Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Seymour, Francis (1813-1890)
SEYMOUR, Sir FRANCIS (1813–1890), general, eldest son of Henry Augustus Seymour, by Margaret, daughter of the Rev. William Williams of Cromlech, co. Anglesey, was born on 2 Aug. 1813, and was commissioned as ensign in the 19th foot on 2 May 1834. He became lieutenant 16 June 1837. In February 1839, at the request of the king of the Belgians, he joined Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg at Florence, and accompanied him during his travels in Italy. In 1840, after Prince Albert's marriage with the queen, he was appointed groom-in-waiting to him, and retained the office till the prince's death.
He was promoted captain on 4 Sept. 1840, and on 21 Jan. 1842 he exchanged into the Scots fusilier guards, in which regiment he obtained a company on 28 June 1850. He went with the first battalion to the Crimea in 1854, and was present at Alma, Balaclava, and Inkerman. In the course of the latter battle the command of the battalion devolved on him, and he was himself wounded. He was again severely wounded in the latter part of the siege by a fragment of a shell, which struck the back of his head, when he was field officer in command in the trenches of the right attack. He was made brevet-colonel on 28 Nov. 1854, and C.B. on 2 Jan. 1857. He received the Crimean medal with four clasps, and the Turkish medal, the Legion of Honour (fourth class) and Medjidie (fourth class).
He was promoted major in his regiment on 14 June 1858, and lieutenant-colonel on 13 Feb. 1863; he went on half pay on 10 July 1863, and on 25 Nov. 1864 became major-general. He held the command of the troops in Malta from 1 Jan. 1872 to 5 April 1874. He was made lieutenant-general 23 May 1873, colonel of the Devonshire regiment (11th) 7 Feb. 1874, K.C.B. 29 May 1875, and general 1 Oct. 1877. On 1 July 1881 he was placed on the retired list.
After the death of the prince consort, in December 1861, he was appointed groom-in-waiting to the queen. In 1869 he was made a baronet, and in February 1876 he became master of ceremonies and an extra groom-in-waiting. He was a knight grand cross of the Saxe-Ernestine order.
Seymour died at Kensington palace on 10 July 1890. He married, in 1869, Agnes Austin, eldest daughter of the Rev. H. D. Wickham, rector of Horsington, Somerset, by whom he had one son and three daughters.
[Times, 12 July 1890; Annual Reg. 1890; Early Years of the Prince Consort; Kinglake's Invasion of the Crimea.]