Henry Somerset-Scudamore, 3rd Duke of Beaufort (23 March 1707 – 26 February 1745), born Lord Henry Somerset, was an English nobleman and peer who supported

Jacobitism Jacobitism was a political ideology advocating the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. When James II of England chose exile after the November 1688 Glorious Revolution, ...

Life

He was the elder son of

Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort Henry Somerset, 2nd Duke of Beaufort, KG PC (2 April 1684 – 24 May 1714) was an English peer and politician. He was the only son of Charles Somerset, Marquess of Worcester, and Rebecca Child. He was styled Earl of Glamorgan until 1698, ...

and his second wife, Rachel Noel. As his father's eldest son and heir to his father's title he was known as (styled)

Marquess of Worcester A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...

, a

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

. On his father's death on 24 April 1714, he succeeded him and became 3rd

Duke of Beaufort Duke of Beaufort ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by Charles II in 1682 for Henry Somerset, 3rd Marquess of Worcester, a descendant of Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester, legitimised son of Henry Beaufort, 3rd D ...

. At the age of 19, Beaufort commissioned the construction of what would later become known as the Badminton Chest or Badminton Cabinet, an ornate set of drawers made in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. The chest was sold in 2004 to

Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the Prince of Liechtenstein, reigning since 1989. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He a ...

for £19 million, making it the most expensive piece of furniture in the world. It is on display in the Palais Liechtenstein in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria. The Duke was one of several founding governors of Britain's first institution for abandoned children, the

Foundling Hospital The Foundling Hospital (formally the Hospital for the Maintenance and Education of Exposed and Deserted Young Children) was a children's home in London, England, founded in 1739 by the philanthropy, philanthropic Captain (nautical), sea captain ...

, and his name is listed in its

royal charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

received from George II in October 1739. In 1743, he was one of several leading English Tories who communicated with the French government through

Francis Sempill Francis Sempill (c. 1616 – March 1682) was a Scottish poet, the son of Robert Sempill the younger. No details of his education are known. His fidelity to the Stuarts involved him in money difficulties, to meet which he alienated portion ...

in order to elicit French support for an invasion to restore the Stuart line. After his death, the 3rd Duke of Beaufort was buried at

St Michael and All Angels Church, Badminton St Michael and All Angels is a Grade I listed church on the estate of the Duke of Beaufort in the village of Great Badminton, Gloucestershire, England. Attached to the Duke of Beaufort's residence, Badminton House, it is an active Anglican paris ...

. His memorial was sculpted by

John Michael Rysbrack Johannes Michel or John Michael Rysbrack, original name Jan Michiel Rijsbrack, often referred to simply as Michael Rysbrack (24 June 1694 – 8 January 1770), was an 18th-century Flemish sculptor, who spent most of his career in England where h ...

in 1754. Because he had no legitimate children, his titles and estates were inherited by his younger brother, Charles Noel Somerset.

Family

On 28 June 1729 Beaufort married Frances Scudamore, the only daughter and heir of

James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore James Scudamore, 3rd Viscount Scudamore (1684 – 2 December 1716), was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1716. Scudamore was baptised on 15 July 1684, the second, but eldest surviving son of ...

, and took his wife's name by a private act of Parliament, the ( 3 Geo. 2. c. ''10'' ), later the same year. In 1742 Beaufort filed for divorce over Frances's

adulterous Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept e ...

relationship with William Talbot, who later became

Earl Talbot Earl Talbot is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. This branch of the Talbot family descends from the Hon. Sir Gilbert Talbot (died 1518), third son of John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury. His great-great-gre ...

. Frances countersued, saying the Duke was impotent; in March 1743, he demonstrated before court-appointed examiners that he was physically able to have an erection. The divorce was granted by the ( 17 Geo. 2. c. ''2'' ), and he sued Talbot for damages. Frances later remarried, to

Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore Charles FitzRoy-Scudamore ( 1713 – 22 August 1782) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons for 49 years from 1733 to 1782. Born Charles FitzRoy, he was the illegitimate son of Charles FitzRoy, 2nd Duke of Grafton, and was ed ...

. Beaufort had one illegitimate daughter, Margaret Burr, who married the English painter

Thomas Gainsborough Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

and had two surviving daughters,

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

and

Margaret Margaret is a feminine given name, which means "pearl". It is of Latin origin, via Ancient Greek and ultimately from Iranian languages, Old Iranian. It has been an English language, English name since the 11th century, and remained popular thro ...

References

External links

the Badminton Cabinet in the Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaufort, Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke Of 1707 births 1745 deaths

103 103 may refer to: *103 (number), the number *AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD *103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment * 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers * 103 ...

*11 English Jacobites Masters of foxhounds in England Henry Somerset, 3rd Duke of Beaufort

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...