The titles of Earl of Hertford and Marquess of Hertford have been created several times in the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

s of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. The third Earldom of Hertford was created in 1559 for Edward Seymour, who was simultaneously created Baron Beauchamp of Hache. His grandson William Seymour was subsequently created Marquess of Hertford and restored to the title of Duke of Somerset; the Marquessate became extinct in 1675 and the other three titles in 1750. The present Marquessate was created in 1793. Lord Hertford holds the subsidiary titles of Earl of Yarmouth (Peerage of Great Britain, 1793), Earl of Hertford (Peerage of Great Britain, 1750), Viscount Beauchamp (Peerage of Great Britain, 1750), Baron Conway, of Ragley in the County of Warwick (Peerage of England, 1703), and Baron Conway of Killultagh, of Killultagh in the County of Antrim (

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

, 1712). Lord Hertford's heir uses the style ''Earl of Yarmouth''. The Marquesses of Hertford are members of the

Seymour family Seymour, Semel or St. Maur, is the name of an English family in which several titles of nobility have from time to time been created, and of which the Duke of Somerset is the head. Origins The family was settled in Monmouthshire in the 13th cen ...

headed by the

Duke of Somerset Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

. Francis Seymour (1679–1732) was the fourth son of Sir Edward Seymour of Berry Pomeroy, 4th Baronet, a descendant of

Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (150022 January 1552) (also 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp), also known as Edward Semel, was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour (d. 1537), the third wife of King Henry VI ...

(Sir Edward's grandson Sir Edward Seymour, 6th Baronet, of Berry Pomeroy succeeded as 8th Duke of Somerset in 1750). Upon the death of his elder brother, Francis succeeded to the estates of his relative

Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway Edward Conway, 1st Earl of Conway (c. 1623 – 11 August 1683) PC, FRS, of Ragley Hall, Alcester, in Warwickshire, was an English peer and politician who served as Secretary of State for the Northern Department between 1681 and 1683. Origins ...

. In 1703 he was created Baron Conway in the

Peerage of England The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain. There are five peerages in t ...

and assumed the additional surname of Conway. In 1712 he was created Baron Conway of Killultagh in the

. In 1750 his son Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Baron Conway, was created Viscount Beauchamp and Earl of Hertford. These were revivals of titles previously held by the

Dukes of Somerset Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

, which had become extinct the same year on the death of Seymour-Conway's kinsman

Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset General Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset (11 November 16847 February 1750), styled Earl of Hertford until 1748, of Petworth House in Sussex, was a British Army officer and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 17 ...

. In 1793 he was further

honour Honour (British English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of socia ...

ed when he was made Earl of Yarmouth and Marquess of Hertford. The latter title had also previously been held by the

, but had become extinct in 1675 (see below). The family seat is

Ragley Hall Ragley Hall in the parish of Arrow in Warwickshire is a stately home, located south of Alcester and eight miles (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is the ancestral seat of the Seymour-Conway family, Marquesses of Hertford. History ...

, near

Alcester Alcester () is a market town and civil parish of Roman origin at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England, approximately west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditc ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

Earls of Hertford, First creation (1138)

* Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare (d. 1136), traditionally but erroneously called Earl of Hertford *

Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford Gilbert FitzRichard de Clare, 1st Earl of Hertford (–1152), feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, was created Earl of Hertford by King Stephen. Career Gilbert was the eldest son of Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare and Adeliza.George Edward Cokayne, ...

(d. 1153) *

Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford Roger de Clare, 2nd Earl of Hertford, 5th Lord of Clare, 5th Lord of Tonbridge, 5th Lord of Cardigan (1116–1173) was a powerful Anglo-Norman noble in 12th-century England. He succeeded to the Earldom of Hertford and Honor of Clare, Tonbridge an ...

(d. 1173) *

Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford (–1217), feudal baron of Clare in Suffolk, and lord of Tonbridge in Kent and of Cardigan in Wales, was a powerful Anglo-Norman nobleman with vast landholdings in England and Wales. Career Richard was the ...

(d. 1217) *

Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford, 5th Earl of Gloucester, 1st Lord of Glamorgan, 7th Lord of Clare (1180 – 25 October 1230) was the son of Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford (c. 1153–1217), from whom he inherited the Clare estate ...

