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 member of the Herbert family, he was the son of Francis Herbert, of

Oakly Park Oakly Park, Bromfield, Shropshire, England is a country house dating from the 18th century. In the early 19th century, the house was restored and extended by Charles Robert Cockerell, Surveyor to the Bank of England for his friend Robert Henry ...

near

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 ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

,The work incorrectly places Oakly Park in Montgomeryshire. son of Richard Herbert by his wife and second cousin once removed, Florence, daughter of

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 ...

. His mother was Dorothy, daughter of John Oldbury, a merchant of

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 ...

. He was baptised at the parish church of Bromfield near Oakly Park.

Political career

Herbert was returned to parliament as a Whig for

Bletchingley Bletchingley (historically "Blechingley") is a village in Surrey, England. It is on the A25 road to the east of Redhill, Surrey, Redhill and to the west of Godstone, has a conservation area with Middle Ages, medieval buildings and is mostly on a ...

in 1724, a seat he held until 1727, and then represented

until 1743. In 1735 he became Custos Rotulorum of Montgomeryshire and

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 separ ...

, and was Treasurer to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

(father of

George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

) from 1737 to 1738. In 1743 he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Herbert of Chirbury, in the County of Shropshire, a revival of the title (spelt "Cherbury") which had been held in his family from 1629 until becoming extinct on the death of a son of his great-grandfather in 1691. Five years later he was created Baron Powis, of Powis Castle in the County of Montgomery, Viscount Ludlow, in the County of Shropshire, and Earl of Powis, in the County of Montgomery, a revival of the Powis title which had become extinct on the death of the third Marquess of Powis the same year. The following year he was also made Baron Herbert of Chirbury and Ludlow, with remainder to firstly his brother Richard Herbert and secondly to his kinsman Francis Herbert, of

. In 1761 Lord Powis relinquished his position as Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire and was appointed

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 Li ...

instead, but he was reinstated to the Lord-Lieutenancy of Shropshire in 1764 and held both posts until his death eight years later. Also in 1761 he was appointed

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of t ...

and sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. He was promoted to

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Ma ...

later the same year, a post he held until 1765.

Military positions

During the time of the

Jacobite rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745, also known as the Forty-five Rebellion or simply the '45 ( gd, Bliadhna Theàrlaich, , ), was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Franci ...

, when

Prince Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

's Scots army was about to invade England, Powis was commissioned as Colonel on 1 October that year to raise a regiment of

fusiliers Fusilier is a name given to various kinds of soldiers; its meaning depends on the historical context. While fusilier is derived from the 17th-century French word ''fusil'' – meaning a type of flintlock musket – the term has been used in co ...

in Shropshire to counter the invasion. They were ordered to march into Staffordshire but, being insufficiently disciplined and manned, they fell back without joining battle against the Jacobite troops who were feared to be heading for Wales but diverted towards Derby instead. Powis never saw active service but he was given further promotions as Major-General in 1755, Lieutenant-General in 1759, and full General in 1772, the year of his death.

Family

In 1751, he married the fifteen-year-old Barbara Herbert, posthumous daughter and heiress of Lord Edward Herbert, 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 ...

, and brother 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 ...

.thepeerage.com Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Powis
/ref> Lord and Lady Powis 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.

Later life and death

was his main country home until 1771, when he sold it to Lord Clive ('Clive of India') and moved into

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 ...

, the seat of his Earldom, near

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 ...

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

.Powis Castle guidebook. Lord Powis died at

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, in September 1772 aged 69, and was buried in

St Mary's Church, Welshpool St Mary's Church, Welshpool, in the Diocese of St Asaph, is the Anglican parish church of Welshpool, Powys, Wales. The church is a Grade I listed building. St Cynfelin (also known as St Matu) is reputed to be the founder of St Mary's, during "t ...

. He was succeeded by his son, George (who also succeeded in the barony of Herbert of Chirbury and Ludlow as the persons in special remainder to that peerage had died before Lord Powis). The earldom became extinct on the latter's death in 1801. Lord Powis's daughter, Lady Henrietta, married Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, son of

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 ...

("Clive of India"). In 1804, the Earldom of Powis was revived in favour of Edward Clive. Barbara, Countess of Powis, died in March 1786, aged 50.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Powis, Henry Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of 1700s births 1772 deaths Year of birth uncertain British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 Earls of Powis Peers of Great Britain created by George II Lord-Lieutenants of Shropshire Lord-Lieutenants of Montgomeryshire Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Treasurers of the Household Herbert family