Earl of Huntingdon
Encyclopedia
Earl of Huntingdon is a title which has been created several times in the Peerage of England
. The title is associated with the ruling house of Scotland
, and latterly with the Hastings family.
was one of the seven earldoms of Saxon England during the reign of king Edward the Confessor
. It was created for Bjorn Eastrithson, cousin to Harold Godwinson
(later king Harold). The earldom at that time carried extensive powers and covered a wide area of East Midlands, covering the counties of Northampton
and Bedford
as well as Huntingdon
.
. Waltheof kept his title following the Conquest
in 1066, and even after his rebellion in 1067, and married Judith
, King William's
niece. However after a second rebellion in 1076 he was executed and the earldom reduced in size and power.
The earldom was inherited by Waltheof's daughter Maud, countess of Huntingdon, and passed to her husbands in turn, first Simon de Senlis
and then David
King of Scotland
.
Following her death, and during the reigns of Matilda
and Stephen
and the anarchy that ensued, the earldom was the subject of dispute between Maud's sons Simon II
and Henry the prince, and was held by both at various times. In the reign of Henry II
it was settled on the Scottish house, and the sons of prince Henry: first Malcolm
, then William
, then David. With the death of David's childless son John in 1237, the title was not passed on and became extinct.
The title was re-created for George Hastings, 3rd Baron Hastings
, 5th Baron Hungerford, 6th Baron Botreaux and 4th Baron de Moleyns. He fought in the French Wars of Henry VIII
. In 1529 the King created him Earl of Huntingdon in the Peerage of England. His eldest son, the second Earl
, was a Lieutenant-General and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Lord Huntingdon married Catherine, daughter and co-heiress of Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
, son of Sir Richard Pole
and Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
, daughter and sole heiress of George, Duke of Clarence
, brother of King Edward IV
. On his death the titles passed to his son, the third Earl
. He was a possible heir presumptive
to the crown through his mother, though Elizabeth I never acknowledged his claim officially. Lord Huntingdon was one of the custodians of Mary, Queen of Scots, and also served as President of the Council of the North
. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl
. He represented Derbyshire
and Leicestershire
in the House of Commons
and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland and Leicestershire.
When he died the titles passed to his grandson, the fifth Earl
. He was the son of Francis Hastings, Lord Hastings (d. 1595). Lord Huntingdon was also Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire and Rutland. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the sixth Earl
. He sat as Member of Parliament
for Leicestershire. His son, the seventh Earl
, served as Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire and Derbyshire. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the eighth Earl
. He carried the Sceptre
at the Coronation of Queen Anne
but died at an early age. He was succeeded by his half-brother, the ninth Earl
. He carried the Sword of State
at the Coronation of King George II
. His son, the tenth Earl
, was a courtier and notably served as Master of the Horse
. He had no legitimate male issue and on his death in 1789 the earldom became dormant. He was succeeded in the baronies of Hastings, Hungerford, de Moleyns and Botreaux by his sister Lady Elizabeth, wife of John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira
.
The earldom was assumed by the late Earl's distant relative (his fifth cousin once removed) Reverend Theophilus Henry Hastings. He was the great-great-great-grandson of Sir Edward Hastings (d. 1603), younger son of the second Earl. He is by some sources considered as the de jure
eleventh Earl while some sources do not include him in the numbering of the Earls. On his death the claim passed to his nephew Hans Francis Hastings, son of George Hastings. He was allowed to take his seat in the House of Lords as the Earl of Huntingdon in 1819. Depending on the sources he is numbered as the eleventh or twelfth Earl. Lord Huntingdon served as Governor of Jamaica from 1822 to 1824. His great-great-grandson (the titles having descended from father to son), the sixteenth (or fifteenth Earl), was an artist, academic and Labour
politician. He died without male issue in 1990 and was succeeded by his first cousin once removed, the seventeenth (or sixteenth) and present holder of the title. He is the eldest son of Captain Peter Robin Hood Hastings Bass (1920–1964) (who assumed the additional surname of Bass, which was that of his uncle by marriage, Sir William Bass, 2nd Baronet
, by deed poll
in 1954), son of Aubrey Craven Theophilus Robin Hood Hastings (1878–1929), younger son of the fourteenth Earl.
