Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort
(1792-1853), SportsmanEarly Victorian Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter associated with 13 portraits
Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort, was renowned for his amorous escapades, his leadership of the Badminton and Windsor hunts and as a member of the 'Four-in-Hand Club'. The club was a group of young men who bribed coachmen to give them the reins to their vehicles then drove them at breakneck speeds along the poor British roads. Somerset joined the 10th Hussars and was Aide-de-Camp to the Duke of Wellington in the 1812-14 Peninsular War in Spain. He married Wellington's niece Georgiana Fitzroy and became infamous after her death for eloping with her half sister, Emily Smith. At the time such a marriage was considered to be against the Bible's teachings.
Related People
- Emily Frances (née Smith), Duchess of Beaufort (wife)
- Edith Frances Wilhelmina (née Somerset), Countess of Londesborough (daughter)
- Lady Henrietta Louisa Priscilla Morant (née Somerset) (daughter)
- Katherine Emily Mary (née Somerset), Lady Ormathwaite (daughter)
- Lady Geraldine Harriett Anne Somerset (daughter)
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