British businessman
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. 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. 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:
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. He was 45. 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. His sister Frances was the mother of Lady Diana Spencer. As the bride's maternal uncle, Lord Fermoy attended her wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1981.
References.
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