Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke ( 165622 January 1733), styled The Honourable Thomas Herbert until 1683, was a British statesman who served as Lord Privy Seal from 1692 to 1699.

Background

Herbert was the third son of Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke and his wife Catharine Villiers, daughter of Sir William Villiers, 1st Baronet who was the half-brother of the 1st Duke of Buckingham, George Villiers. Through his grandmother, Susan de Vere, he was a great-grandson of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, the Oxfordians'

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

. He was educated at Tonbridge School, Kent. Both of his brothers (the 6th Earl and the 7th Earl) having died without a male heir, he succeeded to the earldoms in 1683. Through them, he would inherit the family seat of the Earls of Pembroke, Wilton House in Wiltshire. WILTON HOUSE DSC 8756

Public life

Herbert was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Wilton at the two general elections of 1679 and the general election of 1681. He was no longer able to sit in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

after assuming the peerage in 1683. As Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Pembroke commanded the Wiltshire Militia against the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion in June 1685 was an attempt to depose James II of England, James II, who in February had succeeded his brother Charles II of England, Charles II as king of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and ...

in 1685. They mustered at

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

on 17 June and marched to Bath. Hearing that Frome had declared for the Duke of Monmouth, Pembroke marched out with a squadron of Militia Horse carrying some musketeers behind their saddles. On arrival he found a large number of rebel recruits, some armed with pistols or pikes, others with scythes and clubs. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Pembroke entered the town at the head of his musketeers, followed by the horse. A shot was fired at him, but the rebels soon broke and ran before the advancing militia, who then captured the bridge after some fighting. Afterwards Pembroke with his Wiltshire Militia and some Hampshire Militia blocked Monmouth's advance into Wiltshire. The Wiltshire Militia then accompanied the Royal army to Bridgwater in pursuit of the rebels. When Monmouth attempted a night attack on the Royal army camped on

Sedgemoor Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense). The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part We ...

, Pembroke quickly rode from his quarters at Weston Court in Westonzoyland and roused his men; they formed the reserve during the Battle of Sedgemoor. Afterwards they took part in the pursuit and clearing-up operations. From 1690 to 1692 as Lord Pembroke, he was First Lord of the Admiralty. He then served as Lord Privy Seal until 1699, being in 1697 the first

plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of a sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word can als ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

at the congress of Ryswick. On two occasions he was Lord High Admiral for a short period; he was also Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, while he acted as one of the Lords Justices seven times; and he was President of the Royal Society in 1689–1690. He is the dedicatee of

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) – 28 October 1704 (Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.)) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thi ...

's '' An Essay Concerning Human Understanding'' and Thomas Greenhill's ''The Art of Embalming''.

Marriages and progeny

He married three times: *Firstly in 1684 to Margaret Sawyer, only daughter of Sir Robert Sawyer of Highclere Castle by his wife Margaret Suckeley, by whom he had seven sons and five daughters: ** Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke ( 1689–1750), eldest son and heir **Hon. Robert Sawyer Herbert (died 1769), who inherited Highclere Castle **Hon. Charles Herbert **Hon. Thomas Herbert ( 1695–1739) **Maj-Gen. Hon. William Herbert ( 169631 March 1757), married Catherine Elizabeth Tewes (died 28 August 1770) and had Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Carnarvon, who inherited Highclere Castle from his uncle **Hon. John Herbert **Hon. Nicholas Herbert ( 1706–1775), husband of Anne North, daughter of Dudley North and Katherine Yale **Lady Catherine Herbert (died September 1716), wife of Sir Nicholas Morice, 2nd Baronet **Lady Margaret Herbert (died 15 December 1752) **Lady Elizabeth Herbert **Lady Anne Herbert **Lady Rebecca Herbert, wife of

William Nevill, 16th Baron Bergavenny William Nevill, 16th Baron Bergavenny (also Abergavenny; – 21 September 1744), was an English peer and courtier who held positions in the British Royal Household, Royal Household and built a country mansion in Sussex. Origins Born about 169 ...

*Secondly in 1708 he married Barbara Slingsby (died 1 August 1721), daughter of Sir Thomas Slingsby, 2nd Baronet and widow of John Arundell, 2nd Baron Arundell of Trerice (1649–1698), of Trerice, Cornwall, by whom he had one daughter: **Lady Barbara Herbert (died 27 December 1752), who on 3 October 1730 married William Dudley North, son of Dudley North. *Thirdly he married Mary Howe (died 1749), daughter of Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe; they had no children. She subsequently married John Mordaunt, MP.

References

Bibliography

* David Chandler, ''Sedgemoor 1685: An Account and an Anthology'', London: Anthony Mott, 1985, ISN 0-907746-43-8. * *
Christopher L. Scott, ''The military effectiveness of the West Country Militia at the time of the Monmouth Rebellion'', Cranfield University PhD thesis 2011.
, - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Pembroke, Thomas Herbert, 08th Earl of 1650s births 1733 deaths Year of birth uncertain Thomas Herbert, 08th Earl of Pembroke 8 Thomas Fellows of the Royal Society Garter Knights appointed by William III Lord high admirals of the United Kingdom Lord high admirals of England Lord-lieutenants of Brecknockshire Lord-lieutenants of Cardiganshire Lord-lieutenants of Carmarthenshire Lord-lieutenants of Glamorgan Lord-lieutenants of Monmouthshire Lord-lieutenants of Pembrokeshire Lord-lieutenants of Radnorshire Lord-lieutenants of Wiltshire Wiltshire Militia officers Lord Presidents of the Council First Lords of the Admiralty Lords Privy Seal Members of the Privy Council of England Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Presidents of the Royal Society Ambassadors of England to the Dutch Republic Younger sons of earls English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 Lords Lieutenant of Ireland

Background

Public life

Marriages and progeny

See also

References

Bibliography