Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester
| The Marquess of Worcester | |
|---|---|
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| Spouse(s) | Hon. Anne Russell |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | House of Beaufort |
| Father | Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester |
| Mother | Elizabeth Hastings, Countess of Worcester |
| Born | 1577 |
| Died | 18 December 1646 |
Henry Somerset, 1st Marquess of Worcester (1577 – 18 December 1646) was an English aristocrat, who was a prominent and financially important Royalist during the early years of the English Civil War.
He was the son of Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester and Elizabeth Hastings. On 3 March 1628, he succeeded his father and became the 5th Earl of Worcester.
Brought up a Protestant, he converted to Catholicism as a young man. He was considered an outstandingly wealthy peer, with an income, by the contemporary estimate of Richard Symonds, of £24,000 per annum. By good management, as well as by inheritance and marriage, he built up major holdings in property. When war came, he claimed to have expended and lent over £900,000 to the royalist cause.
Charles I asked him to keep a low profile in public life. Some noted recusants, such as Gwilym Puw and his chaplain Thomas Bayly, gathered around him at Raglan Castle. His local support was increased by the fact that he was not identified as a courtier. For his financial support of King Charles I at the outset of the First English Civil War, he was created 1st Marquess of Worcester, on 2 November 1642.
After the battle of Naseby, King Charles sought refuge at Raglan, in the period June to September 1645. The next year, the Marquess was forced to surrender Raglan Castle to the forces of Sir Thomas Morgan, 1st Baronet, late in 1646, marking the effective end of the Civil War in Wales. He was taken into custody by the Parliamentary forces, and died in Covent Garden, on 18 December 1646.
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