Earl of Pembroke

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This article is about a title in the Peerage of England. For other uses, see Earl of Pembroke (disambiguation).

Earldom of Pembroke
held with
Stephen of England
PeeragePeerage of England
First holderGilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Present holderWilliam Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke (10th creation)
Heir apparentReginald Henry Michael Herbert, Lord Herbert
Remainder tothe male heirs of the body lawfully begotten
Subsidiary titlesEarl of Montgomery
Baron Herbert of Cardiff
Baron Herbert of Shurland
Baron Herbert of Lea (1861)
Seat(s)Wilton House
Former seat(s)Pembroke Castle
MottoUng je serviray ("One will I serve")[2]

Earl of Pembroke is a title in the

Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its original inception. Due to the number of creations of the Earldom, the original seat of Pembroke Castle
is no longer attached to the title.

Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and his second wife, Lady Anne Clifford, and his Family by Van Dyck. (Wilton House)

As of 2018, the current holder of the earldom is William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, which is the 10th creation of the title. For the past 400 years, his family's seat has been Wilton House, Wiltshire. The Earls of Pembroke also hold the title Earl of Montgomery, created for the younger son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke before he succeeded as the 4th Earl in 1630. The current Earls of Pembroke also carry the subsidiary titles: Baron Herbert of Cardiff, of Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan (1551), Baron Herbert of Shurland, of Shurland in the Isle of Sheppey in the County of Kent (1605), and Baron Herbert of Lea, of Lea in the County of Wilts (1861). All are in the Peerage of England except the Barony of Herbert of Lea, which is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

The Earl of Pembroke is the hereditary visitor of Jesus College, Oxford.

On 1 September 1532, King

Henry VIII created the original Marquessate of Pembroke for his future queen Anne Boleyn. This honour was in recognition of the king's great-uncle Jasper Tudor, who had been the Earl of Pembroke in the 15th century, and his own father, Henry VII who was born at Pembroke Castle
in January 1457.

History

The title of Earl of Pembroke has been held successively by several English families, the jurisdiction and dignity being originally attached to the

King Stephen on Gilbert de Clare (died 1148), son of Gilbert Fitz-Richard, who possessed the Lordship of Strigul (Estrighoiel, in Domesday Book), the modern Chepstow. In the Battle of Lincoln (1141), the Earl fought on the side of King Stephen. After the king's defeat, however, he joined the party of the Empress Matilda. Later he became reconciled to Stephen when he recovered his throne. The earl married Henry I's mistress, Isabel, daughter of Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester.[3]

That being said,

William Rufus, decades before Gilbert de Clare. Arnulf himself was rewarded by the king with the lordship of Pembroke upon his family's construction of Pembroke Castle
in the late 11th century.

The first creation: de Clare (1138)

Like his father Richard Fitz Gilbert, de Clare (commonly known as Strongbow) was a supporter of

King of Leinster. The Lord of Striguil crossed over in person in 1170, took both Waterford and Dublin, and was married to Diarmuid's daughter, Aoife MacMurrough, claiming the Kingship of Leinster after Diarmuid's death in 1171.[3] Henry II, wary of his power, stripped Strongbow of his new holdings the same year and invaded Ireland himself in 1171, putting his people in power. Strongbow returned to favour and power in Ireland, in 1173 when he aided the King in his campaign against his rebelling
sons. He died in 1176 after years of bitter struggle with Irish magnates.

Strongbow died with male issue - Gilbert. However, Gilbert, being a minor, was not formally invested with either the earldom of Pembroke or of Striguil. It is unlikely that his father could have passed on the title to Pembroke as he himself did not possess it. When Gilbert died in 1185, his sister

Isabel de Clare became Countess of Pembroke in her own right (suo jure) until her death in 1220.[3]
In this way, she could be said to be the first successor to the earldom of Pembroke since her grandfather Gilbert, the first earl. By this reckoning, Isabel ought to be called the second countess, not the fourth countess of Pembroke.

In any event, the title Earl was re-created for her husband as her consort, the famous

Patrick, Earl of Salisbury
.

