William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester

The Earl of Worcester
The Earl of Worcester
3rd Earl of Worcester
	William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester in his suit of Greenwich armor
Tenure	1549–1589
Successor	Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester
Born	c. 1526/1527
Died	21 February 1589; Hackney
Buried	Church of St Cadoc, Raglan, Monmouthshire
Nationality	English
Spouse(s)	Christiana North
Issue	Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester; Elizabeth Somerset; Lucy Somerset
Parents	Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester; Elizabeth Somerset, Countess of Worcester (d. 1565)

William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, KG (c. 1526/1527 – 21 February 1589) was an English courtier, nobleman, and politician. He was the eldest son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester and his second wife Elizabeth Browne.^[1]

Earl of Worcester

Quartered arms of Sir William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester

On 26 November 1549, he succeeded his father and became the 3rd Earl of Worcester.

Worcester supported Lady Jane Grey in 1553. He was invested as Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1570. He was a patron of the arts, and sponsored - among others - the Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn.

Marriages and children

Before 19 May 1550, Worcester married Christiana North, daughter of Edward North, 1st Baron North and his wife Alice Squire.^[2] They were parents to three children:

Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester (d. 3 March 1628).
Elizabeth Somerset. Married William Windsor. He was a namesake son of William Windsor, 2nd Baron Windsor by his wife Margaret Sambourne.
Lucy Somerset. Married Henry Herbert, Esquire.^[2]

William Somerset re-married (2nd) before 1567 Theophila Newton, daughter of John Newton (otherwise Cradock), Knt., of East Harptree, Somerset, by Margaret, daughter of Anthony Poyntz, Knt. A portrait of Countess Theophila by an unknown artist of that date is mentioned by Ashelford, Visual History of Costume (1983): 72.

Death

William Somerset died at his house Hackney on 21 February 1589 and was buried in the Church of St Cadoc, Raglan, Monmouthshire.^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester

8. Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset

4. Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester

9. Joan Hill

2. Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester

10. William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke

5. Lady Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert

11. Lady Mary Woodville

1. William Somerset

12. Sir Thomas Browne

6. Sir Anthony Browne

13. Eleanor FitzAlan

3. Elizabeth Browne

14. John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu

7. Lady Lucy Neville

15. Isabel Ingoldesthorpe

Notes

^ "Somerset, William, third earl of Worcester". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
^ ^a ^b KIMBALL G. EVERINGHAM; Richardson, Douglas Scott (2004). Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families (Royal Ancestry). Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 667. ISBN 0-8063-1750-7.
^ Newman, John (2002). Gwent/Monmouthshire. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-300-09630-9.

External links

"Somerset, William" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.

Peerage of England
Preceded by Henry Somerset	Earl of Worcester 1549–1589	Succeeded by Edward Somerset

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[1] "Somerset, William, third earl of Worcester". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 2 December 2014.

[isbn0-8063-1750-7-2] KIMBALL G. EVERINGHAM; Richardson, Douglas Scott (2004). Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study In Colonial And Medieval Families (Royal Ancestry). Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 667. ISBN 0-8063-1750-7.

[3] Newman, John (2002). Gwent/Monmouthshire. New Haven; London: Yale University Press. p. 305. ISBN 978-0-300-09630-9.

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