Hayward, Sir John (fl.1633)
The son of Sir Rowland Hayward, Lord Mayor of London in 1571 who had amassed a fortune and spent much of it establishing a substantial estate straddling the Montgomery-Salop border which included lands of the former abbey of Strata Marcella near Welshpool and manors as far away as Church Stretton. Sir John sold off some of these lands when he was in need of ready money and although he was pricked for Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1615 he was rejected by King James on the grounds of being a single man and not actually in possession of the abbey lands until he inherited them on his mother's death. He later did marry and eventually served a term as sheriff in 1633 after he inherited the lordship of the manor of Strata Marcella.
[W.V. Lloyd - the Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire]
[W.V. Lloyd - the Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire]
Hen Domen
See Montgomery
Henry, son of Miles of Gloucester
Henry was the third son of Miles of Gloucester, earl of Hereford. He acceded to the family lands of Brecon and Upper Gwent after the death of his brother Walter, but died issueless (like his brothers) and they passed to the fourth brother Mahel. Henry was killed in a fight in Gwent by Seisyll ap Dyfnwal: it was to avenge this that William de Braose arranged the “Massacre of Abergavenny” in 1175. [G.R.]
[Davies R.R.;Lloyd;Walker]
[Davies R.R.;Lloyd;Walker]
Herbert, Charles (fl.1608)
Of Aston, was the fourth son of the Edward Herbert who was Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1557 (see below). He first appears as a magistrate for that county in 1601. He was the uncle of Sir Edward Herbert who became Lord Herbert of Chirbury (see below), was a jurist for the county and served as sheriff in 1608.
[W.V. Lloyd - the Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire]
[W.V. Lloyd - the Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire]
Herbert, Edward (d.1592)
The fourth son of Sir Richard Herbert of Montgomery (see below) and younger half-brother of William Herbert of Parke (see below), Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1547. He appears to have enjoyed the support and patronage of his second cousin William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (see below). His success at court and on the battlefield enabled him to amass a fortune and an estate. He fought for the crown during uprisings in the reigns of Edward VI and Queen Mary and commanded a force of 500 men at the battle of St. Quinten in France in 1557, the year of his first term as Sheriff of Montgomeryshire. He served as High Steward and Constable of Montgomery Castle, High Steward under the King for the hundreds of Halceter, Kerry, Cedewain, Arwystli and Cyfeiliog, and was MP for the county from 1552 to 1572. His grandson and namesake Lord Herbert of Chirbury, records that he took his duties very seriously and dealt effectively with the large numbers of robbers and outlaws who roamed the county in the sixteenth century even at some risk to himself. He had the Black Hall built in Montgomery as the family home and was well known for his hospitality. He served a second term as sheriff in 1568 and died in 1592 at about the age of eighty having enhanced the power and status of the Herbert family in Mid Wales and the borders.
[MW; W.V. Lloyd - the Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire]
[MW; W.V. Lloyd - the Sheriffs of Montgomeryshire]
Herbert, Sir Edward (d.1595)
The younger son of the Earl of Pembroke. His mother was Anne Parr, the sister of Catherine Parr, Queen to Henry VIII and he inherited extensive estates in Northamptonshire and Westmoreland through her. In 1587 he purchased the Lordship and Castle of Powys from Edward Grey, illegitimate son of the last Lord Powis of his line. Sir Edward married Mary, daughter and heiress of Thomas Stanley of Standen in Hertfordshire. Lady Herbert was a Roman Catholic and brought up most of her children in that faith. After Sir Edward's death in 1594 she was twice presented at the Sessions by the vicar of Pool for non-attendence at church. Sir Edward was succeeded at Powis Castle by his son William (see below) who became first Baron Powys.
[MW]
[MW]
Herbert, Sir Edward (1581-1648) 1st Baron Herbert of Chirbury
Eldest son of Richard and Magdalen Herbert of Montgomery, he spent the years of his early childhood at Eyton in Shropshire with his maternal grandparents and with different tutors. At the age of 14 he was considered ready to enter Oxford University. While at University college his father died and a marriage was arranged for the 17-year-old Edward with his 21-year-old relative Mary Herbert. After university he passed his time in London and at Montgomery Castle, continuing his studies and adding French, Italian and Spanish to his already considerable accomplishments. He was knighted by James I, served as Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1605 at the age of 24, and then while travelling on the continent joined the English forces campaigning in the Netherlands and served at the siege of Juliers. His success at court led to his appointment as ambassador to France in 1619. While there he wrote De Veritate, a treatise on the principles of natural religion, which he published in Paris in 1624. Herbert became known also as a poet of the metaphysical school. He was the elder brother of the great poet George Herbert and a friend of John Donne, Ben Jonson and Thomas Carew.
In 1629 he was created Baron Herbert of Chirbury by Charles I. In his younger days he fought duels and impressed many with his bravery. However when called to the King's standard by Prince Rupert during the Civil War, he made a lukewarm response and soon after surrendered Montgomery Castle without a shot to the parliamantary forces under Sir Thomas Myddleton. Eighteen months later he successfully petitioned Parliament for a pension. He wrote what is thought to be the first autobiography in the English language and died in 1648 and was succeeded to the title by his son Richard.
[MW; Helen Gardner - notes to "The Metaphysical Poets".]