The second creation: Marshal (1199)

Herbert Railton's illustration of the Earl of Pembroke's tomb

In August 1189, at the age of 43, William Marshal, held by many to be the greatest knight in Christendom, was given the hand of Isabel de Clare, and, in 1199, was created the 1st Earl of Pembroke by

Hubert de Burgh, and in his Earldom by his five sons in succession.[3]

Marshal's eldest son,

Eleanor, who later married Simon de Montfort, but he left no children.[3]

His brother Richard Marshal (died 1234), 3rd Earl, came to the fore as the leader of the baronial party, and chief antagonist of the foreign friends of Henry III. Fearing treachery, he refused to visit the King at Gloucester in August 1233, and Henry declared him a traitor. He crossed to Ireland, where Peter des Roches had instigated his enemies to attack him, and in April 1234, he was overpowered and wounded, and died a prisoner.[3]

His brother Gilbert (d. 1241), who became the 4th Earl, was a friend and ally of

Richard, Earl of Cornwall. When another brother, Anselm, the 6th Earl, died in December 1245, the male descendants of the great Earl Marshal became extinct. The extensive family possessions were now divided among Anselm's five sisters and their descendants, the Earldom of Pembroke reverting to the Crown.[3]

The third creation: de Valence (1247)

The next holder of the lands of the Earldom of Pembroke was William de Valence, a younger son of Hugh de Lusignan, count of La Marche, by his marriage with Isabella of Angoulême, widow of the English King John.[3] In 1247, William, along with two of his brothers, moved from France to England, where their half-brother, Henry III was King. The King married William to Joan de Munchensi (d. 1307), a granddaughter and heiress to the great William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Valence was granted custody of the lands, and the title of Earl of Pembroke, giving him great wealth and power in his new land. As a result, he was unpopular, and was heavily involved in the Second Barons' War, supporting the King and Prince Edward against the rebels led by Simon de Montfort. After the final defeat of the rebels at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, William continued to serve Henry III, and then Edward I, until his death in 1296.

William's eldest surviving son,

Piers Gaveston to power, his influence declined. He became prominent among the discontented nobles, but in 1312, after the Earl of Warwick betrayed him by executing the captured Gaveston, he left the allied lords and joined the King. Valence was present at Bannockburn in 1314, and later helped King Edward defeat Thomas of Lancaster.[4] However, by his death in 1324, he was again marginalized at court, and in financial trouble as well. His wife, Marie de St Pol, a descendant of King Henry III, was the founder of Pembroke College, Cambridge
.

The fourth creation (1339): Hastings

Lawrence, a great-grandson of William de Valence was created, or recognized as, Earl of Pembroke, having inherited (through the female line) a portion of the estates of the Valence Earls of Pembroke. His son John (died 1376) married Margaret, daughter of King Edward III, and on the death without issue of his grandson in 1389, the Earldom of Pembroke reverted again to the Crown.[4]

The fifth creation (1414): Plantagenet

  • Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester
    (1390–1447) (extinct)

Humphrey, the fourth son of King Henry IV, was created Duke of Gloucester and Earl of Pembroke for life, these titles being subsequently made hereditary, with a reversion as regards the Earldom of Pembroke, in default of heirs to Humphrey, to William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk.[4]

The sixth creation (1447): de la Pole

On the death of Humphrey without legitimate issue in 1447, William de la Pole became Earl of Pembroke. He was beheaded in 1450 and his titles were forfeited.[4]

The seventh creation (1452): Tudor

  • Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford (c. 1431–1495) (forfeit 1461; restored 1485) (extinct)

Sir Jasper Tudor was the half-brother of King Henry VI. Being a Lancastrian, his title was forfeited for 24 years during the predominance of the House of York.[4]

The eighth creation (1468): Herbert

Following Jasper Tudor's attainder, Sir William Herbert, a zealous Yorkist, was raised to the peerage as Baron Herbert by

Edward IV. Herbert took the Lancastrian Jasper Tudor prisoner during the civil war. For this service, he was created Earl of Pembroke in 1468.[4] Perhaps mindful of its earlier Tudor holder, the second earl surrendered his title to Edward IV ten years after acceding and received, in lieu, the Earldom of Huntingdon
.