(d. 1230) became Earl of Gloucester in 1218 *''For further Earls, see

Earl of Gloucester The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear.'' Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121) *Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (1100� ...

.''

Earls of Hertford, Second creation (1537)

, 1st Earl of Hertford (1500–1552), forfeit 1552

Earls of Hertford, Third creation (1559)

Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Baron Beauchamp, KG (22 May 1539 – 6 April 1621), of Wulfhall and Totnam Lodge in Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset, of Netley Abbey, Hampshire, and of Hertford House, Cannon R ...

(1539–1621) * William Seymour, 2nd Earl of Hertford (1587–1660) (became Marquess of Hertford in 1641)

Marquesses of Hertford, First creation (1641)

William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, (158824 October 1660) was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War. Origins Seymour was the son of Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp (who predeceased his own father) by his wif ...

, 1st Marquess of Hertford, 2nd Earl of Hertford (1587–1660) (restored to the Dukedom of Somerset in 1660) *

William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset William Seymour, 3rd Duke of Somerset (17 April 165212 December 1671) was the son of Henry Seymour, Lord Beauchamp, and Mary Capell. As both his father and two elder uncles had predeceased him, he succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his grand ...

, 2nd Marquess of Hertford, 3rd Earl of Hertford (1651–1671) *

John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset and 3rd Marquess of Hertford (before 164629 April 1675) was an English peer and MP. He was the only surviving son of William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, and Lady Frances Devereux. In 1656, he married Sarah ...

, 3rd Marquess of Hertford, 4th Earl of Hertford (died 1675) (Marquessate extinct 1675)

Earls of Hertford, Third creation (1559; Reverted)

Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset (17 January 165820 April 1678), known as 3rd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge between 1665 and 1675, was an English peer. He was the son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington ...

, 5th Earl of Hertford (1658–1678) *

Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset (13 August 16622 December 1748), known by the epithet "The Proud Duke", was an English peer. He rebuilt Petworth House in Sussex, the ancient Percy seat inherited from his wife, in the palatial form which s ...

, 6th Earl of Hertford (1662–1748) *

, 7th Earl of Hertford (1684–1750) (Earldom extinct on his death in 1750)

Barons Conway, Second creation (1703)

Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Ragley, 1st Baron Conway of Killultagh, MP, PC (Ire) (28 May 1679 – 3 February 1731/1732), was a British politician, born Francis Seymour. Background Born Francis Seymour, he was the second s ...

(1679–1732) * Francis Seymour-Conway, 2nd Baron Conway, (1718–1794) (created Earl of Hertford in 1750 and Marquess of Hertford in 1793)

Earls of Hertford, Fourth creation (1750)

* Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp, 2nd Baron Conway (1718–1794) (created Marquess of Hertford and Earl of Yarmouth in 1793)

Marquesses of Hertford, Second creation (1793)

Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, KG, PC, PC (Ire) (5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) of Ragley Hall, Arrow, in Warwickshire, was a British courtier and politician who, briefly, was Viceroy of Ireland where he had substantial es ...

(1718–1794) *

Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford Francis Ingram-Seymour-Conway, 2nd Marquess of Hertford, KG, PC, PC (Ire) (12 February 1743 – 17 June 1822), styled The Honourable Francis Seymour-Conway until 1750, Viscount Beauchamp between 1750 and 1793, and Earl of Yarmouth between 17 ...

(1743–1822) * Francis Charles Seymour-Conway, 3rd Marquess of Hertford (1777–1842) *

Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford Captain Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford KG (22 February 1800 – 25 August 1870) was an English aristocrat and sometime politician who spent his life in France devoted to collecting art. From birth to 1822 he was styled V ...

(1800–1870) * Francis Hugh George Seymour, 5th Marquess of Hertford (1812–1884) * Hugh de Grey Seymour, 6th Marquess of Hertford (1843–1912) * George Francis Alexander Seymour, 7th Marquess of Hertford (1871–1940) * Hugh Edward Conway Seymour, 8th Marquess of Hertford (1930–1997) * Henry Jocelyn Seymour, 9th Marquess of Hertford (b. 1958) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder's eldest son, William Francis Seymour, Earl of Yarmouth (b. 1993)
The heir apparent's heir apparent is his eldest son, Clement Andrew Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp (b. 2019)