Lieutenant-General Henry Herbert, 9th Earl of Pembroke

Henry Herbert was born as Lord Herbert on 29 Jan 1693. He was the eldest son of Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke and Margaret Sawyer. The family seat was at Wilton House, Wiltshire. He studied classical architecture at Christ Church, Oxford and went on the Grand Tour. He served in the Coldstream Guards and reached the rank of colonel, appointed captain and colonel of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards on 20 Sep 1721. He was closely associated with George II and was made Lord of the Bedchamber.
He inherited the title 9th Earl of Pembroke in 1733 and was appointed Colonel of the King’s Own Regiment of Horse (KDG) on 22 June 1733. He held other posts due to royal patronage such as Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Groom of the Stole, Privy Councillor. He designed several buildings including the Column of Victory at Blenheim Palace, and was very involved in the building of Westminster Bridge in the 1740s. One aspect of his life is quite startling; he was fanatical vegetarian, attempting to survive on only beetroot and watercress. In 1729 he was seen walking in Paris eating these vegetables at regular intervals. However, the bust of him by Roubillac in the V&A Museum shows a robust looking man who must surely have had a more varied diet. He was married to Mary Fitzwilliam on 28 Aug 1733 and they had one child, Henry, 10th Earl of Pembroke. Henry senior died on 9 Jan 1749.

Regimental Details | Colonels