Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford
Encyclopedia
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG
, PC, PC (Ire)
(5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) was a British courtier and politician.
He was born in Chelsea, London
the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway
and Charlotte Shorter and died in Surrey
, England
. He inherited the title of 2nd Baron Conway on the death of his father in 1732.
and his first wife Catharine Fillol. Their marriage was annulled and their children declared illegitimate. Their son Sir Edward Seymour (d. 6 May 1593) later served as a Sheriff of Devon.
The Sheriff of Devon was father to Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet
, grandfather of Sir Edward Seymour, 2nd Baronet
, great-grandfather of Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet
and a fourth-generation ancestor of Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet
.
The 4th Baronet was father to Sir Edward Seymour, 5th Baronet
and grandfather to Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset
. His younger son was Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway
(1679–1732).
Lord Conway married Charlotte Shorter, a daughter of John Shorter of Bybrook. They were the parents of the Marquess. His father died when the younger Francis was about fourteen years old. The first few years after his father's death were spent in Italy
and Paris
. On his return to England he took his seat
, as 2nd Baron Conway, among the Peers in November 1739. Henry Seymour Conway
, politician and soldier, was his younger brother.
, and they became the parents of thirteen children:
, "The Earl of Hertford, a man of unblemished morals, but rather too gentle and cautious, to combat so presumptuous a court, was named Ambassador to Paris." However, due to the demands of the French, the journey was suspended.
From 1751 to 1766 he was Lord of the Bedchamber
to George II
and George III. In 1756 he was made a Knight of the Garter
and, in 1757, Lord-Lieutenant and Guardian of the Rolls of the County of Warwick and City of Coventry
.
In 1763 he became Privy Councillor and, from October 1763 to June 1765, was a successful ambassador in Paris. He witnessed the sad last months of Madame de Pompadour
, whom he admired and wrote a kindly epitaph for her. In the autumn of 1765 he became Viceroy of Ireland where, as an honest and religious man, he was well liked.
An anonymous satirist in 1777 described him as "the worst man in His Majesty's dominions", and also emphasised Hertford's greed and selfishness, adding "I cannot find any term for him but avaricious." However, this anonymous attack does not seem to be justified.
In 1782 when she was only fifty-six, his wife died after having nursed their grandson at Forde's Farm
, Thames Ditton
where she caught a violent cold. According to Walpole, "Lord Hertford's loss is beyond measure. She was not only the most affectionate wife, but the most useful one, and almost the only person I ever saw that never neglected or put off or forgot anything that was to be done. She was always proper, either in the highest life or in the most domestic." (Walpole visited Forde's Farm on several occasions from his residence at Strawberry Hill
, Twickenham.) Within two years of the tragedy, Lord Hertford had sold Forde's Farm to Mrs Charlotte Boyle Walsingham, and a further two years later, she had re-developed the estate, building a new mansion which she called Boyle Farm, a name still in use today.
In July 1793 he was created Marquess of Hertford, with the subsidiary title of Earl of Yarmouth
. He enjoyed this elevation for almost a year until his death at the age of seventy-six, on 14 June 1794, at the house of his daughter, the Countess of Lincoln
. He died as the result of an infection following a minor injury he received while riding. He was buried at Arrow
, in Warwickshire
.
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, PC, PC (Ire)
Privy Council of Ireland
The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
(5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) was a British courtier and politician.
He was born in Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Ragley, 1st Baron Conway of Killultagh, MP, PC , was a British politician, born Francis Seymour.-Background:...
and Charlotte Shorter and died in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He inherited the title of 2nd Baron Conway on the death of his father in 1732.
Family
He was a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of SomersetEdward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
and his first wife Catharine Fillol. Their marriage was annulled and their children declared illegitimate. Their son Sir Edward Seymour (d. 6 May 1593) later served as a Sheriff of Devon.
The Sheriff of Devon was father to Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy, 1st Baronet was Member of Parliament for Devon, twice High Sheriff of Devon for Devon and an Army Colonel....
, grandfather of Sir Edward Seymour, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy, 2nd Baronet , MP, was a British gentleman and politician.He was the son of Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet, and wife Elizabeth Champernowne and a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, in the senior line...
