The son of the Hon. and Rev. William Herbert, Dean of Manchester (himself the son of Henry Herbert, 1st Earl of Carnarvon), Herbert was born in London.

He was educated at Eton College and at Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1830. To escape his debts, he emigrated to the United States, and from 1831 to 1839 taught Greek in a private school in New York City. In 1833 he started the American Monthly Magazine, which he edited, in conjunction with A. D. Patterson, till 1835.

In 1834 he published his first novel, The Brothers: a Tale of the Fronde, which was followed by a number of others that achieved popularity including:

• The Village Inn; or the Adventures of Bellechassaigne
• The Lord Of The Manor; or, Rose Castleton's Temptation: An Old English Story
• Guarica, the Charib Bride: A Legend of Hispaniola
• The Deerstalkers; or, Circumstantial Evidence: A Tale of the South-Western Counties
• The Fair Puritan. An historical romance of the Days of Witchcraft
• The Warwick Woodlands; or Things as They Were There
• The Roman Traitor; or the Days of Cicero, Cato and Cataline, A True Tale of The Republic
• Marmaduke Wyvil; or The Maid's Revenge

He also wrote a series of historical studies, including:

• The Cavaliers of England (1852)
• The Knights of England, France and Scotland (1852)
• The Chevaliers of France (1853)
• The Captains of the Old World; as Compared with the Great Modern Strategists (1851).
• Oliver Cromwell; or, England's Great Protector
• Memoirs Of Henry The Eighth Of England With The Fortunes And Characters Of His Six Wives

In addition to these works, he is best known for his works on sport, published under the pseudonym of Frank Forester. These include:

• The Field Sports of the United States and British Provinces (1849)
• Frank Forester and his Friends (1849)
• The Fish and Fishing of the United States (1850)
• The Young Sportsman's Complete Manual (1852)
• The Horse and Horsemanship in the United States and British Provinces of North America (1858)

He also translated many of the novels of Eugène Sue and Alexandre Dumas, père into English. Herbert was a man of varied accomplishments, but of somewhat dissipated habits. He eventually committed suicide in New York.

He contributed to one of the early sporting magazines in the United States, the Spirit of the Times.