Marquess of Hertford
Encyclopedia
The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the peerage
s of England
and Great Britain
.
The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour
, who was simultaneously created Baron Beauchamp of Hache. His grandson William Seymour
was subsequently created Marquess of Hertford and restored to the title of Duke of Somerset; the Marquessate became extinct in 1675 and the other three titles in 1750.
The present Marquessate was created in 1793. Lord Hertford holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Yarmouth (Peerage of Great Britain, 1793), Earl of Hertford (Peerage of Great Britain, 1750), Viscount Beauchamp (Peerage of Great Britain, 1750), Baron Conway, of Ragley in the County of Warwick (Peerage of England, 1703), and Baron Conway of Killultagh, of Killultagh in the County of Antrim (Peerage of Ireland
, 1712). Lord Hertford's heir uses the style Earl of Yarmouth.
The Marquesses of Hertford are members of the Seymour family
headed by the Duke of Somerset
. Francis Seymour (1679–1732) was the fourth son of Sir Edward Seymour of Berry Pomeroy, 4th Baronet, a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
(Sir Edward's grandson Sir Edward Seymour, 6th Baronet, of Berry Pomeroy
succeeded as 8th Duke of Somerset in 1750). Upon the death of his elder brother, Francis succeeded to the estates of his relative Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
. In 1703 he was created Baron Conway in the Peerage of England
and assumed the additional surname of Conway. In 1712 he was created Baron Conway of Killultagh in the Peerage of Ireland
. In 1750 his son Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Baron Conway, was created Viscount Beauchamp and Earl of Hertford. These were revivals of titles previously held by the Dukes of Somerset
, which had become extinct the same year on the death of Seymour-Conway's kinsman Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset
. In 1793 he was further honour
ed when he was made Earl of Yarmouth and Marquess of Hertford. The latter title had also previously been held by the Dukes of Somerset
, but had become extinct in 1675 (see below). As a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
, the present Marquess of Hertford is in remainder to the Dukedom of Somerset and its subsidiary title the Barony of Seymour.
The family seat is Ragley Hall
, near Alcester
, Warwickshire
.
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
s 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....
and Great Britain
Peerage of Great Britain
The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain after the Act of Union 1707 but before the Act of Union 1800...
.
The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour
Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Hache and 1st Earl of Hertford, KG was the son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, by his second wife Anne Stanhope....
, who was simultaneously created Baron Beauchamp of Hache. His grandson William Seymour
William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset
Sir William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War....
was subsequently created Marquess of Hertford and restored to the title of Duke of Somerset; the Marquessate became extinct in 1675 and the other three titles in 1750.
The present Marquessate was created in 1793. Lord Hertford holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Yarmouth (Peerage of Great Britain, 1793), Earl of Hertford (Peerage of Great Britain, 1750), Viscount Beauchamp (Peerage of Great Britain, 1750), Baron Conway, of Ragley in the County of Warwick (Peerage of England, 1703), and Baron Conway of Killultagh, of Killultagh in the County of Antrim (Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
, 1712). Lord Hertford's heir uses the style Earl of Yarmouth.
The Marquesses of Hertford are members of the Seymour family
Seymour family
Seymour, 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.-Origins:...
headed by the Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, 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 and in whose name the title is...
. Francis Seymour (1679–1732) was the fourth son of Sir Edward Seymour of Berry Pomeroy, 4th Baronet, a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward 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....
(Sir Edward's grandson Sir Edward Seymour, 6th Baronet, of Berry Pomeroy
Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset was a British nobleman....
succeeded as 8th Duke of Somerset in 1750). Upon the death of his elder brother, Francis succeeded to the estates of his relative Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway PC, FRS was an English peer and politician who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department between 1681 and 1683.-Life:...
. In 1703 he was created Baron Conway 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....
and assumed the additional surname of Conway. In 1712 he was created Baron Conway of Killultagh in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
. In 1750 his son Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Baron Conway, was created Viscount Beauchamp and Earl of Hertford. These were revivals of titles previously held by the Dukes of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, 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 and in whose name the title is...
, which had become extinct the same year on the death of Seymour-Conway's kinsman Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset
Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset
General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset was the son of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset and his wife, Elizabeth...
. In 1793 he was further honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
ed when he was made Earl of Yarmouth and Marquess of Hertford. The latter title had also previously been held by the Dukes of Somerset
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset is a title in the peerage of England that has been created several times. Derived from Somerset, 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 and in whose name the title is...
, but had become extinct in 1675 (see below). As a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward 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....
, the present Marquess of Hertford is in remainder to the Dukedom of Somerset and its subsidiary title the Barony of Seymour.
The family seat is Ragley Hall
Ragley Hall
Ragley Hall is located south of Alcester, Warwickshire, eight miles west of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the ancestral seat of the Marquess of Hertford and is one of the stately homes of England.-The present day:...
