Coat of Arms of Sir William Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert, KG

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke KG (c. 142327 July 1469), known as "Black William", was a Welsh nobleman, soldier, politician, and courtier.

Life

He was the son of William ap Thomas, founder of

Raglan Castle Raglan Castle ( cy, Castell Rhaglan) is a late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th centuries, when the succ ...

, and Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, and grandson of Dafydd Gam, an adherent of King

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the ...

. His father had been an ally of

Richard of York Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantage ...

, and Herbert supported the

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

cause in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

. In 1461 Herbert was rewarded by

King Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

with the title

Baron Herbert Baron Herbert is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1461 for William Herbert, who was later made Earl of Pembroke. The second Earl of Pembroke surrendered his earldom in return for the earldom of Huntingdon, which be ...

of Raglan (having assumed an English-style surname in place of the Welsh

patronymic A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. Patronymics are still in use, including mandatory use, in many countries worldwide, alt ...

), and was invested as a

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George ...

. Soon after the decisive Yorkist victory at the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

in 1461, Herbert replaced Jasper Tudor as

Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

which gave him control of Pembroke Castle – and with it, he gained the wardship of young Henry Tudor. However, he fell out with Lord Warwick "the Kingmaker" in 1469, when Warwick turned against the King. Herbert was denounced by Warwick and the

Duke of Clarence Duke of Clarence is a substantive title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the British Royal Family. All three creations were in the Peerage of England. The title was first granted to Lionel of Antwerp, the second son ...

as one of the king's "evil advisers". William and his brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

were executed by Warwick in Northampton, after the

Battle of Edgcote The Battle of Edgcote (also known as the Battle of Banbury or the Battle of Danes Moor) took place on 24 July 1469, during the Wars of the Roses. It was fought between a Royal army, commanded by the earls of Pembroke and Devon, and a rebel forc ...

, which took place in South Northamptonshire, near Banbury. Herbert was succeeded by his son,

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

, but the earldom was surrendered in 1479. It was later revived for a grandson, another William Herbert, the son of Black William's illegitimate son,

Sir Richard Herbert Sir Richard Herbert (died 1510) of Ewyas, Herefordshire, was a Welsh knight, gentleman, landowner, and courtier. He was an illegitimate son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423–1469), and Maud ap Howell Graunt, a daughter of Adam ...

of Ewyas.

Marriage and children

He married

Anne Devereux Anne Devereux, Countess of Pembroke (c. 1430 – after 25 June 1486), was an English noblewoman, who was Countess of Pembroke during the 15th century by virtue of marriage to William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke. She was born in Bodenham, t ...

, daughter of Walter Devereux,

Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...

and Elizabeth Merbury. They had at least ten children: *

William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (5 March 145116 July 1491) was an English nobleman and politician. Early life He was the son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Anne Devereux. His paternal grandparents were William ap Thomas an ...

(5 March 145116 July 1491). *Sir Walter Herbert. (c. 1452d. 16 September 1507) Married Lady Anne Stafford, sister to the Duke of Buckingham. *Sir George Herbert of St. Julians. *Philip Herbert of Lanyhangel. *Cecilie Herbert. *Maud Herbert. Married Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland. *Katherine Herbert. Married George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent. *Anne Herbert. Married John Grey, 1st

Baron Grey of Powis The title Baron Grey of Powis (1482–1552) was created for the great-grandson of Joan Charleton (c. 1400–1425), co-heiress and 6th Lady of Powis (Powys) and her husband, Sir John Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville (1384–1421) after the death of ...

, 9th Lord of Powys (died 1497). *Isabel Herbert. Married Sir Thomas Cokesey. *Margaret Herbert. Married first

Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle Thomas Talbot, 2nd Baron Lisle and 2nd Viscount Lisle (''c''. 1449 – 20 March 1470), English nobleman, was the son of John Talbot, 1st Viscount Lisle and Joan Cheddar. He married Margaret Herbert, the daughter of William Herbert, 1st Earl of P ...

and secondly Sir Henry Bodringham. William had three illegitimate sons but the identities of their mothers are unconfirmed: *

of Ewyas. Father of

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (10th Creation) William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, 1st Baron Herbert of Cardiff (c. 150117 March 1570) was a Tudor period nobleman, politician, and courtier. Herbert was the son of Sir Richard Herbert and Margaret Cradock.John Bernard Burke. ''A gene ...

. Probably son of Maud, daughter of Adam ap Howell Graunt (Gwynn). *Sir George Herbert. The son of Frond verch Hoesgyn. Married Sybil Croft. *Sir William Herbert of Troye. Son of Frond verch Hoesgyn. Married, second, Blanche Whitney (née Milborne) see

Blanche Milborne Blanche Milborne, Lady Herbert of Troy was the Lady Mistress in charge of the upbringing of Queen Elizabeth I, Edward VI and also of Queen Mary when she lived with the younger Tudor children. She was twice married, and widowed; first to Jame ...

. They had two sons."Ruth E. Richardson,'Mistress Blanche, Queen Elizabeth I's Confidante'"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pembroke, William Herbert, 01st Earl Of 1420s births 1469 deaths Year of birth uncertain *01 1 Executed Welsh people William Herbert, 01st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation) Knights of the Garter People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation People executed under the Yorkists People of the Wars of the Roses

Life

Marriage and children

See also

References