The
Herbert
earldom of Powis
dates from
1674
, when
WILLIAM
HERBERT
(
c.
1626
-
1696
),
3rd baron Powis
, was created
1st earl
.
Sir
EDWARD
HERBERT
(d.
23 March 1595
;
buried at
Welshpool
), second son of
William
Herbert
,
1st earl of Pembroke of the second creation
(q.v.)
, by
Anne
Parr
, daughter of
Sir
Thomas
Parr
, had purchased the ‘
Red Castle
’ in
Powis
and its lordship from
Edward
Grey
in
1587
(see
Powis, Grey, lords of
). He appears to have had
Catholic
leanings, and his wife and children were returned as recusants in
1594
(
Trans. Cymm.
,
1945
, 122).
His son,
WILLIAM
HERBERT
(
1573
-
1656
), by
Mary
, daughter of
Thomas
Stanley
,
master of the Mint
, was
Member of Parliament
for
Montgomeryshire
between 1597 and 1629
, member of the
Council in Wales and the Marches
,
knighted
at the coronation of
James
I
, and
high sheriff
of
Montgomeryshire
,
1613
. In
1616
he secured a grant of the manors of
Kedewen
and
Kerry
and the borough and castle of
Montgomery
. He was created
1st baron Powis
in
1629
, and was given the
constableship
of
Radnor castle
and the
stewardship
of
Radnor
,
1631
. He held
Powis castle
for
Charles
I
, whom he once entertained there, during the
Civil War
, but was forced to surrender to
Sir
Thomas
Myddelton
,
2 Oct. 1644
. His wife was
Eleanor
, third daughter of the
earl of Northumberland
. A protégé of the
earl of Pembroke
(
Trans. Cymm.
,
1942
, 70), his
Romanist
leanings did not embarrass him, but in later life he appears to have grown stronger in that faith, in which his children were diligently nurtured.
He was
succeeded by his only surviving son,
Sir
PERCY
HERBERT
(
c.
1600
-
1667
), who had been
knighted
and created a
baronet
in
1622
, and who, like his father, was a member of the
Council in Wales and the Marches
. In
1639
he was
collector
in
Montgomeryshire
of contributions by
Romanists
towards the war against the
Scots
, and was for the
king
in the
Civil War
. At the
Restoration
, he headed the
North Wales
petition against the
Regicides
. He was the
author
of
Certaine Conceptions … of Sir Percy Herbert
,
1652
. His only son (by
Elizabeth
Craven
) was the
1st earl of Powis
.
The
3rd baron Powis
was regarded as the
chief of the Roman Catholic aristocracy
in his day, and his wife was also a
Roman Catholic
, being the
lady
Elizabeth
Somerset
, daughter of the
marquess of Worcester
; he m. her in
1654
. Accused of complicity in the
Popish Plot
, he suffered imprisonment from
1678 to 1685
.
Titus
Oates
alleged that he was to be the
chief minister of the Crown
had the plot matured. His
London
house, at the north-west corner of
Lincoln's Inn
, was burnt by a mob,
26 Oct. 1684
. The accession of
James
II
brought him a dispensation from the Tests and he became a
privy councillor
in
1686
. In
1687
he was created
viscount Montgomery
and
marquess of Powis
, and later became
steward of the royal manors
in the counties of
Cardigan
,
Carmarthen
,
Denbigh
, and
Radnor
, and
recorder
of
Denbigh
. The infant
prince of Wales
was entrusted to him and his
marchioness
, who was
lady of the bedchamber to the queen
. They safely conveyed the child to
France
where the
king
joined them.
James
advanced him to be
marquess of Montgomery
and
duke of Powis
,
12 Jan. 1689
, and in the following month he was outlawed for high treason. He went to
Ireland
with
James
and finally settled with him in
France
, becoming his
lord chamberlain
and a
Knight of the Garter
in
1692
. He d. at
S. Germain-en-laye
,
2 July 1696
.
Powis castle
was granted in the same year to the
Dutch
earl of Rochford
.
Herbert
had exercised a moderating influence on the
king
and the persecuted leaders of Nonconformity in
Montgomeryshire
(e.g.
