Herbert William Fisher (30 July 1826 – 17 January 1903) was a British historian, best known for his book ''Considerations on the Origin of the American War'' (1865).

Life

He was born at

Poulshot Poulshot (pronounced Pole-shot) is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. Its nearest town is Devizes, about to the northeast. The parish includes the hamlet of Townsend. The A361 Trowbridge-Devizes road forms part of the northern b ...

, Wiltshire, the son of Rev. William Fisher"The Prince of Wales" Times ondon, England13 August 1859: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 (1799–1874), rector of Poulshot from 1823 to his death, and Canon of Salisbury Cathedral from 1834 and his wife Elizabeth Cookson (c. 1803–1851). He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford"Oxford University Election." Times ondon, England29 June 1859: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 and became a tutor in 1851. He was tutor to the future

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

in 1859. Called to the bar at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1855, Fisher served as private secretary to

Henry Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne Henry Pelham Fiennes Pelham-Clinton, 5th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (22 May 181118 October 1864), styled Earl of Lincoln before 1851, was a British politician. Background Newcastle was the son of Henry Pelham-Clinton, 4th Duke of Newcast ...

. In 1862 he became private secretary to the Prince of Wales,"Court Circular." Times ondon, England9 March 1863: 6. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 his former pupil, and became Keeper of the Privy Seal in 1865,"Court Circular." Times ondon, England10 August 1865: 8. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 before being appointed to the position of Vice-Warden of the Stannaries, Cornwall in 1870. Fisher married Mary Louisa Jackson (30 December 1841 – 24 August 1916) on 5 Aug 1862 in Hendon,

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

. She was born in Calcutta, the second daughter of John Jackson, physician in the Bengal Medical Service and her younger sister,

Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of the name Julio and Julius. (For further details on etymology, see the Wiktionary entry "Julius".) The given name ''Julia'' had been in use throughout Late Antiquity (e.g ...

, was the mother of

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

. Her older sister, Adeline, married Henry Halford Vaughan. Fisher and his wife had seven sons and several daughters. The sons included historian H. A. L. Fisher, and Admiral Sir William Wordsworth Fisher. Among the daughters was Florence, Lady Darwin. Another daughter, Adeline Maria, was the first wife of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. Fisher's funeral took place in

Brockenhurst Brockenhurst is the largest village by population within the New Forest in Hampshire, England. The nearest city is Southampton some to the North East, while Bournemouth is also nearby, South West. Surrounding towns and villages include Beaul ...

, Hampshire on 23 January 1903. The King and Queen were represented by Major-General Sir Stanley Clarke."Court Circular." Times ondon, England26 January 1903: 9. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012

Children

* Florence Henrietta Fisher (31 January 1864 – 5 March 1920), married

Frederic William Maitland Frederic William Maitland (28 May 1850 – ) was an English historian and lawyer who is regarded as the modern father of English legal history. Early life and education, 1850–72 Frederic William Maitland was born at 53 Guilford Street, L ...

and secondly Sir Frank Darwin * Herbert Albert Laurens Fisher (21 March 1865 – 1940), historian and Minister of Education * Arthur Alexander Fisher ("Jack") (10 August 1866 – 12 March 1902), artillery officer, died from injuries sustained in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

* Emmeline Mary Fisher (27 July 1868 – 1941), married composer and musician R. O. Morris in February 1915 * Adeline Maria Fisher (16 July 1870 – 1951), married Ralph Vaughan Williams * Edmund Montagu Prinsep Fisher (13 January 1872 – 1918), died in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

"Deaths." Times ondon, England15 April 1918: 6. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 * Hervey George Stanhope Fisher (11 August 1873 – 1921), married Augustine Louise Perret in 1912"Marriages." Times ondon, England20 May 1912: 11. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 * William Wordsworth Fisher (26 March 1875 – 1937), Knight Admiral *

Charles Dennis Fisher Charles Dennis Fisher (19 June 1877 – 31 May 1916), was a British academic, the son of historian Herbert William Fisher. He died in the Battle of Jutland during World War I. Biography Fisher was born on 19 June 1877 in Blatchington Court, Bla ...

(19 June 1877 – 31 May 1916), killed during the

in the Battle of Jutland * Cordelia Fisher (27 July 1879 – 1970) * Edwin Fisher (16 December 1883 – 1947), Chairman of

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

"Mr. Edwin Fisher." Times ondon, England29 January 1947: 7. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 29 May 2012 ''Dates of birth are from FamilySearch Community Trees.''

References

*''Mary Bennett: an Autobiography'' (published by St Hilda's College, 2006, no ISBN)
Papers of Admiral Fisher
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Herbert William Lords Privy Seal 1826 births 1903 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford People from Wiltshire 19th-century English historians