James Somerville, 2nd Baron Athlumney

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James Somerville, 2nd Baron Athlumney, was an Irish peer and a British Army officer who lived from 1865 to 1929.

Early life
James Herbert Gustavus Meredyth Somerville was born on March 23, 1865. He was the son of William Somerville, the 1st Baron Athlumney, and Maria Georgiana Elizabeth Jones. He was baptized in Kentstown, County Meath, Ireland, and educated at Harrow School in England. He inherited his family’s titles when his father died on December 7, 1873, becoming the 2nd Baron Athlumney (Irish peer) and the holder of a UK barony, Meredyth. He sat in the House of Lords as Baron Meredyth.

Military career
Somerville first served in the Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians). He then acted as extra Aide-de-Camp to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He later joined the Coldstream Guards and fought in the Dongola Expedition of 1896, where he was mentioned in despatches. After retiring from the regular army, he became a captain in the Kent Artillery Militia on January 27, 1897. With the Second Boer War beginning in 1899, he volunteered for active service and sailed to South Africa in March 1900, serving as a staff officer to the Military Governor of Pretoria. He left the Artillery Militia on April 30, 1902, and was appointed a captain in the Reserve of Officers on July 25, 1902. During the First World War, he served as Assistant Provost Marshal for the London District.

Family
On July 30, 1919, he married Margery Boan, the daughter of Henry Boan, at Wellington Barracks in Westminster, London. They had no children.

Death and legacy
James Somerville died on January 8, 1929, at the age of 63 in Somerville, County Meath, Ireland. After his death, the Irish Barony of Athlumney and the UK Barony of Meredyth became extinct, while his Baronetcy remained dormant. A memorial plaque in Saint Mary’s Church of Ireland, Kentstown commemorates him.