Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort

Somerset was the son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort. He was styled by the courtesy title Marquess of Worcester from his birth until his accession to the dukedom in 1803.[1] He was educated at Westminster School, London and graduated from Trinity College, Oxford, on 28 June 1786 with a Master of Arts.

Worcester was a Tory Member of Parliament (MP) for Monmouth between 1788 and 1790, for Bristol between 1790 and 1796, and for Gloucestershire between 1796 and 1803, when he succeeded to his father's seat in the House of Lords. He was Lord Lieutenant of Monmouthshire and Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire from 1803, and Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire from 1810, until his death in 1835. He bore the Queen's Crown for the coronation of William IV and Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen, 8 September 1831. He became Constable of St Briavel's Castle and Warden of the Forest of Dean in 1812, and High Steward of Bristol in 1834; he held all these posts for the rest of his life. He was nominated and invested as a Knight of the Garter on 17 January 1805, and was installed on 23 April the same year; since no Knight had been installed since 1801, there were seven vacancies at the time.[2]

Worcester married Lady Charlotte Sophia Leveson-Gower (1771–1854), daughter of Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, on 16 May 1791 at Lambeth Church, London. They had four sons and eight daughters:[3]

• Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort (5 February 1792 – 17 November 1853)
• Lord Granville Charles Henry Somerset (22 December 1792 – 23 February 1848)
• Lord William George Henry Somerset (1 December 1793 – 13 January 1794)
• Lady Charlotte Sophia Somerset (25 April 1795 – 12 November 1865), married, on 12 August 1823, Frederick Gough, 4th Baron Calthorpe and had children.
• Lady Elizabeth Susan Somerset (23 June 1798 – 16 April 1876), married, on 16 April 1822, Captain Lord Edward O'Brien, and after his death, married, on 11 November 1829, Maj-Gen. James Orde.
• Lady Georgiana Augusta Somerset (8 October 1800 – 30 March 1865), married, on 30 May 1825, Granville Dudley Ryder and had issue.
• Lord Edward Henry Somerset (17 June 1802 – 19 February 1803)
• Lady Susan Carolina Somerset (10 May 1804 – 4 February 1886), married George Cholmondeley, 2nd Marquess of Cholmondeley.
• Lady Louisa Elizabeth Somerset (10 May 1806 – 26 August 1892), married, on 22 October 1832, George Finch.
• Lady Isabella Somerset (19 August 1808 – 4 February 1831), married, on 8 April 1828, Colonel Thomas Henry Kingscote (b. 19 Jan 1799, d. 19 Dec 1861)
• Lady Harriett Blanche Somerset (18 August 1811 – 25 May 1885), married, on 9 August 1833, Randolph Stewart, 9th Earl of Galloway and had children.
• Lady Mary Octavia Somerset (16 July 1814 – 7 September 1906), married, on 28 November 1837, Sir Walter Farquhar, 3rd Baronet and had children.

Beaufort died at Badminton House, Gloucestershire, and was buried there in St Michael and All Angels Church on 2 December 1835, shortly before his 69th birthday.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by The Duke of Beaufort