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Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke

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The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery
Thomas Herbert by John Greenhill
8th President of the Royal Society
In office
1689–1690
Preceded byJohn Vaughan
Succeeded byRobert Southwell
First Lord of the Admiralty
In office
1690–1692
MonarchsWilliam III and Mary II
Preceded byThe Earl of Torrington
Succeeded byThe Lord Cornwallis
Lord Privy Seal
In office
1692–1699
Preceded byIn Commission
Last held by Lord Halifax
Succeeded byThe Viscount Lonsdale
Lord President of the Council
In office
18 May 1699 – 29 January 1702
MonarchWilliam III
Preceded byThe Duke of Leeds
Succeeded byThe Duke of Somerset
In office
9 July 1702 – 25 November 1708
MonarchAnne
Preceded byThe Duke of Somerset
Succeeded byThe Lord Somers
Personal details
Born1656 (1656)
Died22 January 1733(1733-01-22) (aged 76–77)
Spouses
  • Margaret Sawyer
    (m. 1684)
  • (m. 1708; died 1721)
  • Mary Howe
Children13
Parents
Quartered arms of Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke, 5th Earl of Montgomery

Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke and 5th Earl of Montgomery, KG, PC, PRS (c. 1656 – 22 January 1733), styled The Honourable Thomas Herbert until 1683, was an English and later British statesman during the reigns of William III and Anne.

Background

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Herbert was the third son of Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke and his wife Catharine Villiers, daughter of Sir William Villiers, 1st Baronet who was the half-brother of the 1st Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers. Through his grandmother, Susan de Vere, he was a great-grandson of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, the Oxfordians' William Shakespeare. He was educated at Tonbridge School, Kent. Both of his brothers (the 6th Earl and the 7th Earl) having died without a male heir, he succeeded to the earldoms in 1683. Through them, he would inherit the family seat of the Earls of Pembroke, Wilton House in Wiltshire.

Wilton House, Family seat of the Earls of Pembroke

Public life

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Herbert was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Wilton at the two general elections of 1679 and the general election of 1681. He was no longer able to sit in the House of Commons after assuming the peerage in 1683.[1]

As Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Pembroke commanded the Wiltshire Militia against the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. They mustered at Salisbury on 17 June and marched to Bath. Hearing that Frome had declared for the Duke of Monmouth, Pembroke marched out with a squadron of Militia Horse carrying some musketeers behind their saddles. On arrival he found a large number of rebel recruits, some armed with pistols or pikes, others with scythes and clubs. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Pembroke entered the town at the head of his musketeers, followed by the horse. A shot was fired at him, but the rebels soon broke and ran before the advancing militia, who then captured the bridge after some fighting. Afterwards Pembroke with his Wiltshire Militia and some Hampshire Militia blocked Monmouth's advance into Wiltshire. The Wiltshire Militia then accompanied the Royal army to Bridgwater in pursuit of the rebels. When Monmouth attempted a night attack on the Royal army camped on Sedgemoor, Pembroke quickly rode from his quarters at Weston Court in Westonzoyland and roused his men; they formed the reserve during the Battle of Sedgemoor. Afterwards they took part in the pursuit and clearing-up operations.[2][3][4]

From 1690 to 1692 as Lord Pembroke, he was First Lord of the Admiralty. He then served as Lord Privy Seal until 1699, being in 1697 the first plenipotentiary of Great Britain at the congress of Ryswick. On two occasions he was Lord High Admiral for a short period; he was also Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, while he acted as one of the Lords Justices seven times; and he was President of the Royal Society in 1689–1690.[5] He is the dedicatee of John Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Greenhill's The Art of Embalming.

Marriages and progeny

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He married three times:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "HERBERT, Hon. Thomas (c.1656-1733), of Wilton, Wilts". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  2. ^ Chandler, pp. 29, 37–8.
  3. ^ Drummer Adam Wheeler, Iter Bellicosum, in Chandler, pp. 130–7.
  4. ^ Scott, pp. 97, 103, 200, 252–5, 259–61, 263–4, 288–9, 367; Tables 2.2.2, 2.2.3.
  5. ^  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Pembroke, Earls of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 80.
  6. ^ Pedigree of Arundell of Trerice, Vivian, J.L., ed. (1887). The Visitations of Cornwall: comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620; with additions by J.L. Vivian. Exeter: W. Pollard, p. 14 [1] Archived 5 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Walpole, Horace (1837). "Correspondence of H. W. With G. Montagu, Esq. Hon. H. S. Conway, Rev. W. Cole, Lady Hervey ... New Edition, ... With Numerous Illustrative Notes, Now First Added".

Bibliography

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Parliament of England
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Wilton
1679–1683
With: Thomas Penruddocke 1679
Sir John Nicholas 1679–1683
Succeeded by
Sir John Nicholas
Oliver Nicholas
Political offices
Preceded by First Lord of the Admiralty
1690–1692
Succeeded by
Preceded by
In Commission
Lord Privy Seal
1692–1699
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord President of the Council
1699–1702
Succeeded by
Preceded by
The Earl of Bridgewater
(First Lord of the Admiralty)
Lord High Admiral
1701–1702
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord President of the Council
1702–1708
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
1707–1708
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord High Admiral
1708–1709
Succeeded by
The Earl of Orford
(First Lord of the Admiralty)
Military offices
New regiment Colonel of the 2nd Maritime Regiment
1690–1691
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire
jointly with The Earl of Yarmouth 1688–1689

1683–1733
Succeeded by
Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan
1683–1728
Succeeded by
Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire
1683–1715
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire
1694–1715
Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire
1694–1715
Succeeded by
Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire
1694–1715
Succeeded by
Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire
1694–1715
Vacant
Title next held by
George Rice
Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan
1694–1715
Vacant
Title next held by
The Duke of Bolton
Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire
1694–1715
Succeeded by
Peerage of England
Preceded by Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Montgomery

1683–1733
Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by 8th President of the Royal Society
1689–1690
Succeeded by