Francis Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford

The Most Honourable
The Marquess of Hertford
GCB PC
"The Lord Chamberlain". The Marquess of Hertford as caricatured by Spy (Leslie Ward) in Vanity Fair, April 1877.
Lord Chamberlain of the Household
In office
21 February 1874  7 May 1879
Monarch Victoria
Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli
Preceded by The Viscount Sydney
Succeeded by The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
Personal details
Born Francis George Hugh Seymour
11 February 1812
Died 25 January 1884 (aged 71)
Ragley Hall, Warwickshire, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Lady Emily Murray

Francis George Hugh Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford GCB PC (11 February 1812 25 January 1884), known as Francis Seymour until 1870, was a British army officer, courtier and Conservative politician. He served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household under Benjamin Disraeli from 1874 to 1879.

Family and education

Seymour was the eldest son of Admiral Sir George Seymour by his wife Georgiana Mary Berkeley, daughter of Sir George Berkeley; he was the elder brother of Henry Seymour and Lady Laura Seymour. He was the grandson of Lord Hugh Seymour and a great-grandson of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, and it is through this line he succeeded to the Hertford marquessate when his distant cousin, Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford, died unmarried and without issue in 1870. He inherited the entailed property from the 4th Marquess, including Ragley Hall, whilst the unentailed property went to his cousin's illegitimate son Richard Wallace, including what became the Wallace Collection.[1]

He was educated at Harrow.[2]

Career

Seymour joined the Scots Fusilier Guards as a lieutenant in July 1827, rising to the rank of general in 1876 and retiring in 1881.[2]

He was Groom of the Robes to William IV and Victoria between 1833 and 1870.[3][4] In 1874 Seymour, now Lord Hertford, was sworn of the Privy Council[5] and appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Household under Benjamin Disraeli, a post he held until 1879.[6][7] Just before his retirement he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.[8]

Family

Lord Hertford married Lady Emily Murray, daughter of David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield, and Frederica Markham on 9 May 1839. They had ten children:

Lord Hertford died on 25 January 1884, aged 71, from injuries following a fall from a horse at Ragley Hall.[2] He was succeeded in the marquessate by his eldest son, Hugh.

References

  1. Bhatia, K. L. (2010). Textbook on Legal Language and Legal Writing. New Delhi: Universal Law Publishing. pp. 224–225. ISBN 9788175348943.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Locke, A. Audrey (1911). The Seymour Family, History and Romance. London: Constable. pp. 323–324. OL 7101173M.
  3. The London Gazette: no. 19014. p. 121. 18 January 1833.
  4. The London Gazette: no. 23672. p. 4648. 28 October 1870.
  5. The London Gazette: no. 24071. p. 1449. 3 March 1874.
  6. The London Gazette: no. 24071. p. 1452. 3 March 1874.
  7. The London Gazette: no. 24721. p. 3311. 13 May 1879.
  8. The London Gazette: no. 24671. p. 345. 24 January 1879.

External links

Court offices
Preceded by
Lord Adolphus FitzClarence
Groom of the Robes
18331870
Succeeded by
Henry David Erskine
Political offices
Preceded by
The Viscount Sydney
Lord Chamberlain
18741879
Succeeded by
The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by
Richard Seymour-Conway
Marquess of Hertford
18701884
Succeeded by
Hugh Seymour