Roderick Rudd "Roddy" CAXTON-SPENCER

1959 - 2022  (63 years)

• Name	Roderick Rudd "Roddy" CAXTON-SPENCER
  Nickname	Roddy
  Birth	5 Jul 1959	Hillingdon Hospital, Uxbridge, Middlesex   [1]
  Gender	Male
  _UID	49039852B6E34F6E8C4DB050061DE935A615
  Death	2 Aug 2022  [2]
  Notes	The following obituary is copied from the website of London Scottish Rugby Club: Roddy Caxton-Spencer, who died last month a little after his 63rd birthday, and less than a year since taking over as chairman of London Scottish International, was much admired for his talent, bravery and resourcefulness, but also much loved for his charm, his wit and his humanity. His passing is a huge loss not just for his family and those closest to him, but for the many communities he belonged to: work, arts groups, charities, clubs and not least, the London Scottish clan. How he would have loved to see the fruition of the new partnership he brokered between his club and his almost equally beloved Harlequins. Roddy had been seriously ill for some time but true to form, very few, even those close to him, were aware of the long battle against cancer; and a battle it was for this very private man, described by one who knew him well as a true warrior, who refused to give in to disease. It was a measure of the man that, when London Scottish needed a new chairman to replace Malcolm Offord – Lord Offord of Garvel – on his appointment to Her Majesty’s government, Roddy could not refuse those of us who asked that he take on the role; he, almost alone, knew just how ill he really was. This was after all a man who’d suffered a blood clot near the summit of Everest and survived to, well, not to tell the tale exactly, as he was too modest to make anything of it. Roderick Rudd Caxton-Spencer was born on 5th July 1959 in Hillingdon Hospital. His father John Caxton-Spencer was a licensed victualler; the crucial Scottish heritage came from his mother Gabrielle. Prep School was Caldicott in Slough – he was a contemporary of a fellow London Scottish player and latterly fellow director, Andrew Marshall – and thence to Bedford School from 1973-78. Later he would tell the Old Bedfordian that he specifically chose Bedford for its strength as a rugby school. When I arrived at Bedford in the 70s, I already had potential as a rugby player. But I certainly credit Bedford with developing my life-long passion for it. I was encouraged and pushed, made to take on new challenges and to try new things. It was simply expected of me … of all of us. I ended up in the 1st XV for three consecutive years – and both played and worked with some great people throughout. For me, it’s all about motivation, self-belief and raising your personal bar time after time. Looking back, at Bedford these attitudes very quickly, and permanently, became part of my lifeblood. He would become an outstanding rugby player. He was part of the Bedford VII that beat Plymouth 28-0 in the final of the Rosslyn Park tournament in 1978, this being the pre-eminent Schools’ tournament and won by the school on only one other occasion. He would be spotted by Scotland rugby, picked for Scottish Schools for the match versus English Schools at Richmond, and the Scotland U19s side, and thence into the dark blue jersey of London Scottish, the beginning of a passion for this club that lasted the rest of his life. Rugby wasn’t the only sport he excelled at. He represented school at county level and at the All-England Schools Championships in the 100m and relay. Later he would be an avid tennis player. But rugby remained the core passion even as he moved on to the more social attractions of the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) RFC. Club president Charles Marment recalls that Roddy joined the HAC as a trooper in 1982; at the time, war with Argentina over the Falklands Islands inspired increased recruitment into the Territorial Army, and Roddy stuck to drills and polishing duties for 18 months or so, but that year the HAC was also listed in the inaugural Sloane Ranger Handbook, the “it” guide to what young people should do in London. Rugby players would gather at the Admiral Codrington in Chelsea and the Antelope in Sloane Square … favourite haunts of Roddy. Charles writes: Roddy played for a variety of teams but in 1989 he came on tour with us to Somerset and from then he was hooked. In those days the HAC ran many teams and although ours was called the C XV, it was a wandering team which had a number of pretty good players; Roddy normally played inside centre, he got a lot of the ball and was one of the stars. We played 20 to 25 games a season and toured the US, Portugal and France as well as all over England, and he played through until about 1997. Roddy knew an awful lot of drinking songs and was a passionate club rugby player. We will all miss him – he was the mainstay of our team and will always be remembered. Meanwhile he had side-stepped university, and signed