Richard
Davies
, the
Quaker
, and
Hugh
Owen
of
Bronyclydwr
) experienced much kindness at this hands. Two of his daughters achieved fame — the fourth,
lady
LUCY
HERBERT
(
1669
-
1744
),
abbess
of the
English Augustine
nuns at
Bruges
, who wrote several books of devotions, which were collected and printed in
1791
as
Several excellent methods of hearing Mass
, and the fifth,
lady
WINIFRED
HERBERT
(d. at
Rome
,
1749
) who, with the aid of two women, one being
Grace
Evans
of
Welshpool
(d.
1737
), contrived the escape of her husband, the
earl of Nithsdale
, lying under sentence of death in the
Tower
for his part in the
Jacobite rising
of
1715
. The escape is described in
A Letter from Winifred Herbert … to her sister …
,
1827
.
His only son,
WILLIAM
,
lord H
ERBERT
(
c.
1665
-
1745
), was
page of honour
at the coronation of
James
II
. He was
deputy-lieutenant
for the counties of
Anglesey
,
Cardi-
gan
,
Caernarvon
,
Merioneth
,
Monmouth
, and
Pembroke
,
1688
. Imprisoned on suspicion of high treason in
1689
, he was outlawed in
1696
, but through a technical error his estates escaped confiscation. He built
Powis House
in
Great Ormond Street
, having sold the house in
Lincoln's Inn Fields
. He was again imprisoned in
1715
, suspected of having abetted the
Pretender
, but in
1722
his estates were restored to him, and he was summoned to Parliament as
marquess of Powis
, but the dukedom was not revived, though he appears to have planned to press his claim to it. In politics he was a
Tory
. He was buried at
Hendon
,
28 Oct. 1745
, leaving by his wife
Mary
, daughter of
Sir
Thomas
Preston
, two sons,
WILLIAM
,
3rd marquess
, who d. unmarried, aged about 50 in
1748
, and
EDWARD
(d.
1734
), who had by his wife
Henrietta
, daughter of the
1st earl of Waldegrave
, a posthumous daughter,
BARBARA
(
1735
-
1786
), who m.
HENRY
HERBERT
,
4th earl
(b.
c.
1703
),
son and heir by
Dorothy
, daughter of
John
Oldbury
of
London
,
merchant
, of
FRANCIS
HERBERT
of
Dolguog
and
Oakley Park
, who descended in the direct male line from
Sir
Richard
Herbert
, brother of
William
Herbert
,
1st earl of Pembroke
(both executed,
1469
), whose illegitimate son,
Richard
, was ancestor of both the
earls of Pembroke and Montgomery
and the
marquesses of Powis
. He also descended from
Edward
Herbert
,
baron Herbert of Chirbury of the first creation
, to whom the
3rd marquess
bequeathed his estates.
Henry Arthur
Herbert
, a
Protestant
, and, until
1762
, a
Whig
;
Member of Parliament
for
Bletchingley
,
1724-7
, and for
Ludlow
,
1727-43
; was created
baron Herbert of Chirbury
,
21 Dec. 1743
. In
1745
he
raised a regiment of Fusiliers
in
Salop
to oppose the
Young Pretender
, and attained the rank of
general
in
1772
. He was created
baron Powis of Powis castle
,
viscount Ludlow
, and
earl of Powis
in
1748
, and
baron Herbert of Chirbury and of Ludlow
in
1749
. In
1761
he became
comptroller of the Household
,
privy councillor
, and
lord-lieutenant of Montgomeryshire
. He was
treasurer of the Household
from
1761 to 1765
, when he resigned to avoid dismissal by the
Whigs
. On his marriage to
Barbara
Herbert
,
1751
, it is said that arrangements were made for the eldest son and daughter to be brought up as members of the
Church of England
, and the younger children in their mother's faith. Two children only survived into majority.
GEORGE
,
who succeeded his father in
1772
, and
lady
HENRIETTA
, who m.
Edward
,
2nd lord Clive
, in
1784
. The
4th earl
figures prominently in the
Morris Letters
, being
interested in Welsh mining ventures
. He secured a lease of
Esgair-mwyn lead mine
in
1757
, and
Lewis
Morris
offered to work it for him. The
Morris
brothers hoped that the
earl
would secure preferment for
Goronwy
Owen
(q.v.)
who composed a
cywydd
in
Welsh
and
Latin
upon the birth of the heir in
1755
. The
4th earl
d.
