Arthur Herbert (abt.1648-abt.1716) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Arthur Herbert

Born about 1648 in Newry, Down, Ireland

Ancestors

Son of Edward Herbert and Margaret (Smith) Herbert

Brother of Philadelphia (Carey) Lyttelton [half], Frances Carey [half], Elizabeth (Carey) Mordaunt [half], Charles Herbert, Edward Herbert and Vere (Herbert) Lynch

Husband of Anne (Hadley) Herbert — married 2 Nov 1672 [location unknown]

Husband of Anne (Airmine) Herbert — married 1 Aug 1704 [location unknown]

Died about 14 Apr 1716 at about age 68 in Oatlands, Surrey, England

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1 Biography
2 Sources
- 2.1 See Also

Biography

Arthur Herbert is Notable.

Naval Career

Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, Admiral of the Fleet, was born in 1648 at Newry, County Down, Ireland, the son of Edward Herbert and Margaret Smith.^[1] He joined the navy in 1663^[2] and in March 1666 served as lieutenant on the 66-gun Defiance, surviving two bloody encounters that heavily damaged the ship and left many dead and wounded.^[3] In November, 1666 he was given command of the 28-gun Pembroke which saw action against a much larger Dutch privateer and earned him commendation for his bravery.^[3] In April 1667 he took command of the 42-gun Constant Warwick, where he served until March 1669 when he was placed in command of the 38-gun Dragon and sent to the Mediterranean to repress the Algerian corsairs. ^[2]^[3] He participated in numerous attacks on the heavily armed Algerian ships and was seriously wounded when a bullet struck him just below his right eye and lodged in his head.^[3] In 1672 he commanded the 62-gun Dreadnought during the Battle of Solebay. On returning to port he immediately took command of the 70-gun Cambridge whose captain had been killed during the battle. In the Cambridge he took part in the two battles of Schooneveld (1673), sailed for the Shetland Islands to search for a disabled Dutch merchant ship which he took as a prize, and sailed once more to the Mediterranean to land troops at Tangier and then join Sir John Narbrough at Algiers.^[3] In November 1677 he took command of the Rupert, and captured a 40-gun Algerian ship in the Mediterranean after a very bloody battle in which he lost one of his eyes. ^[2] In April 1679 he served as acting commander-in-chief for the Mediterranean and was in charge of a squadron of 9 vessels.^[2]^[3] In 1680 he took command of the Bristol and was appointed admiral and commander-in-chief of the navy.^[3] He was actively engaged in defending Tangier (then besieged by the Moors) and in 1682 helped to conclude a treaty with Algiers that brought much more stability to the region.^[2] The following year he was nominated rear-admiral of England, appointed master of the robes, and awarded a seat in parliament representing Dover.^[2]

Changing Loyalties

The change in Arthur Herbert's political trajectory began in March of 1687 when James II launched a campaign to repeal the Test Act of 1673. The king interviewed MPs to guarantee their support and Herbert refused to vote for the repeal, saying such a vote would be "contrary to his honor and his conscience."^[3]^[4] The king was so enraged by this that Herbert was stripped of all his offices and his accounts as master of the robes were closely scrutinized.^[4] In the following months he became more actively involved in opposing the king's policies, and in July 1688 he went to Holland and offered his services to William of Orange. He became one of William's most trusted advisors and was appointed commander of the fleet which was to invade England. ^[3]^[4] In December 1688 he was elected MP for Plymouth, and in February 1689 the new king made him a privy councillor and appointed him to head the new Board of Admiralty commissioners.^[3] In May of that year he was created Baron Herbert of Torbay and earl of Torrington.^[3] By August he had returned to sea with the fleet.

He made frequent pleas regarding the need to strengthen the fleet, citing inadequate numbers and poor provisioning, but when all his requests were ignored he resigned his seat on the admiralty board in protest.^[2] He did, however, remain in command of the fleet and off Beachy Head on 30 June 1690 the English fleet and their Dutch allies--seriously outnumbered by the French--suffered a stinging defeat. Herbert was crucified in the press for this disaster, temporarily imprisoned in the Tower, and eventually faced a court martial orchestrated primarily by his political enemies.^[3] He was accused of holding back and not properly engaging the enemy. He gave a moving speech defending his actions, describing the inferior strength of the English fleet and the disaster that would have occurred if they had attempted to recklessly engage with the French ships, and ended up being completely acquitted of all charges.^[2] He had already been stripped of his command, however, and never applied for another.^[4] In 1696 he received his brother Edward's forfeited estate at Oatlands and spent his remaining years there. He died 14 April 1716 and was buried in Westminster Abbey.^[4]^[5]

Marriages and Family

Arthur Herbert married (first) Anne Hadley 2 November 1672. She was the daughter of George Hadley and Anne Harrison, and the (wealthy) widow of Walter Pheasant of Upwood, Huntingdonshire.^[4] It is thought to have been a somewhat troubled marriage, and when James II ascended the throne and Herbert was made master of robes in the king's household the king instructed him "to take his wife again"^[3] implying there may have been some sort of separation between husband and wife. There is almost no mention of Anne (Hadley) Herbert in records of the time after this date.

On 1 August 1704 Arthur married (second) Anne Armine (her third marriage), who was an heiress in her own right. Although he predeceased her, his second wife was not mentioned in his will. Other than several small bequests, the bulk of his estate was left to Henry Clinton, earl of Lincoln.^[3]

Sources

↑ Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms 1620-1911, published by Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT 2011. Arthur Herbert, earl of Torrington. Birth place: Newry, Down, Ireland; Father: Edward, Sir Herbert; Mother: Margaret Smith Carey. Arthur, Earl of Torrington Herbert discovered in Ireland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1620-1911 - https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/18425313?h=55d1e1
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 ^2.6 ^2.7 Dictionary of National Biography 1885-1900, entry for Herbert, Arthur (1647-1716). https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Herbert,_Arthur_(1647-1716)_(DNB00)
↑ ^3.00 ^3.01 ^3.02 ^3.03 ^3.04 ^3.05 ^3.06 ^3.07 ^3.08 ^3.09 ^3.10 ^3.11 ^3.12 ^3.13 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online, entry for Herbert, Arthur, earl of Torrington, published 23 Sep 2004, revised 3 Jan 2008.
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 ^4.4 ^4.5 History of Parliament Online, entry for Herbert, Arthur (1648-1716), of Oatlands Part, Weybridge, Surr. https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/herbert-arthur-1648-1716
↑ Find a Grave Index 16002-current. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183416012