CHARLES SEYMOUR, 6th duke of Somerset (1662-1748), who succeeded his brother Francis, the 5th duke, was educated at Trinity college, Cambridge; and in 1682 he married Elizabeth, daughter of Joceline Percy, earl of Northumberland, who brought him immense estates, including Alnwick castle, Petworth, Syon House and Northumberland House in London. (See NORTHUM BERLAND, EARLS AND DUKES OF.) In 1683 Somerset received an appointment in the king's household, and two years later a colonelcy of dragoons; but at the revolution he bore arms for the prince of Orange. He became a great favourite with Queen Anne, receiving the post of master of the horse in 1702. He made friends with the Tories, and succeeded in retaining the queen's confidence, while his wife replaced the duchess of Marl borough as mistress of the robes in 1711. In the memorable crisis when Anne was at the point of death, Somerset acted with Argyll, Shrewsbury and other Whig nobles who, by insisting on their right to be present in the privy council, secured the Hanoverian succession to the Crown. Dismissed from his office of master of the horse in 1716, he retired into private life, and died at Petworth on Dec. 2, 1748. At the death of his son ALGERNON 7th duke, without male issue, the earldom of Hert ford, and the baronies of Beauchamp and of Seymour of Trow bridge became extinct; and the dukedom of Somerset, together with the barony of Seymour, devolved on a distant cousin, Sir Edward Seymour, 6th baronet of Berry Pomeroy, Devonshire.
(See SEYMOUR or ST. MAUR.) The Seymours of Berry Pomeroy were the elder branch of the family, being descended from the protector Somerset by his first marriage, the issue of which had been excluded from succes sion to the titles and estates until after the failure of the issue of his second marriage. (See above.) SIR EDWARD SEYMOUR 1757), who thus became 8th duke of Somerset, was grandson of Sir Edmund Seymour, Speaker of the House of Commons in the reign of Charles II. EDWARD ADOLPHUS, 12th duke held various offices in Lord Melbourne's administration from 1835 to 1841; was a member of Lord John Russell's cabinet in 185i ; and first lord of the admiralty from 1859 to 1866. In 1863 he was created Earl St. Maur of Berry Pomeroy. He married (1830) Jane Georgiana, youngest of the three celebrated daughters of Thomas Sheridan, who was the "Queen of Beauty" at the famous Eglinton Tournament in 1839. The duke was the author of Christian Theology and Modern Scepticism (1872), and Mon archy and Democracy (1880). At his death the family titles, ex cept the earldom of St. Maur, which became extinct, devolved on his two brothers successively.
See SEYMOUR OR ST. MAUR, and the authorities there cited.