The grandson of William Herbert,1st Earl of Pembroke was newly created Earl of Pembroke in 1551 and the current Earl is a descendant of this house.

The ninth creation (1479): House of York

  • Edward Plantagenet
    (1470–1483) (merged into crown 1483)

In 1479, Edward IV conferred the title on his son, Edward, Prince of Wales. When this prince succeeded to the throne as

Edward V of England
, the Earldom of Pembroke merged with the crown. Following the defeat of the House of York, the earldom (and kingdom) were restored to the Tudors with the accession of Henry VII.

Marquess of Pembroke (1532): Anne Boleyn

On 1 September 1532, a few months prior to her marriage to

Henry VIII, Anne was granted the Marquessate of Pembroke; she was found guilty of treason and executed in May 1536, at which point the title became either forfeit or extinct at her death without male children.[4]

The tenth creation (1551): Herbert

The title was next revived in favour of

Sir William Herbert, whose father, Richard, was an illegitimate son of the 1st Earl of Pembroke of the house of Herbert. He had married Anne Parr, sister of Henry VIII's sixth wife, Catherine Parr, and was created Earl in 1551. The title has since been held by their descendants.[4][2]

Arms of the Earls of Pembroke (tenth creation)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son Reginald Henry Michael Herbert, Lord Herbert (b. 2012).

An executor of

Elizabeth until 1569, when he was suspected of favouring the projected marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Duke of Norfolk. Among the monastic lands granted to Herbert was the estate of Wilton, near Salisbury, still the residence of the Earls of Pembroke.[4]

His elder son

Ruines of Time to her, and refers to her as "Urania" in Colin Clout's come home againe; in Spenser's Astrophel she is "Clorinda". In 1599 Queen Elizabeth was her guest at Wilton, and the Countess composed for the occasion a pastoral dialogue in praise of Astraea. After her husband's death, she lived chiefly in London at Crosby Hall, where she died.[4]

The Countess's other works include A Discourse of Life and Death, translated from the French of Plessis du Mornay (1593), and Antoine (1592), a version of a tragedy of Robert Garnier.[4] She is one of the handful of people whom certain scholars conjecture may have been the true author of the plays attributed to William Shakespeare. Robin Williams' book Sweet Swan of Avon published by Wilton Circle Press, USA, documents the Countess's fascinating life as well as those of her two sons (see below).

Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1624 when Thomas Tesdale and Richard Wightwick refounded Broadgates Hall and named it Pembroke College in his honour. By some Shakespearian commentators, Pembroke has been identified with the "Mr W. H." referred to as "the onlie begetter" of Shakespeare's sonnets in the dedication by Thomas Thorpe, the owner of the published manuscript, while his mistress, Mary Fitton, has been identified with the "dark lady" of the sonnets. In both cases, the identification rests on very questionable evidence. He and his brother Philip (the second Herbert son who, for some profitable time, was the adored object of "bisexual" King James I's affections) are the "incomparable pair of brethren" to whom the First Folio of Shakespeare is inscribed.[5]

The Earl left no sons when he died in London on 10 April 1630. Clarendon gives a eulogistic account of Pembroke, who appears, however, to have been a man of weak character and dissolute life. Gardiner describes him as the Hamlet of the English court. He had literary tastes and wrote poems; one of his closest friends was the poet Donne, and he was generous to Ben Jonson, Massinger and others.[6]

His brother,

James I of England created him Earl of Montgomery and Baron Herbert of Shurland, and since 1630, when he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke, the head of the Herbert family has carried the double title of Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery.[6]