, great-grandfather of Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet , was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1688...
and a fourth-generation ancestor of Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy, 4th Baronet, MP was a British nobleman, and a Royalist and Tory politician.-Life:...
.
The 4th Baronet was father to Sir Edward Seymour, 5th Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 5th Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy, 5th Baronet, MP was a British gentleman and politician.He was a son of Royalist and Tory politician Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet and first wife Margaret Wale.-Family:...
and grandfather to Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset was a British nobleman....
. His younger son was Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Lord Conway
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Ragley, 1st Baron Conway of Killultagh, MP, PC , was a British politician, born Francis Seymour.-Background:...
(1679–1732).
Lord Conway married Charlotte Shorter, a daughter of John Shorter of Bybrook. They were the parents of the Marquess. His father died when the younger Francis was about fourteen years old. The first few years after his father's death were spent in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. On his return to England he took his seat
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
, as 2nd Baron Conway, among the Peers in November 1739. Henry Seymour Conway
Henry Seymour Conway
Field Marshal Henry Seymour Conway was a British general and statesman. A brother of the 1st Marquess of Hertford, and cousin of Horace Walpole, he began his military career in the War of the Austrian Succession and eventually rose to the rank of Field Marshal .-Family and education:Conway was...
, politician and soldier, was his younger brother.
Marriage
On 29 May 1741 he married Lady Isabella Fitzroy, daughter of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of GraftonCharles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton
Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton KG PC was an Irish and English politician.He was born the only child of Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton and Isabella Bennet, 2nd Countess of Arlington...
, and they became the parents of thirteen children:
- Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of HertfordFrancis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford KG, PC , 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.-Background and education:A member of the Seymour family...
(12 February 1743 – 28 June 1822) - Lady Anne Seymour-Conway (1 August 1744 – 4 November 1767), married Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of DroghedaCharles Moore, 1st Marquess of DroghedaField Marshal Charles Moore, 1st Marquess of Drogheda KP, PC was a British peer and military officer, styled Viscount Moore until 1758.-Military career:...
. - Lord Henry Seymour-ConwayLord Henry Seymour-ConwayLord Henry Seymour was a British politician, the second son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford. He was known as Hon...
(15 December 1746 – 5 February 1830) - Lady Sarah Frances Seymour-Conway (27 September 1747 – 20 July 1770), married Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of LondonderryRobert Stewart, 1st Marquess of LondonderryRobert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry PC , was an Irish politician and landowner, the father of politician Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh.-Early life in Dublin:...
. - Lord Robert Seymour-Conway (20 January 1748 – 23 November 1831)
- Lady Gertrude Seymour-Conway (9 October 1750 – 29 May 1782), married George Mason-Villiers, 2nd Earl GrandisonGeorge Mason-Villiers, 2nd Earl GrandisonGeorge Mason-Villiers, 2nd Earl Grandison PC , styled Viscount Villiers between 1767 and 1782, was a British peer and politician.-Background and education:...
. - Lady Frances Seymour-Conway (4 December 1751 – 11 November 1820), married Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, Earl of Lincoln, a son of Henry Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 2nd Duke of Newcastle.
- Rev. Hon. Edward Seymour-Conway (1752–1785)
- Lady Elizabeth Seymour-Conway (1754–1825)
- Lady Isabella Rachel Seymour-Conway (25 December 1755 – 1825), married George Hatton, a Member of ParliamentMember of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. - Admiral Lord Hugh SeymourLord Hugh SeymourVice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the late 18th century who was the fifth son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford and became known for being both a prominent society figure and a highly competent naval officer...
(29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801), married Lady Anne Horatia Waldegrave, a daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 2nd Earl WaldegraveJames Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave KG PC FRS was a British statesman.The eldest son of the 1st Earl Waldegrave, Waldegrave was educated at Westminster and Eton and he inherited his father's titles in 1741...
. - Lord William Seymour-Conway (29 April 1759 – 31 January 1837)
- Lord George Seymour-Conway (21 July 1763 – 10 March 1848). He married Isabella Hamilton, granddaughter of James Hamilton, 7th Earl of AbercornJames Hamilton, 7th Earl of AbercornJames Hamilton, 7th Earl of Abercorn FRS PC was a Scottish and Irish nobleman, the son of James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn and Elizabeth Reading. He was styled Lord Paisley from 1701 until his accession in 1734...
