Barbara Herbert, Countess of Powis

Barbara's father, Lord Edward Herbert, was a younger son of William Herbert, 2nd Marquess of Powis; he married Lady Henrietta Waldegrave, but died only a few months after the wedding, in 1734. Barbara was born three months after her father's death.[1]

On 30 March 1751, when Barbara was just fifteen, she married her kinsman Henry Arthur Herbert, who was in his late forties. Henry was descended from Richard Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury, and was created Earl of Powis in 1748,[2] following the death without heirs of Barbara's uncle, William Herbert, 3rd Marquess of Powis. Together, Barbara and Henry were the parents of two children:

• George Edward Henry Arthur Herbert, 2nd Earl of Powis (1755–1801), who died unmarried.[1]
• Lady Henrietta Antonia Herbert (1758–1830), who married Edward Clive, 2nd Baron Clive, who was later created Earl of Powis, and had issue.[1]

In 1771, shortly before the earl's death, the family seat at Oakly Park was sold to Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive,[3] and they moved permanently to Powis Castle. A portrait of Barbara by an unknown artist, dated to approximately 1750, is held at Powis Castle, in the care of the National Trust.[4]