Geoffrey Somerset, 6th Baron Raglan


Geoffrey Somerset, 6th Baron Raglan is a British peer, businessman, and Conservative politician.

Early life

Raglan is the younger son of FitzRoy Richard Somerset, 4th Baron Raglan, by his marriage to the Hon. Julia Hamilton, daughter of the 11th Lord Belhaven & Stenton. He was educated at the Dragon School, Oxford, Westminster School, and the Royal Agricultural College.
Field Marshal Lord Raglan, the first baron, was the eighth son of Henry Somerset, 5th Duke of Beaufort, so the Lords Raglan are distantly in the line of succession to the Dukedom of Beaufort.

Life

After completing his National Service as an officer in the Grenadier Guards, Raglan was a trainee with the Rootes Group from 1954 to 1957, an Instructor at the Standard Motor Company 1957–1960, then sales and later Marketing Manager, Lambourn Engineering 1960–1971. From 1971 to 1994 he was a wine shipper and from 1994 to 2013 an insurance broker.
He served as President of the Lambourn St John Ambulance Division 1964–1981, President of the Lambourn branch of the Royal British Legion 1963–1977, a member of Berkshire County Council 1966–1975. He was a member of Newbury District Council from 1979 to 1983 and chaired its Recreation & Amenities Committee, Chairman of the Stanford Conservative Association 1984 to 1988 and again 1997 to 2000, member of the Oxfordshire Valuation Tribunal and later a Chairman of Thames Valley Valuation Tribunals between 1987 and 2004, a member of Oxfordshire County Council 1988–1993, Chairman Vale of White Horse District of the Campaign to Protect Rural England 2000–2004. He is also a Vice-President of the Oxfordshire Grenadier Guards Association and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Skinners.
He succeeded to the title of Baron Raglan on 24 January 2010 on the death of his older brother, Fitzroy Somerset, the 5th Baron.

Family

In 1956, Geoffrey Somerset married Caroline Rachel Hill, a daughter of Colonel Edward Roderick Hill DSO, of St Arvans Court, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, by his marriage to Rachel Hicks Beach. They have had three children, two daughters and a son now deceased.
  1. Hon. Belinda Caroline Somerset, now Boyd, educated at St Gabriel's School, Newbury, Chatelard School, Bradfield College, Founder and Director , married 1989 Nicholas Gant Boyd, eldest son of Cdr Christopher Boyd DSC RN.
  2. Hon. Arthur Geoffrey Somerset, educated at Dragon School, Oxford, and Bradfield College, married 2001 Tanya Arabel, only daughter of Roger Broome. He was the founder and CEO of , President UK & Europe, Regional Vice-President Europe, Middle East and Africa, Chairman Trellech Conservatives from 2011. Their children are Inigo Arthur Fitzroy Somerset, now heir apparent to the barony; Ivo Geoffrey Arthur Tarsus Somerset ; and Oona-Vita Olwen Phyllis Caroline Somerset.
  3. Hon. Lucy Ann Somerset educated St Gabriel's School, Newbury, married 1998 Richard Scott-Watson FRCS and has issue Rachel Elise, George Anthony, Theo Alan.

    Seats

Raglan lives at Stanford in the Vale, Faringdon, Oxfordshire SN7 8NN.
The family seat is Cefntilla Court, Llandenny, in Monmouthshire. An inscription over the porch dated 1858 reads: "This house with 238 acres of land was purchased by 1623 of the friends, admirers and comrades in arms of the late Field Marshal Lord Raglan GCB and presented by them to his son and his heirs for ever in a lasting memorial of affectionate regard and respect". The 5th Baron Raglan willed Cefntilla to the son of his sister, and not to the heirs of the barony. The will was disputed by the Hon Arthur Somerset, son and heir of Geoffrey Somerset, but following his death on 25 July 2012 the dispute was settled.