General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Lord Robert Edward Henry Somerset (19 December 17761 September 1842) was a British soldier who fought during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

and the

War of the Seventh Coalition War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

Life

Somerset was the third son of

Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort (16 October 1744 – 11 October 1803) was an English courtier and politician. He was the only son of Charles Noel Somerset, 4th Duke of Beaufort and Elizabeth Somerset, Duchess of Beaufort. Styled Marque ...

, and elder brother of

Lord Raglan Baron Raglan, of Raglan in the County of Monmouth, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 October 1852 for the military commander Lord FitzRoy Somerset, chiefly remembered as commander of the British troops d ...

. Joining the 15th Light Dragoons in 1793, he became captain in the following year, and received a majority after serving as '' aide-de-camp'' to

Prince Frederick, Duke of York Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus; 16 August 1763 – 5 January 1827) was the second son of George III, King of the United Kingdom and Hanover, and his consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. A soldier by profess ...

in the Dutch expedition of 1799. At the end of 1800 he became a lieutenant-colonel, and in 1801 received the command of the

4th Dragoons Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

. From 1799 to 1802 he represented the Borough of Monmouth in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

, from 1803 to 1823 and from 1830 sat for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and from 1834 to 1837 was MP for

Cirencester Cirencester (, ; see below for more variations) is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of ...

. He commanded his regiment at the battles of Talavera and Buçaco, and in 1810 received a colonelcy and the appointment of ''aide-de-camp'' to the king. In 1811, along with the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the 4th Dragoons fought a notable cavalry action at Usagre, and in 1812 Lord Edward Somerset was engaged in the great charge of Le Marchant's heavy cavalry at

Salamanca Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritag ...

. His conduct on this occasion (he captured five guns at the head of a single squadron) won him further promotion, and he made the remaining campaigns as a major-general at the head of the Hussar brigade (7th, 10th and 15th Hussars). At Orthes he won further distinction by his pursuit of the enemy; he was made KCB, and received the thanks of parliament. At

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica *King George Island (S ...

he was in command of the Household Cavalry Brigade, which distinguished itself not less by its stern and patient endurance of the enemy's fire than by its celebrated charge on the

cuirassier Cuirassiers (; ) were cavalry equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as men-at-arms and demi-lancers, discarding their lances and adoptin ...

s of

Milhaud Darius Milhaud (; 4 September 1892 – 22 June 1974) was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. He was a member of Les Six—also known as ''The Group of Six''—and one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions ...

's corps. The brigadier was particularly mentioned in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

's despatches, and received the thanks of parliament as well as the

Army Gold Cross The Army Gold Medal (1808–1814), also known as the Peninsular Gold Medal, with an accompanying Gold Cross, was a British campaign medal awarded in recognition of field and general officers' successful commands in campaigns, predominantly the Pen ...

with one clasp for his services at Talavera, Salamanca, Vitoria, Orthez, and Toulouse. He also received the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (german: Militär-Maria-Theresien-Orden; hu, Katonai Mária Terézia-rend; cs, Vojenský řád Marie Terezie; pl, Wojskowy Order Marii Teresy; sl, Vojaški red Marije Terezije; hr, Vojni Red Marije Te ...

and was made an honorary Knight Commander of the Royal Portuguese Military

Order of the Tower and Sword The Ancient and Most Noble Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of the Valour, Loyalty and Merit ( pt, Antiga e Muito Nobre Ordem Militar da Torre e Espada, do Valor, Lealdade e Mérito), before 1910 Royal Military Order of the Tower an ...

. At

in 1815 he lost his hat during the first cavalry charge and in the subsequent search for it a cannonball tore off the flap of his coat and killed his horse. He was awarded a GCB in 1834. Somerset Monument, Hawkesbury Upton - geograph

Somerset Monument, Hawkesbury Upton - geograph

After a short illness he died in London on 10December 1842 and was interred in the church of

St. George's, Hanover Square St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church, the parish church of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, central London, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the Queen Anne Ch ...

. A memorial tablet to Lord Robert Edward is on the south wall of the nave at St. Michael and All Angels, Great Badminton, which is attached to the family seat,

Badminton House Badminton House is a large country house and Grade I Listed Building in Badminton, Gloucestershire, England, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house, which has given its name to th ...

