Hertford, William Seymour, 1st marquess and 2d earl of

Hertford, William Seymour, 1st marquess and 2d earl of

(här`fərd, härt`–), 1588–1660, English nobleman; great-grandson of Edward Seymour, duke of SomersetSomerset, Edward Seymour, duke of,
1506?–1552, protector of England. He served on various military and diplomatic missions for Henry VIII and, after the marriage of his sister Jane to the king, was created Viscount Beauchamp (1536) and earl of Hertford (1537).
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, and grandson of Lady Catherine Grey, through whom he had a claim to the throne. His secret marriage (1610) to Arabella StuartStuart or Stewart, Arabella,
1575–1615, cousin of James I of England (James VI of Scotland). She was the daughter of Charles Stuart, earl of Lennox, younger brother of Lord Darnley, and her descent from Henry
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, cousin of James I, enraged the king, and he was imprisoned. He escaped and fled the country, but returned in 1616 after Arabella's death. Made a privy councillor (1640) and marquess of Hertford (1640), he fought for Charles I in the civil war. He received his ancestor's dukedom of Somerset at the Restoration (1660).