Thomas Dyer Edwardes

Mr Thomas Dyer Edwardes was born on 21st February 1847 the son of Thomas Edwardes. He was educated at Rugby School and Clare College Cambridge.

After conducting business in Australia for about 10 years he returned to England and on 10 January 1878 was married to Clementina Villiers; a daughter Lucy Noel Martha was born in December of the same year.  In 1888 they purchased Prinknash Park in Gloucestershire as their country home.

He boarded the Titanic at Southampton with a party that included his wife Clementina and their daughter Noël, the Countess of Rothes.

The Dyer-Edwardes disembarked at Cherbourg, while Lucy continued to New York.  Thomas would later mark the rescue of his only daughter by purchasing a lifeboat for the town of Fraserburgh, Scotland. The lifeboat was named Lady Rothes and operated until 1937.

In 1889 he became a Justice of the Peace and in 1895 was appointed High Sheriff of Gloucestershire.

Thomas was closely associated with the church and in 1892 became patron of Cranham benefice; over a 16-month period he oversaw the restoration of the crumbling parish church; in 1915 endowed the church with a new altar screen.

Later in life, he converted to catholicism and it was his wish that Prinknash be given to the order of Benedictine monks who still occupy the estate.

In January 1926 he attended a private audience with Pope Pius XI at the Vatican.  A few weeks later, on 10 February, he died suddenly from Heart Failure while at Naples. His funeral took place at Prinknash Park Private Chapel and he was interred in the chancel there¹. He left an estate valued at £165,848