Duke of Somerset,from the county of Somerset,is a title that has been created five times in the peerage of England. It is particularly associated with two families:the Beauforts,who held the title from the creation of 1448,and the Seymours,from the creation of 1547,in whose name the title is still held. The present dukedom is unique,in that the first holder of the title created it for himself in his capacity of Lord Protector of the Kingdom of England,using a power granted in the will of his nephew King Edward VI.
The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerages of England and Great Britain.
Charles FitzRoy,2nd Duke of Grafton,was an Irish and English politician.
Edward Seymour,8th Duke of Somerset was an English peer and landowner.
William Seymour,2nd Duke of Somerset,was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War.
Captain Hugh de Grey Seymour,6th Marquess of Hertford,styled Earl of Yarmouth from 1870 to 1884,was a British soldier,courtier and Conservative politician. He notably served as Comptroller of the Household between 1879 and 1880.
Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway,2nd Marquess of Hertford,KG,PC,PC (Ire),styled The Honourable Francis Seymour-Conway until 1750,Viscount Beauchamp between 1750 and 1793,and Earl of Yarmouth between 1793 and 1794,was a British peer and politician. He held seats in the Irish House of Commons from 1761 to 1776 and in the British House of Commons from 1766 to 1794. He served as Chief Secretary for Ireland under his father. He subsequently held positions in the Royal Household,including serving as Lord Chamberlain between 1812 and 1822.
Seymour,Semel or St. Maur,is the name of an English family in which several titles of nobility have from time to time been created,and of which the Duke of Somerset is the head.
Edward Seymour,1st Earl of Hertford,1st Baron Beauchamp,KG,of Wulfhall and Totnam Lodge in Great Bedwyn,Wiltshire,of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset,of Netley Abbey,Hampshire,and of Hertford House,Cannon Row in Westminster,is most noted for incurring the displeasure of Queen Elizabeth I by taking part in more than one clandestine marriage.
The titles Baron Beauchamp and Viscount Beauchamp have been created several times throughout English and British history. There is an extant Viscountcy of Beauchamp,held by the Seymour family,Marquesses of Hertford.
Maria,Duchess of Gloucester and Edinburgh was Countess Waldegrave from 1759 to 1766 as the wife and then widow of James Waldegrave,2nd Earl Waldegrave,and a member of the British royal family from 1766 as the wife and then widow of Prince William Henry,Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh.
Edward Seymour,Lord Beauchamp of Hache was an English nobleman who had a theoretically strong claim to the throne of England through his mother,Lady Katherine Grey,but his legitimacy was questioned. He was an ancestor of the Dukes of Somerset.
James Waldegrave,2nd Earl Waldegrave,was a British politician who is sometimes regarded as one of the shortest-serving British prime ministers in history. His brief tenure as First Lord of the Treasury is lent a more lasting significance by his memoirs,which are regarded as significant in the development of Whig history.
Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a title in the royal household of the Kingdom of England from the 11th century,later used also in the Kingdom of Great Britain. A Lord of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household;the term being first used in 1718. The duties of the Lords and Gentleman of the Bedchamber originally consisted of assisting the monarch with dressing,waiting on him when he ate,guarding access to his bedchamber and closet and providing companionship. Such functions became less important over time,but provided proximity to the monarch;the holders were thus trusted confidants and often extremely powerful. The offices were in the gift of The Crown and were originally sworn by Royal Warrant directed to the Lord Chamberlain.
Catherine,Lady Walpole was the first wife of the first British prime minister Sir Robert Walpole.
Colonel Sir Horace Beauchamp Seymour KCH was an English army officer and Tory politician.
Francis Seymour-Conway,1st Baron Conway of Ragley,1st Baron Conway of Killultagh,MP,PC (Ire),was a British politician,born Francis Seymour.
Edward Conway,1st Earl of Conway PC,FRS,of Ragley Hall,Alcester,in Warwickshire,was an English peer and politician who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department between 1681 and 1683.
Lieutenant Colonel Hugh Henry John Seymour was a British Army officer and a politician. He sat in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom for County Antrim from 1818 until his death.
Isabella Seymour-Conway,was the wife of Francis Seymour-Conway,1st Marquess of Hertford.
