Lord Arthur John Henry Somerset (12 February 1780 – 18 April 1816),

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

politician, was the sixth 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 Marqu ...

Early years

He was educated at Oriel College, Oxford, taking a BA in 1799 and an MA in 1803. Later that year he was commissioned as captain (24 June) and then major in the

Monmouth and Brecon Militia The Brecknockshire Militia, later the Royal Brecknockshire Rifles, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised from earlier precursor units in the Welsh county of Brecknockshire during the 17th Century. Primarily intended for home defence, it served ...

, commanded by his elder brother the 6th Duke. Somerset was then commissioned as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the 7th Foot of the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a standin ...

on 19 May 1804.

Political career

He was defeated at

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

in August 1805, but in November, was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Monmouthshire and was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Monmouthshire and

Breconshire , image_flag= , HQ= Brecon , Government= Brecknockshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= Brycheiniog , Status= , Start= 1535 , End= ...

in December. On 26 June 1806, he was made a captain in the

4th West India Regiment The 4th West India Regiment was one of the West India Regiments (WIRs) in the British Army. It was originally formed in 1795 under the command of Colonel Oliver Nicolls.Richard Cannon''Historical record of the Life Guards containing an account of th ...

and on 2 October exchanged into the 91st Foot.

Family

Lord Arthur married his first cousin, Hon. Elizabeth Boscawen (bef. 1793 – 2 March 1872), daughter of

George Boscawen, 3rd Viscount Falmouth George Boscawen, 3rd Viscount Falmouth, PC (6 May 1758 – 11 February 1808), was a British army officer and statesman in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This included service as Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms ...

, on 23 June 1808. They had three children: * Rev. George Somerset (30 March 1809 – 12 October 1882), married Philida Elizabeth Call, daughter of Sir William Call, 2nd Baronet on 9 September 1835 and had issue. *Elizabeth Anne Somerset (2 August 1810 – 12 April 1835) * Arthur Edward Somerset (28 August 1813 – 9 September 1853), married his first cousin, Hon. Frances Boscawen, daughter of Rev. Hon. John Evelyn Boscawen, and had issue.

Death

Somerset moved into the

19th Light Dragoons The 19th Light Dragoons was a cavalry regiment of the British Army created in 1781 for service in British India. The regiment served in India until 1806, and in North America during the War of 1812, and was disbanded in Britain in 1821. History G ...

on 12 September 1811, serving until his death in Lisbon in 1816.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somerset, Arthur John Henry, Lord 1780 births 1816 deaths 19th Light Dragoons officers 93rd Regiment of Foot officers Alumni of Oriel College, Oxford British Militia officers Deputy Lieutenants of Brecknockshire Deputy Lieutenants of Monmouthshire Arthur Somerset Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies Brecknockshire Militia officers Royal Fusiliers officers UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 West India Regiment officers Younger sons of dukes