The death on 26 February has been announced of Commander David Howard, 7th Earl of Effingham and 17th Baron Howard of Effingham, aged 82. He died after a long illness, borne with dignity. Private family funeral.
The 7th Earl was descended from Lord William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham. Lord William Howard was granted the Barony by Queen Mary 1 after being granted the manor of Effingham by Queen Elizabeth 1. The line of Lord William’s famous oldest son Lord Charles Howard, the 2nd Baron, Earl of Nottingham, who was Lord High Admiral at the time of the Spanish Armada, became extinct soon after his son, the 3rd Earl of Nottingham sold the family’s Effingham lands in 1647. The descendants of his brother, Lord William (from whom the 7th Earl was descended) then succeeded as Barons of Effingham and held lands in Great Bookham until 1801.
The 7th Earl of Effingham had a distinguished career in the Royal Navy in signals and intelligence. After inheriting his title from his uncle, the 6th Earl, he served in the House of Lords until 1999 and supported various organisations and charities including the British Legion of which he was president. He is succeeded as 8th Earl of Effingham and 18th Baron Howard of Effingham by his son Edward (born 1971).
For information about the Howards of Effingham see our page howards-of-effingham
There is an obituary in the Daily Telepgraph