Several other members of the Hastings family may be mentioned. The Hon. Edward Hastings, third son of the first Earl, was created Baron Hastings of Loughborough in 1558. Richard Hastings, grandson of Sir Edward Hastings, younger son of the second Earl, was created a Baronet in 1667 (see Hastings Baronets
). The Hon. Henry Hastings
, second son of the fifth Earl, was created Baron Loughborough in 1643. Lucy Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
, wife of the sixth Earl, was a poet. Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
, wife of the ninth Earl, was a Methodist
leader and the founder of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
. Charles Hastings
, illegitimate son of the tenth Earl, was a distinguished soldier and was created a Baronet in 1806 (see Abney-Hastings Baronets
). The Hon. George Fowler Hastings, second son of the twelfth (or eleventh) Earl, was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy
. Alexander Plantagenet Hastings (1843–1928), son of Captain the Hon. Edward Plantagenet Robin Hood Hastings (1818–1857), third son of the twelfth (or eleventh) Earl, was an Admiral
in the Royal Navy. His son Edward George Godolphin Hastings (1887–1973) was a Captain
in the Royal Navy.
The Earl possesses no subsidiary titles, but his eldest son uses the invented courtesy title
of Viscount Hastings to avoid confusion, there already being a Baron Hastings
.
The family seat of the present line is at Hodcott House, near West Ilsley
, in Berkshire
.
In fiction, the English folk-hero Robin Hood
is sometimes described as Robert, Earl of Huntingdon
.
The heir presumptive
is the present holder's younger brother the Hon. Simon Aubrey Robin Hood Hastings-Bass (b. 1950). The second heir presumptive is his younger brother the Hon. John Peter Robin Hood Hastings-Bass (b. 1954).
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
. The title is associated with the ruling house of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and latterly with the Hastings family.
Early history
The earldom of HuntingdonHuntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
was one of the seven earldoms of Saxon England during the reign of king Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
. It was created for Bjorn Eastrithson, cousin to Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
(later king Harold). The earldom at that time carried extensive powers and covered a wide area of East Midlands, covering the counties of Northampton
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and Bedford
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
as well as Huntingdon
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
.
1065 creation
In 1065 the earldom passed to Waltheof, son of Siward, Earl of NorthumbriaSiward, Earl of Northumbria
Siward or Sigurd was an important earl of 11th-century northern England. The Old Norse nickname Digri and its Latin translation Grossus are given to him by near-contemporary texts...
. Waltheof kept his title following the Conquest
Norman conquest of England
The Norman conquest of England began on 28 September 1066 with the invasion of England by William, Duke of Normandy. William became known as William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, defeating King Harold II of England...
in 1066, and even after his rebellion in 1067, and married Judith
Judith of Lens
Countess Judith , was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens....
, King William's
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
niece. However after a second rebellion in 1076 he was executed and the earldom reduced in size and power.
The earldom was inherited by Waltheof's daughter Maud, countess of Huntingdon, and passed to her husbands in turn, first Simon de Senlis
Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
Simon I de Senlis , 2nd Earl of Northampton and 2nd Earl of Huntingdon jure uxoris was a Norman nobleman.In 1098 he was captured during the Vexin campaign of King William Rufus and was subsequently ransomed. He witnessed King Henry I’s charter of liberties issued at his coronation in 1100...
and then David
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
King of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Following her death, and during the reigns of Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
and Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
and the anarchy that ensued, the earldom was the subject of dispute between Maud's sons Simon II
Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
Simon II de Senlis, 4th Earl of Northumberland and 4th Earl of the Honour of Huntingdon and Northampton was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He was the son of Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton and Maud, Countess of Huntingdon...
and Henry the prince, and was held by both at various times. In the reign of Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
it was settled on the Scottish house, and the sons of prince Henry: first Malcolm
Malcolm IV of Scotland
Malcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
, then William
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
, then David. With the death of David's childless son John in 1237, the title was not passed on and became extinct.
