Mary Seymour, Duchess of Somerset
Mary Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (1697–1768) was born Mary Webb in Seend, Wiltshire. She was the only child of Daniel Webb of Monkton Farleigh and his wife Elizabeth Somner.
She married Edward Seymour, who was then Sir Edward Seymour, 6th Baronet, on 8 March 1716 (or 5 March 1717) at Monkton Farleigh. He later became the 8th Duke of Somerset. In December 1740, he inherited his father’s estates in Wiltshire and Devon.
In 1744, after the death of George Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp, Edward became next in line to inherit the dukedom. On 23 November 1750, the 7th Duke of Somerset died and Edward succeeded to the dukedom, making Mary the Duchess of Somerset.
After the 7th duke’s death, the main Percy family estates were divided between Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, and Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont. Mary and Edward had children who would go on to become the 9th and 10th Dukes of Somerset. The duchess supported several charities.
The 8th Duke died in December 1757 and was buried at Maiden Bradley. Mary then expanded Seend Green House (later Seend Park), which had belonged to her grandfather John Somner. She died on 1 February 1768, aged 70, and was buried at Seend. Her will is kept at the National Archives in Kew.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 17:52 (CET).