Clan Rising

House of Herbert

Marcher house of Pembroke and Raglan, the bridge between the Welsh gentry and the Tudor court.

Origin
Deheubarth, Wales
Motto
Ung je serviray
Famous bearer
William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c.1423–1469), the first Welshman to hold an English earldom
Register
Princely house
#6

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Territory of Herbert

CoreHistoric reach

The seat of House of Herbert

Seat vacant

Chief

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Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once House of Herbert has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Herbert clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

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Motto

Ung je serviray

“One I will serve”

What does the Herbert name mean?

From the Old German Heribert, 'army-bright', brought into Wales through the Norman lords of the southern March. The Welsh-language form was Sir Herbert, Sir, in this case, the Welsh 'sir' for a county, and the family rooted in the south-east March became the principal Marcher house of the late medieval and Tudor period. The Herberts of Raglan and Pembroke are the principal line.

The history of House of Herbert

The House of Herbert traces to Sir William ap Thomas (d.1445) of Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire, a Welsh knight in the service of the Duke of York. His son William Herbert (c.1423–1469) took the surname in the English fashion, was created Earl of Pembroke by Edward IV in 1468, the first Welshman to hold an English earldom, and was the principal Yorkist magnate in Wales. He was executed after defeat at the Battle of Edgcote in 1469.

His grandson, the second creation of the Herbert earldom of Pembroke in 1551, made the Herberts the leading Welsh-Marcher house at the Tudor court. William Herbert, 3rd Earl, was the patron to whom Shakespeare's First Folio is co-dedicated and the 'Mr. W. H.' of the Sonnets, in the most-defended of several scholarly readings. Wilton House, the Herbert seat in Wiltshire, was a centre of Elizabethan literary life.

George Herbert (1593–1633), priest and poet, member of the same family, wrote The Temple, published posthumously, the foundational text of Anglican devotional poetry alongside John Donne's. The Herbert line continues today through the Earls of Pembroke at Wilton.

Champions of the Herbert name

The bearers whose lives are inseparable from this surname. Each has their own page, biography, achievements, geography, connection to the family.

Historic Places, Rebuilt

Explore the streets and seats the Herbert name knew, rebuilt with AI as they stood in history.

Or recreate your own castle →

Historic Places, Rebuilt · New

Explore Harlech Castle in 1404Enter →

Owain Glyndŵr's mountain fortress and court at the high tide of Welsh independence, the English siege lines gathering below.

Historic Places, Rebuilt · New

Explore Raglan Castle in 1645Enter →

The grandest castle-palace in Wales at its height, the moated Yellow Tower, fountain courts and long gallery, on the eve of the siege.

Historic Places, Rebuilt · New

Explore Cardiff Docks in 1913Enter →

The greatest coal port on earth at its peak, the hoists and colliers, the Coal Exchange and the streets of Tiger Bay.

Castles the Herbert held

Strongholds this name held for a decade or more, look one up, or rebuild it to explore.

  • Powis Castle

    Held by the Herbert Earls of Powis since 1587.

  • Raglan Castle

    Rebuilt by William Herbert in the 15th century.

  • Pembroke Castle

    Later held by the Herbert Earls of Pembroke.

  • Cardiff Castle

    Taken over by the Herbert family in 1550.

  • Chepstow Castle

    Granted to William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, in 1468, in exchange for lands in the east of England.

  • Oystermouth Castle

    The Lordship of Gower and the castle later passed to the Herbert family.

  • St Fagans Castle

    Held by the Herberts from Nicholas Herbert's purchase in 1586 until the sale of 1616.

  • Montgomery Castle

    Held for Charles I by the elderly Lord Herbert of Cherbury from 1642; his son the 2nd Lord Herbert unsuccessfully opposed the slighting of the walls in 1649.

  • Baynard's Castle

    Granted to William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke, in 1551; the Herberts extended it and held it through the Civil War on Parliament's side.

Landmarks the Herbert held

Palaces, houses and great buildings tied to this name, look one up, or rebuild it to explore.

  • Highclere Castle

    Country seat of the Herbert Earls of Carnarvon; the estate came to Thomas Herbert, 8th Earl of Pembroke, by marriage in 1692.

The castles of the homeland

The great strongholds of the homeland, look one up, see what it looked like in its prime, and recreate it to explore.

Caernarfon Castle, WalesCaernarfon CastleRestored · prime 1330Conwy Castle, WalesConwy CastleRuin · prime 1287Pembroke Castle, WalesPembroke CastleRestored · prime 1280

All castles in Wales → · Strongest castles in Wales → · Castles of Europe

Play As Your Clan

Explore history as a HerbertStart your story →

Pick any year from 500 to 1945 and any place on earth, the Herbert country, or a shore no Herbert ever reached. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.

