Glamorgan, the jury found, that at the time of his death, on February 21st before, (and was buried at Ragland co. Monmouth) he was seized of the lordships and manor of Gower, Kilvey, and the castle and borough of Swansey, parcel of the manor of Gower; the demesne lands of the castle of Oystmouth, with the appurtenances, in Clyn forest; the manors of Wringston, Michelston, and the rectory of the church; half the manor of West Orchard, and the manor of Lancarnan, all in the county of Glamorgan : and that Edward Earl of Worcester was his son and heir, and of the age of thirty-six years, and upwards. r EDWARD, FOURTH EARL, in 1591, was sent ambassador to James VI. of Scotland, to congratulate his marriage and safe return from Denmark, &c. And in the 43 Elizabeth, was m made master of the horse, being the best horseman and tilter of the times; which office he had continued to him by James I. being also constituted one of the commissioners for executing the office of Earl Marshal. In the 13th of King James, resigning his office of master of the horse, he was made lord privy-seal; and two years after, had a new grant of that office, with the fee of 1,500l. per ann. for life. This Earl, being also Knight of the Garter, wedded Elizabeth, daughter of Francis Earl of Huntingdon; by which Lady, who died August 24th, 1621, and is buried at Ragland, he had issue eight sons. William Lord Herbert, eldest son, died unmarried in the life-time of his father; and Henry, second son, succeeded his father; Thomas, the third son, was sent with Sir Charles Percy, by the privy-council, to notify to King James the demise of Queen Elizabeth, and his Majesty being proclaimed her successor; he was made Knight of the Bath on January 5th, 1604-5; and on December 8th, 1626, created Viscount Somerset, of Cashel, in the county of Tipperary in Ireland. The preamble to the patent recites, that he had performed many acceptable services, both to the King himself, his father and mother, especially as a faithful counsellor of his father, and as master of the horse. He married Eleanor, daughter of David Lord Barry, and Viscount Buttevant of Ireland, relict of Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormond, by whom he left Elizabeth, his daughter and heir, who died single, and was buried at Ragland, 1 Camden's Annals. n Fragm Regalia, p. 87. Pat. 2 Jac. I. p. 24. t m Pat. 43 Eliz. p. 12. t Pat. 2 Car. I. p. 5. No. 10. Charles Somerset, and Francis, fourth and fifth sons, died infants. Charles, sixth son, of Troy in Monmouthshire, made Knight of the Bath at the creation of Henry Prince of Wales, married Elizabeth, the daughter and heir of Sir William Powel, of Llanpylt, in the county of Monmouth; and had issue three daughters, Elizabeth, the wife of Francis Anderton, of Lostock in com. Pal. Lanc. Esq.; Mary, who died unmarried; and Frances, the wife of Sir Henry Brown, of Kiddington in the county of Oxford, Bart. Christopher Somerset, seventh son, died young; and Sir Edward Somerset, eighth son, made Knight of the Bath with his brother, Sir Charles, married Bridget, daughter and heir to Sir William Whitmore, of Leighton, in com. Cestr. Knight, but died without issue. The Earl had likewise seven daughters; first, Elizabeth, married to Sir Henry Guildford, of Hemsted Place in Kent, Knight; second, Catherine, married to William Lord Petre, of Writtle," she died October 31st, 1624, at Thorndon in Essex, and was buried at Ingatstone; third, Anne, married to Sir Edward Winter, of Lidney in com. Gloucester, Knight; fourth, Frances, married to William Morgan, Esq. son and heir to Edward Morgan, of Lanternam in com. Monmouth, Esq.; fifth, Mary, who died an infant; sixth, Blanch, married to Thomas, son and heir apparent to Thomas Lord Arundel of Wardour; and seventh, another Catherine, married to Thomas Lord Windsor. The said Edward, fourth Earl of Worcester, died at his house in the Strand, 3d Martii, 1627-8, and was buried at Windsor. Sir Robert Naunton, who was of the privy-council to Queen Elizabeth, and well known to most of them, gives this character of his Lordship. My Lord of Worcester I have here put last, but not least in the Queen's favour. He was of the ancient and noble blood of the Beauforts, and of her gandfather's line by the mother; which the Queen could never forget; especially when there was a concurrency of old blood with fidelity; a mixture which ever sorted with the Queen's nature. And though there might appear something in this house which might avert her grace (though not to speak of my Lord himself, but with due reverence and honour) I mean contrariety or suspicion in religion, yet the Queen ever respected this house, and principally this noble Lord, whom she first made master of the horse, and then admitted of her council of state, In his youth (part whereof he spent before he came to reside at court) he was a very fine gentle, u Funeral Certificate in Coll. Armor. * Fragm. Regalia, p. 87 man, and the best horseman and tilter of the times, which were then the manlike and noble recreations of the court, and such as took up the applause of men, as well as the praise and commendations of ladies. And when years had abated these exercises of honour, he grew then to be a faithful and profound counsellor. And as I have placed him last, so was he the last liver of all the servants of her favour; and had the honour to see his renowned mistress, and all of them, laid in the places of their rest and for himself, after a life of a very noble and remarkable reputation, he died rich, and in a peaceable old age. A fate (that I make the last and none of the slightest observations) which befel not many of the rest, for they expired like unto lights blown out with the snuff stinking, not commendably extinguished, and with offence to the standers by." He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, HENRY, FIFTH EARL, and FIRST MARQUIS OF WORCESTER, who was, in the life time of his father, summoned to the first parliament of James I. and was a nobleman of great parts, piety, and wisdom, and of a free and generous disposition, supported by an equal and flowing fortune, which was much impaired