ON THIS DAY - 06 April 1621

On This Day (06 April) in 1621, Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, died at his Hampshire home, Netley Abbey, aged 81.

'Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, aged 26'. Unknown Artist, 1565 ©Sotheby's

Edward was born on 22 May 1539, the eldest surviving son of Edward Seymour, the then Earl of Hertford and older brother of Queen Jane Seymour, and his second wife, Anne Stanhope. On the death of Henry VIII, and the accession of the nine-year-old Edward VI in January 1547, his father, being one of sixteen trusted men chosen by the dying king to form a 'Regency Council' to govern during the young king's minority, quickly emerged as its leader. Accepting the title of 'Lord Protector' and being promoted to the Dukedom of Somerset, seven-year-old Edward subsequently adopted his father's previously held, but lesser-ranked, title of 'Earl of Hertford', in addition to receiving a knighthood. Edward was educated in his paternal cousin's Royal Household, where he received a well-rounded Protestant education, which included being taught several languages, including French, Latin and Greek. Once seen as a potential match for Lady Jane Grey, the eldest daughter of Henry VIII's niece Frances Brandon, the family's influence began to wain in October 1549, with his parents' arrest, and his father's forced removal from his position of 'Lord Protector'. Whilst his parents were released from the Tower of London within a few months, this subsequent period of stability was only temporary, as his parents were further arrested in November 1551, with his father being executed in January 1552, after being convicted on charges of attempting to overthrow the government, including conspiracy to assassinate the new Lord President of the Regency Council, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Edward's wardship was subsequently granted to Northumberland's own son and heir, John Dudley, 2nd Earl of Warwick, who had married Edward's sister Anne Seymour in an union, arranged by their fathers, in June 1550. Following Somerset's conviction, he was subject to an Act of Attainder through Parliament; as his heir, Edward was subsequently prevented from inheriting his rightful lands, property and wealth, with many of his well-known properties granted to him by Henry VIII and Edward VIII confiscated and returned to the Crown, including Somerset House and Syon House. Somerset's titles were also initially forfeit; however, through a further Act of Parliament during the reign of Mary I, Edward was "restored in blood", with him being once again created "1st Earl of Hertford" by Elizabeth I in 1559.

'Lady Katherine Grey and Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp', 16th Century © English Heritage - Audley End Estate

Edward and his siblings were able to regain positions within the royal households, with his younger sister Lady Jane Seymour gaining a position within both Mary and Elizabeth's households as a gentlewoman of the privy chamber. It was through Jane's friendship with another gentlewoman, Lady Katherine Grey, the younger sister of the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey, that a relationship formed between the pair. Around Christmas 1560, following a secret courtship, in the presence of Jane at his Westminster home 'Hertford House', Edward secretly married, and without royal consent, Katherine; an illegal act given her family’s actions less than a decade ago, and her own royal blood, as at the time of their marriage, she was deemed to be Elizabeth's closest blood relative, and seen by many to be her rightful heir. Their marriage was kept secret until the following summer, once Katherine was visibly pregnant with their first child. On the orders of a furious Elizabeth, Katherine was imprisoned in the Tower of London, where she gave birth to the couple's first son, Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp. Edward was also confined to the Tower, where they remained imprisoned for two years, although were able to have ongoing contact, as Katherine became pregnant again, and gave birth to their second son Thomas. During this time, an ecclesiastical court annulled their marriage, and deemed their children illegitimate. In the summer of 1563, the family were moved separately out of the Tower, with Katherine being placed under house arrest, where she died in 1568, being initially interred in Yoxford church. Following his release from the Tower, Edward was ordered by the Star Chamber to pay a huge fine. Following this, he appears to have continued his education, matriculating from Cambridge, and joining the Inns of Court. In 1601, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to France, although he predominantly remained in England, being appointed to political positions in the south-west, including Somerset and Wiltshire. Edward also married a further two times, first to Frances Howard, sister to Douglas Howard, one time paramour of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and mother to his son 'Robin Sheffield', and secondly to the widowed Frances Purnell (neé Howard), but had no further children.

Tomb of Katherine Grey and Edward Seymour, Salisbury Cathedral © sick_atur_ad_astra [Flickr]

During his lifetime, Edward purchased multiple properties, including Netley Abbey, in Hampshire, which is where he died on this day, on 06 April 1621. He was subsequently buried at Salisbury Cathedral on 24 May 1621. At his request, Katherine Grey's body was reportedly moved from her original burial place and reinterred with alongside him, her entrails remaining buried at Yoxford. A great monument was later erected at Salisbury, complete with matching tomb effigies of the couple, Katherine's being positioned above Edward's, reflecting her royal status. Their combined coat of arms are defiantly on display, with the inscription written in Latin on the marble tablet above the pair "hic tandem, qua vixere concordia, requiescunt simul", translated as "Here at last, where they lived in harmony, they rest together".