1529 creation
Baron Hastings
Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1295, and is still extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in c. 1314...
, 5th Baron Hungerford, 6th Baron Botreaux and 4th Baron de Moleyns. He fought in the French Wars of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. In 1529 the King created him Earl of Huntingdon in the Peerage of England. His eldest son, the second Earl
Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon
Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, KG was the eldest son of George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Anne Stafford, Countess of Huntingdon, the ex-mistress of Henry VIII....
, was a Lieutenant-General and served as Commander-in-Chief of the Army. Lord Huntingdon married Catherine, daughter and co-heiress of Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu
Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu , the only holder of the title Baron Montagu under its 1514 creation, was most famous as one of the peers in the trial of Anne Boleyn.-Life:...
, son of Sir Richard Pole
Sir Richard Pole
Sir Richard Pole, KG was a Welsh supporter of King Henry VII created Knight of the Garter and married to Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury, a member of the Plantagenet dynasty, to reinforce the Tudor alliance between the houses of Lancaster and York.-Family:A descendant of an ancient Welsh...
and Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury was an English peeress, one of two women in sixteenth-century England to be a peeress in her own right with no titled husband, the daughter of George of Clarence, the brother of King Edward IV and King Richard III...
, daughter and sole heiress of George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, 1st Earl of Salisbury, 1st Earl of Warwick, KG was the third son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in the dynastic struggle known as the Wars of the...
, brother of King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
. On his death the titles passed to his son, the third Earl
Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon
Sir Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, KG KB was the eldest son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole.-Ancestry:...
. He was a possible heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the crown through his mother, though Elizabeth I never acknowledged his claim officially. Lord Huntingdon was one of the custodians of Mary, Queen of Scots, and also served as President of the Council of the North
Council of the North
The Council of the North was an administrative body originally set up in 1484 by king Richard III of England, the third and last Yorkist monarch to hold the Crown of England; its intention was to improve government control and economic prosperity, to benefit the entire area of Northern England...
. He was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl
George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon
Sir George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon was an English nobleman.He was a son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole. He was a younger brother of Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and older brother of Francis Hastings...
. He represented Derbyshire
Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Derbyshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
and Leicestershire
Leicestershire (UK Parliament constituency)
Leicestershire was a county constituency in Leicestershire, represented in the House of Commons. It elected two Members of Parliament , traditionally called Knights of the Shire, by the bloc vote system of election, to the Parliament of England until 1707, to the Parliament of Great Britain from...
in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland and Leicestershire.
When he died the titles passed to his grandson, the fifth Earl
Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon
Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon was a prominent English nobleman and literary patron in England during the first half of the seventeenth century.-Life:...
. He was the son of Francis Hastings, Lord Hastings (d. 1595). Lord Huntingdon was also Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire and Rutland. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the sixth Earl
Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon
Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon and Lady Elizabeth Stanley, the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer...
. He sat as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Leicestershire. His son, the seventh Earl
Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon
Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon PC was an English politician. He was the son of Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon, born in the 27th year of his parents' marriage, and became Earl of Huntingdon on 13 February 1656 on his father's death...
, served as Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire and Derbyshire. He was succeeded by his eldest son, the eighth Earl
George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon
George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon and Elizabeth Lewis. He succeeded his father in 1701 and died of malignant fever on 22 February 1704/5, aged 27, unmarried....
. He carried the Sceptre
Sceptre
A sceptre is a symbolic ornamental rod or wand borne in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia.-Antiquity:...
at the Coronation of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
but died at an early age. He was succeeded by his half-brother, the ninth Earl
Theophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of Huntingdon
Theophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon and Mary Frances Fowler. He married Lady Selina Shirley, daughter of Washington Shirley, 2nd Earl Ferrers and Mary Levinge, on 3 June 1728.There is a monument to him in St Helen's Church,...
. He carried the Sword of State
Sword of State
A sword of state is a sword, used as part of the regalia, symbolizing the power of a monarch to use the might of the state against its enemies, and their duty to preserve thus right and peace.It is known to be used in following monarchies:...
at the Coronation of King George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
. His son, the tenth Earl
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon PC was a British peer and politician.He was the son of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife, Selina. Hastings succeeded as Earl of Huntingdon and Baron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746...
