Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
1584–1650
Lord Chamberlain; patron of Shakespeare’s First Folio; Wilton House.
Biography
Of New College Oxford, the Herbert heir succeeded his brother as 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery in 1630. Long-serving Lord Chamberlain (1626-1641), he had been the dedicatee — with his brother William — of Shakespeare's First Folio (1623). A moderate who took the parliamentary side at the war's outbreak, partly from personal animus against Strafford and Laud. His seat at Wilton was rebuilt during the war by Inigo Jones. He sat in the Lords until its abolition in 1649 and then accepted election to the Rump for Berkshire — a controversial step for a peer. Died in 1650.
Lay Assessor — House of Lords
Parliament seated lay assessors from both Houses to sit with the divines and represent its interest. Ten peers were named from the House of Lords as lay assessors; like the Commons assessors they had voice in the Assembly but were not voting members, and they attended as their other duties allowed.