Rutherford arms as discovered by Philip Jose Farmer
The twelfth Baron Tennington was a member of the Rutherford Family; he succeeded his father George Edward Rutherford, 11th Baron Tennington, in the family titles. He also inherited his parents' genetic heritage as both Lord and Lady Rutherford had witnessed the Wold Newton Meteorite strike.
The 12th Baron married Serena Blakeney, whose parents had also been present in Wold Newton in 1795. Key members of the Wold Newton Family, although not perhaps notable in their own right, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren became significant figures in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The Tenningtons' immediate offspring were:
- The Hon. George Rutherford, the eldest son; he pre-deceased his father. His history was recorded by Trader Horn, albeit under a tactful pseudonym
- Edward Rutherford, 13th Baron Tennington, grandfather of Tarzan, Lord Greystoke
- The Hon. John Rutherford, father of Professor Challenger
- The Hon. Venetia Rutherford, mother of Ludwig Horace Holly and grandmother of Bulldog Drummond and Korak
- The Hon. Violet Rutherford, the mother of Sherlock Holmes
- The Hon. Lucasta Rutherford, grandmother of Lord Peter Wimsey