Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet

British politician (1633–1708)

The Right HonourableSir Edward SeymourBt MP


Speaker of the House of Commons
In office 1673–1679
Preceded by	Job Charlton
Succeeded by	William Gregory
Treasurer of the Navy
In office 1673–1681
Preceded by	Sir Thomas Osborne
Succeeded by	The Viscount Falkland

Personal details
Born	1632
Died	17 February 1708
Spouse(s)	Margaret Wale Laetitia Popham

Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet MP (1632/1633 – 17 February 1708) was a British nobleman, and a Royalist and Tory politician.

Life

Born at Berry Pomeroy Castle in Devon, of a family greatly influential in the Western counties, he was the eldest son of Sir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet, and his wife Anne Portman, and a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, in the senior line. (Because of the alleged adultery of the Duke's first wife, the Dukedom had been entailed with preference to his sons by his second marriage.)

Seymour first sat in parliament in 1661 for Hindon, Wiltshire, a constituency near Maiden Bradley where the family had their principal residence at Bradley House. For much of the rest of his life he represented at various times the Devon county constituency, Totnes and Exeter. A skilled debater and politician, he was twice Speaker of the House of Commons during the Cavalier Parliament, the first non-lawyer to be chosen for that position for a considerable time.

Seymour was a signatory to The Several Declarations of The Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading into Africa, a document published in 1667 which led to the expansion of the Royal Africa Company.

He was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty from 1673 until 1679, when he was made a Privy Counsellor. He also held office as Treasurer of the Navy from 1673 until 1681, Lord Commissioner of the Treasury from 15 November 1690 to 2 May 1696 and Comptroller of the Household from 1702 to 1704. He was also responsible for the Habeas Corpus Act 1679.

Though able, Seymour's character was marred by his haughty pride in his ancestry (much like his cousin, the 6th Duke of Somerset) 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 and a quintessential country gentleman, his Tory credentials were impeccable. Samuel 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 that Seymour's death would be no great loss.

From the security of this position, Seymour moved that the Loyal Parliament investigate the irregularities surrounding the election of its members before it granted any revenues to James II, 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, he was one of the first Tories to declare for the Prince of Orange. 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." "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. He particularly attacked Lord Somers, the Chancellor, and managed the several attempts made to remove him from office. In 1699, the death of his third son, Popham Seymour-Conway, from the effects of a wound incurred in a duel with Captain George Kirk, prompted him to make an attack upon the standing army. His vigorous defence of his friend Sir Richard Reynell, 1st Baronet, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, against the absurd charge that he had conspired to kill William of Orange, shows his eloquence in debate and a loyalty to old friends with which he is not always credited.

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.

Family

On 7 September 1661, he married Margaret Wale (d. before 1674), daughter of Sir William Wale, of North Lappenham, Rutland, Alderman of London, and wife, and sister of Elizabeth Wale, married to the Hon. Henry Noel, of North Luffenham, Rutland, Member of Parliament, by whom he had two children:

Sir Edward Seymour, 5th Baronet (1663–1741), father of Edward Seymour, 8th Duke of Somerset
Lt.-Gen. William Seymour (1664–1728)

In 1674, he married Laetitia Popham (d. 16 March 1714), daughter of Alexander Popham and his wife Letitia Carre, by whom he had seven children:

Col. Popham Seymour-Conway (1675–1699)
Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Baron Conway (1679–1732), father of Francis Seymour, 1st Marquess of Hertford
Charles Seymour, of Staston, Dorset, married and had a daughter:
- Jane Seymour, m. August 1750 Admiral Thomas Lynn
Anne Seymour (d. 10 May 1752), married 8 January 1707/1708 William Berkeley (who in 1735 changed his name to William Portman and was thereafter also known as William Berkeley-Portman), of Pylle and Orchard Portman, Somerset (d. 1737), son of Edward Berkeley, of Pylle, 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

References

Ferris, John P. "SEYMOUR, Edward (1633-1708), of Maiden Bradley, Wilts. and Berry Pomeroy, Devon". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
Davies, K. G. (Kenneth Gordon) (1999). The Royal African Company. London: Routledge/Thoemmes Press. ISBN 0-415-19072-X. OCLC 42746420.
Pettigrew, William A. (William Andrew). Freedom's debt: the Royal African Company and the politics of the Atlantic slave trade, 1672-1752. Omohundro Institute of Early American History & Culture. Chapel Hill . ISBN 978-1-4696-1183-9. OCLC 879306121.
^ Hayton, D.W. (21 May 2009). "Seymour, Sir Edward, fourth baronet". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/25162. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
The Complete Peerage vol.XIIpI, p. 84.
Diary of Samuel Pepys 11 October 1665
Kenyon J.P. The Stuarts B.T. Batsford Ltd. 1958
Note: his polite correction succinctly informed the king that he was from the senior line of the family while the Duke was from the junior line.
Deed Poll Office: Private Act of Parliament 1735 (9 Geo. 2). c. 22

