caption father house successor succession mother death_date death_place image_size birth_date spouse issue image article_title name
arms somerset : '' quarterly , 1st & 4th : azure of , three fleurs de lis or -lrb- france -rrb- ; beaufort 2nd & 3rd : gules , three lions passant guardant family in pale or -lrb- england -rrb- ; all within a , bordure compony argent and azure '' earls and dukes of john of gaunt , 1st duke of lancaster house of beaufort henry beaufort , 2nd earl earl of somerset katherine swynford 16 march 1410 hospital of st katharine 's by the tower 125 château de beaufort , anjou , c. 1373 margaret holland , countess of somerset henry , 1st duke of somerset joan beaufort , queen of beaufort scotland thomas beaufort , count of perche edmund beaufort , , 2nd duke of somerset margaret beaufort , countess of devon 2nd earl of somerset john beaufort arms of john beaufort , 1st earl of somerset.svg john beaufort , 1st earl of somerset
 the earl of somerset
john beaufort , 1st earl of somerset

john beaufort , 1st marquess of somerset and 1st marquess of dorset , later only 1st earl of somerset , kg -lrb- c. 1373 -- 16 march 1410 -rrb- was the first of the four children of john of gaunt , 1st duke of lancaster , and his mistress katherine swynford , later his wife .
beaufort 's surname probably reflects his father 's lordship of beaufort in champagne , france .
the family emblem was the portcullis which is shown on the reverse of british pennies minted between 1971 and 2008 .
a parliament during richard ii declared the beaufort children legitimate , as well as pope boniface ix in september 1396 .
john of gaunt married katherine swynford in january 1396 .
despite being the grandchildren of edward iii , and next in the line of succession after their father 's legitimate children , the lancasters , the beauforts , including john beaufort , were initially barred from succession to the throne .
