Col. Lord John Thomas Henry Somerset (30 August 1787 – 3 October 1846) was a British Army officer and aristocrat from the House of Beaufort. He fought in the Napoleonic Wars.[1][2]
Lord John Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Lord John Somerset by William Salter | |
| Birth name | Lord John Thomas Henry Somerset |
| Born | 30 August 1787 Mayfair, London |
| Died | 3 October 1846 (aged 59) Weston-super-Mare, Somerset |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Wars | |
| Memorials | Bristol Cathedral |
| Spouse(s) |
Lady Catherine Annesley
(m. 1814–1846) |
| Children | Sir Alfred Somerset |
| Relations | 5th Duke of Beaufort (father) 6th Duke of Beaufort (brother) Lord Charles Somerset (brother) Lord Edward Somerset (brother) Lord Arthur Somerset (brother) Rev. Lord William Somerset (brother) 1st Baron Raglan (brother) |
Early life and education
editLord John was born at his father's house at 5 Grosvenor Square, Mayfair,[3] the eighth son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort by Elizabeth Boscawen, daughter of Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen.[4]
His youngest brother was Field Marshal Lord Raglan.[4] [5]
He was educated at Westminster School from 1802–4 and was in Clapham's House.
Military career
editIn August 1804, just shy of his 17th birthday, Somerset joined the 7th Light Dragoons as a cornet without purchase.[6][7]
He was promoted to lieutenant in 1805 and captain in 1806. In 1808, he joined the 23rd Light Dragoons. He fought in the Peninsular War; he fought at the Battle of Talavera on the 22nd, 27th, and 28th of July 1809.[8]
Somerset was transferred to the 23rd Regiment of Foot in 1813. He was promoted to brevet major in 1815, and served with De Watteville's Regiment. At the Battle of Waterloo, he was aide de camp to William, Prince of Orange. At Waterloo, his younger brother FitzRoy was military secretary to the Duke of Wellington.[9]
He was promoted to brevet lieutenant-colonel in 1821, lieutenant-colonel in 1830, and colonel in 1837. In 1841, he was appointed inspecting field officer for the Bristol district.[9]
Marriage and issue
editOn 4 December 1814, while serving in Brussels as aide de camp to the Prince of Orange, Lord John married the Anglo-Irish aristocrat Lady Catherine Annesley, younger daughter of Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Mountnorris and Hon. Sarah Cavendish (a daughter of Sir Henry Cavendish, 2nd Baronet and Sarah Cavendish, 1st Baroness Waterpark).
The marriage was performed by The Ven. George Griffin Stonestreet, chaplain to the forces in the Netherlands. Lady Catherine was given away by the Prince of Orange. After the ceremony, they left for Ghent in a carriage drawn by four of the Prince's horses.[10]
Lord and Lady John Somerset attended the famed Duchess of Richmond's ball on 15 June 1815, the night before the Battle of Quatre Bras.[11][12]
They had seven children, four surviving:
- Wilhelmina Elizabeth Sarah (8 November 1815 – 25 August 1816),[13] died in infancy at The Dower House, Stoke Park
- Frances Georgiana Elizabeth Somerset (7 November 1816 – 19 September 1862), married banker James Whatman Bosanquet
- Catherine Emily Harriet Somerset (16 July 1818 – 16 November 1841), died in Dordogne after a two-year illness
- John Henry Edward Somerset (22 September 1820[14] – 27 December 1822), died in infancy[15]
- Norborne Fitzroy Somerset (3 September 1822 – 8 February 1823),[16] died in infancy
- Juliana Lucy Sarah Somerset (13 July 1826[17] – 1 May 1853), married Henry Dalton Wittit Lyon
- Col. Sir Alfred Plantagenet Frederick Charles Somerset (1829–1915)[18]
He resided for many years in Clifton, Bristol.[9] After several months' illness, he died aged 59 at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, where doctors had advised him to go for the sea air.[2]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ Bromley, Janet; Bromley, David (25 March 2015). Wellington's Men Remembered Volume 2: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo- Volume II: M to Z. Pen and Sword. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-84884-750-7. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Death of Colonel Lord John Somerset". London Morning Herald. 6 October 1846. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
obit
- ^ "Births". Oxford Journal. 1 September 1787. p. 3.
- ^ a b Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of peerage, baronetage and knightage. London, Burke's Peerage Limited. 1914. p. 208. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Dalaforce, Patrick (1 September 2005). Wellington the Beau: The Life and Loves of the Duke of Wellington. Pen and Sword. pp. 105–106. ISBN 978-1-4738-2065-4. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "No. 15726". The London Gazette. 7 August 1804. p. 953.
- ^ "Somerset, Lord John Thomas Henry, 1787-1846 - Westminster School's Archive & Collections". Westminster School. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Hart's Annual Army List, Militia List, and Imperial Yeomanry List. J. Murray. 1845. p. 263. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Obituary". The Gentleman's Magazine. 26. E. Cave: 645. December 1846. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Dutch Papers". London Moderator and National Adviser. 14 December 1814. p. 2. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ Stewart, John (23 August 2014). Byron and the Websters: The Letters and Entangled Lives of the Poet, Sir James Webster and Lady Frances Webster. McFarland. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-7864-8437-9. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ Glover, Gareth (27 March 2012). The Waterloo Archive: Volume III: British Sources. Frontline Books. p. 388. ISBN 978-1-78303-327-0. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
- ^ "Died". The Star. London. 2 September 1816. p. 4. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Births". The Star. London. 9 October 1820. p. 4. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Died". Sun. London. 8 January 1822. p. 4. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Deaths". York Herald. 15 February 1823. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Births". Bristol Mercury. 31 July 1826. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
- ^ "Obituary: Death of Sir Alfred Somerset". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 27 March 1915. p. 10.