Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester
| The Marquess of Worcester | |
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Portrait by Alexander Craig (1856), after an original by Sir Anthony van Dyck (c.1640) (oil on canvas)
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| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Dormer Margaret O'Brien |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | House of Beaufort |
| Father | Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester |
| Mother | Anne Russell |
| Born | 9 March 1602 or 9 March 1603 |
| Died | 3 April 1667 |
Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester (9 March 1602 or 9 March 1603 – 3 April 1667), styled Lord Herbert of Raglan from 1628–1644, was an English nobleman involved in royalist politics, and an inventor.
While Earl of Glamorgan, he was sent by Charles I to negotiate a peace treaty and alliance with the leadership of the Catholic Irish Confederacy. He enjoyed some success, but the agreement quickly broke down. He then joined the Confederates, and was appointed the commander of their Munster Army.
In 1655 he published The Century of Inventions, detailing more than 100 inventions, including a device that would have been one of the earliest steam engines.
Edward Somerset was brought up as a Roman Catholic in Monmouthshire. He graduated from Cambridge University, England, in 1627 with a Master of Arts (MA) degree. In his day he was one of the richest lords in England, funding his experiments, later self-funding his military endeavours, and sending large amounts of money to King Charles I during the English Civil War. He was a Cavalier who supported the King in Wales, where he raised a regiment of horse for him. His campaigning in the West of England and in Wales, however, did not go well. After a month with his force of over 2,000 troops encamped at Highnam, outside Gloucester, in March 1643 Herbert left them and travelled to meet the king at Oxford. In his absence the entire force surrendered without any exchange of fire, earning it the title "The Mushroom Army" (they appeared and disappeared very quickly). He was rewarded in 1644, however, with a peerage, being created Earl of Glamorgan and Baron Beaufort of Caldecote. Due to irregularities in the letters patent, these titles were not recognised after the Restoration.
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