Although Philip's quarrelsome disposition often led him into trouble he did not forfeit the esteem of James I, who heaped lands and offices upon him, and he was also trusted by Charles I, who made him Lord Chamberlain in 1626 and frequently visited him at Wilton. He worked to bring about peace between the King and the Scots in 1639 and 1640, but when in the latter year the quarrel between Charles and the English parliament was renewed, he deserted the King who soon deprived him of his office of chamberlain. Trusted by the popular party, Pembroke was made governor of the Isle of Wight, and he was one of the representatives of the parliament on several occasions, notably during the negotiations at Uxbridge in 1645 and at Newport in 1648, and when the Scots surrendered Charles in 1647. From 1641 to 1643, and again from 1647 to 1650, he was Chancellor of the University of Oxford; in 1648 he removed some of the heads of houses from their positions because they would not take the Solemn League and Covenant, and his foul language led to the remark that he was more fitted "by his eloquence in swearing to preside over Bedlam than a learned academy". In 1649, although a peer, he was elected and took his seat in the House of Commons as member for Berkshire, this "ascent downwards" calling forth many satirical writings from the royalist wits. The Earl was a great collector of pictures and had some taste for architecture.[6]

His eldest surviving son,

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.[6]

His son Henry, the 9th Earl (c. 1693–1750), was a soldier, but was better known as the "architect Earl." He was largely responsible for the erection of Westminster Bridge. The title descended directly to Henry, 10th Earl (1734–1794), a soldier, who wrote "The Method of Breaking Horses" (1762); then to George Augustus, 11th Earl (1759–1827), an ambassador extraordinary to Vienna in 1807.[6]

Robert Henry, 12th Earl (1791–1862), died in France without issue and was buried in the

Member of Parliament, inherited all the family titles at his brother's death.[6] His eldest son Reginald became 15th earl in March 1913. He was succeeded by his eldest son Sidney, 16th earl, who spent time in the service of the Duke of Kent and served as a trustee of the National Gallery. His son Henry Herbert, 17th Earl of Pembroke
, who was often known simply as Henry Herbert, succeeded to the titles in 1969; he had a significant career as a documentarian and film director.

As of 2018[update], the current earl is William Herbert, 18th Earl of Pembroke, who became earl of Pembroke and 15th of Montgomery on the death of his father in 2003.

Family tree of the earls of Pembroke (eighth and tenth creations)


William HERBERT

* c. 1423 † 1469
William
* 1451 † 1491 		Richard
*… †1510
William

* 1501 † 1570
Henry
* a.1538 † 1601
William
*1580 †1630 		Philip
*1584 †1649
Philip
*1621 †1669
William
*1642 †1674 		Philip
*c. 1652 †1683 		Thomas
*1656 †1733
Henry
*1693 †1750 		William
*b.1696 †1757
Henry
*1734 †1794 		Earls of Carnarvon
George
*1759 †1827
Robert
*1791 †1862 		Sidney
*1810 †1861
George
*1850 †1895 		Sidney
*1853 †1913
Reginald
*1880 †1960
Sidney
*1906 †1969
Henry
*1939 †2003
William
*1978
Reginald
*2012

 

Arms of the Earldoms of Pembroke

  • Arms of Marshal, Earls of Pembroke (second creation)
    Arms of Marshal, Earls of Pembroke (second creation)
  • Arms of de Valence, Earls of Pembroke (third creation)
    Arms of de Valence, Earls of Pembroke (third creation)
  • Arms of Hastings, Earls of Pembroke (fourth creation)
    Arms of Hastings, Earls of Pembroke (fourth creation)
  • Arms of Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Pembroke (fifth creation)
    Arms of Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Earl of Pembroke (fifth creation)
  • Arms of William de la Pole, 1st Earl of Pembroke (sixth creation)
    Arms of William de la Pole, 1st Earl of Pembroke (sixth creation)
  • Arms of Tudor, Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke (seventh creation)
    Arms of Tudor, Jasper Tudor, 1st Earl of Pembroke (seventh creation)
  • Arms of Herbert, Earls of Pembroke (eighth creation)
    Arms of Herbert, Earls of Pembroke (eighth creation)
  • Arms of Prince Edward, 1st Earl of Pembroke (ninth creation)
    Arms of Prince Edward, 1st Earl of Pembroke (ninth creation)
  • Arms of Anne Boleyn, 1st Marquess of Pembroke
    Arms of Anne Boleyn, 1st Marquess of Pembroke
  • Quartered Arms of Sir William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (tenth creation)
    Quartered Arms of Sir William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (tenth creation)
  • Quartered Arms of Sir Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (tenth creation)
    Quartered Arms of Sir Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (tenth creation)
  • Quartered Arms of Sir William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (tenth creation)
    Quartered Arms of Sir William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (tenth creation)
  • Arms of Herbert, Earls of Pembroke from circa 1618 (tenth creation)[7]
    Arms of Herbert, Earls of Pembroke from circa 1618 (tenth creation)[7]

Namesakes

Pembroke College, Cambridge, established in 1347, is named for its founder, Marie de St Pol, Countess of Pembroke, (1303–1377), wife of Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke of the third creation.