. The '

Somerset Monument The Somerset Monument in Hawkesbury Upton, Gloucestershire, England was built in 1846 to commemorate Lord Robert Edward Somerset. It is a Grade II* listed building, and on the Heritage at Risk register. History Lord Robert Edward Somerset was ...

' stands high on the

Cotswold Edge The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Juras ...

Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire Hawkesbury is a hamlet consisting of a few cottages around a triangular green. It is also the name of a civil parish in the South Gloucestershire unitary authority in England in which Hawkesbury itself lies, it is located west of Hawkesbury Upto ...

(), near the family's ancestral home of

Badminton, Gloucestershire Badminton is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It consists of Great Badminton and Little Badminton. History In 1612 Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, bought from Nicholas Boteler his manors of Great and Little Ba ...

. It was erected in 1846 and has an inscription in memory of General Lord Robert Somerset.

Family

On 17 October 1805 he married Lady Louisa Augusta Courtenay (17818 February 1825), a younger daughter of

William Courtenay, 8th Earl of Devon William Courtenay, 8th Earl de jure of Devon (30 October 1742 – 14 October 1788) was the eldest son of William Courtenay 7th de jure Earl of Devon, and Lady Frances Finch. He succeeded to the title of 4th Baronet Courtenay, 2nd Viscount Cour ...

, with whom he had several children, three sons and five daughters: * Robert Henry Somerset (1806–1807) * Louisa Isabella Somerset (1807–1888) who died unmarried. * Frances Caroline Somerset, later Mrs Theophilus Clive (1808–1890) who married 1840 Theophilus Clive (died 1875), and had issue 1 son who left descendants. * Blanche Somerset, later Mrs Charles Locke (1811–1879) who married 1845, Rev. Charles Courtenay Locke (died 1848) with no issue, * Matilda Elizabeth Somerset, later Mrs

Horace Marryat Horace Marryat (1818–1887) was an English traveller, and author. Horace Marryat was a son of the businessman Joseph Marryat (1757–1824), Joseph Marryat (1757–1824). His father maintained extended holdings in the West Indies, and made a fort ...

(18153 April 1905) who married 1842 Horace Marryat, and had issue two sons: Adrian Somerset Marryat (born 1844) and Frederick Marryat (born 1851), and one daughter Ida Horatia Charlotte Marryat (1843–1910) who married 19 September 1863 (div 1889) Count Gustavus Frederick Bonde (1842–1909), a Swedish nobleman, with issue. The three Marryat children were painted in 1851–2 in Rome by the young

Frederick Leighton Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical antiqui ...

. Horace Marryat was a much younger brother of the naval officer and writer

Frederick Marryat Captain Frederick Marryat (10 July 1792 – 9 August 1848) was a Royal Navy officer, a novelist, and an acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He is noted today as an early pioneer of nautical fiction, particularly for his semi-autobiographical novel ...

(1792–1848) * Lieutenant-General

Edward Arthur Somerset Lieutenant-General Edward Arthur Somerset Order of the Bath, CB (2 February 1817 – 12 March 1886) was a British soldier and Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician, the son of Lord Robert Somerset. Biography He joined the Rifl ...

(1817–1886) married Agatha Miles (1827–1912), daughter of Sir William Miles, Bt and had one son (Lieut Edward William Henry Somerset, 25 January 186620 March 1890, who died unmarried) and eight daughters. * Georgina Emily Somerset, later the Hon. Mrs Robert Lawley (born 1819) who married 1852 Hon Robert Neville Lawley (who died 1891), and died without issue. * Augustus Charles Stapleton Somerset (1821–1854) who died unmarried.

Ancestry

References

External links

*
British cavalry of the Napoleonic Wars
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Somerset, Edward, Lord 1776 births 1842 deaths Military personnel from Gloucestershire Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath People of the Peninsular War British Army generals British Army personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars British Army commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Younger sons of dukes Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1835–1837

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

1st The Royal Dragoons officers 15th The King's Hussars officers 17th Lancers officers 4th Queen's Own Hussars officers Recipients of the Army Gold Cross Recipients of the Waterloo Medal Recipients of the Order of the Tower and Sword Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa People from Badminton, Gloucestershire