Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 26.djvu/195

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Herbert
189
Herbert

HERBERT, GEORGE AUGUSTUS, eleventh Earl of Pembroke and eighth Earl of Montgomery (1759–1827), general, eldest son of Henry Herbert, tenth earl of Pembroke [q. v.], was born 11 Sept. 1759. He was educated at Harrow School, and afterwards travelled in Switzerland and the north of Europe with his tutor, William Coxe [q. v.], the well-known archdeacon of Winchester. On 10 April 1775 he was appointed ensign in the 12th foot at Gibraltar, became lieutenant in 1777, and in January 1778 obtained his company in the old 75th (Prince of Wales's) foot, then raising and afterwards disbanded. He was transferred to the 1st royal dragoons in December the same year; became major 22nd light dragoons in 1782; and in 1783 was appointed lieutenant-colonel 2nd dragoon guards (Queen's Bays). He was returned to parliament for Wilton in 1784, but vacated his seat on being appointed vice-chamberlain of the royal household in 1785. He was again returned for Wilton in 1788 and 1790. He took his regiment to Flanders in 1793, and in command of the bays and 3rd dragoon guards was attached to a small corps of observation of Prussians and Austrians covering the left flank of the Prussian army during the siege of Valenciennes. He rejoined the Duke of York before Dunkirk, and at the head of four British and Hanoverian squadrons and some flying artillery dislodged a French post at Hundssluyt. He returned home on the death of his father in January 1794. He became a major-general in 1795 and colonel Inniskilling dragoons 1797; commanded a brigade at Canterbury in 1797-8, and at Salisbury in 1799, part of the latter time being in command of the south-west district. He became lieutenant-general in 1802, was made K.G. in 1805, governor of Guernsey in 1807, and in the same year was sent on a special mission as ambassador extraordinary to the court of Vienna, and became a full general in 1812. He was lord-lieutenant of Wiltshire. He died 26 Oct. 1827. By his improvements of the Wilton estates, at an outlay of 200,000l.,it is said that he trebled the rent-roll, which was 35,000l. on his succession to the title.

Lord Pembroke married, first, 8 April 1787, Elizabeth, daughter of Topham Beauclerk; she died 25 March 1793; secondly, 25 Jan. 1808, Catherine, only daughter of Count Woronzoff, sometime Russian ambassador in London and afterwards governor of southern Russia; she died 27 March 1856. By his first wife he had a son, Robert Henry, twelfth earl (1791-1862), and by his second wife a son, Sidney Herbert, first lord Herbert of Lea [q. v.], and five daughters.

[Doyle's Baronage, vol. i.; Foster's Peerage under ‘Pembroke;’ Cannon's Hist. Rec. 6th Inniskilling Dragoons; Hist. MSS. Comm. 9th Rep. ii. 380-4; Gent. Mag. 1793 i. 376, 1856 i. 515.]

H. M. C.

HERBERT, HENRY, second Earl of Pembroke (1534?–1601), elder son of William Herbert, first earl (1501?–1570) [q. v.], by his first wife, Anne, daughter of Sir Thomas Parr, and sister of Queen Catherine Parr, was educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, under Whitgift, and is also said to have studied for a time at Douav. After 1551, when his father became Earl of Pembroke, he was known as Lord Herbert. At Queen Mary's coronation he was made a knight of the Bath (29 Sept. 1553). When in June 1554 his father was entertaining at Wilton Philip of Spain's envoy, the Marquis de las Navas, Herbert's discreet manners attracted the marquis's attention, and he was made gentleman of the chamber to King Philip on his arrival in England. In 1557 he took part in a tournament held before the queen, and subsequently accompanied his father to the siege of St. Quentin. On his father's death in 1570, he succeeded as second earl of Pembroke, and on 4 April 1570 was appointed lord-lieutenant of Wiltshire. In right of his mother he succeeded, as Lord Parre and Ros of Kendal, Fitzhugh, Marmion, and Quentin, on 1 Aug. 1571. In 1574, in order to settle disputes between his tenants and friends in Wales, he and his wife gave a great entertainment at their castle at Cardiff, which he restored at a large cost.

In the court intrigues of Elizabeth's reign Pembroke was regarded as a partisan of Leicester, and was certainly in very intimate relations with him (cf. Cal. Hatfield MSS. ii. 154, iii. 137). He took a prominent part in the trials of the Duke of Norfolk (16 Jan. 1571-2), of Mary Queen of Scots (October 1586), and of Philip Howard, earl of Arnudel (14 April 1589). In 1586 he succeeded Sir Henry Sidney, whose daughter was his third wife, as president of Wales, and became about the same time admiral of South Wales. Thenceforth he spent much time at Ludlow Castle, the official residence of the president of Wales, and actively discharged the duties of his office. His instructions are preserved in Lansd. MS. 49, No. 82 (cf. Hist. of Ludlow, pp. 176,353 sq.) In 1589 he applied without success to Sir Walter Raleigh to secure for him the rangership of the New Forest (Edwards, Life of Ralegh, i. 119; cf. Cal. Hatfield MSS. iii. 365).

In a letter to Lord Burghley (20 June 1590) Pembroke complained that he had spent his fortune in the queen's service, and petitioned