Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
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Major Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort KG (February 5, 1792 – November 17, 1853) was a British peer, soldier and the son of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort.
He gained the rank of officer in 1810 in the service of the 10th Hussars and was Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Wellington in Portugal and Spain between 1812 and 1814.
He held the office of M.P. (Tory) for Monmouth between 1813 and 1831 and M.P. (Tory) for West Gloucestershire between 1835 and 1836.
He held the office of a Lord of the Admiralty between 1815 and 1819 and gained the rank of Major in 1819. He was High Steward of Bristol between 1836 and 1853 and was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter (K.G.) on 11 April 1842.
Somerset married, firstly, Georgiana Frederica Fitzroy (1792–1821), on 25 July 1814. They had two daughters:
- Lady Charlotte Augusta Frederica Somerset (1816-1850), married 5 December 1844 Baron Philipp von Neumann (4 December 1781 – 14 January 1851) , an Austrian diplomat, by whom she had issue.
- Lady Georgiana Charlotte Anne Somerset (1817-1884), married 1836 Christopher Bethell-Codrington, MP (1805-1864) and had issue.
He married, secondly, his first wife's younger half-sister[1] Emily Frances Smith, on 29 June 1822. They had seven children, one son and six daughters:
- Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort (1824–1899), married Lady Georgiana Charlotte Curzon and had issue.
- Lady Emily Blanche Charlotte Somerset (1828-1895), married George Hay, 12th Earl of Kinnoull and had issue.
- Lady Rose Caroline Mary Somerset (1829-1885), who eloped to marry Captain Francis Frederick Lovell.
- Lady Henriëtta Louisa Priscilla Somerset (1831-1863), married John Morant.
- Lady Geraldine Harriett Anne Somerset (1832-1915).
- Lady Katherine Emily Mary Somerset (1834-1914), married Arthur Walsh, 2nd Lord Ormathwaite.
- Lady Edith Frances Wilhelmina Somerset (1838-1915), married William Henry Forester Denison, 1st Earl of Londesborough, and had issue.
Somerset died and was buried in 1853, aged 61 at Badminton House, Gloucestershire.
He is best known today for his two marriages, and his involvement as a very young man with the courtesan Harriet Wilson to whom he apparently proposed marriage.
[edit] References
- ^ This marriage, in contravention of the canon laws of the Church of England, rendered his marriage potentially annullable for many years.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lord Charles Somerset |
Member for Monmouth 1813–1831 |
Succeeded by Benjamin Hall |
| Preceded by Hon. George Berkeley and Augustus Moreton |
Member for Gloucestershire West with Hon. George Berkeley 1832-52 1835–1836 |
Succeeded by Hon. George Berkeley and Robert Hale |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by Henry Somerset |
Duke of Beaufort 1835–1853 |
Succeeded by Henry Somerset |
