Duke of Beaufort
Dukedom of Beaufort | |
---|---|
heirs male of the body lawfully begotten | |
Subsidiary titles | Marquess of Worcester Earl of Worcester Earl of Glamorgan (courtesy) Viscount Grosmont (courtesy) |
Seat(s) | Badminton House (since the 17th century) |
Former seat(s) | Raglan Castle (until 1646) |
Motto | Mutare vel timere sperno (Latin for 'I scorn to change or to fear')[1] |
Duke of Beaufort (/ˈboʊfərt/)[2] is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the Roses. The name Beaufort refers to a castle in Champagne, France (now Montmorency-Beaufort). It is the only current dukedom to take its name from a place outside the British Isles.[citation needed]
The Dukes of Beaufort descend in the male line from the
The Beaufort Castle was in possession of John of Gaunt, and the surname Beaufort was given to Gaunt's four legitimised children by his mistress and third wife,
The Duke of Beaufort holds two subsidiary titles – Marquess of Worcester (created 1642) and Earl of Worcester (created 1514). The title of Marquess of Worcester is used as a courtesy title by the duke's eldest son and heir. The title of 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 in 1644 by Charles I in favour of Edward Somerset, 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.
The family seat was once Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire, but as of 2017[update] was Badminton House near Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire. The principal burial place of the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort is St Michael and All Angels' Church, Badminton.
Following the creation of the dukedom, each successive duke has served as Master of the Duke of Beaufort's Hunt, a foxhound pack kenneled on the Badminton Estate.
Descent from John of Gaunt
- Edward III and father of King Henry IV of England
- John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, natural and legitimized son of John of Gaunt by Katherine Swynford
- Edmund Beaufort, 4th Earl and 2nd Duke of Somerset, fourth and youngest son of the 1st Earl
- Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, son of the 4th Earl and 2nd Duke of Somerset; his natural son was created Earl of Worcester in 1514.
Earls of Worcester (1514)
- Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester (c. 1450–1526), legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset and Joan Hill
- Other titles (2nd onwards): Baron Herbert (1461)
- Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester (c. 1495–1548), only legitimate son of the 1st Earl
- William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester (died 1589), eldest son of the 2nd Earl
- Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester (1553–1628), only son of the 3rd Earl, was the father of the 5th Earl and Lady Blanche Arundell
- Henry Somerset, 5th Earl of Worcester (1577–1646) was created Marquess of Worcester in 1643
Marquesses of Worcester (1642)
- Other titles: Earl of Worcester (1514) and Baron Herbert (1461)
- Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester (1577–1646), eldest son of the 4th Earl, was a noted Cavalier
- Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester (1601–1667), eldest son of the 1st Marquess, was an inventor. He has a claim to the invention of the steam engine.
- Restoration
- 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 (1461)
- Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort (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 (1660–1698), second son of the 1st Duke, predeceased his father
- Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort (1684–1714), only son of the Marquess of Worcester
- Henry Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort (1707–1745), eldest son of the 2nd Duke, died without issue
- Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort (1709–1756), second and youngest son of the 2nd Duke
- Other titles (5th–10th Dukes): Baron Botetourt (1305; abeyance ended 1803)
- Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort (1744–1803), only son of the 4th Duke
- Henry Charles Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort (1766–1835), eldest son of the 5th Duke
- Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort (1792–1853), eldest son of the 6th Duke
- Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort (1824–1899), only son of the 7th Duke
- Henry Adelbert Wellington FitzRoy Somerset, 9th Duke of Beaufort (1847–1924), eldest son of the 8th Duke
- Henry Hugh Arthur FitzRoy Somerset, 10th Duke of Beaufort (1900–1984), only son of the 9th Duke, died without issue, at which point his two Baronies fell into abeyance.
- David Robert Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort (1928–2017), great-grandson of Rt. Hon. Lord Henry Richard Charles Somerset, second son of the 8th Duke
- Henry John FitzRoy Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort (b. 22 May 1952), eldest son of the 11th Duke.[4]
The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (b. 20 January 1989).[4]
Line of succession (simplified)
|
---|
|
-
Bookplate with the arms of the 2nd Duke of Beaufort
-
Bookplate with the arms of Elizabeth Somerset, wife of the 5th Duke of Beaufort
-
9th Duke of Beaufort
Coat of arms
The heraldic
This can be translated as: a shield divided into quarters, the top left and bottom right quarters are blue with three golden
In heraldry, a bordure compony is traditionally used to designate illegitimacy. Since the original Beaufort siblings' father was of the English royal family, the English royal arms are used. At that time, the king of England also claimed the French crown, hence the inclusion of the French royal arms.
|
Family tree
|
Ancestral armorial
Arms | Name | Life | Blazon | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
K.G.
|
1460–1526 | Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France ancien, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[7] (Beaufort)with argent baton sinister, with escutcheon of pretence of per pale azure and gules, three lions rampant argent, 2 and 1 Herbert. | An illegitimate son of Henry VIII
|
Arms | Name | Life | Blazon | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
K.G.
|
1526/7–1589 | Quarterly, 1st and 4th, or a fess on which is France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[10] (Beaufort), 2nd, per pale azure and gules, three lions rampant argent, 2 and 1 Herbert, argent a fess gules, with a canton gueules.[11] | Eldest son of Elizabeth Browne.[12]
|
Arms | Name | Life | Blazon | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
K.G.
|
1550–1628 | Grand quarters, 1st and 4th, quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[10] (Beaufort), 2nd, per pale azure and gules, three lions rampant argent, 2 and 1 Herbert, argent a fess gules, with a canton gueules. | Eldest son of James I (James VI of Scots), serving as Lord Privy Seal.[12]
|
Arms | Name | Life | Blazon | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
K.G., PC
|
1629–1700 | Quarterly, 1st and 4th, France moderne, 2nd and 3rd England, within a bordure componée Argent and Azure[10] (Beaufort). | Eldest son of Dukes of Beaufort and the Barons Raglan. The current head of the house is Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort .
|
See also
References
- ^ Woods, Judith (10 December 2013). "Lord Edward Somerset: a fine pedigree counts for nothing". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
- ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
- ^ "Richard III's DNA throws up infidelity surprise". BBC News. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0-9711966-2-1.
- ISBN 2-940085-02-1.
- ISBN 978-1-999767-0-5-1.
- ^ Pinches & Pinches 1974, p. 81.
- ^ Burke 1914, p. 207.
- ^ Gurney 1890, p. 55.
- ^ a b c Pinches & Pinches 1974, p. 82.
- ^ Quartering based on the arms in the 16th century portrait of Worcester (Portrait of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester 2018)
- ^ a b Robinson 2004.
Bibliography
- "Portrait of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester". Wikimedia Commons. 13 July 2018.
- Robinson, W.R.B. (2004), "Somerset, William, third earl of Worcester", doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26015 (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Gurney, E. Henry (1890). Reference handbook for readers, students, and teachers of English history. Boston: Ginn & Company. p. 55.
- Pinches, John Harvey; Pinches, Rosemary (1974). The Royal Heraldry of England. Heraldry Today. Slough, Buckinghamshire: Hollen Street Press. ISBN 0-900455-25-X.[page needed]
- Burke, John (1914). Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of peerage, baronetage and knightage. New York: G.P.Putnam's Sons. p. 207.
- Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. London: London: Dean & son, limited. p. 100.
External links
- Media related to Dukes of Beaufort at Wikimedia Commons