11 Sept. 1772
, and was buried at
Welshpool
. The
5th earl
,
George Edward Henry Arthur
(
1755
-
1801
) was
recorder
of
Ludlow
and
lord-lieutenant
of
Montgomeryshire
,
1776
, and of
Salop
,
1798
. He d.
16 Jan. 1801
, unmarried, and was buried at
Welshpool
. He left his estates to his sister,
lady
Henrietta
Antonia
(
1758
-
1830
), who had, in
1784
, m.
EDWARD
(
CLIVE
),
2nd baron Clive of Plassey
. The latter became
baron Clive of Walcot
in
1794
, and was
governor
of
Madras
from
1798 to 1803
. In
1804
he was created
baron Powis of Powis castle
,
baron Herbert of Chirbury
,
viscount Clive of Ludlow
, and
earl of Powis
. He was
lord-lieutenant of Montgomeryshire
,
1804-30
, and was nominated
viceroy of Ireland
,
1805
, but he did not assume the office. A
Tory
, he sided with the
Whigs
from
1783 to 1794
, but in the
House of Lords
he voted against the third reading of the
Reform Bill
,
1832
. He d.
16 May 1839
, and was buried at
Bromfield
,
Salop
.
His son and heir,
EDWARD
,
viscount Clive
,
1804-39
(educated at
Eton
and
S. John's College
,
Cambridge
,
LL.D.
1835
,
D.C.L. Oxford
,
1844
,
Member of Parliament
for
Ludlow
,
1806-39
) took, in accordance with his maternal uncle's will, the arms and name of
HERBERT
instead of those of
CLIVE
, in
1807
. He succeeded his father as
lord-lieutenant of Montgomeryshire
in
1830
, and
took a leading part in suppressing the Chartist riots
of
1839
. He was
president
of the
Royal Cambrian Literary Institution
and of the
Welsh School
,
Grays Inn Road
,
London
. He sponsored the magnificent
Welshpool eisteddfod
of
1824
, and from
1843 to 1847
he led the successful opposition to the proposal for uniting the diocese of
Bangor
and
S. Asaph
in the interest of a new
see of Manchester
. From a public testimonial of over £5,000 subscribed to acknowledge his services, the
Powis Exhibitions
at
Oxford
and
Cambridge
were founded for
Welsh
students preparing for Holy Orders. He was created a
Knight of the Garter
in
1844
. In
1828
he became a member of the
Roxburghe club
, its
president
in 1835, and in
1835
he contributed
The Lyvys of the Seyntys
to its publications. He stood against the
Prince Consort
for the
chancellorship
of the
University of Cambridge
in
1847
, and was only defeated by 954 to 837 votes. Among his public services in
Montgomeryshire
were the
building of the tower of the parish church
and the
enlarging of the Town Hall
at
Montgomery
, and the
enlarging of the Town Hall
at
Welshpool
. He also enlarged
Powis castle
. He d.
17 Jan. 1848
, under tragic circumstances, having been
accidentally shot
by his son, the
Hon.
Robert Charles
Herbert
, and was buried at
Welshpool
. His wife was
Lucy
(
1793
-
1875
), third daughter of
James
,
3rd duke of Montrose
.
His eldest son,
EDWARD JAMES
,
viscount Clive
from
1839-48
, succeeded him; b.
5 Nov. 1818
, he also was educated at
Eton
and
S. John's College
,
Cambridge
, and was a
classical scholar
of repute;
high steward
of the
University of Cambridge
from
1863
. From
1855
he was
chairman
of
Montgomery quarter sessions
, and from
1877
,
lord-lieutenant
for
Montgomeryshire
. He was first
president
of the
University College
of North Wales
,
Bangor
,
president
of the
Powysland club
from
1867
, of the
Cambrian Archaeological Association
in
1856
, and of the
Hon. Society of Cymmrodorion
,
1885
. He took an
active part in the development of intermediate education in Montgomeryshire
, and was renowned for his
generous aid for church building and restoration
. He d., unmarried,
7 May 1891
, and was buried at
Welshpool
. The estate and title passed to his nephew, the
11th earl of Powis
, son and heir of
lieutenant-general
Sir
PERCY
HERBERT
,
K.C.B.
,
P.C.
(
1822
-
1876
;
D.N.B.
).
