Duke of Beaufort
Encyclopedia
Duke of Beaufort is a title in the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....

. It was created by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...

 in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester
Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort
Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, KG, PC was an English peer. He was styled Lord Herbert from 1646 until 3 April 1667, when he succeeded his father as 3rd Marquess of Worcester....

, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was the legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill.-Biography:He was born around 1460 to Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill...

, illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, since the title was re-created for his father after his uncle died...

, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...

. The name Beaufort refers to a castle in Champagne
Champagne, France
Champagne is a historic province in the northeast of France, now best known for the sparkling white wine that bears its name.Formerly ruled by the counts of Champagne, its western edge is about 100 miles east of Paris. The cities of Troyes, Reims, and Épernay are the commercial centers of the area...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (now Montmorency-Beaufort
Montmorency-Beaufort
Montmorency-Beaufort is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France.-Population:-References:*...

). It is the only current Dukedom to take its name from a place outside the British Isles.

They are descendants in the male line from the House of Plantagenet
House of Plantagenet
The House of Plantagenet , a branch of the Angevins, was a royal house founded by Geoffrey V of Anjou, father of Henry II of England. Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their paternal ancestors originated in the French province of Gâtinais and gained the...

 through John of Gaunt and Edward III
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...

. Beaufort Castle was a possession of John of Gaunt, and the surname Beaufort was given to Gaunt's four illegitimate (later legitimated) children by his mistress and third wife, Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford
Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster , née Roet , was the daughter of Sir Payne Roet , originally a Flemish herald from County of Hainaut, later...

.

The Duke of Beaufort holds two subsidiary titles: Marquess of Worcester (created 1642) and Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, by Elizabeth of Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de...

(1514). The title Marquess of Worcester is used as a courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...

 by the Duke's eldest son and heir. The title Earl of Glamorgan is used by the eldest son of the heir-apparent to the Dukedom. The Earl of Glamorgan's eldest son is known as Viscount Grosmont. The Earldom of Glamorgan and Viscountcy of Grosmont derive from an irregular creation by Charles I in favour of Edward Somerset in 1644, who later succeeded his father as 2nd Marquess of Worcester. Although the Earldom of Glamorgan and Viscountcy of Grosmont were not recognised as substantive titles at the restoration of Charles II, because of irregularities in the patent of creation, they have nevertheless continued to be used as convenient courtesy titles in order to distinguish the bearer from the Marquess of Worcester as heir apparent, the Earldom of Worcester not being distinctive enough for this purpose. All subsidiary titles are in the Peerage of England.

Field Marshal The Lord Raglan
FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan
Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, GCB, PC , known before 1852 as Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was a British soldier.-Early life:...

, born Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was the youngest son of the 5th Duke.

The family seat was once Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th-centuries, when the successive ruling families of the Herberts and the Somersets created a luxurious,...

, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....

 but is now Badminton House
Badminton House
Badminton House is a large country house in Gloucestershire, England, and has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century, when the family moved from Raglan Castle, which had been ruined in the English Civil War...

 near Chipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury
Chipping Sodbury is a market town in the county of South Gloucestershire, south-west England, founded in the 12th century by William Crassus . The villages of Old Sodbury and Little Sodbury are nearby...

 in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....

.

Coat of arms

The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the dukedom is: Quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure three fleurs-de-lys or (for France); 2nd and 3rd, gules three lions passant guardant in pale or (for England), all within a bordure company argent and azure. This can be translated as: a shield divided into quarters, the top left and bottom right blue with three golden fleurs-de-lis (for France), and the top right and bottom left red with three golden lions passant with their faces toward the viewer, one above the other (for England). A border around the shield of segments alternating blue and white.

Earls of Worcester (1514)

For previous creations of the same title, see Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, by Elizabeth of Vermandois, and the twin brother of Robert de...

.
  • Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
    Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester
    Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester was the legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill.-Biography:He was born around 1460 to Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill...

     (c. 1450–1526), legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
    Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset
    Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, since the title was re-created for his father after his uncle died...

     and Joan Hill
Other titles (2nd onwards): Baron Herbert
Baron Herbert
Baron Herbert is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1461 for William Herbert, who was later made Earl of Pembroke. The second Earl of Pembroke surrendered his earldom in return for another earldom, Huntingdon. The barony, however, passed to his daughter Elizabeth, who...

 (1461)
  • Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester was an English nobleman, son of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert. On his father's death on 15 April 1526, he succeeded as the second Earl of Worcester...

     (c. 1495–1548), only legitimate son of the 1st Earl
  • William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester
    William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester
    William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, KG was born before 1526 to Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester and his second wife Elizabeth Browne....

     (d. 1589), eldest son of the 2nd Earl
  • Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester
    Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester
    Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, KG, Earl Marshal was an English aristocrat. He was an important advisor to King James I, serving as Lord Privy Seal....

     (1553–1628), only son of the 3rd Earl
  • Henry Somerset, 5th Earl of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester was an English aristocrat, inheriting the title Earl of Worcester from his father Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, in 1628. He was a prominent and financially important royalist....

