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Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort

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The Duke of Beaufort

Portrait by Michael Dahl
Born2 April 1684 (1684-04-02)
Died24 May 1714 (1714-05-25) (aged 30)
Noble familyBeaufort
Spouse(s)Mary Sackville
Rachel Noel
Mary Osborne
IssueHenry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort
Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort
FatherCharles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
MotherRebecca Child

Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, KG PC (2 April 1684 – 24 May 1714) was an English peer and politician. He was the only son of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester, and Rebecca Child. He was styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1698, and Marquess of Worcester from 1698 until his grandfather's death on 21 January 1700, when he succeeded him as 2nd Duke of Beaufort.

Bookplate of Henry Somerset, Duke of Beaufort

Life

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Born at Monmouth Castle, he entertained Queen Anne and the Prince Consort with splendour at Badminton in August 1702. He held aloof from public affairs until the fall of Sunderland heralded the collapse of the Whig Junto in 1710, when he is said to have remarked to the queen that he could at length call her a queen in reality. A thorough-going Tory, he was, after some opposition from Jonathan Swift, admitted a member of the "Brothers’ Club" on 21 February 1711. He was made captain of the gentlemen pensioners in 1712, and appointed a Knight of the Garter in October 1712.[1]

Dying at the age of thirty, on 24 May 1714, Beaufort was succeeded by his son Henry.[1] The 2nd Duke is buried at St Michael and All Angels Church, Badminton.

Family

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He married three times:

With his second wife he had two sons:

  1. Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort his heir and successor; and
  2. Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort his brother's heir and successor.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b "Somerset, Henry" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  2. ^ "Wimbledon Pages 519-540 The Environs of London: Volume 1, County of Surrey. Originally published by T Cadell and W Davies, London, 1792". British History Online. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
Attribution

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain"Somerset, Henry". Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Honorary titles
Preceded by Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners
1712–1714
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire
1710–1714
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
1712–1714
Succeeded by
Peerage of England
Preceded by Duke of Beaufort
1700–1714
Succeeded by