William Herbert (planter) facts for kids

Sir William Herbert (born around 1554, died 1593) was an important Welshman. He helped set up new settlements in Ireland. He was also a writer and a Member of Parliament (MP). An MP is someone elected to represent people in the country's government.

Growing Up and Early Career

Sir William Herbert came from an important family in Monmouthshire, Wales. His family estate was near the towns of Caerleon and Newport. He was a great-grandson of the first Earl of Pembroke, William Herbert.

He was a very smart and learned person. He studied with Laurence Humphrey, who was in charge of Magdalen College at Oxford University. Sir William even shared ideas with famous thinkers like John Dee, who was interested in science and other subjects. A poet named Thomas Churchyard admired him and dedicated a poem to him.

Sir William held important jobs in his home county. He became a Justice of the Peace (J.P.), which meant he helped keep law and order. He was also the High Sheriff of Monmouthshire in 1579–80. Later, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire in 1584, 1586, and 1593.

Adventures in Ireland

Sir William Herbert had big plans for his life. He wanted to show his loyalty to God and his queen by writing a book, starting a new settlement (a "colony"), and building a college. He managed to do the first two.

His colony was in Ireland. He was related to Sir James Croft, who had been a leader in Ireland before. In 1586, Sir William became an "undertaker" for the Munster Plantation. This meant he agreed to help settle English people on land in Munster, Ireland, that had been taken from Irish lords. He asked for land in County Kerry.

In 1587, he arrived in Cork, Ireland. He was given a large area of land, about 13,276 acres, that used to belong to the Earl of Desmond. This land included Castleisland.

Sir William was a very active colonist. He suggested that Kerry and Desmond should become one county. He also thought the government in Ireland should be run by English people. He wanted the city of Limerick to be protected with soldiers and walls. He even suggested bringing an army of men from Monmouthshire to defend against attacks.

He also wanted English gentlemen to settle in Kerry. He worked to change Irish customs, like "tanistry," which was a way of choosing leaders. Sir William was fair to the Irish people, but he did enforce laws against some native customs, like wearing the traditional Irish cloak.

He was a strong Protestant and wanted to spread his religion. He had important religious texts, like the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments, translated into Irish. He also told the church leaders on his land to hold religious services in Irish.

After living in Castleisland for almost two years, he temporarily served as the vice-president of Munster. He also helped settle many disagreements. However, not everyone agreed with his methods. Sir Edward Denny, another English landowner, criticized Sir William. Denny said Herbert was too proud and that his officers were unfair to the Irish people. Sir William replied that Denny was helping pirates and not treating Irish people who converted to Protestantism well.

Sir William returned to England in 1589. Important leaders in Ireland, like Archbishop Meiler Magrath and Lord Chancellor Adam Loftus, praised Sir William. They said he was successful in his efforts to spread Protestantism.

Later Life and Legacy

When Sir William returned to England, he began studying law. He had planned to turn his country house at Tintern into a religious college, but he passed away before this project could begin.

He died at St. Julians on March 4, 1593. He was still serving as a Member of Parliament at the time.

Family Life

Sir William married Florence or Florentia Morgan. They had one daughter, Mary, who was born around 1578. Sadly, his two sons died young from an accident.

In his will, Sir William left all his property to his daughter Mary. This included his estates in St. Julians, his lands in Ireland, and land in other parts of Wales. He had one condition: she had to marry someone with the last name Herbert. In 1599, Mary married her cousin, Edward Herbert, who later became Lord Herbert of Cherbury. This way, the family property stayed in the Herbert name.

After Sir William's death, his wife and daughter asked for a new review of his Irish property. In 1596, the rent for the land was lowered. Sadly, Sir William's house at Castleisland was destroyed during a rebellion in 1598.

His Writings

Sir William Herbert was an author. Here are some of his known works:

• A religious letter called 'A Letter written by a trve Christian Catholike to a Romaine pretended Catholike,' published in 1586.
• A poem titled 'Sidney, or Baripenthes,' which honored Sir Philip Sidney, published in 1586.
• He also wrote a reply in Latin to a work by Edmund Campion, which supported Roman Catholicism. This reply was not printed.
• He wrote an important book in Latin about Ireland called 'Croftus; siue de Hibernia Liber.' This book was about Ireland's history, politics, and geography. It was named after Sir James Croft and was first published in 1887.
• Parts of his writings about the Munster Plantation in Ireland can be found in historical records. Many of his letters to important figures like Francis Walsingham and Lord Burghley, written while he was in Ireland, have also been preserved.