‘Gloriously eccentric’ Longleat owner among 621 new deaths
Lord Bath’s family praise medics, as colleagues mourn the first midwife to die of the virus in England
THE 7th Marquess of Bath, the flamboyant owner of Wiltshire’s Longleat estate, and a “proud” and “well-respected” midwife are among the latest to fall victim to coronavirus.
Lord Bath, 87, died on Saturday in hospital. The aristocrat, known for his colourful sense of style and bohemian lifestyle, was among several victims named yesterday.
Lynsay Coventry, 54, who worked at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, was England first serving midwife to be killed by the virus.
Their deaths came as the Government revealed that a further 621 patients had died, taking the UK death toll to 4,934. While representing a smaller increase than previous days, the number of infections leapt by 5,903 to 47,806, the largest increase to date.
Longleat Safari Park announced the death of Lord Bath “with deepest sadness” on Facebook. “Alexander Thynn, 7th Marquess of Bath, passed away on Saturday,” it said. “He was admitted to the Royal United Hospital in Bath on March 28 where it was confirmed he had the coronavirus.
“The family would like to express their great appreciation for the dedicated team of nurses, doctors and other staff who cared so professionally and compassionately for Alexander in these extremely difficult times for everyone.”
Lord Bath was famed for having more than 70 mistresses, whom he called “wifelets”, and was a regular fixture on Animal Park, a television show about his estate that ran from 2000-09.
Kate Humble, who presented the show, wrote on Twitter: “Everyone will describe him as eccentric – and he was, gloriously so – but he was also kind and fun – and we all need a bit of kindness and fun in our lives.”
Ms Coventry’s death on Thursday was confirmed by the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) in Harlow, Essex, where she had worked for 10 years.
Her family said: “Our hearts are broken at the loss of our loving, wonderful and caring mum, sister, daughter and grandmother. Her love for us all was unfailing and her strength in the way she cared and supported us will fill our memories. What we also know is how proud she was to be an NHS midwife. Lynsay followed her dream and trained as a midwife later in life. It was a role she committed herself to and saw the midwifery team at the Princess Alexandra Hospital as her other family.”
Lance Mccarthy, the PAH NHS trust chief executive, said Ms Coventry would be remembered for “her professionalism and commitment”.
A picture of colleagues, lined up with their heads bowed in tribute, was posted on Facebook.
Marianne Faithfull, 73, the singersongwriter, is being treated for the disease at a London hospital and is “stable and responding to treatment,” her agent said.
Other victims included Ali Hussain, 30, the co-founder of Peterboroughbased charity Children of Adam UK. Atiq Rehman, his cousin, said: “He was 30 years of age with autism, with an untouchable soul, always happy, loving, caring and very handsome.”
Roger Smith, 75, from Arbury, Cambridge, lead singer of local blues and rock band Jack, died at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.