by his signal and manifest loyalty to Charles I. in the large supplies of men and money he assisted his Majesty with; whose interest he powerfully asserted during that fierce and unnatural war. "The Marquis of Worcester," says Clarendon," was generally reputed the greatest monied man of the kingdom, and probably might not think it an unthrifty thing, rather to disburse it for the King, who might be able to repay it, than to have it taken from him by the other party; which would be hardly questionable, if they prevailed." y He maintained his castle of Ragland, in the county of Monmouth, with a garrison of eight hundred men, from 1642, to August 19th, 1646, without receiving any contribution from the country, and then yielded it to Sir Thomas Fairfax, the parliamentary general (who besieged it in person) upon very honourable articles for all the officers and soldiers that were therein. This was amongst the last places in England, that held out against the rebels: but after its surrender, was demolished, and all the timber in the three parks, that lay near to the house, was cut down and sold by the committees for sequestration, the offal of which (for there was no coppice wood in any of the parks) acsording to the sub-committees (whose custom was not to acknow Clar. vol. ii. p. 154. Ꮓ z Ibid. vol. iii. 40. ledge the utmost of the profits they made) amounted to 37,000 cords of wood. The lead, that covered the castle, was sold for 6,000l. and a great part of the timber thereof to the citizens of Bristol, to rebuild the houses on the bridge there, which had been lately burnt. The loss to this truly noble family, in the house and woods, was modestly computed at 100,0007. besides, at least, as great a sum lent to his Majesty, by the said Marquis, and the supporting the above mentioned garrison, and raising and maintaining two several armies at his own expence (commanded by his son, Edward Earl of Glamorgan) together with the sequestration from 1646, and afterwards the sale of that whole estate by the rump, which (besides what the family disposed of in those necessitous times) amounted, as appears by that year's audit, to about 20,000l. per ann. and was not restored till 1660, when his said son got it again. The conditions of capitulation being basely violated, the Marquis was taken into the custody of the parliament's black rod, in which he died in December following, and was buried at Windsor, near the tomb of Charles Earl of Worcester, his ancestor. He was, by letters patent, dated at Oxford on November 2d, 1642, created MARQUIS OF WORCESTER. There is extant a book called, " Certamen Religiosum; or, a conference between King Charles I. and Henry, late Marquis of Worcester, concerning Religion in Ragland Castle, 1646." Also, Also, "The Golden Apothegms of King Charles I. and Henry Marquis of Worcester, 1660, and 1669.”a This Henry Earl and Marquis of Worcester married Anne, the only child of John Lord Russell, who died in the life time of his father, Francis Earl of Bedford; and by her, who died on April 1st, 1639, and is buried at Ragland, he had issue nine sons, and four daughters. Edward Lord Herbert, the eldest, succeeded him in his honours. Lord John, second son, who was knighted, and commanded the horse of his brother's army, had issue by his wife, Mary, daughter of Thomas Lord Arundel of Wardour, three sons. The first was Henry, of Pentley Court in Gloucestershire, who wedded Anne, daughter of Walter Lord Aston, Baron Forfar, in the kingdom of Scotland, and by her was father of Edward Maria, who married two wives, viz. Clare, daughter of Charles Calvert, Lord Baltimore, of the kingdom of Ireland, and Anne, daughter of Charles Calvert, Lord Baltimore, sister to Clare, but died without Clar. vol. ii. p. 155. . Park's R. and N A. vol iii p. 102. issue 1711 and of Mary, who was a nun. The second son of Sir John Somerset, was Thomas, who departed this life in 1671, Sir John Somerset's third son was Charles, who was of Ross in Herefordshire, and wedded three wives, viz. Jane, daughter of Walter Thomas, of Swansey in Glamorganshire, Esq. widow of Aubrey, Esq. Catherine, daughter of Walter Baskerville, and widow of George Sawyer, Esqrs. and Alice, daughter of John Goodyer, of Burghope in Herefordshire, Esq. By the first he had no issue; but by the second, he had two sons, Charles and Henry, and as many daughters, viz. Mary Johanna and Elizabeth; and by the third, a daughter Anne, who died in her infancy. Lord William, third son, died an infant. Lord Henry, fourth son, died, at the age of twenty years, unmarried. Lord Thomas, fifth son, lived at Rome, in the year 1676. Lord Charles, sixth son, was governor of Ragland Castle, under his father, and having signalized himself in the cause of his injured sovereign, died a Canon of Cambray in Flanders. Lords Frederick, Francis, and James, all died young; Lady Elizabeth, eldest daughter, died an infant; Lady Anne, second daughter, died a nun at Antwerp; Lady Mary, third daughter, died unmarried; and Lady Elizabeth, youngest daughter, was wedded to Francis Brown, Viscount Montague, and died in 1682.. EDWARD Somerset, eldest son, Lord Herbert, and SECOND MARQUIS, succeeded his father, anno 1646, and attaching himself to the royal cause, was constituted Lord Lieutenant of North Wales, by King Charles I. who directed several letters to this Edward, in the life time of his father, by the title of Earl of Glamorgan, which title he usually bore. Lord Clarendon says, that the King "committed South Wales to the charge of the Lord Herbert, eldest son to the Marquis of Worcester, whom he made his lieutenant general, adding Monmouthshire to his commission. There were, in the opinion of many, great objections against committing that employment to that noble Lord, whose person many men loved and very few hated. First he had no knowledge or experience in the martial profession; then his religion, being of that sort of Catholics the people rendered odious by accusing it to be most Jesuited, men apprehended would not only produce a greater brand upon the King of favouring papists and popery, than he had been yet re Mr. Edmondson's Tables. |