Hervey was the son of
Lord John Hervey and Mary Lepel. He was the younger brother of
Augustus John Hervey (later the 3rd
Earl of Bristol), and he was educated at
Westminster School and at
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. He joined the
British Army in 1755 with the rank of lieutenant and he was posted to North America. He was there when the French were beaten at the
Battle of Fort Niagara and Montreal. He was in Canada until 1763. He became a general in 1798. In September 1772, he was in Florence with his uncle, the Honourable
Felton Hervey, and two of his children. His uncle was also being painted by Zoffany. Hervey did not stand for parliament in 1768 although he did attempt to gain a seat in 1775 and 1780 in Bury St. Edmunds. His mother reported that he was a man with few pretensions and he would be as pleased to walk and eat plainly with water as he was to travel by coach and consume fine meats and wine. His diaries reveal him to be a keen traveller and a generous philanthropist. He gave his money to help the poor and debtors and to support schools. An 1803 diary entry records that he paid for locals to be inoculated using
cow pox. Hervey died in 1815 and was buried at Ickworth. == References ==