Robert Sawyer Herbert (28 January 1693 – 1769) of

Highclere Castle Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about south of Newbury, ...

, Hampshire, was a British 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. ...

for 46 years from 1722 to 1768.

Early life

Herbert was the second son of

Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke and 5th Earl of Montgomery, (c. 165622 January 1733), styled The Honourable Thomas Herbert until 1683, was an English and later British statesman during the reigns of William III and Anne. Background Herbe ...

and his wife Margaret Sawyer, daughter of Sir Robert Sawyer who died in 1692. In 1706, he succeeded to his mother's estates and inherited

from his maternal grandfather, who entailed his estates on the unborn younger sons of his daughter. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 5 July 1709, aged 16. Before 1723, he married Mary Smith, daughter of John Smith, Speaker of the House of Commons.

Career

Herbert was returned unopposed as

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 of ...

for Wilton at the 1722 general election on his father's interest. He was appointed

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Household of the monarch in early modern England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In France, the Duchy of Burgundy, and in Eng ...

to George I in 1723. He was returned again for Wilton at the 1727 general election following the death of George I, and was appointed Commissioner of revenue for Ireland in 1727. At the 1734 general election he was returned again for Wilton. He was transferred to become Lord of Trade in 1737. He retained the post until 1751 but it was later said by Pelham ‘he has been of the Board of Trade upwards of 20 years, tho’ in it I believe not as many times’. He was returned as MP for Wilton at the general elections of

1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. * February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a spe ...

and 1747. In 1750 he was appointed

Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

for six years. He was appointed surveyor general of crown lands by Pelham in 1751. He was returned again for Wilton in the general elections of 1754 and

1761 Events January–March * January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, and restore the Mughal Empire to Shah Alam II. * January 16 – Siege of Pondi ...

. He is not known to have made a speech in Parliament. For most of his career, he held minor government posts, and voted for successive Administrations in all recorded divisions. Rockingham classified him in November 1766 as prepared to serve any Administration.

Death and legacy

Herbert died on 25 April 1769. His brothers Hon.

Nicholas Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglicanism, Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the n ...

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

and William Herbert were also MPs. He left

to his nephew Henry Herbert, son of his brother William.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Robert Sawyer 1693 births 1769 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Younger sons of earls