The Earl of Powis | |
|---|---|
_(4th_Earl_of_Powis_cropped).jpg) 4th Earl of Powis in 1939 | |
| Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire | |
| In office 1896–1951 | |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Bradford |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Bridgeman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | George Charles Herbert (1862-06-24)24 June 1862 Mayfair, London |
| Died | 9 November 1952(1952-11-09) (aged 90) |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Edward Herbert, 3rd Earl of Powis (uncle) William Petty-FitzMaurice, Earl of Kerry (grandfather) |
| Parent(s) | Sir Percy Herbert Lady Mary Petty-FitzMaurice |
| Education | Eton College |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
George Charles Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis,DL,JP (24 June 1862 – 9 November 1952), known asGeorge Herbert until 1891, was a British peer.
Herbert was born at Number 26,Bruton Street,Mayfair, London, and baptised atSt George's, Hanover Square.[1] He was the son of The Hon.Sir Percy Egerton Herbert and Lady Mary Caroline Louisa Thomas Petty-FitzMaurice, daughter of theEarl of Kerry (the eldest son ofHenry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne).[2] He succeeded his unclethe 3rd Earl in the peerage in 1891.
He was educated atEton College and atSt John's College, Cambridge, where he graduatedBA in 1885 andMA in 1905.[3]
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After gaining of his first degree, he was employed as a civil servant in the administrative branch of theGeneral Post Office (the GPO) in London, but resigned after succeeding to his peerage.[4]
He was appointedLord Lieutenant of Shropshire in 1896,[5] a post he held until 1951.[6] He was also a Deputy Lieutenant for the county ofMontgomeryshire andJP for the counties of Montgomeryshire and Shropshire, and Alderman of ShropshireCounty Council. He wasBailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.[7]
In 1897 he served as treasurer of theSalop Infirmary inShrewsbury.[8]In 1898 he was madeHonorary Colonel of the4th (Royal Montgomeryshire Militia) Battalion, South Wales Borderers.[9]
In 1890, six months before inheriting the earldom, Herbert was married to The Hon.Violet Ida Evelyn Lane-Fox (1865–1929), the second daughter ofThe 15th Baron Darcy de Knayth.[10] Violet's older sister,Hon. Marcia Lane-Fox, was marriedCharles Pelham, 4th Earl of Yarborough.[11] Together, George and Violet were the parents of two sons and one daughter:[12]
Lord Powis died at Powis Castle in November 1952, aged 90, and was buried in the churchyard atChrist Church, Welshpool.[14] He was succeeded in the earldom by his first cousin's eldest son,Edward Robert Henry Herbert.[12]
The Earl was fated to survive both his sons, the elder of whom died duringWorld War I and the younger duringWorld War II. While the earldom passed to his first cousin's son, the barony which had been conferred onClive of India passed to the Earl's grandchild,Davina, daughter of his younger son,Mervyn.
Lord Powis bequeathed his family seat,Powis Castle nearWelshpool, toThe National Trust. The very high inheritance taxes which prevailed in the United Kingdom in the post-war years may have influenced his decision. His heir, the 5th Earl, came to an understanding with the National Trust and took up residence at Powis Castle. Since the death of the 6th Earl (Christian Victor Charles Herbert) in 1988, the Earl and his family no longer reside in Powis castle.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire 1896–1951 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Powis 1891–1952 | Succeeded by |