Lord Charles Somerset

Lord Charles Henry Somerset (12 December 1767 – 18 February 1831), born in Badminton, England, was a British soldier, politician and colonial administrator. He was governor of the Cape Colony, South Africa, from 1814 to 1826.

Early life Somerset was the second son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, and Elizabeth, daughter of Admiral the Hon. Edward Boscawen. He was the brother of Henry Somerset, 6th Duke of Beaufort, General Lord Robert Somerset, Lord Arthur Somerset and Field Marshal FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan. The towns of Somerset West and Somerset East in South Africa are named after him.

Personal life Somerset married firstly Lady Elizabeth Courtenay (1766–1815), on 7 June 1788, following their elopement. She was the daughter of the 8th Earl of Devon. Mary Sophia Somerset (1823–1869) Augusta Anne Somerset (1824–1881), who married Sir Henry Barron, 1st Baronet in 1863.

Somerset died in February 1831, aged 63. His second wife died in June 1860, aged 72.

Ancestry