Edward St Maur, 12th Duke of Somerset

His Grace
The Duke of Somerset
KG PC
His Grace The Duke of Somerset KG PC
	The Duke of Somerset, by Carlo Pellegrini, 1869.
First Commissioner of Woods ; and Forests
	In office; 17 April 1849 – 1 August 1851
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	Lord John Russell
Preceded by	The Earl of Carlisle
Succeeded by	Office abolished
First Commissioner of Works
	In office; 1 August 1851 – 21 February 1852
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	Lord John Russell
Preceded by	New office
Succeeded by	Lord John Manners
First Lord of the Admiralty
	In office; 27 June 1859 – 26 June 1866
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Viscount Palmerston ; The Earl Russell
Preceded by	Sir John Pakington, Bt
Succeeded by	Sir John Pakington, Bt
Personal details
Born	20 December 1804; Piccadilly, Westminster, United Kingdom
Died	28 November 1885 (aged 80); Stover Lodge, Teigngrace, Devon, United Kingdom
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Jane Georgiana Sheridan ; (d. 1884)
Children	5, including Ferdinand
Parent(s)	Edward St Maur, 11th Duke of Somerset; Lady Charlotte Hamilton
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford

Edward Adolphus St. Maur, 12th Duke of Somerset, KG, PC (20 December 1804 – 28 November 1885), styled Lord Seymour until 1855, was a British Whig aristocrat and politician, who served in various cabinet positions in the mid-19th century, including that of First Lord of the Admiralty.

Background and education

Somerset was the eldest son of Edward St. Maur, 11th Duke of Somerset, and Lady Charlotte, daughter of Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton.^[1] He was baptized on 16 February 1805 at St. George's, Hanover Square, London.^[2] He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.^[3]

He owned 25,000 acres, mostly in Devon, Somerset and Wiltshire.^[4]

Political career

Somerset sat as Member of Parliament as Lord Seymour^[3] for Okehampton between 1830 and 1831^[5] and for Totnes between 1834 and 1855.^[6] He served under Lord Melbourne as a Lord of the Treasury between 1835 and 1839, as Joint Secretary to the Board of Control between 1839 and 1841 and as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department between June and August 1841 and was a member of Lord John Russell's first administration as First Commissioner of Woods and Forests between 1849 and 1851, when the office was abolished. He served on the Royal Commission on the British Museum (1847–49).^[7] In August 1851 he was appointed to the newly created office of First Commissioner of Works by Russell. In October of the same year, he entered the cabinet and was sworn of the Privy Council.^[8] He remained First Commissioner of Works until the government fell in February 1852.

Somerset succeeded his father in the dukedom in 1855 and entered the House of Lords. He did not serve in Lord Palmerston's first administration, but when Palmerston became Prime Minister for the second time in 1859, Somerset was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, with a seat in the cabinet.^[3] He held this post until 1866, the last year under the premiership of Russell. He refused to join William Ewart Gladstone's first ministry in 1868, but gave independent support to the chief measures of the government.^[3]

He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1862^[9] and in 1863 he was created Earl St. Maur, of Berry Pomeroy in the County of Devon.^[10] "St. Maur" was supposed to have been the original form of the family name and "Seymour" a later corruption. From some time in the early 19th century until 1923, "St. Maur" was used as the family name, but since 1923 the dukes have again used the familiar "Seymour".

Somerset was also the author of Christian Theology and Modern Scepticism (1872), and Monarchy and Democracy (1880).^[3] Between 1861 and 1885 he served as Lord Lieutenant of Devon.^[11]

Family

Somerset married in Grosvenor Square, London, on 10 June 1830, Jane Georgiana Sheridan, who was the "Queen of Beauty" at the Eglinton Tournament of 1839.^[3] The Somersets had two sons and three daughters:

Lady Jane Hermione Seymour (1 January 1832 – 4 April 1909) she married Sir Frederick Ulric Graham, 3rd Baronet, of Netherby, on 26 October 1852. They had eight children, including the Countess of Verulam and the Duchess of Montrose.
Lady Ulrica Frederica Jane Seymour (12 January 1833 – 26 or 28 January 1916) she married the Rt Hon. Lord Henry Frederick Thynne on 1 June 1858. They had six children.
Edward Adolphus Ferdinand Seymour, Earl St. Maur (17 July 1835 – 30 September 1869) he had two illegitimate children by Rosina Swan.
Lord Edward Percy Seymour (19 August 1841 – 20 December 1865) was a diplomat and died after being mauled by a bear.^[12]
Lady Helen Guendolen Seymour (14 November 1846 – 14 August 1910) she married Sir John William Ramsden, 5th Baronet on 2 August 1865. They had four children. Lady Guendolen Ramsden inherited the Bulstrode estate.

