William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset
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,_Attributed_to_Gilbert_Jackson_(1622_-_1640).jpg) William Seymour, Marquess of Hertford, later 2nd Duke of Somerset (1588–1660), portrait attributed to Gilbert Jackson (c. 1595/1600–1648), private collection | |
| Duke of Somerset | |
| Tenure | 1660 |
| Predecessor | Vacant Last held by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset |
| Successor | William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset |
| Born | 1588 |
| Died | 24 October 1660 (aged 71–72) |
| Noble family | Seymour |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Arbella Stuart Lady Frances Devereux |
| Issue | Frances Darcy, Countess of Holderness William Seymour Robert Seymour Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp Lady Mary Seymour, Countess of Winchilsea Lady Jane Seymour, Viscountess Dungarvan John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset |
| Father | Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp |
| Mother | Honora Rogers |
William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset,
Origins
Seymour was the son of
Life
Seymour made a secret marriage at Greenwich on 22 June 1610 to
In June 1611 Seymour escaped from the Tower, planning to meet up with Arbella, who also had escaped captivity. They were to flee to the Continent, but bad weather and other circumstances prevented their meeting, and Arbella was recaptured and placed back in the Tower.[1] William managed to reach safety abroad at Ostend, but was never reunited with Arbella who remained in the Tower until her death in 1615.
Political career
Seymour was
During the Long Parliament, Seymour eventually parted company with the more radical opponents of the king, and in 1641 was created by him Marquess of Hertford. In the Civil War, Hertford was a moderate royalist, along with such figures as Sir Edward Hyde, and throughout sought a compromise settlement, by continuing unofficial negotiations throughout the war with his brother-in-law Essex, the Parliamentary commander. He was nevertheless a trusted supporter of the king, who made him guardian of his son the future King Charles II, and he undertook several important military commands in royalist service over the course of the war, including commanding troops from South Wales and a successful campaign in Somerset in summer 1643.[3] Along with his brother Lord Seymour, Hertford was sent as a commissioner for the king at the failed Treaty of Uxbridge negotiations (1645).[4]
After the end of the First Civil War and the king's imprisonment, Hertford was the most prominent nobleman to remain alongside the king throughout his captivity, and was with him until his execution in 1649. He was one of four lords (the others being the Duke of Richmond, and the earls of Lindsey and Southampton) who petitioned the Commons to be allowed to assume responsibility for the king's actions and to suffer death in his place.[3] During the interregnum, Hertford kept himself away from both politics and royalist conspiracies, in the belief that the monarchy would eventually be restored and that conspiracies would only delay that event.
When the
Marriages & children
William Seymour married twice:
Firstly and secretly (see above), on 22 June 1610, to his third cousin once-removed[5] Lady Arbella Stuart (died 1615), who was then fourth in line to the succession of their cousin, King James I. There were no children from the marriage.
Secondly, on 3 March 1617 at
Issue
- Lady Frances Seymour (1618–1685), who married three times: Firstly to Richard Molyneux, 2nd Viscount Molyneux Secondly (as his third wife) to Thomas Wriothesley, 4th Earl of Southampton, and thirdly (as his third wife) to Conyers Darcy, 2nd Earl of Holderness, by whom she had no children.
- William Seymour (1621 – 16 June 1642), who predeceased his father.
- Robert Seymour (1622–1646), who predeceased his father.
- Mary Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort (1630–1715) and had children, including William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset (1654–1671), heir to his grandfather the 2nd Duke. His descendants included Diana, Princess of Wales.
- Lady Mary Seymour (1637 – 10 April 1673), who married Heneage Finch, 3rd Earl of Winchilsea and had issue.
- Lady Jane Seymour (1637 – 23 November 1679), who married Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.
- John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset (1646 – 29 April 1675), heir to his nephew in the dukedom in 1671, who married Sarah Alston in 1656 but left no children.
- Lady Judith Seymour (1623–1645), married Peter Ransone, by whom she had issue.
Death, burial & succession
Hertford died at
References
- ^ "The story of Lady Arbella Stuart". National Trust. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ Norman Egbert McClure, Letters of John Chamberlain, vol. 2 (Philadelphia, 1939), p. 31.
- ^ a b One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Somerset, Earls and Dukes of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 385.
- ^ Rushworth, John (1721) [orig. before 1690]. "Historical Collections: The treaty at Uxbridge, 1645". In Browne, D. (ed.). Historical Collections of Private Passages of State: Volume 5, 1642–45. London. pp. 787–843. Retrieved 24 May 2020 – via British History Online.
- ^ Arbella and his father were third cousins in descent from Henry VII
Further reading
- "Seymour, William, 1st marquess of Hertford, 2nd duke of Somerset," Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource: . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
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