Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester

Template:Infobox noble Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, Template:Postnom (c. 1460Template:Snd15 March 1526) was an English nobleman and politician. He was the bastard son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset by his mistress Joan Hill.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Origins

Somerset was born in about 1460, an illegitimate son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset<ref name=":0">Burke, John, Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of peerage, baronetage and knightage, (G.P.Putnam's Sons:New York, 1914), p. 207.</ref> by his mistress Joan Hill.<ref>Gurney, E. Henry. (1890) Reference handbook for readers, students, and teachers of English history. Boston: Ginn & Company. p. 55.</ref> He was legitimised.Template:Cn

Career

Somerset was invested as a Knight of the Garter in about 1496. On his marriage in 1492 he was styled Baron Herbert in right of his wife, and in 1506 he was created Baron Herbert of Ragland, Chepstow and Gower.<ref>{{#if: |

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On 1 February 1514, he was created Earl of Worcester and was at some time appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Household to King Henry VIII.Template:Sfn As Lord Chamberlain, Somerset was largely responsible for the preparations for the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520.

Somerset was both raised to high rank in the Henry VIII's reign<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and was personally connected with leading members of the nobility. For example, he stood in surety for the loan from the King taken by Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury to pay for her husbands burial.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Marriages and children

He married three times, although his second marriage is uncertain.

Firstly on 2 June 1492, he married Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert (died before March 1513), daughter of William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, jure exoris 2nd Baron Herbert.<ref name=":0" /> By Elizabeth Herbert he had the following children:

• Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester,<ref>McClain, Molly. (2001) Beaufort: The Duke and His Duchess, 1657-1715. Yale University Press. p. xxi. Template:ISBN.</ref> only son and heir. He married firstly and by papal dispensation to Lady Margaret Courtenay, daughter of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York. He married secondly to Elizabeth Browne, daughter of Anthony Browne and Lucy Neville, and had issue.

• Elizabeth Somerset, his only daughter, wife successively of Sir John Savage and Sir William Brereton.

Secondly he allegedly married Elizabeth West, daughter of Sir Thomas West, 8th Baron De La Warr. His supposed marriage to Elizabeth West, however, may be an error made by William Dugdale, repeated by later writers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By Elizabeth West he supposedly had the following children:

• Sir Charles Somerset
• Sir George Somerset
• Lady Mary Somerset of Worcester, married firstly to William Grey, 13th Baron Grey de Wilton and secondlt to Robert Carre.

Thirdly he married Eleanor Sutton, daughter of Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley.<ref name=":0" /> After Somerset's death, she married secondly to Leonard Grey, 1st Viscount Grane.

His descendants include the Marquesses of Worcester, the Dukes of Beaufort<ref>Pollard, Albert Frederick (1901). "Beaufort, Henry (1436-1464)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.) Dictionary of National Biography (1st supplement). Vol. I. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 158.</ref> and Thomas Savage, 1st Viscount Savage.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Death and burial

Somerset died on 15 March 1526 and was buried with his first wife at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

Coat of arms

• 
  Garter stall plate of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, show the coat of arms of Beaufort with baton sinister impaling Per pale azure and gules, three lions rampant argent (Herbert, for his first wife, shown here apparently with field inverted as Per pale gules and azure)
• 
  Arms of Sir Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, KG, showing the arms of Beaufort with baton sinister, with escutcheon of pretence of Herbert, circumscribed by the Garter

References

• Burke, John, Burke's genealogical and heraldic history of peerage, baronetage and knightage, G.P.Putnam's Sons:New York, 1914.
• Gurney, E. Henry, Reference handbook for readers, students, and teachers of English history , Ginn & Company:Boston, 1890.
• McClain, Molly, Beaufort: the duke and his duchess, 1657-1715, Yale University Press, 2001.