Anglo-Irish historian and arborist (born 1933)
Thomas Francis Dermot Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford (born 14 August 1933), known simply asThomas Pakenham , is anAnglo-Irish hereditary peer , historian andarborist who has written several prize-winning books on the diverse subjects ofAfrican history ,Victorian and post-VictorianBritish history and trees.
Early life and education [ edit ] Pakenham is the eldest son ofFrank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford , aLabour government minister , and the authorElizabeth Longford .[ 1] Lady Antonia Fraser (who is the widow of playwrightHarold Pinter );Lady Rachel Billington , also a writer (and the widow of the directorKevin Billington );Lady Judith Kazantzis , a poet; andThe Hon. Kevin Pakenham,[ 2] City of London . He is also a cousin of the former Labour deputy leaderHarriet Harman .
Pakenham was educated atBelvedere College , a privateJesuit school inDublin , and atMagdalen College, Oxford . After graduating in 1955, he travelled aroundEthiopia , a journey that he described in his first book,The Mountains of Rasselas (1959).
After returning to Britain, Pakenham worked on the editorial staff of theTimes Educational Supplement The Sunday Telegraph The Observer London andCounty Westmeath , Ireland, where he is the Chairman of theIrish Tree Society and honorary custodian ofTullynally Castle .
Pakenham ownedLongford Greyhound Stadium until 1966, when he sold it to Longford Sports Ltd.[ 3]
Pakenham does not use the titleEarl of Longford and, before succeeding his father in 2001, did not use thecourtesy title Lord Silchester. However, he has not disclaimed his British titles of Baron Silchester and Baron Pakenham under thePeerage Act 1963 and his Irish earldom cannot be disclaimed as it is not covered by the Act. Following theHouse of Lords Act 1999 , Pakenham is not entitled as an hereditary peer to a seat in theHouse of Lords . His father had previously been created alife peer in addition to his hereditary titles in order to retain his seat.
He was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Literature in 2016.[ 4]
Marriage and children [ edit ] In 1964, Pakenham married Valerie Susan McNair Scott. They have four children.[ 1] [ 5]
Lady Anna Maria Pakenham (born 26 July 1965)Lady Eliza Pakenham (born 3 November 1966) Edward Melchior Pakenham, Lord Silchester (born 6 January 1970),heir apparent to the earldom. Hon Frederick Augustus Pakenham (born 27 November 1971)Valerie Pakenham died on 22 January 2023 at the age of 83.[ 6]
The Mountains of Rasselas: An Ethiopian Adventure , Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1959. (reprinted with updated photographs, 1998).The Year of Liberty: The History of theGreat Irish Rebellion of 1798 , Hodder & Stoughton, 1969.The Boer War The Scramble for Africa, 1876-1912 WH Smith Literary Award andAlan Paton Award ).Meetings with Remarkable Trees , Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1996. (made into a radio series and TV series under the same title).Remarkable Trees of the World , Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2002.The RemarkableBaobab , Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004.The Company of Trees: A Year in a Lifetime's Quest , Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2015.^a b Burke's Peerage ^ "Kevin Pakenham | Pakenham Partners Limited" .pakenhampartners.com . Retrieved23 December 2018 .^ "Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When 1966) March edition".Greyhound Star . ^ "Pakenham, Thomas" .Royal Society of Literature . 1 September 2023. Retrieved29 June 2025 .^ Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003 ^ Longford Leader Reporter (23 January 2023)."Deaths in Longford - Monday, January 23, 2023" .longfordleader.ie . Iconic Media.
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Kingdom of Ireland Charles Chetwynd-Talbot, 22nd Earl of Waterford John Boyle, 15th Earl of Cork William Anthony Nugent, 13th Earl of Westmeath John Brabazon, 15th Earl of Meath Alexander Feilding, 11th Earl of Desmond Roger Lambart, 13th Earl of Cavan John Boyle, 15th Earl of Orrery Derry Moore, 12th Earl of Drogheda Peter Forbes, 10th Earl of Granard Ivo Bligh, 12th Earl of Darnley Myles Ponsonby, 12th Earl of Bessborough Thomas Butler, 11th Earl of Carrick Henry Boyle, 10th Earl of Shannon Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran Patrick Stopford, 9th Earl of Courtown John Savile, 8th Earl of Mexborough David Turnour, 8th Earl Winterton Robert King-Tenison, 12th Earl of Kingston Robert Jocelyn, 10th Earl of Roden David Vaughan, 9th Earl of Lisburne Patrick Meade, 8th Earl of Clanwilliam Randal McDonnell, 10th Earl of Antrim Thomas Pakenham, 8th Earl of Longford George Dawson-Damer, 7th Earl of Portarlington Charles Bourke, 11th Earl of Mayo Michael Annesley, 12th Earl Annesley Andrew Cole, 7th Earl of Enniskillen John Crichton, 7th Earl Erne George Bingham, 8th Earl of Lucan John Lowry-Corry, 8th Earl Belmore Andrew Stuart, 9th Earl Castle Stewart Nicholas Alexander, 7th Earl of Caledon John Hely-Hutchinson, 9th Earl of Donoughmore After 1801
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King George III Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn Benjamin Craven, 9th Earl of Craven Rupert Onslow, 8th Earl of Onslow Julian Marsham, 8th Earl of Romney John Pelham, 9th Earl of Chichester Francis Grosvenor, 8th Earl of Wilton John Herbert, 8th Earl of Powis Simon Nelson, 10th Earl Nelson Alexander Grey, 8th Earl Grey William Lowther, 9th Earl of Lonsdale Conroy Ryder, 8th Earl of Harrowby Prince Regent King George IV King William IV Queen Victoria Thomas Coke, 8th Earl of Leicester Anthony Noel, 6th Earl of Gainsborough William Byng, 9th Earl of Strafford Mark Pepys, 9th Earl of Cottenham Graham Wellesley, 8th Earl Cowley David Ward, 5th Earl of Dudley Hugh Montgomerie, 7th Earl of Winton John Russell, 7th Earl Russell John Mackenzie, 5th Earl of Cromartie John Wodehouse, 5th Earl of Kimberley Richard Wortley, 5th Earl of Wharncliffe Simon Cairns, 6th Earl Cairns John Lytton, 5th Earl of Lytton William Palmer, 5th Earl of Selborne John Northcote, 5th Earl of Iddesleigh Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 5th Earl of Cranbrook King Edward VII King George V Harry Primrose, 4th Earl of Midlothian Michael Hicks Beach, 3rd Earl St Aldwyn David Beatty, 3rd Earl Beatty Alexander Haig, 3rd Earl Haig Edward Guinness, 4th Earl of Iveagh Roderick Balfour, 5th Earl of Balfour Raymond Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Patrick Jellicoe, 3rd Earl Jellicoe Peter Mackay, 4th Earl of Inchcape William Peel, 3rd Earl Peel King George VI Queen Elizabeth II
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