Simon Marquis, 3rd Earl Of Woolton

Simon Frederick Marquis, 3rd Earl of Woolton, was born on 24 May 1958. He was styled Viscount Walberton from 1964 until 1969. He is a British hereditary peer and businessman.

Early Life and Education

He is the only son of Roger Marquis, 2nd Earl of Woolton, and his second wife, (Cecily) Josephine Gordon-Cumming (1925–2012), who later became Countess Lloyd-George of Dwyfor. His maternal grandfather was Sir Alexander Penrose Gordon-Cumming, 5th Baronet. Marquis succeeded to the earldom and its subsidiary titles at age 10 following the death of his father in 1969. He attended Eton College and then studied at the University of St Andrews, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in 1981, with a focus on Economics and Modern History.

Career

Marquis has held several roles in the financial sector. He was a director of New Boathouse Capital and served as Chief Financial Officer of Quayle Munro. Since 2018, he has been employed by Houlihan Lokey UK as its Corporate Chief Operating Officer. His professional career began at S.G. Warburg & Co. Ltd. in 1982.

He was introduced to the House of Lords in 1979, reaching the minimum age of 21 required to take his seat. He remained a member until the House of Lords Act 1999, which abolished the automatic right of hereditary peers to sit in the House. Marquis is a Freeman of the City of London and served as Master of the Worshipful Company of Skinners for the year 2024/2025.

Marriages and Children

In 1987, Marquis married the Honorable Sophie Birdwood, daughter of Mark Birdwood, 3rd Baron Birdwood. The couple had three daughters before their divorce on 13 May 1997. He married second, on 28 October 1999, Mrs. (Mary) Carol Chapman (née Davidson), who has two daughters from a previous marriage.

Additional Notes

As Marquis has no male descendants and there are no other surviving male-line heirs of the first Earl, his earldom and associated titles are expected to become extinct upon his death.