Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis

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Edward Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis (1785–1848) was a British nobleman and Tory politician. He was known as Viscount Clive from 1804 to 1839, and he was the grandson of Clive of India.

Early life
Edward was born on 22 March 1785, the son of Edward Clive, 1st Earl of Powis, and Henrietta Clive. He grew up with several siblings; his sister Charlotte was the governess to Queen Victoria. He attended Eton College and St John’s College, Cambridge, earning a Master of Arts in 1806 and a Doctor of Laws in 1835. In 1844 Oxford University awarded him an honorary Doctor of Civil Law, and he was made a Knight of the Garter the same year.

Peerage and estates
After his father became Earl of Powis, Edward used the title Viscount Clive until 1839. He served as a Member of Parliament for Ludlow from 1806 until he inherited the earldom and joined the House of Lords in 1839. He also inherited Powis Castle estates from his uncle, George Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis, who died in 1801. To take on the Herbert name and arms, Edward had to change his surname to Herbert by royal license in 1807 and settle his uncle’s gambling debts; his father’s will also directed that the Clive estates go to Edward’s younger brother, Robert Clive.

Career
In 1808, Edward was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the Eastern Montgomeryshire Local Militia, a post he held until 1816. He served for many years with the Shropshire Yeomanry, becoming a major in 1807 of a unit raised in Ludlow and Bishop’s Castle; this regiment later became part of the South Shropshire Yeomanry Cavalry, and Edward rose to lieutenant-colonel in 1827. He was Lord Lieutenant of Montgomeryshire from 1830 to 1848 and helped police the Chartist riots of 1839, deploying troops to Newtown. He also commanded the Royal Montgomeryshire Militia from 1846 until his death. In 1812, as Viscount Clive, he served as treasurer of the Salop Infirmary in Shrewsbury. A bibliophile, he built a significant book collection at Powis Castle from travels and purchases, including books from Empress Joséphine’s library at Malmaison. He joined the Roxburghe Club in 1828 and became its president in 1835, supporting the club’s edition of The Lyvys of Seyntys (The Lives of Saints). He supported the Church of England in Wales, opposed plans to merge Bangor and St Asaph sees in Parliament, and served on a Royal Commission on English and Welsh bishoprics. In 1847 he narrowly lost the Cambridge University Chancellor election to Albert, Prince Consort. He was also involved in canal building and, at the time of his death, was chairman of the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company.

Personal life
On 9 February 1818, Powis married Lady Lucy Graham, daughter of the 3rd Duke of Montrose. They had seven children: Edward (who became the 3rd Earl of Powis), Percy Egerton Herbert, George Herbert (a priest), Robert Charles Herbert, William Henry Herbert, Lady Lucy Caroline Herbert, and Lady Charlotte Elizabeth Herbert.

Death and descendants
Edward Herbert died on 17 January 1848 at Powis Castle after being accidentally shot by his son, Hon. George Herbert, during a pheasant hunt. He was buried at St Mary’s Parish Church in Welshpool. Through his son Percy, he was the grandfather of George Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis.

In brief, Edward Herbert was a prominent 19th-century British peer and public servant, known for his military service, leadership in Montgomeryshire, support of the Church of England, literary interests, and role in managing Powis estates.