James Somerville, 2nd Baron Athlumney

Who was James Somerville, 2nd Baron Athlumney?

James Herbert Gustavus Meredyth Somerville, 2nd Baron Athlumney was the son of William Meredyth Somerville, 1st Baron Athlumney and Maria Georgiana Elizabeth Jones. He was baptised on 25 April 1865 at Kentstown, County Meath, Ireland, and was educated at Harrow School, Harrow on the Hill, London, England.

He succeeded to his family's titles on the death of his father, the first Baron Athlumney, on 7 December 1873. He sat in the House of Lords as Baron Meredyth.

He served firstly in the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment, before being made extra ADC to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He subsequently served in the Coldstream Guards seeing action in the Dongola Expedition in 1896, where he was mentioned in despatches, and the Boer War in 1900. During the First World War, he served as Assistant Provost Marshall of London.

On 30 July 1919 he married Margery Boan, daughter of Henry Boan, at Wellington Barracks, Guards Chapel, Westminster, London, England.

He died on 8 January 1929, at age 63, at Somerville, County Meath, Ireland, without lawful issue. He did however have a son, David Peter with Margery's sister Enid.