     (1577–1646) was created Marquess of Worcester in 1643

Marquesses of Worcester (1642)

Other titles: Earl of Worcester (1514) and Baron Herbert
Baron Herbert
Baron Herbert is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1461 for William Herbert, who was later made Earl of Pembroke. The second Earl of Pembroke surrendered his earldom in return for another earldom, Huntingdon. The barony, however, passed to his daughter Elizabeth, who...

 (1461)
  • Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester was an English aristocrat, inheriting the title Earl of Worcester from his father Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, in 1628. He was a prominent and financially important royalist....

     (1577–1646), eldest son of the 4th Earl, was a noted Cavalier
    Cavalier
    Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

  • Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester
    Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester
    Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester , styled Lord Herbert of Ragland from 1628–1644, was an English nobleman involved in royalist politics and an inventor...

     (1601–1667), eldest son of the 1st Marquess
  • Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester
    Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, KG, PC was an English peer. He was styled Lord Herbert from 1646 until 3 April 1667, when he succeeded his father as 3rd Marquess of Worcester....

     (1629–1700) was created Duke of Beaufort in 1682, upon the Restoration
    English Restoration
    The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

  • Henry Somerset, Lord Herbert (b. bef. 1660), eldest son of the 3rd Marquess, died in infancy

Dukes of Beaufort (1682)

Other titles: Marquesses of Worcester (1642) and Earl of Worcester (1514)
Other titles (1st–10th Dukes): Baron Herbert
Baron Herbert
Baron Herbert is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1461 for William Herbert, who was later made Earl of Pembroke. The second Earl of Pembroke surrendered his earldom in return for another earldom, Huntingdon. The barony, however, passed to his daughter Elizabeth, who...

 (1461)
  • Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, KG, PC was an English peer. He was styled Lord Herbert from 1646 until 3 April 1667, when he succeeded his father as 3rd Marquess of Worcester....

     (1629–1700), eldest son of the 2nd Marquess
  • Henry Somerset, Lord Herbert (b. before 1660), eldest son of the 1st Duke, died in infancy
  • Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
    Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
    Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester was the eldest son of a peer in the peerage of England and an MP.-Private Life:...

     (1660–1698), second son of the 1st Duke, predeceased his father
  • Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, KG PC was the only son of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester, and Rebecca Child...

     (1684–1714), only son of Lord Worcester
  • Henry Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset-Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort was born Henry Somerset, the elder son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort and his second wife, Rachel Noel. As his father's eldest son and heir to his father's title he was known as Marquess of Worcester, a courtesy title...

     (1707–1745), eldest son of the 2nd Duke, died without issue
  • Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort
    Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort
    Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort was the younger son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, and his second wife, Rachel Noel. Because his brother had no issue, on 24 February 1746, on his brother's death, he succeeded him and became 4th Duke of Beaufort, the 12th Lord Herbert, and the...

     (1709–1756), second and youngest son of the 2nd Duke
Other titles (5th–10th Dukes): Baron Botetourt
Baron Botetourt
The title Baron Botetourt was created in the Peerage of England by writ of summons on 19 June 1305. It became abeyant in 1406, was recalled from abeyance in 1764 for Norborne Berkeley. However, it became abeyant again on his death in 1770...

 (1305; abeyance ended 1803)
  • Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort KG was the only son of Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort and his wife, Elizabeth Berkeley. Styled Marquess of Worcester from 1746, on his father's death on 28 October 1756, he succeeded him as Duke of Beaufort.He succeeded to the title of 13th Lord...

     (1744–1803), only son of the 4th Duke
  • Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort (1766–1835), eldest son of the 5th Duke
  • Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
    Major Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort KG , styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1803 and Marquess of Worcester between 1803 and 1835, was a British peer, soldier and politician.-Background:...

     (1792–1853), eldest son of the 6th Duke
  • Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort
    Captain Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort KG, PC, DL , styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1835 and Marquess of Worcester from 1835 to 1853, was a British peer, soldier and Conservative politician...

     (1824–1899), only son of the 7th Duke
  • Henry Somerset, 9th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 9th Duke of Beaufort
    - External links :* Paul Theroff. . Retrieved 24 November 2007....

     (1847–1924), eldest son of the 8th Duke
  • Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort
    Henry Hugh Arthur FitzRoy Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort KG GCVO KStJ PC was a British peer, the son of Henry Somerset, 9th Duke of Beaufort....

     (1900–1984), only son of the 9th Duke, died without issue, at which point his two Baronies fell into abeyance.
  • David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort
    David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort
    David Robert Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort is a British peer. He was nominated to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...

     (b. 1928), great-grandson of Rt. Hon. Lord Henry Somerset
    Lord Henry Somerset
    Lord Henry Richard Charles Somerset PC, DL, JP was a British Conservative politician. He served as Comptroller of the Household under Benjamin Disraeli between 1874 and 1879.-Background:...

    , second son of the 8th Duke


Heir-apparent: Henry Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
Henry Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
Henry John FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester , also known as Bunter Worcester, is a farmer and chartered surveyor and the son and heir of David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort and Lady Caroline Jane Thynne...

 (b. 1952), eldest son of the 11th Duke

Lord Worcester's heir-apparent: Robert Somerset, Earl of Glamorgan (b. 1989), his eldest son

Family tree

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External links

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