General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset (19 December 17761 September 1842) was a British Army commander who fought during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

and the

War of the Seventh Coalition The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

. He sat in Parliament from 1801–1831.

Life

Somerset was the third son of

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 styled the Marquess of Worcester from 1745 until 1756, when he succeeded his father as 5th Duke of Beaufort (England), ...

, and elder brother of

Lord Raglan Baron Raglan, of Raglan in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 October 1852 for the military commander Lord FitzRoy Somerset, chiefly remembered as commander of the British troops ...

. Joining the 15th Light Dragoons in 1793, he became captain in the following year, and received a majority after serving as '' aide-de-camp'' to

Prince Frederick, Duke of York Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by professi ...

in the Dutch expedition of 1799. At the end of 1800 he became a lieutenant-colonel, and in 1801 received the command of the

4th Dragoons Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 Soviet drama ...

. From 1799 to 1802 he represented the Borough of Monmouth in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, from 1803 to 1823 and from 1830 sat for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and from 1834 to 1837 was MP for

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

. He commanded his regiment at the battles of Talavera and Buçaco, and in 1810 received a colonelcy and the appointment of ''aide-de-camp'' to the king. In 1811, along with the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the 4th Dragoons fought a notable cavalry action at Usagre, and in 1812 Lord Edward Somerset was engaged in the great charge of Le Marchant's heavy cavalry at

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

. His conduct on this occasion (he captured five guns at the head of a single squadron) won him further promotion, and he made the remaining campaigns as a major-general at the head of the Hussar brigade (7th, 10th and 15th Hussars). At Orthes he won further distinction by his pursuit of the enemy; he was made KCB, and received the thanks of parliament. At

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

he was in command of the Household Cavalry Brigade, which distinguished itself not less by its stern and patient endurance of the enemy's fire than by its celebrated charge on the

cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

s of

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (, ; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

's corps. The brigadier was particularly mentioned in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

's despatches, and received the thanks of parliament as well as the

Army Gold Cross The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predominantly the P ...

with one clasp for his services at Talavera, Salamanca, Vitoria, Orthez, and Toulouse. He also received the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...

and was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Portuguese Military

Order of the Tower and Sword The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit (), before 1917 the ancient and most noble order of the Tower and of the Sword, of valour, loyalty and merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portuguese milita ...

. At

in 1815 he lost his hat during the first cavalry charge and in the subsequent search for it a cannonball tore off the flap of his coat and killed his horse. He was awarded a GCB in 1834. After a short illness he died in London on 1 September 1842 and was interred in the church of St. George's, Hanover Square. A memorial tablet to Lord Robert Edward is on the south wall of the nave at St. Michael and All Angels, Great Badminton, which is attached to the family seat,

Badminton House Badminton House is a large country house and Grade I Listed Building in Badminton, Gloucestershire, England, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house, which has given its name to the spor ...

. The ' Somerset Monument' stands high on the

Cotswold Edge The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedro ...

Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire Hawkesbury is a hamlet and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The hamlet, consisting of a few cottages around a triangular green, lies west of Hawkesbury Upton, off the A46 road. The civil parish includes Hawkesbury itself, the la ...

(), near the family's ancestral home of

Badminton, Gloucestershire Badminton is a village and civil parish in South Gloucestershire, England. The only settlement in the parish is Badminton village, sometimes called Great Badminton to distinguish it from the hamlet of Little Badminton, about one mile to the ...

. It was erected in 1846 and has an inscription in memory of General Lord Robert Somerset.

Family

On 17 October 1805 he married Hon. Louisa Augusta Courtenay (17818 February 1825), a younger daughter of William Courtenay, de jure 8th Earl of Devon, with whom he had several children, three sons and five daughters: * Robert Henry Somerset (1806–1807) * Louisa Isabella Somerset (1807–1888) who died unmarried. * Frances Caroline Somerset, later Mrs Theophilus Clive (1808–1890) who married 1840 Theophilus Clive (died 1875), and had issue 1 son who left descendants. * Blanche Somerset, later Mrs Charles Locke (1811–1879) who married 1845, Rev. Charles Courtenay Locke (died 1848) with no issue, * Matilda Elizabeth Somerset, later Mrs

Horace Marryat Horace Marryat (1818–1887) was an English traveller, and author. Horace Marryat was a son of the businessman Joseph Marryat (1757–1824). His father maintained extended holdings in the West Indies, and made a fortune from colonial goods. Afte ...

(18153 April 1905) who married 1842 Horace Marryat, and had issue two sons: Adrian Somerset Marryat (born 1844) and Frederick Marryat (born 1851), and one daughter Ida Horatia Charlotte Marryat (1843–1910) who married 19 September 1863 (div 1889) Count Gustavus Frederick Bonde (1842–1909), a Swedish nobleman, with issue. The three Marryat children were painted in 1851–2 in Rome by the young

Frederick Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British Victorian painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and clas ...

. Horace Marryat was a much younger brother of the naval officer and writer

Frederick Marryat Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 – 9 August 1848) was a Royal Navy officer and novelist. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel '' Mr Midshipman Easy'' (1836). He is ...

(1792–1848) * Lieutenant-General Edward Arthur Somerset (1817–1886) married Agatha Miles (1827–1912), daughter of Sir William Miles, Bt and had one son (Lieut Edward William Henry Somerset, 25 January 186620 March 1890, who died unmarried) and eight daughters. * Georgina Emily Somerset, later the Hon. Mrs Robert Lawley (born 1819) who married 1852 Hon Robert Neville Lawley (who died 1891), and died without issue. * Augustus Charles Stapleton Somerset (1821–1854) who died unmarried.

Ancestry

References

External links

*
British cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Somerset, Edward, Lord 1776 births 1842 deaths Military personnel from Gloucestershire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People of the Peninsular War British Army generals British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Younger sons of dukes Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

1st The Royal Dragoons officers 15th The King's Hussars officers 17th Lancers officers 4th Queen's Own Hussars officers Recipients of the Army Gold Cross Recipients of the Waterloo Medal Recipients of the Order of the Tower and Sword Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa People from Badminton, Gloucestershire People of the Battle of Waterloo