Pembroke College, Oxford, is named for William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, of the tenth creation, Chancellor of the University of Oxford at the time of its founding in 1624.

Pembroke College in Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., was named for Pembroke College, Cambridge, the alma mater of Roger Williams, the Puritan founder of Providence Plantations.

The city of Pembroke Pines, Florida, is thought to have been named after the Earl of Pembroke, an early landowner in Broward County.

Pembroke, New Hampshire, was named after the ninth Earl by Governor Benning Wentworth.

Pembroke, Kentucky, was not named for any of the earls of Pembroke as is sometimes claimed,[8] but for the character of Pembroke Somerset who appeared in the popular 1803 novel Thaddeus of Warsaw, which described the 1790s uprisings in Poland. There is an all-male dorm on the campus of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, Pembroke Hall, that is named after this city, as an original Trustee of the building was from the city.

Pembroke, Ontario, is named in honour of Secretary of State for the Colonies Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, younger son of George Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke of the tenth creation.

Pembroke Parish, Bermuda, is named for William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, of the tenth creation.

Pembroke, Malta, was named for Robert Herbert, 12th Earl of Pembroke of the tenth creation, and was authorised in 1859 by Sidney Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Lea, his younger brother, then Secretary at War.

Notes

The seventh Earl was twice involved in trials for murder: in 1677–78,[9][10] and the killing of William Smeethe, a London Officer of the Watch, in 1680.[11]

References

  1. ^ An Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Glamorgan. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. 1981. p. 355. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Debrett's Peerage of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Debrett's. 1840. p. 569. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Chisholm 1911, p. 78.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Chisholm 1911, p. 79.
  5. ^ Chisholm 1911, pp. 79–80.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911, p. 80.
  7. ISBN 978-0-7153-4766-9
    .
  8. ^ Rennick, Robert. Kentucky Place Names, p. 229. University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987. Accessed 1 Aug 2013.
  9. ^ William Cobbett; David Jardine (1816). Cobbett's complete collection of state trials and proceedings for high treason: and other crimes and misdemeanor from the earliest period to the present time ... from the ninth year of the reign of King Henry, the Second, A.D.1163, to ... [George IV, A.D.1820]. R. Bagshaw. p. 619. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  10. ^ Sir Richard Bulstrode (1897). ... The Bulstrode Papers: Volume I (1667-1675). private circulation. p. 269. Retrieved 23 July 2013.
  11. ^ James Thorne (1876). Handbook to the Environs of London: Alphabetically Arranged, Containing an Account of Every Town and Village, and of All Places of Interest, Within a Circle of Twenty Miles Round London. J. Murray. p. 627. Retrieved 23 July 2013.

Sources

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Pembroke, Earls of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 21 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 78–80.
  • G. T. Clark, The Earls, Earldom and Castle of Pembroke (Tenby 1880)
  • J. R. Planche, "The Earls of Strigul " in vol. x. of the Proceedings of the British Archaeological Association (1855)
  • G. E. Cokayne, Complete Peerage, vol. vi. (London, 1895).
  • Giraldus Cambrensis, Expugnatio hibernica
  • The Song of Dermot, edited by G. H. Orpen (1892).
  • The metrical French life, Histoire de Guillaume le Marchal (ed. P. Meyer, 3 vols., Paris, 1891–1901)
  • The Minority of Henry III, by G. J. Turner (Trans. Royal Hist. Soc., new series, vol. xviii. pp. 245295)
  • W. Stubbs, Constitutional History, chs. xii. and xiv. (Oxford, 1896–1897).
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