The Probert Encyclopaedia of People

DUKE OF SOMERSET

The Duke Of Somerset is an English title held by the families of Beaufort and Seymour. In 1397 Richard II granted the earldom of Somerset to his kinsman, John Beaufort. His son, John, was made duke in 1443, as was another son, Edmund Beaufort in 1448. Edmund's son Henry was deprived of the title during the Wars of the Roses.

In 1547 Edward Seymour was made Duke Of Somerset but on his attainder in 1552, the title passed into abeyance, only to be restored in the person of his grandson, William Seymour, the husband of Lady Arabella Stuart, in 1660. He was succeeded by his grandson, William on whose death without heirs in 1671 it fell to John Seymour, the 2nd duke's youngest son. He too died without issue, and the dukedom devolved upon his cousin Francis who became the 5th duke in 1675. His brother, Charles, an important figure at the court of Anne and George I, became the 6th duke in 1678.
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