, was a courtier and notably served as Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse
The Master of the Horse was a position of varying importance in several European nations.-Magister Equitum :...
. He had no legitimate male issue and on his death in 1789 the earldom became dormant. He was succeeded in the baronies of Hastings, Hungerford, de Moleyns and Botreaux by his sister Lady Elizabeth, wife of John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira
John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira
John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira , known as Sir John Rawdon, Bt, between 1724 and 1750 and as The Lord Rawdon between 1750 and 1762, was an Irish peer.-Background:...
.
The earldom was assumed by the late Earl's distant relative (his fifth cousin once removed) Reverend Theophilus Henry Hastings. He was the great-great-great-grandson of Sir Edward Hastings (d. 1603), younger son of the second Earl. He is by some sources considered as the de jure
De jure
De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
eleventh Earl while some sources do not include him in the numbering of the Earls. On his death the claim passed to his nephew Hans Francis Hastings, son of George Hastings. He was allowed to take his seat in the House of Lords as the Earl of Huntingdon in 1819. Depending on the sources he is numbered as the eleventh or twelfth Earl. Lord Huntingdon served as Governor of Jamaica from 1822 to 1824. His great-great-grandson (the titles having descended from father to son), the sixteenth (or fifteenth Earl), was an artist, academic and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician. He died without male issue in 1990 and was succeeded by his first cousin once removed, the seventeenth (or sixteenth) and present holder of the title. He is the eldest son of Captain Peter Robin Hood Hastings Bass (1920–1964) (who assumed the additional surname of Bass, which was that of his uncle by marriage, Sir William Bass, 2nd Baronet
Sir William Bass, 2nd Baronet
Sir William Arthur Hamar Bass, 2nd Baronet was a British racehorse owner and a significant contributor to the racing industry. He also provided support for the British film industry in its early days....
, by deed poll
Deed poll
A deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention...
in 1954), son of Aubrey Craven Theophilus Robin Hood Hastings (1878–1929), younger son of the fourteenth Earl.
Several other members of the Hastings family may be mentioned. The Hon. Edward Hastings, third son of the first Earl, was created Baron Hastings of Loughborough in 1558. Richard Hastings, grandson of Sir Edward Hastings, younger son of the second Earl, was created a Baronet in 1667 (see Hastings Baronets
Hastings Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for members of the Hastings family headed by the Earl of Huntingdon, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Both creations are extinct....
). The Hon. Henry Hastings
Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough
Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough was an English Royalist army commander in the Midlands during the English Civil War.-Life:...
, second son of the fifth Earl, was created Baron Loughborough in 1643. Lucy Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
Lucy Hastings
Lucy Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon was a seventeenth-century English poet.Born Lucy Davies, she was the daughter of Sir John Davies of Englefield, Berkshire , a prominent courtier in the reigns of James I and Charles I and himself a poet; her mother was notorious as the "mad prophetess" Dame...
, wife of the sixth Earl, was a poet. Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
Selina, Countess of Huntingdon was an English religious leader who played a prominent part in the religious revival of the 18th century and the Methodist movement in England and Wales, and has left a Christian denomination in England and Sierra Leone.-Early life:Selina Hastings was born as Lady...
, wife of the ninth Earl, was a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
leader and the founder of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion
The Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion is a small society of evangelical churches, founded in 1783 by Selina, Countess of Huntingdon as a result of the Evangelical Revival. For years it was strongly associated with the Calvinist Methodist movement of George Whitefield...
. Charles Hastings
Sir Charles Hastings, 1st Baronet
General Sir Charles Hastings, 1st Baronet GCH was a British Army officer.Hastings was the illegitimate son of Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon and an unknown mother. He purchased an Ensigncy in the 12th Foot, in 1776 a Lieutenantcy, and in 1780 a Captaincy...
