John Herbert (Secretary of State)

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Sir John Herbert
Born1550
Died9 July 1617
Cardiff
NationalityWelsh
Occupation(s)Lawyer, diplomat, politician
Tomb of John Herbert and his brother William in St John the Baptist Church, Cardiff

Sir John Herbert (1550 – 9 July 1617) was a

James I
.

Life

Herbert was the son of Matthew Herbert of Swansea

Master of Requests from 1586 to 1601 (with William Aubrey from 1590).[2] Queen Elizabeth appointed him secretary to the Council of the North and Keeper of Signet.[1]

In 1586, Herbert was elected

Privy Council. In 1601 he was elected MP for Glamorgan and for Wallingford and chose to sit for Glamorgan. Besides serving in Parliament, he also was appointed as Dean of Wells in 1590, and served until late 1602.[5] He was knighted in 1602. In 1604 he was elected MP for Monmouthshire and sat until 1611.[4] He was appointed High Sheriff of Glamorgan for 1605[1] and in 1607 appointed Chancellor of the Order of the Garter
for life.

Herbert was a talented linguist (not just speaking English and

James I, although James preferred to use unofficial secretaries such as Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke. When Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury died in 1612, Herbert hoped to succeed him as principal secretary of state, but James I left the office vacant until 1614. He was thereafter Secretary of State in name only.[6]

Herbert was of Neath Abbey. He died in Cardiff aged 67 on 9 July 1617, having fought a duel with Sir Lewis Tresham two months earlier.[6]

Herbert married Margaret Morgan, daughter of William Morgan of Cefn Coch.[1]

French embassy of 1598

Herbert,

Duke of Montpensier in Paris, and subsequently travelled south to meet Henry IV of France at Angers in March. They had their final audiences with the king at Nantes and the Duke de Bouillon gave Cecil a locket with the king's portrait. They sailed home to Portsmouth from Ouistreham, a port near Caen, in the Adventure commanded by Sir Alexander Clifford.[7]

References

Parliament of England
Preceded by
Glamorgan

1601
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire
1604–1611
With: Thomas Somerset
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State
1600–1616
With: Sir Robert Cecil 1600–1612
Robert Carr, Viscount Rochester 1612–1614
Sir Ralph Winwood 1614–1616
Succeeded by
Preceded by Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan
1601–1603
Succeeded by