Duke of Beaufort (/ˈboʊfərt/BOH-fərt)^[2] is a title in thePeerage of England. It was created byCharles II in 1682 forHenry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant ofCharles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son ofHenry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset, a Lancastrian leader in theWars of the Roses. The nameBeaufort refers to a castle inChampagne, France (nowMontmorency-Beaufort). It is the only current dukedom to take its name from a place outside theBritish Isles.^{[citation needed]}

Dukedom of Beaufort
Quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure three fleurs-de-lys or (for France); 2nd and 3rd, gules three lions passant guardant in pale or (for England), all within a bordure compony argent and azure
Creation date	2 December 1682
Created by	Charles II
Peerage	Peerage of England
First holder	Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester
Present holder	Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort
Heir apparent	Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester
Remainder to	1st Duke'sheirs maleof 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]

The Dukes of Beaufort descend in the male line from theHouse of Plantagenet throughJohn of Gaunt, son ofEdward III. This statement was challenged after the analysis of theY chromosomalDNA of the remains ofRichard III. Most living male heirs of the5th Duke of Beaufort were found to carry a relatively common Y chromosome type, which is different from the rare lineage found in Richard III's remains. The instance offalse paternity could have occurred anywhere in the numerous generations separating Richard III from the 5th Duke of Beaufort.^[3] The break also could have occurred with Richard III's grandfatherRichard of Conisburgh, whose paternity has been called into question although he was acknowledged by his father.

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,Katherine Swynford. This was the foundation of theHouse of Beaufort,Dukes of Somerset. A descendant of the Beauforts through his mother wasHenry VII of England.Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester,KG (c. 1460 – 15 March 1526), was the bastard son ofHenry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset by his mistress Joan Hill.^[4]

The Duke of Beaufort holds twosubsidiary titles –Marquess of Worcester (created 1642) andEarl of Worcester (created 1514). The title of Marquess of Worcester is used as acourtesy title by the duke's eldest son and heir. The title ofEarl of Glamorgan is used by the eldest son of theheir apparent to the dukedom. The Earl of Glamorgan's eldest son is known asViscount 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.

Field MarshalThe Lord Raglan, bornLord FitzRoy Somerset (1788–1855), was the youngest son of the fifth duke.

The family seat was onceRaglan Castle inMonmouthshire, but as of 2017^[update] wasBadminton House nearChipping Sodbury inGloucestershire. The principal burial place of the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort isSt Michael and All Angels' Church,Badminton.

Following the creation of the dukedom, each successive duke has served as Master of theDuke of Beaufort's Hunt, a foxhound pack kenneled on the Badminton Estate.

• John of Gaunt, son of KingEdward III and father of KingHenry IV of England
• John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, natural and legitimized son of John of Gaunt byKatherine 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.

• Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester (c. 1450–1526), legitimised son ofHenry 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 andLady Blanche Arundell
• Henry Somerset, 5th Earl of Worcester (1577–1646) was created Marquess of Worcester in 1643

Other titles: Earl of Worcester (1514) andBaron Herbert (1461)

• Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester (1577–1646), eldest son of the 4th Earl, was a notedCavalier
• 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.
• Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester (1629–1700) was created Duke of Beaufort in 1682, after theRestoration
  • Henry Somerset, Lord Herbert (b. bef. 1660), eldest son of the 3rd Marquess, died in infancy

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 ofRt. 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]

Theheir apparent is the present holder's son, Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (b. 20 January 1989).^[4]

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  Bookplate with the arms of the2nd Duke of Beaufort
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  Bookplate with the arms of Elizabeth Somerset, wife of the5th Duke of Beaufort
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  Bookplate with the arms of the9th Duke of Beaufort

The heraldicblazon for thecoat of arms of the dukedom is:Quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure three fleurs-de-lys or (forFrance);2nd and 3rd, gules three lions passant guardant in pale or (forEngland), all within a bordure compony argent and azure.

This can be translated as: a shield divided into quarters, the top left and bottom right quarters are blue with three goldenfleurs-de-lys (for France), and the top right and bottom left quarters are red with three golden lionspassant with their faces toward the viewer, one above the other (for England); the foregoing quarters are within a border around the shield with segments alternating white and blue.

In heraldry, abordure 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.

• Duchess of Beaufort
• Viscount Somerset
• Baron Raglan

• "Portrait of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester".Wikimedia Commons. 13 July 2018.
• Robinson, W.R.B. (2004), "Somerset, William, third earl of Worcester",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.), Oxford University Press,doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/26015(Subscription orUK public library membership required.)
• 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.

•   Media related toDukes of Beaufort at Wikimedia Commons