In 1629 he was created Baron Herbert of Chirbury by Charles I. In his younger days he fought duels and impressed many with his bravery. However when called to the King's standard by Prince Rupert during the Civil War, he made a lukewarm response and soon after surrendered Montgomery Castle without a shot to the parliamantary forces under Sir Thomas Myddleton. Eighteen months later he successfully petitioned Parliament for a pension. He wrote what is thought to be the first autobiography in the English language and died in 1648 and was succeeded to the title by his son Richard.
[MW; Helen Gardner - notes to "The Metaphysical Poets".]
Herbert, Edward (1785-1848) 2nd Earl of Powis (of the present line)
Born as Edward Clive, he changed his name in order to inherit the Powis estates as part of the terms of his uncle's will. His father Lord Clive was made Earl of Powis and the estates were managed by him until the son came of age in 1806. At that time Edward Herbert was elected to parliament as MP for Ludlow, a seat he was to hold until inheriting the Earldom in 1839. He spent his own money on public works like the improvements to the Welshpool parish church and the town halls of Welshpool and Montgomery. He was Lord-lieutenant for Montgomeryshire and Chairman of the Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Company. He led the opposition to the movement to amalgamate the sees of Bangor and St. Asaph in 1846, and the following year narrowly missed being elected Chancellor of Cambridge University when he was defeated by Prince Albert. He died in 1848 after a tragic shooting accident, when he was shot by one of his own sons.
[MW; "Powis Castle" - National Trust]
[MW; "Powis Castle" - National Trust]
Herbert, Edward (1818-1891) 3rd Earl of Powis (of the present line)
Eldest son of the previous Earl (see above). He became High Steward of Cambridge University in 1863. He spent five years as MP for North Shropshire and then withdrew from public office. He was offered the post of Viceroy of India by Disraeli, but declined on the grounds of not being up to the rigours of the climate. His pencil note on Disraeli's letter simply declares the offer "not worth considering". Upon his death in 1891, the estate and castle passed to his nephew.
[MW; "Powis Castle" - National Trust]
[MW; "Powis Castle" - National Trust]
Herbert, George (1593-1633)
A member of the great Montgomeryshire Herbert family, George Herbert was a younger brother of Lord Edward Herbert of Chirbury (see above). He was born in Montgomery, either at the Castle or Black Hall, the Herbert residence in the town, and lost his father early and was brought up by his mother. Two of his brothers died fighting in the Netherlands. He was educated at Westminster School before entering Trinity College, Cambridge. He graduated and was made a fellow there, rising to the post of Public Orator of the University, a post which had become a stepping stone to the position of secretary of state. Herbert was a friend of Lord Bacon and a regular attender at court with "great expectations". The death of the King and other powerful friends, seems to have dashed these hopes, and after much soul searching he entered Holy Orders, becoming a deacon in 1626 and a priest in 1630. His kinsman the Earl of Pembroke procured for him the living of Bemerton near Salisbury, and he settled with his wife Jane, whom he had married in 1628, into a life of religious devotion and care for his parishioners.
During this last period he composed the religious poetry for which he is famous. He was an accomplished musician and set many of these poems to music, accompanying himself on the lute or viol. He died of consumption in 1633 aged 39. His great collection of poems The Temple was published posthumously and established his fame. His biography was written by Izaac Walton.
[MW; Helen Gardner - notes to "The Metaphysical Poets".]
During this last period he composed the religious poetry for which he is famous. He was an accomplished musician and set many of these poems to music, accompanying himself on the lute or viol. He died of consumption in 1633 aged 39. His great collection of poems The Temple was published posthumously and established his fame. His biography was written by Izaac Walton.
[MW; Helen Gardner - notes to "The Metaphysical Poets".]
Herbert, George (1755-1801) 2nd Earl of Powis
Lord Powis inherited the earldom of Powis at the age of 17 in 1772. He travelled to Italy and on his return, settled down to a life of ease and enjoyment. John Byng described him as "a mean silly man, the bubble of his mistress", and complained of the semi-ruined and neglected state Powis Castle had come to. Lord Powis spent little of his time in Montgomeryshire and died in 1801 having only added to the debts he had inherited.
["Powis Castle" - National Trust]
["Powis Castle" - National Trust]
Herbert, George William (1925-1993) 7th Earl of Powis
The son of Percy Mark Herbert, suffragen Bishop of Kingston-upon-Thames, who became Bishop of Blackburn in 1926. George Herbert therefore spent much of his childhood in Lancashire when not at Eton. His father became Bishop of Norwich in 1942 and the family moved there. He served in the army straight from school, leaving in 1947 and reading History at Cambridge. He then became a land agent serving in that capacity on estates in Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Suffolk for the period 1950-70. He then moved to Marrington Hall, Chirbury to manage the family estates. He became a member of the Powysland Club and was keenly interested in local history and genealogy, his own dedicated researches into the Herbert family producing files on over 1500 individuals. In 1988 he succeeded his second cousin as Earl of Powis and became President of the Powysland Club.
[MC 82]
[MC 82]
Herbert, Godwin (fl.1746)
Of the parish of Crickhowell. Tried at Breconshire Great Sessions in 1746 for the murder of Henry Edwards junior with a 6lb. stone on 12 June 1746 in the parish of Llangattock. In an examination it is stated that Henry Edwards (age 13) was on his way home and that Godwin met him on a hill, knocked him off his horse, beat and wounded him and robbed him of £1.13s. 4d. Herbert was condemned to death but execution was not recorded.
[Mossop]
[Mossop]