Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Berry Pomeroy
Berry Pomeroy is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England, about two miles east of Totnes. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 973...
, 4th Baronet, MP (1632/1633 – 17 February 1708) was a British nobleman, and a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
politician.
Life
Born at Berry Pomeroy CastleBerry Pomeroy Castle
Berry Pomeroy Castle, a Tudor mansion within the walls of an earlier castle, is near the village of Berry Pomeroy, in South Devon, England. It was built in the late 15th century by the Pomeroy family which had held the land since the 11th century. By 1547 the family was in financial difficulties...
of a family greatly influential in the Western counties, he was a son of Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet , was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1688...
, and wife Anne Portman, and a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
, in the senior line. (Because of the adultery of the Duke's first wife, the Dukedom had been entailed with preference to his sons by his second marriage.) A skilled debater and politician, he was twice Speaker of the House of Commons during the Cavalier Parliament
Cavalier Parliament
The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter century reign of Charles II of England...
, the first non-lawyer to be chosen for that position for a considerable time.
He was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty from 1673 until 1679, when he was made a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of England
The Privy Council of England, also known as His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England...
. He also held office as Treasurer of the Navy
Treasurer of the Navy
The Treasurer of the Navy was an office in the British government between the mid-16th and early 19th century. The office-holder was responsible for the financial maintenance of the Royal Navy. The office was a political appointment, and frequently was held by up-and-coming young politicians who...
from 1673 until 1681, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 15 November 1690 to 2 May 1696 and Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
from 1702 to 1704. He was also responsible for the Habeas Corpus Act 1679
Habeas Corpus Act 1679
The Habeas Corpus Act 1679 is an Act of the Parliament of England passed during the reign of King Charles II by what became known as the Habeas Corpus Parliament to define and strengthen the ancient prerogative writ of habeas corpus, whereby persons unlawfully detained cannot be ordered to be...
.
Though able, Seymour's character was marred by his haughty pride in his ancestry (much like his cousin, the 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
) and by venality. However, his influence was much courted, and he led a powerful faction of Western members in Parliament. An opponent of the Exclusion Bill
Exclusion Bill
The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1678 through 1681 in the reign of Charles II of England. The Exclusion Bill sought to exclude the king's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland because he was Roman Catholic...
and a quintessential country gentleman, his Tory credentials were impeccable.
Pepys in his Diary records the unpleasant impression Seymour's arrogance made on most people who met him; nearly 40 years later the Duke of Marlborough wrote that while one should not wish for any person's death he was sure Seymour's death would be no great loss.
From the security of this position, Seymour moved that the Loyal Parliament
Loyal Parliament
The Loyal Parliament was the first and only Parliament of England of King James II, in theory continuing from May 1685 to July 1688, but in practice sitting during 1685 only. It gained its name because at the outset most of its members were loyal to the new king...
investigate the irregularities surrounding the election of its members before it granted any revenues to James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, but as no other member dared to second it, it brought about no immediate consequence. He continued to oppose the arbitrary measures of James throughout his reign.
During the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
, he was one of the first Tories to declare for the Prince of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
. The remarks that supposedly passed between the two on the first meeting are indicative of his pride of birth: "I think, Sir Edward," said the Prince, "that you are of the family of the Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset
Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset , sometimes referred to as the "Proud Duke". The son of Charles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, and Elizabeth Alington , he succeeded his brother Francis Seymour, 5th Duke of Somerset, to the dukedom when the latter was shot in 1678...
." "Pardon me, your highness," replied Seymour, "the Duke of Somerset is of my family." However, he adhered to the Tory party, acting as a sort of whip or manager, and remained a vigorous rhetorical opponent of the Whig
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
. He particularly attacked Lord Somers
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers, PC, FRS was an English Whig jurist and statesman. Somers first came to national attention in the trial of the Seven Bishops where he was on the their defence counsel. He published tracts on political topics such as the succession to the crown, where he elaborated his...
, the Chancellor, and managed the several attempts made to remove him from office. In 1699, the death of his third son, Popham Seymour-Conway
Popham Seymour-Conway
Popham Seymour-Conway, born Seymour was an Anglo-Irish landowner and rake, the eldest son of Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet by his second marriage to Laetitia Popham, daughter of Alexander Popham....
, from the effects of a wound incurred in a duel with Captain George Kirk, prompted him to make an attack upon the standing army
Standing army
A standing army is a professional permanent army. It is composed of full-time career soldiers and is not disbanded during times of peace. It differs from army reserves, who are activated only during wars or natural disasters...
.
He seems to have suffered from diabetes in later life, an exchange of wit between Seymour and his physician, Dr. Ratcliffe, being recorded in Joe Miller's Jests. He died at Bradley House, Maiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley
Maiden Bradley with Yarnfield is a small Wiltshire civil parish near the Somerset border and the home of the Duke of Somerset. The B3092 road that joins Frome to Mere runs through the middle of the village of Maiden Bradley....
.
Family
On 7 September 1661, he married Margaret Wale (d. bef. 1674), daughter of Sir William Wale, of North Lappenham, RutlandRutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, Alderman of London, and wife, and sister of Elizabeth Wale, married to the Hon. Henry Noel, of North Luffenham
North Luffenham
North Luffenham is a village in Rutland, in the East Midlands of England. It lies to the north of the River Chater, east of Uppingham and west of Stamford.Located to the north of the village is St George's Barracks, formerly RAF North Luffenham....
, Rutland, Member of Parliament, by whom he had two children:
- Sir Edward Seymour, 5th BaronetSir Edward Seymour, 5th BaronetSir Edward Seymour, of Berry Pomeroy, 5th Baronet, MP was a British gentleman and politician.He was a son of Royalist and Tory politician Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet and first wife Margaret Wale.-Family:...
(1663–1741) - Lt.-Gen. William Seymour (1664–1728)
In 1674, he married Laetitia Popham (d. 16 March 1714), daughter of Alexander Popham
Alexander Popham
Alexander Popham, of Littlecote, Wiltshire was an English politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke....
and wife Letitia Carre, by whom he had seven children:
- Col. Popham Seymour-ConwayPopham Seymour-ConwayPopham Seymour-Conway, born Seymour was an Anglo-Irish landowner and rake, the eldest son of Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet by his second marriage to Laetitia Popham, daughter of Alexander Popham....
(1675–1699) - Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron ConwayFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron ConwayFrancis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway of Ragley, 1st Baron Conway of Killultagh, MP, PC , was a British politician, born Francis Seymour.-Background:...
(1679–1732) - Charles Seymour, of Staston, DorsetDorsetDorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, married and had a daughter:- Jane Seymour, m. August 1750 Adm. Thomas Lynn
- Anne Seymour (d. 10 May 1752), married 8 January 1707/1708 William Berkeley-Portman, of Pylle and Orchard Portman, Somerset (d. 1737), son of Edward Berkeley, of PyllePyllePylle is a village and civil parish south west of Shepton Mallet, and from Wells, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It has a population of 176...
, Somerset (d. 1707) and wife Elizabeth Ryves (d. 1724), by whom she had a son - Henry Seymour, died without male issue
- Alexander Seymour, died without male issue
- John Seymour, died young