on at Lloyd’s of London. He started his career as a broker specialising in Fine Art and Precious Metals. He continued to specialised in that field for, successively, Alexander Howden, Gibbs Hartley Cooper, Bain Clarkson and Blackwall Green before spending the last 25 years at long-established Lloyd’s broker Besso Limited. He joined in 1997 as Chairman, Managing Director, International/UK Division which he founded, and became Chairman and CEO of Overseas Operations, Executive Director Besso Group and from 2016, Deputy Chairman of Besso Limited. An early success was to secure the first $1 billion placement for Lloyd’s for a Fine Arts Exhibition in St Petersburg. His international focus led him to establish new ventures in the Ukraine, Hong Kong and Turkey and later in New York and China. After hours, he chaired Arts 4 Dementia from 2010 to 2016 and in 2014 joined PAIAM (Professional Advisors to the International Art Market), a membership organisation consisting of lawyers, accountants, insurance brokers, logistics experts, museum curators and others who provide a professional service to the art market. He spoke French – more fluently after a glass or two – and had a good understanding of Turkish, Turkey being where he had a second home. Jason Leonard OBE – veteran of over 100 caps for England and now a Senior Advisor at Besso, remembers his work colleague fondly: Roddy was a very generous man in regards of his time, always happy to help a friend or a colleague and always being there for people. It was the same regarding charity, always happy to do something to help others less fortunate than himself or supporting charities direct with donations, all the while not making a big song and dance about it. He will be missed by so many. Indeed, through his work and connections, Roddy embraced the opportunity to contribute to City life and charitable work. A member of the Council of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry since 2014, he joined its Board & Investment Committee in 2015, became chairman in 2019 and President in 2020. He joined the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars in 2014, chaired the Membership Committee for five years and was latterly a member of its Court of Assistants and Finance Committee and a Trustee. In the LCCI’s obituary, Chief Executive Richard Burge wrote: “This is desperately sad news for all our colleagues. Roddy was a familiar face, a reassuring presence when things got tough, and a relentless advocate of our purpose and work. He was a dear friend and a trusted confidante.” Julia Onslow-Cole, Deputy Chair, added: “As a Board we have lost an inspirational leader and as Board Members we have all lost a friend who led by example through his calm and measured approach.” Somehow, Roddy also found time – for a while at least – to manage risk in his spare time. Besides that 2002 expedition to the north face of Mount Everest, he tackled the World White Water Rafting Championships down the Zambezi (1997), the Marathon des Sables (2000), and the Himalayan 100-mile Marathon (2001). And he loved to sail, completing the Round Britain and Ireland yacht race, and the Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race as part of Team Samsung (2004). From 2007-2012 he focused on the North Pole, making four Arctic expeditions and leading two of them. In 2012 he took to two wheels for the London to Monte Carlo Cycle Challenge which incorporates several iconic Tour de France alpine climbs. In the process, to his immense satisfaction, he raised some £100,000 for mainly children’s charities. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. London Scottish Immediate Past President Paul Burnell paid this tribute to Roddy: Roddy made an amazing impact at London Scottish both on the field, as a supporter, Director and Chairman. Many of us have many fond memories of watching matches with Roddy and analysing the result in the bar. Although Chairman for only a short amount of time his contribution has been immense, culminating in a successful partnership agreement with Harlequins. In 1990 Roddy met Nicky Ireland, who was working at the time for a musician in London; they married on the Isle of Wight in 1994 and their daughter Georgina was born a year later. Nicky and Georgina survive him as does his older brother Ian. Roderick Rudd Caxton-Spencer 5th July 1959 – 2nd August 2022 Paul McFarland, September 2022
  Person ID	I1132	Fritton, Norfolk
  Last Modified	29 Mar 2024

  
  

  Family 1	Penelope A GARNER
  Family ID	F383	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Mar 2024

  
  

  Family 2	Nicola J "Nicky" IRELAND
  Children	1. Georgina Gabrielle CAXTON-SPENCER
  Family ID	F384	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	29 Mar 2024

  
  

• Sources

  [S21] BMD index, Q3 1959 Uxbridge 5f/177, mother's maiden name McHUGH. (Reliability: 3). [S152] Obituary at London Scottish Rugby Club website, March 2024.