George Edward Henry Arthur Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis (7 July 1755 – 16 January 1801), styled Viscount Ludlow until 1772, was a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
peer.
Early life
Herbert was born at
Finchley
Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross.
Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...
,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
,
the son of
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 ...
, by
Barbara Herbert, daughter of Lord Edward Herbert.
[''Burke's Peerage 2003'', page 3209] He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
.
Career
He succeeded his father in the earldom in 1772 and was appointed
Recorder
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* ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...
of
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...
and
Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire
The following is a list of people who have held the title of Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire. After 1761, all Lord Lieutenants were also Custos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire. The office was abolished on 31 March 1974 and replaced by the Lord Lieu ...
in 1776. Also in 1776 he served as treasurer of the
Salop Infirmary in
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...
. Powis was commissioned a colonel to embody the Montgomeryshire Militia in 1778. In 1798 he was also made
Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Shropshire was always held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, but after the Restoration, its lieutenants were appointed sep ...
; he was also appointed colonel of the Shropshire Militia in place of the Montgomeryshire.
He retained both Lord-Lieutenancies until his death in 1801.
Lord Powis made a
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in 1775–76, when he probably acquired a collection of marble sculpture preserved at his family seat,
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 ...
. He added a ballroom but did little to maintain the house, visitor John Byng in 1784 ascribing its neglected state to his time spent ''"in the prodigalities of London and in driving high
phaetons up
St James's Street
St James's Street is the principal street in the district of St James's, central London. It runs from Piccadilly downhill to St James's Palace and Pall Mall. The main gatehouse of the Palace is at the southern end of the road; in the 17th centur ...
."'' At a later visit (1793) he wrote: ''"The present (grandly-descended peer) is a mean silly man, the bubble of his mistress (and of his steward consequently) who rarely comes here, to sneak for about a day or two."''
[Powis Castle guidebook.]
Personal life
Lord Powis died at the York House Hotel, Albemarle Street,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in January 1801, aged 45, and was buried at St Mary's Church,
Welshpool
Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
.
He was unmarried and the titles died with him. His sister and heir,
Lady Henrietta, married
Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, who 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 1804.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powis, George Herbert, 2nd Earl Of
1755 births
1801 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
Earls of Powis
Lord-Lieutenants of Montgomeryshire
Lord-Lieutenants of Shropshire
George
George may refer to:
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* George (given name)
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* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...