Her Grace died on 14 December 1884. The Duke of Somerset survived her by less than a year and died on 28 November 1885, aged 80, and was buried with her in St James's Churchyard at Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. As his two sons both died in his lifetime, the family titles (except the Earldom of St. Maur, which became extinct) devolved on his younger brother, Archibald Seymour, 13th Duke of Somerset.^[13]

The 12th Duke left his London residence, Somerset House in Park Lane, to his eldest daughter Lady Hermione Graham.^[14]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Edward St Maur, 12th Duke of Somerset

Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset

Webb Seymour, 10th Duke of Somerset

Mary Webb

Edward Adolphus St Maur, 11th Duke of Somerset

John Bonnell

Anna Maria/Mary Anne Bonnell

Edward Seymour, 12th Duke of Somerset

James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton

Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton

Anne Spencer

Lady Charlotte Douglas-Hamilton

Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway

Harriet Stewart

Lady Catherine Cochrane

References

^ "SEYMOUR, Edward Adolphus, Lord Seymour (1804–1885), of 18 Spring Gardens, Mdx. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
^ The Complete Peerage; vol. XII, pt. I, p. 86.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McNeill, Ronald John (1911). "Somerset, Earls and Dukes of s.v. Edward Adolphus, 12th duke" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 386.
^ The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland
^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Ochil to Oxford University". Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
^ "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Tipperary South to Tyrone West". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
^ The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi, Volume 1, by Louis Alexander Fagan, p257
^ "No. 21256". The London Gazette. 24 October 1851. p. 2775.
^ "No. 22628". The London Gazette. 23 May 1862. p. 2672.
^ "No. 22746". The London Gazette. 19 June 1863. p. 3132.
^ leighrayment.com Peerage: Slim to Sramfordham^[usurped]
^ The Complete Peerage vol. XIII, p.87, note b.
^ www.burkespeerage.com
^ Notes & Queries, vol. 133 (1916), p. 318 (snippet)

External links

Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by the Duke of Somerset

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Sir Compton Domvile Joseph Strutt	Member of Parliament for Okehampton 1830–1831 With: George Agar-Ellis	Succeeded by William Henry Trant John Thomas Hope
Preceded by James Cornish Jasper Parrott	Member of Parliament for Totnes 1834–1855 With: Jasper Parrott 1834–1839 Charles Barry Baldwin 1839–1852 Thomas Mills 1852–1855	Succeeded by Thomas Mills Earl of Gifford
Political offices
Preceded by Robert Gordon Robert Vernon Smith	Joint Secretary to the Board of Control 1839–1841 With: William Clay	Succeeded by William Clay Charles Buller
Preceded by Fox Maule	Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department 1841	Succeeded by John Manners-Sutton
Preceded by The Earl of Carlisle	First Commissioner of Woods and Forests 1850–1851	Office abolished
New office	First Commissioner of Works 1851–1852	Succeeded by Lord John Manners
Preceded by Sir John Pakington, Bt	First Lord of the Admiralty 1859–1866	Succeeded by Sir John Pakington, Bt
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl Fortescue	Lord Lieutenant of Devon 1861–1885	Succeeded by The Earl of Iddesleigh
Peerage of England
Preceded by Edward St Maur	Baron Seymour (descended by acceleration) 1855–1863	Succeeded by Ferdinand Seymour
Preceded by Edward St Maur	Duke of Somerset 1855–1885	Succeeded by Archibald St Maur
Preceded by Ferdinand Seymour	Baron Seymour 1869–1885	Succeeded by Archibald St Maur
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation	Earl St Maur 1863–1885	Extinct

[1] "SEYMOUR, Edward Adolphus, Lord Seymour (1804–1885), of 18 Spring Gardens, Mdx. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 17 March 2023.

[2] The Complete Peerage; vol. XII, pt. I, p. 86.

[britannica-3] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f McNeill, Ronald John (1911). "Somerset, Earls and Dukes of s.v. Edward Adolphus, 12th duke" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 386.

[4] The great landowners of Great Britain and Ireland

[5] "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Ochil to Oxford University". Archived from the original on 16 August 2011. Retrieved 4 September 2009.

