Wulfhall century, when Jane Seymour became the third wife of King Henry VIII. Her son became Edward VI and ruled England from 1547 to 1553. At the beginning of Edward's reign, he was nine years old and his eldest uncle, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, was Lord High Protector of England, while another uncle, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, married Henry VIII's widow, Catherine Parr. Both Edward and Thomas Seymour were eventually executed for treason. Henry VIII stayed at Wulfhall during his royal progress of 1535. This may have been when he first courted Jane Seymour, leading eventually
Frances Seymour, Duchess of Somerset thus incurred the Queen's wrath. Essex was executed on 25 February 1601 for allegedly conspiring to murder the Queen. He left behind his wife and small children; Frances was less than two years old at the time. Frances's brother was Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, and she had an elder sister, Dorothy. She also had three younger half-siblings from her mother's third marriage in 1603 to Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde. These were Honora, Mary and Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde. On 3 March 1616, Frances married at Drayton Bassett William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset (1588-1660),