Duke of Beaufort (), a title in the Peerage of England, was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of

Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, KG (c. 146015 March 1526) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the legitimised bastard son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset by his mistress Joan Hill. Origins He was born in about ...

, legitimised son of

Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset (26 January 143615 May 1464) was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses. He is sometimes numbered the 2nd Duke of Somerset, because the title was re-created for his ...

, a Lancastrian leader in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

. The name ''Beaufort'' refers to a castle in

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

(now

Montmorency-Beaufort Montmorency-Beaufort () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. Population See also * Communes of the Aube department * House of Beaufort The House of Beaufort is an English noble and quasi-royal family, which ori ...

). It is the only current dukedom to take its name from a place outside the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. The Dukes of Beaufort descend in the male line from the House of Plantagenet through John of Gaunt, son of Edward III. This statement was challenged after the analysis of the

Y chromosomal The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes (allosomes) in therian mammals, including humans, and many other animals. The other is the X chromosome. Y is normally the sex-determining chromosome in many species, since it is the presence or abs ...

DNA of the remains of Richard III. Most living male heirs of the 5th 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 of

false paternity Paternity fraud, also known as misattributed paternity or paternal discrepancy, occurs when a man is incorrectly identified as the biological father of a child. The underlying assumption of "paternity fraud" is that the mother deliberately miside ...

could have occurred anywhere in the numerous generations separating Richard III from the 5th Duke of Beaufort. The break also could have occurred with Richard III's grandfather

Richard of Conisburgh Richard of Conisbrough, 3rd Earl of Cambridge (20 July 1385 – 5 August 1415) was the second son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and Isabella of Castile, Duchess of York. He was beheaded for his part in the Southampton Plot, a conspirac ...

, 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 the

House of Beaufort The House of Beaufort is an English noble and quasi-royal family, which originated in the fourteenth century as the legitimated issue of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (the third surviving son of King Edward III), whose eldest legitimate ...

Dukes of Somerset Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

. A descendant of the Beauforts through his mother was

Henry VII of England Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beauf ...

, KG (c. 1460 – 15 March 1526), was the bastard son of

by his mistress Joan Hill. The Duke of Beaufort holds two subsidiary titles: Marquess of Worcester (created 1642) and

Earl of Worcester Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England. Five creations The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leice ...

(1514). The title Marquess of Worcester is used as a courtesy title by the duke's eldest son and heir. The title Earl of Glamorgan is used by the eldest son of the

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

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 by Charles I in 1644 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 Marshal The Lord Raglan, born

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

FitzRoy Somerset (1788–1855), was the youngest son of the fifth duke. The family seat was once

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle ( cy, Castell Rhaglan) is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th centuries, when the succ ...

, Monmouthshire, but was Badminton House near Chipping Sodbury in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. The principal burial place of the Dukes and Duchesses of Beaufort is St Michael and All Angels' Church,

Badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...

. 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

* John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III and father of King Henry IV of England *

John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset John Beaufort, 1st Marquess of Somerset and 1st Marquess of Dorset, later only 1st Earl of Somerset, (c. 1373 – 16 March 1410) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the first of the four illegitimate children of John of Gaunt ( ...

, 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 *

, son of the 4th Earl and 2nd Duke of Somerset; his natural son was created Earl of Worcester in 1514.

Earls of Worcester (1514)

(c. 1450–1526), legitimised son of

and Joan Hill :''Other titles (2nd onwards): Baron Herbert (1461)'' *

Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester (26 November 1549) was an English nobleman. He was the son of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert. On his father's death on 15 April 1526, he succeeded as the ...

(c. 1495–1548), only legitimate son of the 1st Earl *

William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, KG (c. 1526/1527 – 21 February 1589) was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician. He was the eldest son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester and his second wife Elizabeth Browne. Earl of Wo ...

