British soldier, landowner, peer (1882?1954)
Evelyn Francis Edward Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset
DSO
OBE
DL
(1 May 1882 – 26 April 1954) was a
British Army
officer
, landowner,
peer
, and for eight years
Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
. He was also a
baronet
. Between 1 May 1882 and 5 May 1931, he was styled as
Lord Seymour
.
Early life
[
edit
]
The son of
Edward Seymour, 16th Duke of Somerset
, by his marriage to
Rowena Wall
, Seymour was born in
Colombo
,
Ceylon
. His maternal grandfather,
George Wall
, was a coffee merchant and botanist.
He was educated at
Blundell's School
,
Tiverton
, and later at the
Royal Military College
,
Sandhurst
.
Career
[
edit
]
Seymour was gazetted a
second lieutenant
on the Unattached List in January 1901,
[1]
before being attached to the
Royal Dublin Fusiliers
.
[2]
He served throughout the
Second Boer War
(1901?02) and received the
Queen's South Africa Medal
with five clasps. He took part in the operations in the
Aden Protectorate
in 1903.
In April 1913, Seymour, then of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers, was appointed
adjutant
of the
25th (County of London) Cyclist Battalion
of the
London Regiment
,
[3]
in which posting he continued until 1916, before returning to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers to take command of its 10th Battalion. In December 1917, he was promoted Acting
Lieutenant Colonel
.
[4]
In 1918, he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
and in 1919 he served in the
Adjutant-General's department
of the
War Office
. He was appointed to the
Order of the British Empire
in 1919 and retired from the service in 1920. He succeeded to his father's dukedom in 1931.
On 12 May 1937, he bore the
Sceptre with the Cross
at the
coronation of King George VI
.
[5]
During the
Second World War
, Somerset returned to the
army
. With effect from 1 November 1939, he was appointed a Lieutenant Colonel of the
Devonshire Regiment
,
[6]
in which he commanded a battalion, and he later held an appointment as a full
Colonel
on the
General Staff
.
Later life
[
edit
]
On his retirement from
active service
with the Army, Somerset returned to
Maiden Bradley
to take charge of his estates in
Wiltshire
and
Somerset
. On 4 May 1942 he was appointed
Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
, succeeding
Ernest Wills
.
[7]
On 19 March 1949, "having exceeded the age limit", he relinquished his commission as an honorary Colonel of the Devon Regiment on retired pay.
[8]
In 1950, he was appointed a
knight
of the
Venerable Order of Saint John
.
[9]
He was a member of the
Army and Navy Club
, the
Naval & Military Club
, and the
Marylebone Cricket Club
.
[10]
Personal life
[
edit
]
In London on 3 January 1906, he married Edith Mary Parker (d.
Maiden Bradley
, Wiltshire, 19 April 1962), daughter of William Parker (1816?1893), of
Whittington Hall
, Derbyshire, England, and Lucinda Steeves (1842?1920), daughter of
William Steeves
. Evelyn and Edith had four children:
- The Hon. Francis William Seymour (1906?1907), who died young.
- The Hon. Algernon Francis Edward Seymour (1908?1911), who died young.
- Percy Hamilton Seymour, 18th Duke of Somerset
(1910?1984)
- Lady Susan Mary Seymour (1913?2004), who died unmarried and without issue.
Somerset was a member of
The Magic Circle
for many years, having first joined it in 1907, after becoming a pupil of the magician Ernest Noakes. He became the organization's president in 1935, after the death of
Lord Ampthill
.
The Duke died in London on 26 April 1954.
Ancestry
[
edit
]
Ancestors of Evelyn Seymour, 17th Duke of Somerset
|
---|
|
References
[
edit
]
- Obituary of the Duke of Somerset, Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, in
The Times
, 27 April 1954 (pg. 10; Issue 52916; col E)
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
House of Beaufort
(1443?1471)
| |
---|
House of Tudor
(1499?1536)
| |
---|
House of Seymour
(1547?1552, 1660?)
|
- Edward, 1st Duke
(1547?1552)
- William, 2nd Duke
(1660)
- William, 3rd Duke
(1660?1671)
- John, 4th Duke
(1671?1675)
- Francis, 5th Duke
(1675?1678)
- Charles, 6th Duke
(1678?1748)
- Algernon, 7th Duke
(1748?1750)
- Edward, 8th Duke
(1750?1757)
- Edward, 9th Duke
(1757?1792)
- Webb, 10th Duke
(1792?1793)
- Edward, 11th Duke
(1793?1855)
- Edward, 12th Duke
(1855?1885)
- Archibald, 13th Duke
(1885?1891)
- Algernon, 14th Duke
(1891?1894)
- Algernon, 15th Duke
(1894?1923)
- Edward, 16th Duke
(1923?1931)
- Evelyn, 17th Duke
(1931?1954)
- Percy, 18th Duke
(1954?1984)
- John, 19th Duke
(1984?present)
|
---|