Family and Education

b. 28 May 1743, 2nd s. of Hon. William Herbert^† by Catherine Elizabeth Tewes of Aix-la-Chapelle. educ. ?Eton 1753-4. m. 17 July 1775, Lady Caroline Montagu, da. of Robert Montagu^†, 3rd Duke of Manchester, s.p.

Offices Held

Lt. RN 1761, cdr. 1765, capt. 1768.

Groom of bedchamber 1777-d.; sec. to ld. chamberlain 1782-3.

Biography

Herbert twice sat for Wilton on the interest of his kinsmen the 10th and 11th Earls of Pembroke. From 1775 to 1780 he supported administration, retiring when the 10th Earl went into opposition. In 1807 the 11th Earl returned him in place of his nephew and namesake, who was acting with opposition; he again supported government. By then he had been a groom of the bedchamber for 30 years and on 7 Mar. 1808 he unsuccessfully applied to the King to become master of the robes. He mustered for government on the Scheldt question, January-March 1810, on the Regency, 1 Jan. 1811, and voted against the abolition of the sinecure paymastership of widows’ pensions, 21 Feb. 1812. No speech can with certainty be attributed to him and in the Parliament of 1812 his only reported vote was in the government minority on the Duke of Cumberland’s establishment, 3 July 1815. He died 5 Sept. 1816.

Geo. III Corresp. v. 3619.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: R. G. Thorne

Notes