Henry Somerset 1577-1646
From Book Owners Online
Henry SOMERSET, 1st Marquess of Worcester 1577-1646
Biographical Note
Son of Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester, from whom he inherited the title and family estates at Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire in 1628. He was involved in local administration, with his father, in the early 17th century, but his conversion to Roman Catholicism (while touring in Europe limited his opportunities. Charles I made him a Marquess in 1642, in return for support in the Civil War. He died as a prisoner, shortly after surrendering Raglan Castle to the parliamentarian army.
Books
Somerset is noted as having “read devotional books in his Closet, weeping over them as he said his prayers and inviting his gentlemen to join him after dinner and share them”. The extent and disposition of his library is not known.
Sources
- Dictionary of Welsh biography.
- Purcell, M. The country house library. New Haven & London, 2017, 63.