, illegitimate son of the tenth Earl, was a distinguished soldier and was created a Baronet in 1806 (see Abney-Hastings Baronets
Abney-Hastings Baronets
The Hastings, later Abney-Hastings Baronetcy, of Willesley Hall in the County of Derby, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 28 February 1806 for the soldier Sir Charles Hastings. He was the illegitimate son of Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon...
). The Hon. George Fowler Hastings, second son of the twelfth (or eleventh) Earl, was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. Alexander Plantagenet Hastings (1843–1928), son of Captain the Hon. Edward Plantagenet Robin Hood Hastings (1818–1857), third son of the twelfth (or eleventh) Earl, was an Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
in the Royal Navy. His son Edward George Godolphin Hastings (1887–1973) was a Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in the Royal Navy.
The Earl possesses no subsidiary titles, but his eldest son uses the invented courtesy title
Courtesy title
A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
of Viscount Hastings to avoid confusion, there already being a Baron Hastings
Baron Hastings
Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1295, and is still extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in c. 1314...
.
The family seat of the present line is at Hodcott House, near West Ilsley
West Ilsley
West Ilsley is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England.-Location and amenities:It is situated in the West Berkshire district north of the town of Newbury on the Berkshire Downs. There is also an East Ilsley approximately a mile southeast of the village.West Ilsley has a public house, The...
, in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
.
In fiction, the English folk-hero Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
is sometimes described as Robert, Earl of Huntingdon
Robert Fitzooth
Robert Fitzooth or Fitzooth, Earl of Huntingdon , is a fictitious identity for Robin Hood. The name was first published in William Stukeley's Paleographica Britannica in 1746...
.
Earls in for the Honour of Huntingdon; First creation (1065)
- Waltheof (d. 1076)
- Maud, Countess of Huntingdon
- m. Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-NorthamptonSimon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-NorthamptonSimon I de Senlis , 2nd Earl of Northampton and 2nd Earl of Huntingdon jure uxoris was a Norman nobleman.In 1098 he was captured during the Vexin campaign of King William Rufus and was subsequently ransomed. He witnessed King Henry I’s charter of liberties issued at his coronation in 1100...
- m. David I of ScotlandDavid I of ScotlandDavid I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
- m. Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton
- Henry, Earl of Northumbria
- Simon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-NorthamptonSimon II de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-NorthamptonSimon II de Senlis, 4th Earl of Northumberland and 4th Earl of the Honour of Huntingdon and Northampton was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He was the son of Simon I de Senlis, Earl of Huntingdon-Northampton and Maud, Countess of Huntingdon...
- Malcolm IV of ScotlandMalcolm IV of ScotlandMalcolm IV , nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" , King of Scots, was the eldest son of Earl Henry and Ada de Warenne...
- William I of ScotlandWilliam I of ScotlandWilliam the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
- Simon III de Senlis
- David of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon (d. 1219)
- John of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon
Earls of Huntingdon; Second creation (1337)
- William de Clinton, 1st Earl of HuntingdonWilliam de Clinton, 1st Earl of HuntingdonWilliam de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Lord High Admiral, was the younger son of Baron John Clinton of Maxstoke and Ida De Odingsells, who was a great-great-granddaughter of Henry II. The Clintons were a great Norman family who had arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066...
(1304–1354)
Earls of Huntingdon; Third creation (1377)
- Guichard d'Angle, Earl of HuntingdonGuichard d'AngleGuichard d'Angle, Earl of Huntingdon, KG was a Poitevin knight, a Knight of the Garter and a companion of Edward the Black Prince. He was born in a noble family from Angles-sur-l'Anglin in North-Eastern Poitou, sometime between 1305 and 1315....
(d. 1380) (Life Peerage)
Earls of Huntingdon; Fourth creation (1388)
- John Holland, 1st Duke of ExeterJohn Holland, 1st Duke of ExeterJohn Holland, 1st Duke of Exeter KG , also 1st Earl of Huntingdon, was an English nobleman, primarily remembered for helping cause the downfall of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester and then for conspiring against Henry IV.He was the third son of Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent and Joan...
(1350–1400) (forfeit 1400) - John Holland, 2nd Duke of ExeterJohn Holland, 2nd Duke of ExeterJohn Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.-Family:...
