John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset and 3rd Marquess of Hertford (before 164629 April 1675) was an English peer and MP.

Life

He was a younger son of

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 wife ...

, and Lady Frances Devereux. He was the only one of the second duke's still alive, when his father died and the title descended to his six-year-old nephew,

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

. In 1661 he married Sarah, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Edward Alston and widow of George Grimston in exchange for a dowry of £10,000. Her father negotiated an independent income of £300 per year for his daughter and additional clauses to cover the possibility that she became a widow. The marriage was a financial success but otherwise it was a disaster. William liked drinking and gambling, but Sarah did not. He was elected Member of Parliament for

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

in 1661. Although the voters of Marlborough usually accepted the Seymour family's nominee, on this occasion the seat was contested and he received only one more vote than his rival. Unhappy in his marriage and having fallen out with his nephew's

guardian Guardian usually refers to: * Legal guardian, a person with the authority and duty to care for the interests of another * ''The Guardian'', a British daily newspaper (The) Guardian(s) may also refer to: Places * Guardian, West Virginia, Unit ...

and his mother, he entered

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1666 in order to escape his creditors. He succeeded his nephew as the 4th Duke of Somerset in 1671, but much of the family estate was inherited by his niece Elizabeth, who subsequently married

Thomas Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

. He spent the last two separated from his wife after she petitioned the King concerning his behaviour. He died in 1675, childless and was buried in

Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...

. He was succeeded in the dukedom by his cousin, Francis Seymour. The Marquessate of Hertford became extinct on his death.

References

1640s births 1675 deaths

504 __NOTOC__ Year 504 ( DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Nicomachus without colleague (or, less frequently, year 1257 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denominati ...

Members of Gray's Inn Lord-lieutenants of Somerset Lord-lieutenants of Wiltshire English MPs 1661–1679 John, 1675 Marquesses of Hertford (1641 creation) Younger sons of dukes {{1661-England-MP-stub