(d. 1589), eldest son of the 2nd Earl *

Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, KG, Earl Marshal (c. 1550 – 3 March 1628) was an English aristocrat. He was an important advisor to King James I (James VI of Scots), serving as Lord Privy Seal. He was the only son of three children ...

(1553–1628), only son of the 3rd Earl * 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 Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

(1577–1646), eldest son of the 4th Earl, was a noted

Cavalier The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ) ...

* 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 the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

**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 Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, KG, PC (162921 January 1700) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1667, when he succeeded his father as 3rd Marquess of Worcester. He was styled Lord H ...

(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 Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (25 December 1660 – 13 July 1698) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the eldest surviving son of Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort and Mary Capell, and was styled Lord Herbert of Raglan ...

(1660–1698), second son of the 1st Duke, predeceased his father *

Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort 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, ...

(1684–1714), only son of Lord Worcester *

Henry Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort Henry Somerset-Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort (23 March 1707 – 26 February 1745), born Henry Somerset, was an English nobleman and peer who supported Jacobitism. Life He was the elder son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort and his s ...

(1707–1745), eldest son of the 2nd Duke, died without issue *

Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort (12 September 1709 – 28 October 1756) was a British Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1731 until 1745 when he succeeded to the peerage as Duke of Beaufort. Life Somerset was the ...

(1709–1756), second and youngest son of the 2nd Duke :''Other titles (5th–10th Dukes):

Baron Botetourt Baron Botetourt ( ) is an abeyant title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ of summons on 19 June 1305. It became abeyant in 1406, was recalled from abeyance in 1764 for Norborne Berkeley. However, it became abeyant again on his de ...

(1305; abeyance ended 1803)'' *

Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort (16 October 1744 – 11 October 1803) was an English courtier and politician. He was the only son of Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort and Elizabeth Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort. Styled Marqu ...

(1744–1803), only son of the 4th Duke *

Henry Charles Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort Henry Charles Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort, KG (22 December 1766 – 23 November 1835), styled Marquess of Worcester until 1803, was a British politician. Background and education Somerset was the son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort ...

(1766–1835), eldest son of the 5th Duke *

Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort Major Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort, KG (5 February 1792 – 17 November 1853), styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1803 and Marquess of Worcester between 1803 and 1835, was a British peer, soldier, and politician. Background Beaufort was t ...

(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. The

is the present holder's son, Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (b. 20 January 1989). * ''Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort (1744–1803)'' ** ''Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort (1766–1835)'' *** ''Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort (1792–1853)'' **** ''Henry Somerset, 8th Duke of Beaufort (1824–1899)'' *****'' Lord Henry Somerset (1849–1932)'' ******''Henry Charles Somers Augustus Somerset (1874–1945)'' *******''Henry Robert Somers FitzRoy de Vere Somerset (1898–1965)'' ******** ''David Somerset, 11th Duke of Beaufort (1928–2017)'' ********* Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort (b. 1952) **********(1). Henry Robert FitzRoy Somerset, Marquess of Worcester (b. 1989) ***********(2). Henry, Earl of Glamorgan (b. 2021) **********(3). Lord Alexander Lorne Somerset (b. 1995) *********(4). Lord Edward Alexander Somerset (b. 1958) *********(5). Lord John Robert Somerset (b. 1964) **********(6). Lyle David Somerset (b. 1991) **''

Lord Charles Somerset Lord Charles Henry Somerset PC (12 December 1767 – 18 February 1831), born in Badminton, England, was a British soldier, politician and colonial administrator.Charles Mosley, editor. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 106th edition, 2 volu ...

(1767–1831)'' ***'' Henry Somerset (1794–1862)'' ****''Charles Henry Somerset (1819–1863)'' *****''

Henry Plantagenet Somerset Henry Plantagenet Somerset (19 May 1852 – 11 April 1936) was a pioneer pastoralist and politician in Queensland, Australia. Somerset was a liberal politician who represented the district of Stanley in the Queensland Legislative Assembly fr ...

