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
William Herbert, 1st Marquess of Powis, PC (16262 June 1696) was an English nobleman, best remembered for his suffering during the Popish Plot. He succeeded his father as 3rd Baron Powis in 1667 and was created Earl of Powis in 1674 by King C ...
, by
Lady Elizabeth, younger daughter of
Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester
Edward Somerset, 2nd Marquess of Worcester (9 March 1602 or 9 March 16033 April 1667), styled Lord Herbert of Raglan from 1628 to 1644, was an English nobleman involved in royalist politics, and an inventor.
While Earl of Glamorgan, he was sen ...
. Until 1722 he was known as Viscount Montgomery. At the coronation of
James II, 23 April 1685, he acted as page of honour. From 8 May 1687 until November 1688 he was colonel of a regiment of foot, and was also deputy-lieutenant of six Welsh counties from 26 February to 23 December 1688.
After the
Glorious Revolution, efforts on behalf of James II resulted in Montgomery's committal to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
on 6 May 1689 and he was not given bail until 7 November. On 5 July 1690, and again on 23 March 1696 a proclamation, accompanied by a reward of £1,000, was issued for his apprehension; on the latter occasion, he was suspected of complicity in the
Jacobite assassination plot. In May 1696 he was outlawed, but a technical error on the part of the sheriffs of London enabled him to retain his estate. He surrendered on 15 December 1696 and was taken to
Newgate Prison. Though he was reported to have given information concerning the plot, he remained there until 19 June 1697, when during an outbreak of
gaol fever
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
he was released on bail.
Montgomery was not tried, and in November 1700 was ill at
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...
. In January 1701 King William III allowed him to travel from
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
in order to raise money on his estate and pay debts. He paid a second visit to London on 25 May 1703, surrendered himself, and was admitted to bail. Financial difficulties led him to sell his house in
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in develo ...
to the
Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne was a title that was created three times, once in the Peerage of England and twice in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first grant of the title was made in 1665 to William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle ...
in May 1705. He was living in
Powis House in
Great Ormond Street in 1708.
Arrested again during the Jacobite alarm in September 1715, Montgomery was considered harmless. He was eventually restored to his titles and estates, including
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 fo ...
, and was summoned to parliament as Marquess of Powis on 8 October 1722. By Jacobites, he was styled Duke of Powis, and he and his eldest son prepared a statement of their claim to that title; but the claim does not seem to have been pressed. He died on 22 October 1745.
Family
Montgomery married
Mary
Mary may refer to:
People
* Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name)
Religious contexts
* New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below
* Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
, eldest daughter and coheiress of Sir Thomas Preston, bart., of Furness. She died on 8 January 1724 and was buried at
Hendon, where the marquess had property. By her, Powis had two sons and four daughters.
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, the eldest son, died unmarried on 8 March 1748. Edward, the younger son, died in 1734, having married Henrietta, daughter of
James Waldegrave, 1st Earl Waldegrave, by whom he had an only child, Barbara, born posthumously. Barbara married a kinsman,
Henry Arthur Herbert, who was created Baron Herbert of Cherbury in 1743, and Earl of Powis in 1748.
Notes
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powis, William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of
1660 births
Year of birth uncertain
1745 deaths
Devonshire Regiment officers
William Herbert, 02nd Marquess of Powis
Dukes in the Jacobite peerage
2
Earls of Powis