Percy Egerton Herbert
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Sir Percy Egerton Herbert KCB
, PC (15 April 1822 – 7 October 1876), was a British Army
officer and Conservative
politician.
, near Welshpool
, the second son of Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis
, grandson of Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive
. His mother was Edward's wife Lucy Graham, third daughter of James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
. He was educated at Eton
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
in the 43rd (Monmouthshire) light infantry
in January 1840, serving with them in the war on the Xhosa (1851-53), the Orange River Boers
expedition, and the battle of Berea
. He rose to lieutenant
on 7 September 1841, captain on 19 June 1846, major
on 27 May and lieutenant-colonel on 28 May 1853.
Herbert entered politics when he was returned for Ludlow
, uncontested, in February 1854, holding the seat until he resigned on September 1860. He continued to serve in the army, being appointed assistant quartermaster-general of Sir De Lacy Evans's division of the army of the East. He landed in the Crimea in this staff position, receiving major wounds at the Battle of the Alma and the siege of Sevastopol and also serving at the Battle of Inkerman
. He took over from Sir Richard Airey
as quartermaster-general of the whole British army force from when Airey returned to England until the evacuation of the Crimea. For his services in the Crimean War
he was made an aide-de-camp
to Queen Victoria
, a Companion of the Order of the Bath
(CB) and a colonel (as a brevet rank, on 28 November 1854), and also received knighthoods from the Turkish, Sardinian and French governments.
On 19 February 1858 Herbert was made lieutenant-colonel of the 82nd (Prince of Wales's) foot
, joining that regiment at Cawnpore on 21 April 1858. He commanded the regiment's left wing in the Rohilkhand
campaign (being present at the capture of Bareilly
and Shahjahanpur
) and then the Cawnpore and Fatehpur
districts until spring 1859, as well as being sent to pursue Firuz Shah and a body of rebels on the banks of the river Jumna in December 1858. In September 1860 he left Parliament to become deputy quartermaster-general at the Horse Guards. He re-entered Parliament in April 1865 as Conservative MP for South Shropshire
, holding the seat until February 1874. From 1865 to 1867 assistant quartermaster-general at Aldershot
. In March 1867 he was sworn of the Privy Council
and appointed Treasurer of the Household
in Lord Derby
Conservative administration, in which post he remained until December 1868, the last year under the premiership of Benjamin Disraeli. He was promoted to major-general in January 1868 and lieutenant-general in September 1875, and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1869.
, on 4 October 1860. They had four children:
Herbert died at The Styche, Market Drayton
, Shropshire
, in October 1876, aged 54, and was buried at Moreton Say
. Lady Herbert survived her husband by over 50 years and died in September 1927.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, PC (15 April 1822 – 7 October 1876), was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician.
Background and education
Herbert was born at Powis CastlePowis Castle
Powis Castle is a medieval castle, fortress and grand country mansion located near the town of Welshpool, in Powys, Mid Wales.The residence of the Earl of Powis, the castle is known for its extensive, attractive formal gardens, terraces, parkland, deerpark and landscaped estate...
, near Welshpool
Welshpool
Welshpool is a town in Powys, Wales, or ancient county Montgomeryshire, from the Wales-England border. The town is low-lying on the River Severn; the Welsh language name Y Trallwng literally meaning 'the marshy or sinking land'...
, the second son of Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis
Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis
- External links :...
, grandson of Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive
Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive
Major-General Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive, KB , also known as Clive of India, was a British officer who established the military and political supremacy of the East India Company in Bengal. He is credited with securing India, and the wealth that followed, for the British crown...
. His mother was Edward's wife Lucy Graham, third daughter of James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose
James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose KG, KT, PC , styled Marquess of Graham until 1790, was a Scottish nobleman and statesman.-Background:...
. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Military and political careers
Herbert was made an ensignEnsign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the 43rd (Monmouthshire) light infantry
43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot
The 43rd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army. It was raised as Thomas Fowke's Regiment of Foot in 1741 with its headquarters at Winchester. The regiment was numbered 54th Foot until 1748 when it became the 43rd Foot...
in January 1840, serving with them in the war on the Xhosa (1851-53), the Orange River Boers
Orange Free State
The Orange Free State was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, and later a British colony and a province of the Union of South Africa. It is the historical precursor to the present-day Free State province...
expedition, and the battle of Berea
Berea
Berea or Beroea may mean:In Lesotho:*Berea DistrictIn Romania:*Berea, a village in Ciumeşti Commune, Satu Mare CountyIn South Africa:*Berea, Durban*Berea, GautengIn the United States:*Berea, Kentucky*Berea, Baltimore, Maryland...