, near Alcester
Alcester
Alcester is an old market town of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in Warwickshire, England. It is situated approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 8 miles south of Redditch, close to the Worcestershire border...
, 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...
.
Earls of Hertford, first creation (1138)
- Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare (d. 1136), traditionally but erroneously called Earl of Hertford
- Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford (d. 1153)
- Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford (d. 1173)
- Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford (d. 1217)
- For further Earls, see Earl of GloucesterEarl of GloucesterThe title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play King Lear. See also Duke of Gloucester.-Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation :...
.
Earls of Hertford, second creation (1537)
- Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of SomersetEdward Seymour, 1st Duke of SomersetEdward 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....
, 1st Earl of Hertford (1506–1552), forfeit 1552
Earls of Hertford, third creation (1559)
- Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of HertfordEdward Seymour, 1st Earl of HertfordSir Edward Seymour, 1st Baron Beauchamp of Hache and 1st Earl of Hertford, KG was the son of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, by his second wife Anne Stanhope....
(1539–1621) - William Seymour, 2nd Earl of HertfordWilliam Seymour, 2nd Duke of SomersetSir William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War....
(1587–1660) (became Marquess of Hertford in 1641)
Marquesses of Hertford, first creation (1641)
- William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, 1st Marquess of HertfordWilliam Seymour, 2nd Duke of SomersetSir William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War....
(1587–1660) (restored to the Dukedom of Somerset in 1660) - William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset, 2nd Marquess of HertfordWilliam Seymour, 3rd Duke of SomersetWilliam Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset was the son of Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp and Mary Capell.He died in 1671, unmarried and childless and was succeeded by his paternal uncle John Seymour....
(1651–1671) - John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset, 3rd Marquess of HertfordJohn Seymour, 4th Duke of SomersetJohn Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset was an English peer and MP.He was the only surviving son of William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset and Lady Frances Devereux and entered Grays Inn in 1666. He succeeded his nephew as the 4th Duke of Somerset in 1671. He married in 1656 Sarah, daughter and...
(d. 1675) (Marquessate extinct 1675)
Earls of Hertford, third creation (continued)
- Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of SomersetFrancis Seymour, 5th Duke of SomersetFrancis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset , known as 3rd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge between 1665 and 1675, was an English peer....
(1658–1678) - Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of SomersetCharles Seymour, 6th Duke of SomersetCharles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
(1662–1748) - Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of SomersetAlgernon Seymour, 7th Duke of SomersetGeneral Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset was the son of Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset and his wife, Elizabeth...
(1684–1750)
Barons Conway, second creation (1703)
- Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron ConwayFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron ConwayFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Ragley, 1st Baron Conway of Killultagh, MP, PC , was a British politician, born Francis Seymour.-Background:...
(1679–1732) - Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG, PC, PC 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...
, (1718–1794) (created Earl of Hertford in 1750 and Marquess of Hertford in 1793)
Marquesses of Hertford, second creation (1793)
- Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford KG, PC, PC 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...
(1718–1794) - Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford (1743–1822)
- Francis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of HertfordFrancis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford KG, GCH PC , styled Viscount Beauchamp between 1793 and 1794 and Earl of Yarmouth between 1794 and 1822, was a British Tory politician and art collector....
(1777–1842) - Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of HertfordRichard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of HertfordCaptain Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford KG was the son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford....
(1800–1870) - Francis Hugh George Seymour, 5th Marquess of HertfordFrancis Seymour, 5th Marquess of HertfordFrancis George Hugh Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford GCB PC , known as Francis Seymour until 1870, was a British courtier and Conservative politician...
(1812–1884) - Hugh de Grey Seymour, 6th Marquess of HertfordHugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of HertfordCaptain Hugh de Grey Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford CB, TD, PC, JP , styled Earl of Yarmouth from 1870 to 1884, was a British soldier, courtier and Conservative politician...
(1843–1912) - George Francis Alexander Seymour, 7th Marquess of HertfordGeorge Seymour, 7th Marquess of HertfordGeorge Francis Alexander Seymour, 7th Marquess of Hertford was the son of Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford.-Biography:...
(1871–1940) - Hugh Edward Conway Seymour, 8th Marquess of HertfordHugh Seymour, 8th Marquess of HertfordHugh Edward Conway Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford was the son of Brig.-Gen. Lord Henry Charles Seymour and the grandson of Hugh Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford....
(1930–1997) - Henry Jocelyn Seymour, 9th Marquess of HertfordHenry Seymour, 9th Marquess of HertfordHenry Jocelyn Seymour, 9th Marquess of Hertford is a British peer, the son of Hugh Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford. He currently resides in Ragley Hall, Warwickshire.In 1990, he married Beatriz Karam. They have four children:...
(b. 1958) - His son and heir apparent: William Francis Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth (b. 1993)
Further reading
- 'Earls and Marquesses of Hertford' on Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Retrieved 15 December 2009.