The Duke of Beaufort | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Beaufort byFrancis Cotes | |
| Master of the Horse toQueen Charlotte | |
| In office 1768–1770 | |
| Preceded by | The Earl De La Warr |
| Succeeded by | The Earl Waldegrave |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1744-10-16)16 October 1744 |
| Died | (1803-10-11)11 October 1803 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 13, including: |
| Parent(s) | Charles Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort Elizabeth Berkeley |
| Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford |
Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort (16 October 1744 – 11 October 1803) was an English courtier and politician. He was styled theMarquess of Worcester from 1745 until 1756, when he succeeded his father as 5thDuke of Beaufort, 7th Marquess of Worcester, 11th Earl of Worcester, and 13th Baron Herbert.[2]
Somerset was born on 16 October 1744 atBrook Street,Hanover Square,London. He was the only son ofLord Charles Somerset (second son of the2nd Duke of Beaufort) andElizabeth Beaufort, daughter ofJohn Symes Berkeley.
At the time of Somerset's birth, his father sat in the House of Commons. He was five months old when his father succeeded his elder brother3rd Duke of Beaufort in the dukedom, at which point Somerset was styled by his father's subsidiary title, theMarquess of Worcester. The 3rd Duke left only an illegitimate daughter, Margaret Burr, who married the artistThomas Gainsborough.
In October 1765, shortly after his 21st birthday, he succeeded his father as the 5th Duke of Beaufort. On 18 October 1760, Beaufort began his studies atOriel College,Oxford, graduating on 7 July 1763 with a Doctor of Civil Laws (DCL) degree.[2]
Beaufort held the office ofGrand Master of thePremier Grand Lodge of England between 1767 and 1772.[2] From 1768 to 1770, he was Master of the Horse toQueen Charlotte.[2] He was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Monmouthshire in 1771 and Lord-Lieutenant of Brecknockshire in 1787, holding both offices until his death in 1803, as well as that of Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire from 1787 to 1799.[2] He was appointedColonel of theMonmouthshire Militia on 23 December 1771 and assumed command of theMonmouth and Brecon Militia when the combined regiment was embodied on 1 February 1793. He remained in command until his death.[3]
He was invested as a Knight of theOrder of the Garter (KG) on 2 June 1786.[2] On 4 June 1803, shortly before his death, he succeeded to the title of 5thBaron Botetourt.[2]
On 2 January 1766, he married Elizabeth Boscawen, daughter of Hon.Edward Boscawen,Admiral of the Blue, and sister toGeorge Boscawen, 3rd Viscount Falmouth.[2] Elizabeth died 15 June 1828. Together they had four daughters and nine sons:
Lord Beaufort died on 11 October 1803 and was buried atSt Michael and All Angels Church, Badminton. His last will was dated from 21 June 1789 to 11 September 1800.[10] He was succeeded in his titles by his eldest son,Henry[2]
Beaufort andRichard III were both male-line descendants of thePlantagenet KingEdward III: Beaufort through Edward's fourth son,John of Gaunt, and Richard through Edward's fifth son,Edmund of Langley.[11] After theexhumation of Richard III in 2012, intensive research was conducted using the DNA of descendants of the immediate relatives of Richard, who died without issue. The body exhumed was positively identified by matching hismitochondrial DNA with two living descendants of his eldest sister,Anne of York).
All five known living male-line relatives of Richard are descended from the 5th Duke of Beaufort; however, a Y chromosome type of Richard failed to match any of the five, indicating that at least onenon-paternity event had occurred somewhere in the 19 generations between Richard and the 5th Duke. Four of the five, however, had DNA indicating they held Plantagenet ancestry through different ancestors. The fifth was not related at all, indicating an additional non-paternity event had occurred in the 5th Duke's male line in recent generations.[12]
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire 1771–1799 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire 1787–1803 | |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire 1787–1799 | Succeeded by |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by | Master of the Horse toQueen Charlotte 1768–1770 | Succeeded by |
| Masonic offices | ||
| Preceded by | Grand Master of thePremier Grand Lodge of England 1767–1772 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Beaufort 1756–1803 | Succeeded by |
| In abeyance Title last held by Norborne Berkeley | Baron Botetourt 1803 | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
| People | |
