Carteret County already lays claim to being the “Water Sports Capital of North Carolina,” and it’s easy to see why with so much to do “on, in, under, over and beside” the ocean, sounds and inland waterways.
Shall we expand our sights to inland sites? The ideal sport to link to might be badminton. In a sense, badminton is our genes. Here’s how:
Beaufort took its name from the English Duke of Beaufort. He and his family lived in Badminton House, the name given to the duke’s sprawling country manor (20 bedrooms and 20 bathrooms), located in the village of Badminton, Gloucestershire, England.
The dukedom was created in 1682 by King Charles II to honor a loyal supporter – Henry Somerset. He was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654-67.
Somerset’s grandson, also named Henry Somerset, became the 2nd Duke of Beaufort in 1700.
The younger Henry is the chap who Beaufort is named after. He inherited one of the eight original shares of the Carolina Province in 1707 to join the elite group of Lords Proprietors. He assumed the leadership role in 1711.