Parliament of England
Preceded bySir George Howe, 1st Baronet Sir Thomas Thynne	Member of Parliament for Hindon 1661–1679 With: Sir George Howe, Bt 1660–1677 Robert Hyde 1677–1679	Succeeded byRichard Howe Thomas Lambert
Preceded bySir John Rolle Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, Bt	Member of Parliament for Devon 1679 With: Sir William Courtenay, Bt	Succeeded bySir William Courtenay, Bt Samuel Rolle
Preceded bySir Edward Seymour, 3rd Baronet John Kelland	Member of Parliament for Totnes 1679–1681	Succeeded byJohn Kelland Charles Kelland
Preceded bySir Thomas Carew Thomas Walker	Member of Parliament for Exeter 1685–1695 With: James Walker 1685–1689 Henry Pollexfen 1689 Christopher Bale 1689–1695	Succeeded byEdward Seyward Sir Joseph Tily
Preceded byHenry Seymour Portman Thomas Coulson	Member of Parliament for Totnes 1695–1699	Succeeded byThomas Coulson Francis Gwyn
Preceded byEdward Seyward Sir Joseph Tily	Member of Parliament for Exeter 1698–1707 With: Sir Bartholomew Shower 1698–1702 John Snell 1702–1707	Succeeded byParliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded byParliament of England	Member of Parliament for Exeter 1707–1708 With: John Snell	Succeeded byJohn Snell John Harris
Political offices
Preceded bySir Job Charlton	Speaker of the House 1673–1678	Succeeded bySir Robert Sawyer
Preceded bySir Robert Sawyer	Speaker of the House 1678–1679	Succeeded bySir William Gregory
Preceded bySir Thomas Osborne	Treasurer of the Navy 1673–1681	Succeeded byThe Viscount Falkland
Preceded byThe Lord Wharton	Comptroller of the Household 1702–1704	Succeeded bySir Thomas Mansel, Bt
Baronetage of England
Preceded byEdward Seymour	Baronet (of Berry Pomeroy) 1688–1708	Succeeded byEdward Seymour

Speakers of the House of Commons (list)

House of Commons
of England

14th century	de Shareshull De la Mare Hungerford De la Mare Pickering Guildesborough Waldegrave Pickering Bussy Cheney Doreward Savage Redford Savage
15th century	Esturmy Tiptoft Chaucer Stourton Doreward Hungerford Chaucer Redman Beauchamp Flower Hunt Chaucer Baynard Flower Russell Walton Vernon Tyrell Alington I Tyrell Russell Hunt Bowes Tyrell Burley W. Tresham Burley W. Tresham Say Popham I W. Tresham Oldhall Thorpe Charlton Wenlock T. Tresham Green Strangeways Say Alington II Wood Catesby Lovell Mordaunt Fitzwilliam Empson Drury Englefield
16th century	Dudley Englefield Sheffield Nevill More Audley Wingfield Rich Hare Moyle Baker Dyer Pollard Broke Higham Cordell Gargrave T. Williams Onslow Wray Bell Popham II Puckering Snagge Coke Yelverton
17th century	Croke Phelips R. Crewe Richardson T. Crewe H. Finch J. Finch Glanville Lenthall Pelham Lenthall Rous (Barebones Parliament) Lenthall Widdrington (2nd Protectorate Parliament) Chute, Long & Bampfield (3rd Protectorate Parliament) Lenthall Grimston Turnour Charlton Seymour Sawyer Seymour Gregory W. Williams Trevor Powle Trevor Foley Littleton
18th century	Harley Smith

House of Commons
of Great Britain

18th century	Smith R. Onslow Bromley Hanmer Compton A. Onslow Cust Norton Cornwall Grenville Addington

House of Commons
of the United Kingdom

19th century	Addington Mitford Abbot Manners-Sutton Abercromby Shaw-Lefevre Denison Brand Peel Gully
20th century	Lowther Whitley FitzRoy Brown Morrison Hylton-Foster King Lloyd Thomas Weatherill Boothroyd Martin
21st century	Martin Bercow Hoyle

Categories: