Grafftey-Smith 

The Grafftey-Smith Family lived in The Manor House; Weston Turville 1973-1978.

John Jeremy (Jinx) Grafftey-Smith 1935-2021

1957 Recorded "Jinx Sings While Duddles Swings" with Dudley Moore

1964 Married Lucy Fletcher in 1964 (Children Alexander, Camilla and Toby)

1966 He was made director at Vinpac  in 1966

2017 Toby (Keyboards-Jamiroquai, and previous owner of the e-Type used by Harry & Meghan at their wedding) died, aged just 46

2021 Jinx Grafftey-Smith Died, aged 86

an excerpt from “The Manor House; Weston Turville” by Margaret Cox

The Manor House became the home of John Jeremy (Jinx) Grafftey-Smith and his family in 1973 when he purchased the estate from the Mathias family. Jinx Grafftey-Smith was the son of Sir Laurence Barton Grafftey-Smith, Minister to Saudi Arabia from 1945-47 and High Commissioner for the United Kingdom in Pakistan from 1947-1951. Jinx Grafftey-Smith was a banker whose family had been associated with Saudi Arabia since the 1920s. He was the London representative of the Jeddah based The National Commercial Bank, the largest bank in the Arab world.

Jinx was also a musician. He was in a band with Dudley Moore whilst at Oxford and they made two records together “just for Fun”.

Whilst in Weston Turville Jinx became a member of the Church choir and played the piano in a concert organised to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. Toby Smith, Jinx’s son, is a musician now, most famously known for being the keyboard player and co-songwriter for Jamiroquai the British jazz funk and acid jazz band.