. He rose to lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 7 September 1841, captain on 19 June 1846, major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
on 27 May and lieutenant-colonel on 28 May 1853.
Herbert entered politics when he was returned for Ludlow
Ludlow (UK Parliament constituency)
Ludlow is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
, uncontested, in February 1854, holding the seat until he resigned on September 1860. He continued to serve in the army, being appointed assistant quartermaster-general of Sir De Lacy Evans's division of the army of the East. He landed in the Crimea in this staff position, receiving major wounds at the Battle of the Alma and the siege of Sevastopol and also serving at the Battle of Inkerman
Battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on November 5, 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and was followed by the Siege of Sevastopol...
. He took over from Sir Richard Airey
Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey
General Richard Airey, 1st Baron Airey GCB , known as Sir Richard Airey between 1855 and 1876, was a British general.-Background:...
as quartermaster-general of the whole British army force from when Airey returned to England until the evacuation of the Crimea. For his services in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
he was made an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, a Companion of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB) and a colonel (as a brevet rank, on 28 November 1854), and also received knighthoods from the Turkish, Sardinian and French governments.
On 19 February 1858 Herbert was made lieutenant-colonel of the 82nd (Prince of Wales's) foot
82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers)
The 82nd Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, created in 1793 and amalgamated into The Prince of Wales's Volunteers in 1881....
, joining that regiment at Cawnpore on 21 April 1858. He commanded the regiment's left wing in the Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand
Rohilkhand is a region of northwestern Uttar Pradesh state of India.Rohilkhand lies on the upper Ganges alluvial plain and has an area of about 25,000 km²/10,000 square miles...
campaign (being present at the capture of Bareilly
Bareilly
Bareilly is a prominent city in Bareilly district in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Standing on the Ramganga river, it is the capital of the Bareilly division and the geographical region Rohilkhand...
and Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur
Shahjahanpur is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India.-History:During the reign of Shahjahan, Mughal forces demolished the city of Kant...
) and then the Cawnpore and Fatehpur
Fatehpur district
Fatehpur district is one of the 71 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district covers an area of 4,152 km². The district has a population of 2,308,384 . Fatehpur city is the administrative headquarters of the district. Located on the banks of the sacred rivers Ganges and...
districts until spring 1859, as well as being sent to pursue Firuz Shah and a body of rebels on the banks of the river Jumna in December 1858. In September 1860 he left Parliament to become deputy quartermaster-general at the Horse Guards. He re-entered Parliament in April 1865 as Conservative MP for South Shropshire
South Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)
South Shropshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1832 to 1885. It was represented by two Knights of the Shire....
, holding the seat until February 1874. From 1865 to 1867 assistant quartermaster-general at Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
. In March 1867 he was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
and appointed Treasurer of the Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...
in Lord Derby
Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby
Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, KG, PC was an English statesman, three times Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and to date the longest serving leader of the Conservative Party. He was known before 1834 as Edward Stanley, and from 1834 to 1851 as Lord Stanley...
Conservative administration, in which post he remained until December 1868, the last year under the premiership of Benjamin Disraeli. He was promoted to major-general in January 1868 and lieutenant-general in September 1875, and was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1869.
Marriage and issue
Herbert married Lady Mary Caroline Louisa Petty-Fitzmaurice, daughter of William Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of KerryWilliam Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry
William Thomas Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry , styled Earl of Wycombe between 1811 and 1818, was a British Whig politician.-Background:...
, on 4 October 1860. They had four children:
- Henry Herbert (28 June 1861- 8 August 1865).
- George Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis (1862-1952), married the Honourable Violet Lane-FoxViolet Herbert, Countess of PowisViolet Ida Eveline Herbert, Countess of Powis and 16th Baroness Darcy de Knayth was a British peeress....
. - Magdalen Herbert (28 July 1864-27 October 1957).
- Margaret Herbert (d. 7 July 1952).
Herbert died at The Styche, Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, in October 1876, aged 54, and was buried at Moreton Say
Moreton Say
Moreton Say is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is sometimes spelled as Moreton Saye. The civil parish, which also covers the hamlets of Longford and Longslow, had a total population of 429 at the 2001 census....
. Lady Herbert survived her husband by over 50 years and died in September 1927.