EDWARD NUGEE, TD, QC (known to everyone as Ted)

The connection between my family and Farlington goes back to 1782, when Griffith Richards came as a curate from, I believe, Carmarthen (see the memorial to him on the West wall of St Andrew’s Church). He, his son, Edward Tew Richards, and his grandson, Arthur James Richards, served the parish for 143 years - I’m not sure whether to be proud of this or horrified! My mother was a granddaughter of A.J. Richards, who retired as Rector in 1925 and came to my baptism in 1928 but died shortly afterwards. My father, Brigadier George Nugee, who served through both World Wars in the Royal Artillery, was a great grandson of E.T. Richards, through his daughter Elizabeth who married Andrew Nugée, the vicar of the neighbouring parish of Wymering, of which I am the sole patron.

I followed my father and my great grandfather A.J. Richards to Radley, from where, after 2 years National Service, mainly in Singapore, I went to Worcester College Oxford and read Law. I received the Territorial Decoration (TD) in 1964 after 14 years service in a TA Photographic Interpretation Unit of the Intelligence Corps. I was called to the Bar in 1955, and took silk in 1977. I still practise at the Chancery Bar, which is concerned largely with such matters as wills, trusts, pensions, tax and land law. My work has always been more advisory than court work, though I did quite a few cases for and against the Revenue, as well as others, in the House of Lords and the lower courts. For 15 years I sat as a part-time Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery Division of the High Court. I have very much enjoyed my career at the Bar, and I am glad that there are still a few solicitors who appear to value my advice.

I was for eleven years (1990-2001) a Church Commissioner, at a time when they had to meet quite a lot of criticism of their actions in previous years, not all of it wholly unfounded. Since 2001 I have been a member of the Legal Advisory Commission of General Synod, which gives Opinions on knotty problems of ecclesiastical law which have been put to it by others. My own home Church for the past 54 years has been Hampstead Parish Church, where I have been churchwarden and was for many years on the PCC; but I also have a strong interest in the Temple Church, where I have been on the Church Committee since 1996 and am a trustee of the Temple Music Trust, which supports our really excellent choir.

My wife Rachel was Central President (now called Worldwide President) of the Mothers’ Union for the six years 1977-1982, and travelled extensively for the Mothers’ Union in Africa, Australia and the West Indies, as well as speaking in every diocese in England and Wales and most dioceses in Ireland and Scotland. We have four sons and 11 grandchildren, aged from 10 to 20.

The patron of Farlington used to be my great aunt Miss Gwendolen Richards, A.J. Richards’ daughter, who lived for many years in Leigh Road, Havant, though I can remember as a boy visiting East Lodge when she lived in the parish. When she died she left the patronage jointly to Dr Leatherdale, Sarah’s father, and my mother; and I inherited my share of it when my mother died in 1993. Two years ago I founded a small charity, The Nugee Foundation, and transferred the patronage to the Trustees, who are myself and my four sons, John, Christopher, Andrew and Richard. John is Managing Director of the Official Institutions Group of State Street Global Advisers; Christopher is a Chancery QC and also sits part-time as a Deputy High Court Judge; Andrew runs a business known as Imagineear, which makes audio guides to cities (as opposed to museums and exhibitions, for which he was previously Chief Executive of Antenna Audio, now part of the Discovery Channel); Richard is a Brigadier, having followed his grandfather into the Royal Artillery: he is currently Director of Manning (Army).

6 November 2009