William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester

The Earl of Worcester
William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester in his suit of Greenwich armor
Born	c.1526
Died	21 February 1589 Hackney
Resting place	Church of St Cadoc, Raglan, Monmouthshire
Title	3rd Earl of Worcester
Tenure	1549–1589
Nationality	English
Successor	Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester
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)

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

William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, KG (c. 1526/7 – 21 February 1589) was the eldest son of Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester and his second wife Elizabeth Browne.^[1]

On 26 November 1549, he succeeded his father and became the 3rd Earl of Worcester. Before 19 May 1550, Worcester married Christiana North. She was a 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]

Worcester supported Lady Jane Grey in 1553. He was invested as Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) in 1570. William Somerset died at his house Hackney on 21 February 1589 and was buried in the Church of St Cadoc, Raglan, Monmouthshire.^[3]

He was a patron of the arts, and sponsored - among others - the eminent Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn.

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester

16. Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset               8. Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset                       17. Lady Eleanor Beauchamp               4. Charles Somerset, 1st Earl of Worcester                             9. Joan Hill                       2. Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester                                   20. William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke               10. William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke                       21. Anne Devereux               5. Lady Elizabeth Herbert, 3rd Baroness Herbert                             22. Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers               11. Lady Mary Woodville                       23. Jacquetta of Luxembourg               1. William Somerset                                         24. Sir Richard Browne               12. Sir Thomas Browne                       6. Sir Anthony Browne                             26. Sir Thomas FitzAlan               13. Eleanor FitzAlan                       27. Joan Moyne               3. Elizabeth Browne                                   28. Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury               14. John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu                       29. Alice Montacute, 5th Countess of Salisbury               7. Lady Lucy Neville                             30. Sir Edmund Ingoldsthorpe               15. Isabel Ingoldesthorpe                       31. Joan Tiptoft

Notes

1. "Somerset, William, third earl of Worcester". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 2014-12-02.
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.

External links

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