Notable bearers of the Herbert name

  • William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c.1423–1469), the first Welshman to hold an English earldom
  • George Herbert (1593–1633), priest and poet (The Temple)
  • William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, patron of the First Folio

Stories of House of Herbert

Stories that touch the name House of Herbert

Frequently asked

What does the surname Herbert mean?

From the Old German Heribert, 'army-bright', brought into Wales through the Norman lords of the southern March. The Welsh-language form was Sir Herbert, Sir, in this case, the Welsh 'sir' for a county, and the family rooted in the south-east March became the principal Marcher house of the late medieval and Tudor period. The Herberts of Raglan and Pembroke are the principal line. The House of Herbert traces to Sir William ap Thomas (d.

Where does the Herbert family come from?

The Herbert family is rooted in Deheubarth and Gwent, in Wales. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Sir Benfro and Sir Fynwy. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.

Where did the Herbert family historically hold territory?

At its greatest historical extent, the Herbert name has been concentrated in Casnewydd, Cardiff, The Valleys, Torfaen and Powys. The atlas page distinguishes the core territory of the name from this wider historical reach with hatched silhouettes on the map.

Is Herbert Welsh or English?

Herbert is a Welsh surname; its home on this atlas is Wales, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated. The same or similar spellings can surface in English records, but the lineage documented on this page is the Welsh one.

How old is the Herbert surname?

The House of Herbert traces to Sir William ap Thomas (d. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Herbert name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Herbert family known for?

Marcher house of Pembroke and Raglan, the bridge between the Welsh gentry and the Tudor court. The House of Herbert traces to Sir William ap Thomas (d.

What is the Herbert motto?

The motto of the Herbert family is "Ung je serviray", which translates as "One I will serve". Family mottoes were registered with the chief of the name and carried on the heraldic arms and battle-banners.

What does "Ung je serviray" mean in English?

"Ung je serviray" is the motto of the Herbert family. In English it means "One I will serve". The phrase is typically rendered in Latin, though some Highland families carry their motto in Gaelic and some Norman lines in Old French.

Is there a Herbert family crest or coat of arms?

There is no single coat of arms that belongs to everyone named Herbert. Heraldic arms were granted to individuals and descend through specific documented lines, so a "family crest" matched to a surname alone is decorative rather than genealogical. The motto associated with the principal line is "Ung je serviray".

Who is the most famous Herbert?

The best-known bearer of the Herbert name is William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c.1423–1469), the first Welshman to hold an English earldom. Other prominent figures of the family include George Herbert (1593–1633), priest and poet (The Temple) and William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, patron of the First Folio.

Who are some famous Herberts?

Notable bearers of the Herbert name include William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (c.1423–1469), the first Welshman to hold an English earldom, George Herbert (1593–1633), priest and poet (The Temple) and William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, patron of the First Folio. Each is profiled on the family page, with cross-links to the geography, stories, and historical events tied to their life.

What stories are told about the Herbert family?

The Herbert family is associated with George Herbert and The Temple. Each story has its own page on this site with the full account, the date, the location, and the other families involved.

What is the story of George Herbert and The Temple?

On the twentieth of February 1633, on his deathbed at the rectory of Bemerton in Wiltshire, George Herbert, forty years old, the rector of the small parish for the past three years, formerly Public Orator of the University of Cambridge, formerly a Member of Parliament, sometime favourite of King James and the Earl of Pembroke (his cousin), gave his manuscript of devotional poetry to his friend Edmund Duncon and asked him to take it to Nicholas Ferrar at Little Gidding. Tell him that Mr Duncon shall deliver to him a little book, in which he may find a picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have passed betwixt God and my soul, before I could subject mine to the will of Jesus my Master, in whose service I have now found perfect freedom; desire him to read it; and then, if he can think it may turn to the advantage of any dejected poor soul, let it be made public; if not, let him burn it; for I and it are less than the least of God's mercies. The event is dated to 1633.

Where is the Herbert surname found today?

Wales is the primary historical home of the Herbert surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Wales origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Herbert family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Herbert family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, the family motto, famous bearers of the name, traditional stories and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Wales so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Herbert family today?

The seat for the head of the Herbert family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.

A note from the editors

  • Cross-border with England. The England catalogue will surface this entry alongside the Welsh home.

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Neighbouring clans