Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort

The Duke of Beaufort
Born	(1744-10-16)16 October 1744
Died	(1803-10-11)11 October 1803
Noble family	Beaufort
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Boscawen ​ (m. 1766)​
Issue Henry Charles Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort Lord Charles Somerset Lord Edward Somerset Lord Norborne Somerset Lady Elizabeth Somerset Lady Frances Somerset Lady Harriet Somerset Lord Robert Somerset Lord Arthur Somerset Rev. Lord William Somerset Lady Anne Somerset Col. Lord John Somerset Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan
Father	Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort
Mother	Elizabeth Berkeley

Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort KG (16 October 1744 – 11 October 1803)^{[citation needed]} was an English courtier and politician. He was the only son of Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort and Elizabeth Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort. Styled Marquess of Worcester from 1746, at his father's death on 28 October 1756, he succeeded him as 5th Duke of Beaufort, 7th Marquess of Worcester, 11th Earl of Worcester, and 13th Baron Herbert.^[1]

Life[]

Shield of arms of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, KG

On 18 October 1760 he began his studies at Oriel College, Oxford, graduating on 7 July 1763 with a Doctor of Civil Laws (DCL) degree.^[1]

He held the office of Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England between 1767 and 1772.^[1] From 1768 to 1770, he was Master of the Horse to the Queen Consort.^[1] He was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Monmouthshire in 1771 and Lord-Lieutenant of Brecknockshire in 1787, holding both offices until his death in 1803, as well as that of Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire from 1787 to 1799.^[1] He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Garter (KG) on 2 June 1786.^[1] His last will was dated from 21 June 1789 to 11 September 1800. On 4 June 1803, shortly before his death, he succeeded to the title of 5th Lord Botetourt.^[1]

The 5th Duke of Beaufort is buried at St Michael and All Angels Church, Badminton.

Family[]

Bookplate of the Duchess of Beaufort

On 2 January 1766 he married Elizabeth Boscawen, daughter of Hon. Edward Boscawen, Admiral of the Blue, and sister to George Boscawen, 3rd Viscount Falmouth.^[1] Elizabeth died 15 June 1828. Together they had four daughters and nine sons:

1. Henry Charles Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort, his heir and successor
2. Lord Charles Henry Somerset (2 December 1767 – 18 February 1831)
3. Lord Edward Somerset (1768–1769)
4. (4 May 1771 – 1838)
5. (11 February 1773 – 5 May 1836), who married, on 27 June 1796, Very Reverend Charles Talbot, Dean of Salisbury, grandson of Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, with whom she had three daughters and three sons
6. (3 April 1774 – 24 May 1841)
7. (9 July 1775 – 1 June 1855), married Colonel Hugh Henry Mitchell and had two daughters and one son
8. Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset (19 December 1776 – 1 September 1842)
9. Lord Arthur John Henry Somerset (1780–1816)
10. Rev. Lord William George Henry Somerset (2 September 1784 – 14 January 1861), Prebendary of Bristol, who was married twice; on 29 June 1813 to Elizabeth Molyneux (d.1843), daughter of Lt.-Gen. , with whom he had five sons,^{[citation needed]} and in 1844 to Frances Westby Brady (d. 31 August 1854). They had no children.
11. Lady Anne Elizabeth Somerset (7 June 1786 – 22 September 1803)
12. (30 August 1787 – 3 October 1846), married ,[1] daughter of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris on 4 December 1814
13. Fitzroy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (30 September 1788 – 28 June 1855)

Ancestry[]

Y-DNA of his descendants did not match Richard III, meaning that somewhere in one of their pedigrees, there was a false paternity event.^[2]

References[]