Regency Personalities Series
In my attempts to provide us with the details of the Regency, today I continue with one of the many period notables.
Sir George Seymour
17 September 1787 – 20 January 1870
George Seymour
Sir George Seymour was the eldest son of Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (himself a son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford) and Anna Horatia Waldegrave (a daughter of James Waldegrave, 2nd Earl Waldegrave) and entered the Royal Navy in 1797.
In 1806, he took command of Kingfisher and sailed her back to Britain. Promoted to Captain later that year, he was given command of HMS Aurora.
He captained HMS Pallas during the Battle of Basque Roads and HMS Fortunée and HMS Leonidas during the War of 1812. For his part in the latter war, he was appointed a CB in 1815 (alongside many other Captains) and a KCH in 1831 (and later a GCH in 1834). In 1841 he was appointed Third Naval Lord.
He was appointed Commander-in-Chief Pacific Station in 1844, Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies Station in 1851 and Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth in 1856.
He was appointed a GCB in 1860 and promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in 1866.
He died in January 1870, eight months before his first cousin once removed, the 4th Marquess of Hertford; had he survived him, he would have succeeded to the title. His son Francis succeeded as the 5th Marquess in August.
In 1811, Seymour had married Georgiana Mary Berkeley (a daughter of Sir George Berkeley) and they had eight children:
- Francis George Hugh (1812–1884), succeeded cousin as Marquess of Hertford in 1870.
- George Henry (1818–1869), Lord of the Admiralty.
- Laura Williamina (1832–1912), married Queen Victoria’s nephew Prince Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (eventually becoming known as Princess Victor of Hohenlohe-Langenburg).
- William Frederick Ernest (1838–1915), General
- Georgina Isabella (d. 1848), married Charles Corkran of Long Ditton.
- Horatia Louisa (d. 1829), died unmarried.
- Emily Charlotte (d. 1892), married William Ormsby-Gore, 2nd Baron Harlech.
- Matilda Horatia (d. 1916), married Lt-Col Cecil Rice.
The Things That Catch My Eye 