Background
Somerset was the second son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, and Elizabeth, daughter of Admiral the Honorary
Somerset was the second son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, and Elizabeth, daughter of Admiral the Honorary
He was governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa, from 1814 to 1826. Edward Boscawen. He was the brother of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort, General Lord Edward Somerset, Lord Arthur Somerset and Field Marshal FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan. He served as Comptroller of the Household between 1797 and 1804 and as Joint Paymaster of the Forces between 1804 and 1806 and 1807 and 1813 and was sworn of the Privy Council on 26 April 1797.
In 1814 he was appointed Governor of the Cape Colony, a post he held until 1826.
The towns of Somerset West and Somerset East in South Africa are named after him. Somerset married firstly Lady Elizabeth Courtenay (2 September 1766 – 11 September 1815), on 7 June 1788, following their elopement.
She was the daughter of the 8th Earl of Devon. They had six children:
Honorary
Elizabeth Somerset (October 1790 – 1872), married General the Honorary
Sir Henry Wyndham (1790–1860) in July 1812
Honorary Mary Georgiana Somerset (February 1793 – 19 May 1856), married Lieutenant-Colonel Stirling Freeman Glover on 25 June 1833
Lieutenant-General Honorary
Sir Henry Somerset (1794–1862)
Honorary
Charlotte Augusta Somerset (2 January 1799 – 17 March 1864), married Herbert Cornewoll in May 1822
Lieutenant-Colonel Honorary Charles Henry Somerset (24 September 1800 – 28 May 1835)
Reverend Honorary
Villiers Somerset (12 February 1803 – 3 February 1855), married Frances Dorothy Ley on 8 August 1844 and had issue
They had three children:
Honorary Colonel Poulett Somerset (1822–1875)
Honorary
Mary Sophia Somerset (20 May 1823 – 11 November 1869)
Honorary
Augusta Anne Somerset (21 April 1824 – 27 December 1881), married Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet on 1 August 1863. Somerset died in February 1831, aged 63.
1st United Kingdom Parliament. 2nd United Kingdom Parliament. 3rd United Kingdom Parliament.
4th United Kingdom Parliament.
5th United Kingdom Parliament. 18th Parliament of Great Britain]
Somerset sat as Member of Parliament for Scarborough between 1796 and 1802 and for Monmouth Boroughs between 1802 and 1813.