, and was the father of Sir George Hamilton SeymourGeorge Hamilton SeymourSir George Hamilton Seymour GCB, GCH, PC was a British diplomat.Seymour was the son of Lord George Seymour and Isabella, daughter of Reverend the Honourable William Hamilton. He married the Honourable Gertrude, daughter of General Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, in 1831. They had several children....
, a British diplomatist.
Career
In August 1750 he was created Viscount Beauchamp and Earl of Hertford. In 1755, according to Horace Walpole, 4th Earl of OrfordHorace Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford
Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford was an English art historian, man of letters, antiquarian and Whig politician. He is now largely remembered for Strawberry Hill, the home he built in Twickenham, south-west London where he revived the Gothic style some decades before his Victorian successors,...
, "The Earl of Hertford, a man of unblemished morals, but rather too gentle and cautious, to combat so presumptuous a court, was named Ambassador to Paris." However, due to the demands of the French, the journey was suspended.
From 1751 to 1766 he was Lord of the Bedchamber
Lord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
and George III. In 1756 he was made a Knight of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
and, in 1757, Lord-Lieutenant and Guardian of the Rolls of the County of Warwick and City of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
.
In 1763 he became Privy Councillor and, from October 1763 to June 1765, was a successful ambassador in Paris. He witnessed the sad last months of Madame de Pompadour
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
, whom he admired and wrote a kindly epitaph for her. In the autumn of 1765 he became Viceroy of Ireland where, as an honest and religious man, he was well liked.
An anonymous satirist in 1777 described him as "the worst man in His Majesty's dominions", and also emphasised Hertford's greed and selfishness, adding "I cannot find any term for him but avaricious." However, this anonymous attack does not seem to be justified.
In 1782 when she was only fifty-six, his wife died after having nursed their grandson at Forde's Farm
Boyle Farm
Boyle Farm was the earlier name of the 'Home of Compassion', a mansion on the banks of the River Thames in Thames Ditton, Surrey. The house was built on the site of Forde's Farm by Charlotte Boyle Walsingham in the late 18th century. Although the estate has been sold and divided into expensive...
, Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
where she caught a violent cold. According to Walpole, "Lord Hertford's loss is beyond measure. She was not only the most affectionate wife, but the most useful one, and almost the only person I ever saw that never neglected or put off or forgot anything that was to be done. She was always proper, either in the highest life or in the most domestic." (Walpole visited Forde's Farm on several occasions from his residence at Strawberry Hill
Strawberry Hill House
Strawberry Hill is the Gothic Revival villa of Horace Walpole which he built in the second half of the 18th century in what is now an affluent area of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Twickenham, London...
, Twickenham.) Within two years of the tragedy, Lord Hertford had sold Forde's Farm to Mrs Charlotte Boyle Walsingham, and a further two years later, she had re-developed the estate, building a new mansion which she called Boyle Farm, a name still in use today.
In July 1793 he was created Marquess of Hertford, with the subsidiary title of Earl of Yarmouth
Earl of Yarmouth
Earl of Yarmouth is a title that has been created three time in British history, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1679 in favour of the politician and scientist Robert Paston, 1st Viscount Yarmouth...
. He enjoyed this elevation for almost a year until his death at the age of seventy-six, on 14 June 1794, at the house of his daughter, the Countess of Lincoln
Earl of Lincoln
Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the Peerage of England.-Earls of Lincoln, First Creation :*William d'Aubigny, 1st Earl of Lincoln and 1st Earl of Arundel Earl of Lincoln is a title that has been created eight times in the Peerage of England.-Earls of Lincoln, First...
. He died as the result of an infection following a minor injury he received while riding. He was buried at Arrow
Arrow, Warwickshire
Arrow is a village in the Stratford-on-Avon district of Warwickshire, England. Together with the entirely rural parish of Weethley, it forms the combined civil parish of Arrow with Weethley...
, in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.