peerage

The September 1913 date is spot on. A Poole photo taken on the same day, and featuring the whole family, appeared in the Freeman's Journal on Wednesday, 10 September 1913. The Viscountess Duncannon, and her gloriously named son - wait for it - the Hon. Frederick Edward Neuflize Ponsonby!

Carol Maddock And he was known as Eric ! "Frederick Edward Neuflize "Eric" Ponsonby, 10th Earl of Bessborough DL (29 March 1913 – 5 December 1993), styled Viscount Duncannon from 1920 to 1956, was a British diplomat, businessman, playwright, Conservative politician, and peer." From - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Ponsonby,_10th_Earl_of_Be...

The parents/grandparents (source of the name Neuflize) featured earlier:

The Ponsonby women certainly knew how to carry off a stupendous hat! La Belle Province will have to have a strong coffee and a sit down with all the behattedness today... :)

Eric had an interesting and varied career - He was on the Staff of the League of Nations High Commission for Refugees from Germany between 1936 and 1939. In 1938, he attended the Évian Conference as secretary to the High Commissioner Sir Neill Malcolm. During the Second World War he served in France and West and North Africa, achieving the rank of Captain in the 98th (Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry) Field Brigade of the Royal Artillery (TA Reserve). From 1944 to 1948 Bessborough was 2nd Secretary at the British Embassy in Paris and from 1948 to 1949 1st Secretary. He then worked for Robert Benson, Lonsdale & Co, Ltd, merchant bankers, between 1950 and 1956 and was a director of ATV Ltd between 1955 and 1963. Bessborough succeeded to his father's two earldoms in 1956 and took his seat on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords. He served under Sir Alec Douglas-Home as Parliamentary Secretary for Science from 1963 to 1964 and as Joint Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science in 1964 and under Edward Heath as Minister of State at the Ministry of Technology in 1970. From 1973 to 1979 he was a Member of the European Parliament. He also served as a Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex in 1977 and was the author of plays and other works. From wiki article as above. Later photos of him - www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp76507/frederic... And a fine obituary - www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-the-earl-of-be...

Two barons and a baroness judging by the two rows of spots on each cape - Lord & Lady Clonbrock and another, unidentified, baron I suppose.

definitely no barefoot children in this one ... not even a dog

Here's a related image taken moments before: catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000524180

Saturday, 9 August 1902? Coronation of Queen Alexandra and King Edward VII...

Both of the peers carry their coronets in their hands, but the peer on the left also appears to be wearing a chain, possibly indicative of membership of one of the orders of chivalry.

Arthur Lawley, 6th Baron Wenlock, GCIE, KCMG (12 November 1860–14 June 1932) was Governor of Western Australia from 1901 to 1902. He also worked as lieutenant governor of Transvaal from 1902 to 1905. The Perth suburb of Mount Lawley is named after him. Lawley was a son of the 2nd Baron Wenlock (1818–1880) and he served with the 10th Hussars, rising to the rank of Captain. On 15 October 1885, he married Annie Cunard, a daughter of Sir Edward Cunard, 2nd Baronet and they had three children: Hon. Margaret Cecilia Lawley (d. 1969) Hon. Richard Edward Lawley (9 May 1887–4 September 1909), killed in India in a hunting accident. Hon. Ursula Mary Lawley (born 8 June 1888–16 October 1979) He succeeded as Baron Wenlock on the death of his elder brother, the 5th Baron, who died without male heirs (as did his other two elder brothers), on 14 June 1931. Lawley died exactly a year later in 1932 in Freiberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and as he also did not have any male heirs, his title became extinct. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Lawley

He was a delegate to the Anglo-American Peace Centenary planning meeting in May 1913. See www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/3277073448/ and NYT article cited there.