Richard I of Normandy. The de Warenne surname derives from the hamlet named Varenne located on the river Varenne, which flows through the territory William acquired in Upper Normandy[1] in the region today called Bellencombre.

As a young man, William played a prominent role in protecting the Norman realm of the future William the Conqueror's from a major invasion by the King of France in February 1054 at the Battle of Mortemer.[2] After this battle Roger de Mortemer forfeited most of his lands, and the duke gave them to William.[3]

William was one of the nobles who advised duke William when the decision to invade England was being considered. He is said to have fought at Hastings,[4] and afterwards received the Rape of Lewes in Sussex,[1] and subsequently lands in twelve other shires. He built castles at Lewes (Sussex), Reigate (Surrey), Castle Acre (Norfolk) and Conisbrough in Yorkshire.[1] By the time of the Domesday survey he was one of the wealthiest landholders in England with holdings in 12 counties.[5]

He fought against rebels at the Isle of Ely in 1071 where he showed a special desire to hunt down Hereward the Wake who had murdered his brother the year before.[1]

William was loyal to William II,[1] and it was probably in early 1088 that he was created Earl of Surrey.[6] He died shortly afterwards of wounds he received while helping suppress the rebellion of 1088.

He married twice:

First, Gundred (Latin: Gundrada), sister of Gerbod the Fleming, Earl of Chester.
Second, to a sister of Richard Gouet.¹

     Gundred, Gundreda, or Gundrada (died 27 May 1085) was probably born in Flanders , sister of Gerbod the Fleming, Earl of Chester.[1]

Gundred married William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey (d. 20 June 1088), who rebuilt Lewes Castle, making it his chief residence. In 1078 he and Gundred founded a Cluniac Priory at Southover, adjoining Lewes, where both were buried.[2][3]

The Countess had died at Castle Acre, Norfolk, one of her husband's estates.

In the course of the centuries which followed both tombstones disappeared from the priory but in 1774 William Burrell, Esq., an antiquary, discovered Gundred's in Isfield Church (seven miles from Lewes), over the remains of Edward Shirley, Esq., (d. 1550), whose father John was Clerk of the Kitchen to King Henry VII, and had it removed on October 2, 1775, to St. John's Church, Southover, the nearest place to its original site, and placed inside and at the south-west corner of the church, where, until 1847, it could be seen on the floor between pews with a very fine inscription detailing its origins etc.

In 1845, during excavations through the Priory grounds for the South Coast Railway, the lead chests containing the remains of the Earl and his Countess were discovered, and deposited temporarily, for the next two years, beneath Gundred's tombstone. In 1847 a Norman Chapel was erected by public subscription, adjoining the present vestry and chancel. Prior to re-interring the remains in this chapel, both cysts were opened to ascertain if there were any contents, which was found to be the case. New cysts were made and used, and the ancient ones preserved and placed in two recessed arches in the southern wall. Gundred's remains in a good state of preservation although the Earl's has lost some lead. Across the upper part of the right arch is the name Gvndrada. Her tombstone is of black marble.[4]

The children of William de Warenne and Gundred were:

William II de Warenne (d. 11 May 1138), buried in Lewes Priory.[5][6]
Reginald de Warenne, an adherent of Robert of Normandy.[7]
Edith de Warenne, married, firstly, Gerard, Baron de Gournay.[8]¹

     Humphrey with the Beard (died before 1113) was a Norman soldier and landed aristocrat, the earliest known member of the Bohun family who took part in the Norman conquest of England as one of the original companions at Hastings.[1]

Humphrey may have been a relative of William the Conqueror, probably through one of Humphrey's marriages. He was married three times, as his donation of a plow and garden to the nuns of Abbaye Saint-Amand at Rouen states, but the names of his wives are unknown. This donation is witnessed by William as comes (count), indicating that he had not yet succeeded to the throne of England and was still only Duke of Normandy. This suggests that Humphrey was advanced in age by 1066, which corroborates the description of him given at line 13,583 of the Roman de Rou of Wace: De Bohun le Vieil Onfrei ("from Bohun the old Humphrey").[1] His nickname, "with the beard" (cum barba), was a distinguishing one in eleventh-century Normandy, where the custom was to shave the face and back of the head.[2]

At the time of the Conquest Humphrey possessed the honour of Bohun (today comprising two communes, Saint-André-de-Bohon and Saint-Georges-de-Bohon) in western Normandy. After the Conquest he received an honour with its seat at Tatterford in Norfolk, as recorded in Domesday Book (1086). The small size of his reward in England, despite his relations with William's family, may be a result of his age. He later donated the church of Saint-Georges-de-Bohon to the Abbey of Marmoutier. By his wives he left three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Robert, predeceased him unmarried, and his second son, Richard, was the progenitor, in the female line, of the Bohuns of Midhurst. His youngest son and namesake is commonly numbered Humphrey I because by his marriage he was "the founder of the fortunes of his family".[1]¹