ABSTRACT
With the departure of the Marquis of Hertford, Lord Herbert was able to come into his own as a local commander. He had never been eclipsed, for even during the time of Hertford’s presence the Parliamentarians had ranked them as equal enemies, and Charles had honoured Herbert by creating his father Marquis of Worcester.1 * Further honours had included a grant of the customs of Bristol, whenever that city were captured, and the confiscated Welsh estates of his local rival, the Earl of Pembroke.2 Herbert possessed, in fact, one asset which made him impossible to ignore-his family was the richest in the kingdom. As well as making his support worth cultivating in a national cause, this gave him an incomparable advantage as a local commander. On Hertford’s departure, Charles immediately confirmed him as Commander-in-Chief in south-east Wales and its March, with absolute authority over Monmouthshire.3 The local Royalist commissioners were ordered to make some arrangement with him to deliver him money from their respective counties to support the army he would raise.4