(1852–1936)'' ******''Charles William Henry Rollo Somerset (1895–1936)'' *******(7). Arthur Henry Somerset (b. 1926) ********(8). Arthur Rollo Henry Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1953) ********(9). John William Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1965) *********(10). Justin Mitchell Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1993) ******''Hereward Henry Plantagenet Somerset (1900–1989)'' *******(11). David Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1926) *******(12). Robert Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1930) ********(13). Robert Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1959) *********(14). Benjamin Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1995) *********(15). Macartney Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1996) *******(16). William Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1934) ********(17). Mark William Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1965) *********(18). Brent Michael John Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1991) ********(19). Steven Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1968) *********(20). Joshua Steven Plantagenet Somerset (b. 2003) *******(21). Charles Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1944) ********(22). Miles Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1979) ********(23). Scott Plantagenet Somerset (b. 1981) ****''Henry George Edward Somerset (1829–1920)'' *****''Charles Wyndham Somerset (1862–1938)'' ******''Alan FitzRoy Somerset (1902–1940)'' *******(24). Robin FitzRoy Somerset (b. 1930) ********(25). Charles Fitzroy Somerset (b. 1981) ****''FitzRoy MacLean Henry Somerset (1839–1907)'' *****''FitzRoy Henry Somerset (1881–1946)'' ******''Raglan Henry Somerset (1903–1981)'' *******''Eugene Somerset (1929–1993)'' ********(26). Charles Somerset (b. 1956) *********(27). Charles Peter Somerset (b. 1981) **********(28). Gabriel Peter Somerset (b. 2016) ********(29). David Somerset (b. 1959) *********(30). Simon Ross Somerset (b. 1985) *******''John FitzRoy Somerset (1933–2003)'' ********(31). Hendry George Somerset (b. 1960) *********(32). Hendry George Somerset (b. 1985) *********(33). Raymond FitzRoy Somerset (b. 1987) *********(34). Shaun Steven Somerset (b. 1990) ***''Poulett George Henry Somerset (1822–1875)'' **'' Lord Robert Somerset (1776–1842)'' **''

Lord Arthur John Henry Somerset Lord Arthur John Henry Somerset (12 February 1780 – 18 April 1816), English politician, was the sixth son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort. Early years He was educated at Oriel College, Oxford, taking a BA in 1799 and an MA in 18 ...

(1780–1816)'' **'' Lord William Somerset (1784–1851)'' *** ***''Rev. Boscawen Thomas George Henry Somerset (1833–1893)'' ****''William Horace Boscawen Somerset (1880–1946)'' *****''FitzRoy Douglas Boscawen Somerset (1923–2019)'' ******.Rev. Douglas William Boscawen Somerset (b. 1965) **''

FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan Field Marshal FitzRoy James Henry Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, (30 September 1788 – 28 June 1855), known before 1852 as Lord FitzRoy Somerset, was a British Army officer. When a junior officer, he served in the Peninsular War and the Waterlo ...

(1788–1855)'' ***''line of the Barons Raglan'' Bookplate-Henry Duke of Beaufort.jpg, Bookplate with the arms of the 2nd Duke of Beaufort Bookplate-Elizabeth Duchess of Beaufort.jpg, Bookplate with the arms of Elizabeth Somerset, wife of the 5th Duke of Beaufort Bookplate-Henry Somerset Duke of Beaufort.jpg, Bookplate with the arms of the 9th Duke of Beaufort

Coat of arms

The heraldic

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

for the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the dukedom is: ''Quarterly, 1st and 4th, azure three fleurs-de-lys or'' (for

); ''2nd and 3rd, gules three lions passant guardant in pale or'' (for

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

)'', 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 golden

fleurs-de-lys The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in th ...

(for France), and the top right and bottom left quarters are red with three golden lions ''passant'' 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, 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

References

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beaufort 1682 establishments in England Dukedoms in the Peerage of England History of Worcestershire Noble titles created in 1682