[6] "leighrayment.com House of Commons: Tipperary South to Tyrone West". Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2009.

[7] The Life of Sir Anthony Panizzi, Volume 1, by Louis Alexander Fagan, p257

[8] "No. 21256". The London Gazette. 24 October 1851. p. 2775.

[9] "No. 22628". The London Gazette. 23 May 1862. p. 2672.

[10] "No. 22746". The London Gazette. 19 June 1863. p. 3132.

[11] rayment.com Peerage: Slim to Sramfordham^[usurped]

[12] The Complete Peerage vol. XIII, p.87, note b.

[13] www.burkespeerage.com

[14] Notes & Queries, vol. 133 (1916), p. 318 (snippet)

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v t e Dukes of Somerset
House of Beaufort (1443–1471)	John, 1st Duke (1443–1444) Edmund, 2nd Duke (1448–1455) Henry, 3rd Duke (1455–1464) Edmund, 4th Duke (1464–1471)
House of Tudor (1499–1536)	Edmund (1499–1500) Henry FitzRoy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset (1525–1536)
House of Seymour (1547–1552, 1660–)	Edward, 1st Duke (1547–1552) William, 2nd Duke (1660) William, 3rd Duke (1660–1671) John, 4th Duke (1671–1675) Francis, 5th Duke (1675–1678) Charles, 6th Duke (1678–1748) Algernon, 7th Duke (1748–1750) Edward, 8th Duke (1750–1757) Edward, 9th Duke (1757–1792) Webb, 10th Duke (1792–1793) Edward, 11th Duke (1793–1855) Edward, 12th Duke (1855–1885) Archibald, 13th Duke (1885–1891) Algernon, 14th Duke (1891–1894) Algernon, 15th Duke (1894–1923) Edward, 16th Duke (1923–1931) Evelyn, 17th Duke (1931–1954) Percy, 18th Duke (1954–1984) John, 19th Duke (1984–present)

v t e First Lords of the Admiralty
of England	The Earl of Portland The Earl of Lindsey William Juxon, Bishop of Lincoln The Earl of Northumberland The Lord Cottington Sir Henry Capell The Earl of Nottingham The Earl of Torrington The Earl of Pembroke The Lord Cornwallis The Viscount Falkland The Earl of Orford The Earl of Bridgewater The Earl of Pembroke
of Great Britain	The Earl of Orford Sir John Leake The Earl of Strafford The Earl of Orford The Earl of Berkeley The Viscount Torrington Sir Charles Wager The Earl of Winchilsea The Duke of Bedford The Earl of Sandwich The Lord Anson The Earl Temple The Earl of Winchilsea The Lord Anson The Earl of Halifax George Grenville The Earl of Sandwich The Earl of Egmont Sir Charles Saunders Sir Edward Hawke The Earl of Sandwich The Viscount Keppel The Viscount Howe The Viscount Keppel The Viscount Howe The Earl of Chatham The Earl Spencer
of the United Kingdom	The Earl of St Vincent The Viscount Melville The Lord Barham Viscount Howick Thomas Grenville The Lord Mulgrave Charles Philip Yorke The Viscount Melville The Duke of Clarence The Viscount Melville Sir James Graham, Bt The Lord Auckland The Earl de Grey The Lord Auckland The Earl of Minto The Earl of Haddington The Earl of Ellenborough The Earl of Auckland Sir Francis Baring, Bt The Duke of Northumberland Sir James Graham, Bt Sir Charles Wood, Bt Sir John Pakington, Bt The Duke of Somerset Sir John Pakington, Bt Henry Lowry-Corry Hugh Childers George Goschen George Ward Hunt William Henry Smith The Earl of Northbrook Lord George Hamilton The Marquess of Ripon Lord George Hamilton The Earl Spencer George Goschen The Earl of Selborne The Earl Cawdor The Lord Tweedmouth Reginald McKenna Winston Churchill Arthur Balfour Sir Edward Carson Sir Eric Geddes Walter Long The Viscount Lee of Fareham Wood Anderson Leo Amery The Viscount Chelmsford The Viscount Bridgeman A. V. Alexander Sir Austen Chamberlain The Viscount Monsell Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt Duff Cooper The Earl Stanhope Winston Churchill A. V. Alexander Brendan Bracken A. V. Alexander The Viscount Hall Lord Pakenham Viscount Cilcennin The Viscount Hailsham The Earl of Selkirk The Lord Carrington The Earl Jellicoe

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