Coat of Arms of Sir William Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert, KG

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke KG (c. 142327 July 1469), known as "Black William", was a Welsh nobleman, soldier, politician, and courtier.

Life

He was the son of

William ap Thomas Sir William ap Thomas (died 1445) was a Welsh nobleman, politician, knight, and courtier. He was a member of the Welsh gentry family that came to be known as the Herbert family through his son William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (8th creati ...

, founder of

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle ( cy, Castell Rhaglan) is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th centuries, when the succ ...

, and Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, and grandson of

Dafydd Gam Dafydd ap Llewelyn ap Hywel (c. 1380 – 25 October 1415), better known as Dafydd Gam, anglicized to David or Davy Gam, was a Welsh warrior, a prominent opponent of Owain Glyndŵr. He died at the Battle of Agincourt fighting for Henry V, King o ...

, an adherent of King

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

. His father had been an ally of

Richard of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Planta ...

, and Herbert supported the

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

cause in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

. In 1461 Herbert was rewarded by King Edward IV with the title Baron Herbert of Raglan (having assumed an English-style surname in place of the Welsh

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

), and was invested as a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

. Soon after the decisive Yorkist victory at the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between ...

in 1461, Herbert replaced

Jasper Tudor Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford (November 143121/26 December 1495), was the uncle of King Henry VII of England and a leading architect of his nephew's successful accession to the throne in 1485. He was from the noble Tudor family of Penmynydd i ...

Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

which gave him control of

Pembroke Castle Pembroke Castle ( cy, Castell Penfro) is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restorati ...

– and with it, he gained the wardship of young Henry Tudor. However, he fell out with Lord Warwick "the Kingmaker" in 1469, when Warwick turned against the King. Herbert was denounced by Warwick and the

Duke of Clarence Duke of Clarence is a substantive title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal Family. All three creations were in the Peerage of England. The title was first granted to Lionel of Antwerp, the second son ...

as one of the king's "evil advisers". William and his brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

were executed by Warwick in Northampton, after the

Battle of Edgcote The Battle of Edgcote (also known as the Battle of Banbury or the Battle of Danes Moor) took place on 24 July 1469, during the Wars of the Roses. It was fought between a Royal army, commanded by the earls of Pembroke and Devon, and a rebel forc ...

, which took place in South Northamptonshire, near Banbury. Herbert was succeeded by his son,

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 ...

, but the earldom was surrendered in 1479. It was later revived for a grandson, another William Herbert, the son of Black William's illegitimate son,

Sir Richard Herbert Sir Richard Herbert (died 1510) of Ewyas, Herefordshire, was a Welsh knight, gentleman, landowner, and courtier. He was an illegitimate son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423–1469), and Maud ap Howell Graunt, a daughter of Adam a ...

Ewyas Ewyas ( cy, Ewias) was a possible early Welsh kingdom which may have been formed around the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. The name was later used for a much smaller commote or administrative sub-division, which cove ...

Marriage and children

He married

Anne Devereux Anne Devereux, Countess of Pembroke (c. 1430 – after 25 June 1486), was an English noblewoman, who was Countess of Pembroke during the 15th century by virtue of marriage to William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. She was born in Bodenham, t ...

, daughter of Walter Devereux, Lord Chancellor of Ireland and

Elizabeth Merbury Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS Elizabeth, HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * Elisa ...

. They had at least ten children: *

William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (5 March 145116 July 1491) was an English nobleman and politician. Early life He was the son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Anne Devereux. His paternal grandparents were William ap Thomas a ...

(5 March 145116 July 1491). *Sir Walter Herbert. (c. 1452d. 16 September 1507) Married Lady Anne Stafford, sister to the

Duke of Buckingham Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham. ...

. *Sir George Herbert of St. Julians. *Philip Herbert of Lanyhangel. *Cecilie Herbert. *Maud Herbert. Married

Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland (c. 1449 – 28 April 1489) was an English aristocrat during the Wars of the Roses. After losing his title when his father was killed fighting the Yorkists, he later regained his position. He led the ...

. *Katherine Herbert. Married

George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, (1454 – 25 December 1505) was the son of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent and Lady Katherine Percy. He was the Second Earl of Kent from 1490 to 1505. Biography George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent and 5th Baron Grey de ...

. *Anne Herbert. Married John Grey, 1st

Baron Grey of Powis The title Baron Grey of Powis (1482–1552) was created for the great-grandson of Joan Charleton (c. 1400–1425), co-heiress and 6th Lady of Powis (Powys) and her husband, Sir John Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville (1384–1421) after the death of ...

, 9th Lord of Powys (died 1497). *Isabel Herbert. Married Sir Thomas Cokesey. *Margaret Herbert. Married first

Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle Thomas Talbot, 2nd Baron Lisle and 2nd Viscount Lisle (''c''. 1449 – 20 March 1470), English nobleman, was the son of John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle and Joan Cheddar. He married Margaret Herbert, the daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of P ...

and secondly Sir Henry Bodringham. William had three illegitimate sons but the identities of their mothers are unconfirmed: *

of Ewyas. Father of

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (10th Creation) William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, 1st Baron Herbert of Cardiff (c. 150117 March 1570) was a Tudor period nobleman, politician, and courtier. Herbert was the son of Sir Richard Herbert and Margaret Cradock.John Bernard Burke. ''A gene ...

. Probably son of Maud, daughter of Adam ap Howell Graunt (Gwynn). *Sir George Herbert. The son of Frond verch Hoesgyn. Married Sybil Croft. *Sir William Herbert of Troye. Son of Frond verch Hoesgyn. Married, second, Blanche Whitney (née Milborne) see

Blanche Milborne Blanche Milborne, Lady Herbert of Troy was the Lady Mistress in charge of the upbringing of Queen Elizabeth I, Edward VI and also of Queen Mary when she lived with the younger Tudor children. She was twice married, and widowed; first to James ...

. They had two sons."Ruth E. Richardson,'Mistress Blanche, Queen Elizabeth I's Confidante'"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pembroke, William Herbert, 01st Earl Of 1420s births 1469 deaths Year of birth uncertain *01 1 Executed Welsh people William Herbert, 01st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation) Knights of the Garter People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation People executed under the Yorkists People of the Wars of the Roses

Life

Marriage and children

See also

References