Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke

The Right Honourable The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery KG PC
Thomas Herbert by John Greenhill
First Lord of the Admiralty
In office 1690–1692
Monarch	William III and Mary II
Preceded by	The Earl of Torrington
Succeeded by	The Lord Cornwallis
Lord Privy Seal
In office 1692–1699
Preceded by	In Commission Last held by Lord Halifax
Succeeded by	The Viscount Lonsdale
Lord President of the Council
In office 18 May 1699 – 29 January 1702
Monarch	William III
Preceded by	The Duke of Leeds
Succeeded by	The Duke of Somerset
In office 9 July 1702 – 25 November 1708
Monarch	Anne
Preceded by	The Duke of Somerset
Succeeded by	The Lord Somers

Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke and 5th Earl of Montgomery KG PC PRS (c. 1656 – 22 January 1733), styled The Honourable Thomas Herbert until 1683, was an English and later British statesman during the reigns of William III and Anne.

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. 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.

Public life

From 1690 to 1692 Pembroke was First Lord of the Admiralty. He then served as Lord Privy Seal until 1699, being in 1697 the first plenipotentiary of Great Britain 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's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding and Thomas Greenhill's The Art of Embalming".

Marriages & progeny

He married thrice:

• 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 (c. 1689–1750), eldest son and heir
  • Hon. Robert Sawyer Herbert (d. 1769), who inherited Highclere Castle
  • Hon. Charles Herbert
  • Hon. Thomas Herbert (c.1695–1739)
  • Maj-Gen. Hon. William Herbert (c.1696–31 March 1757), married Catherine Elizabeth Tewes (- 28 August 1770) and had Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Carnarvon, who inherited Highclere Castle from his uncle
  • Hon. John Herbert
  • Hon. Nicholas Herbert (c.1706–1775)
  • Lady Catherine Herbert (d. September 1716), wife of Sir Nicholas Morice, 2nd Baronet
  • Lady Margaret Herbert (d. 15 December 1752)
  • Lady Elizabeth Herbert
  • Lady Anne Herbert
  • Lady Rebecca Herbert, wife of William Nevill, 16th Baron Bergavenny
• Secondly he married Barbara Slingsby (d. 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 (d. 27 December 1752), who on 3 October 1730 married Edward Dudley North.
• Thirdly he married Mary Howe (d. 1749), sister of Scrope Howe, 1st Viscount Howe, without progeny. She subsequently married John Mordaunt, MP.

References

Parliament of England
Preceded by Thomas Mompesson John Berkenhead	Member of Parliament for Wilton 1679–1683 With: Thomas Penruddocke 1679 Sir John Nicholas 1679–1683	Succeeded by Sir John Nicholas Oliver Nicholas
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Torrington	First Lord of the Admiralty 1690–1692	Succeeded by The Lord Cornwallis
Preceded by In Commission	Lord Privy Seal 1692–1699	Succeeded by The Viscount Lonsdale
Preceded by The Duke of Leeds	Lord President of the Council 1699–1702	Succeeded by The Duke of Somerset
Preceded by The Earl of Bridgewater (First Lord of the Admiralty)	Lord High Admiral 1701–1702	Succeeded by Prince George of Denmark
Preceded by The Duke of Somerset	Lord President of the Council 1702–1708	Succeeded by The Lord Somers
Preceded by The Duke of Ormonde	Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1707–1708	Succeeded by The Earl of Wharton
Preceded by Queen Anne	Lord High Admiral 1708–1709	Succeeded by The Earl of Orford (First Lord of the Admiralty)
Military offices
New regiment	Colonel of the 2nd Maritime Regiment 1690–1691	Succeeded by Henry Killigrew
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Pembroke	Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire jointly with The Earl of Yarmouth 1688–1689 1683–1733	Succeeded by The Earl of Pembroke
	Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan 1683–1728	Succeeded by The Duke of Bolton
	Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire 1683–1715	Succeeded by Sir Arthur Owen, Bt
Preceded by The Earl of Macclesfield	Lord Lieutenant of Pembrokeshire 1694–1715
	Lord Lieutenant of Brecknockshire and Monmouthshire 1694–1715	Succeeded by John Morgan
	Lord Lieutenant of Cardiganshire 1694–1715	Succeeded by The Viscount Lisburne
	Lord Lieutenant of Carmarthenshire 1694–1715	Vacant Title next held by George Rice
	Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan 1694–1715	Vacant Title next held by The Duke of Bolton
	Lord Lieutenant of Radnorshire 1694–1715	Succeeded by The Lord Coningsby
Peerage of England
Preceded by Philip Herbert	Earl of Pembroke 1683–1733	Succeeded by Henry Herbert