Henry Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury (died 19 April 1738), of

Ribbesford Ribbesford is a village and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 237. History Ribbesford was in the lower division of Doddingtree Hundred.''Worcestershire Family Histor ...

, Worcestershire, was an English Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

from 1708 until 1709 when he succeeded to the peerage as

Baron Herbert of Chirbury The title of Baron Herbert of Chirbury was created five times, twice in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The title of Baron Herbert of Castle Island was created once i ...

. Herbert was born after 1678, the only son of

Henry Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Chirbury Henry Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Chirbury (24 July 1654 – 22 January 1709) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1677 and 1694 when he became Baron Herbert of Chirbury. Herbert was the son of Sir ...

and his wife Anne Ramsey, daughter of John Ramsey, Dyer, of London. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

in 1695 and then privately under Abel Boyer in 1699. Herbert stood for Parliament at

Bewdley Bewdley ( pronunciation) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley west of Kidderminster and southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the Riv ...

at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pre ...

but was defeated in the poll and was then unsuccessful with a petition. His father, a staunch Whig, then procured a new charter for Bewdley and was able to take control of the borough. Herbert junior was returned as a Whig

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Bewdley at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

. His father died on 22 January 1709 and Herbert succeeded to the peerage. Consequently he vacated his seat in the House of Commons to sit in the House of Lords. There he continued to challenge a petition against his election in order to secure the new charter. Lord Herbert married Mary Wallop, daughter of John Wallop of Farley Wallop, Hampshire, on 12 December 1709. She was the sister of John Wallop, 1st Earl of Portsmouth. Herbert's election expenses had helped bring him into financial difficulties. By 1713 he was serving the Tory ministry of

Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, KG PC FRS (5 December 1661 – 21 May 1724) was an English statesman and peer of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory ...

, who personally funded Herbert so he could stay in London and vote. When the Whigs were in control after 1714, Herbert reverted to his original allegiance in the hope of securing financial aid. He died without issue on 19 April 1738, allegedly by suicide. His widow died in 1770.

References

1738 deaths Henry Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury Barons Herbert of Chirbury (second creation) People from Bewdley British MPs 1708–1710 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Suicides in England {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub