Barbara Herbert, Countess of Powis (24 June 1735 – 12 March 1786), was the wife of General

Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis PC (before 9 April 1703Baptism date. – 10 September 1772), known as Henry Herbert until 1743 and as The Lord Herbert of Chirbury between 1743 and 1748, was a British peer and politician. Background A me ...

. Barbara's father, Lord Edward Herbert, was a younger son of

William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis (c. 1660–1745) was a Welsh aristocrat and Jacobite supporter. Life He was the son of William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis, by Lady Elizabeth, younger daughter of Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worces ...

; he married

Lady Henrietta Waldegrave Lady Henrietta (Waldegrave) Herbert Beard,(2 January 1717 – 31 May 1753), was an English aristocrat. She was the wife of Lord Edward Herbert and the mother of Barbara Herbert, Countess of Powis. Following her first husband’s death she ma ...

, but died only a few months after the wedding, in 1734. Barbara was born three months after her father's death, and was fifteen when she married Henry Herbert on 30 March 1751; Henry was in his late forties. Henry was descended from

Richard Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury Richard Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury (''c.'' 1604 – 13 May 1655) was an Anglo-Welsh Member of Parliament, a Royalist who fought with the rank of colonel in the English Civil War, and a peer whose membership of the House of Lor ...

, and was created

Earl of Powis Earl of Powis (Powys) is a title that has been created three times. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 in favour of William Herbert, 3rd Baron Powis, a descendant of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c. 1501–15 ...

in 1748, following the death without heirs of

William Herbert, 3rd Marquess of Powis William Herbert, 3rd Marquess of Powis (1698 – 8 March 1748), styled Viscount Montgomery until 1745, was an English peer. The only son of William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis and his wife Mary, he succeeded his father as Marquess of Powis ...

. The couple had two children: * George Edward Henry Arthur Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis (1755–1801); died unmarried. * Lady Henrietta Antonia Herbert (1758–1830); married Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, who was later created Earl of Powis, and had issue. In 1771, shortly before the earl's death, the family seat at Oakly Park was sold to

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, (29 September 1725 – 22 November 1774), also known as Clive of India, was the first British Governor of the Bengal Presidency. Clive has been widely credited for laying the foundation of the British ...

, and they moved permanently to

Powis Castle Powis Castle ( cy, Castell Powys) is a British medieval castle, fortress and grand country house near Welshpool, in Powys. The seat of the Herbert family, Earls of Powis, the castle is known for its formal gardens and for its interiors, the form ...

. A portrait of Barbara by an unknown artist, dated to approximately 1750, is held at Powis Castle, in the care of the

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powis, Barbara Herbert, Countess of 1735 births 1786 deaths British countesses Herbert family 18th-century British women