Henry Arthur Herbert (1815–1866)

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Henry Arthur Herbert
Chief Secretary for Ireland
In office
27 May 1857 – 21 February 1858
MonarchVictoria
Prime MinisterThe Viscount Palmerston
Preceded byEdward Horsman
Succeeded byLord Naas
Personal details
Born1815 (1815)
Died26 February 1866 (1866-02-27)
NationalityIrish
Political partyLiberal
SpouseMary Balfour
Alma materTrinity College, Cambridge
Muckross House

Colonel Henry Arthur Herbert PC (1815 – 26 February 1866), was an Anglo-Irish politician in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Political career[edit]

Herbert was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Kerry from 1847 until his death, and served as Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1857 to 1858. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant and Custos Rotulorum of Kerry in 1853.

In Dublin, Herbert was a member of the Kildare Street Club.[1]

Family[edit]

Herbert was the grandson of Henry Arthur Herbert (1756–1821), MP for Kerry from 1806 to 1813 and the son of Charles John Herbert (1785-1823) and Louisa Anne (née Middleton) (1796-1828), who was the daughter of Nathaniel Middleton. Henry's grandmother, Anne, was the daughter of a 'Jamaican of colour' called Elizabeth Augier.[2][3]

He was educated at Eton and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1835.[4]

In September 1837, Herbert married the artist Mary Balfour, whom he had met in Rome. They had four children: Eleanor (1839-1907), Henry Arthur (1840–1901), Charles (1842-1891) and Blanche (1846-1920).

Herbert's family owned the Muckross Estate near Killarney in County Kerry, and they moved there to Torc Cottage after their wedding. Mary brought a large dowry to the marriage, and in 1839 they began construction of the large Muckross House. It was finished in 1843, shortly before the Great Famine. Herbert is buried in Killegy graveyard, near Muckross village.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Thomas Hay Sweet Escott, Club Makers and Club Members (1913), pp. 329–333
  2. ^ Livesay, Daniel (11 January 2018). Children of Uncertain Fortune: Mixed-Race Jamaicans in Britain and the Atlantic Family, 1733-1833. UNC Press Books. ISBN 9781469634449.
  3. ^ "Plantation Families - Hampshire Archive Trust". 24 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Herbert, Henry Arthur (HRBT833HA)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Kerry
1847 – 1866
With: Morgan John O'Connell 1847–1852
Viscount Castlerosse 1852–1871
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Secretary for Ireland
1857–1858
Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Kerry
1854–1866
Succeeded by