(1395–1447) (restored 1416) - Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of ExeterHenry Holland, 3rd Duke of ExeterHenry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter was a Lancastrian leader during the English Wars of the Roses. He was the only son of John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter and his first wife Lady Anne Stafford. His maternal grandparents were Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford and Anne of Gloucester.He inherited...
(1430–1475) (forfeit 1461)
Earls of Huntingdon; Fifth creation (1471)
- see Marquess of Dorset, third creation (1475)
Earls of Huntingdon; Seventh creation (1529)
- George Hastings, 1st Earl of HuntingdonGeorge Hastings, 1st Earl of HuntingdonGeorge Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon was born in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, the son of Edward Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings and Mary Hungerford. George Hastings was created the first Earl of Huntingdon by Henry VIII of England on 3 November 1529. On the same day his son Francis gained a seat at the...
(1488–1544) - Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of HuntingdonFrancis Hastings, 2nd Earl of HuntingdonFrancis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, KG was the eldest son of George Hastings, 1st Earl of Huntingdon and Anne Stafford, Countess of Huntingdon, the ex-mistress of Henry VIII....
(1514–1560) - Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of HuntingdonHenry Hastings, 3rd Earl of HuntingdonSir Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, KG KB was the eldest son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole.-Ancestry:...
(1536–1595) - George Hastings, 4th Earl of HuntingdonGeorge Hastings, 4th Earl of HuntingdonSir George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon was an English nobleman.He was a son of Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon and Catherine Pole. He was a younger brother of Henry Hastings, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon and older brother of Francis Hastings...
(1540–1604)- Francis Hastings, Lord Hastings (d. 1595)
- Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of HuntingdonHenry Hastings, 5th Earl of HuntingdonHenry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon was a prominent English nobleman and literary patron in England during the first half of the seventeenth century.-Life:...
(1586–1643) - Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of HuntingdonFerdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of HuntingdonFerdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon and Lady Elizabeth Stanley, the daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby and Alice Spencer...
(1609–1656)- Henry Hastings, Lord Hastings (1630–1649)
- Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of HuntingdonTheophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of HuntingdonTheophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon PC was an English politician. He was the son of Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon, born in the 27th year of his parents' marriage, and became Earl of Huntingdon on 13 February 1656 on his father's death...
(1650–1701)- Thomas Hastings, Lord Hastings (1674–1675)
- George Hastings, 8th Earl of HuntingdonGeorge Hastings, 8th Earl of HuntingdonGeorge Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon and Elizabeth Lewis. He succeeded his father in 1701 and died of malignant fever on 22 February 1704/5, aged 27, unmarried....
(1677–1705) - Theophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of HuntingdonTheophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of HuntingdonTheophilus Hastings, 9th Earl of Huntingdon was the son of Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon and Mary Frances Fowler. He married Lady Selina Shirley, daughter of Washington Shirley, 2nd Earl Ferrers and Mary Levinge, on 3 June 1728.There is a monument to him in St Helen's Church,...
(1696–1746) - Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of HuntingdonFrancis Hastings, 10th Earl of HuntingdonFrancis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon PC was a British peer and politician.He was the son of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife, Selina. Hastings succeeded as Earl of Huntingdon and Baron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746...
(1729–1789) (dormant) - Theophilus Henry Hastings, de jure 11th Earl of Huntingdon (1728–1804)
- Hans Francis Hastings, 12th Earl of Huntingdon (1779–1828) (confirmed in title 1819)
- Francis Theophilus Henry Hastings, 13th Earl of Huntingdon (1808–1875)
- Francis Power Plantagenet Hastings, 14th Earl of Huntingdon (1841–1885)
- Warner Francis John Plantagenet Hastings, 15th Earl of Huntingdon (1868–1939)
- Francis John Clarence Westenra Plantagenet Hastings, 16th Earl of HuntingdonFrancis Hastings, 16th Earl of HuntingdonFrancis John Clarence Westenra Plantagenet Hastings, 16th Earl of Huntingdon , known as Viscount Hastings until 1939, was a British artist, academic and Labour politician.-Life:...
(1901–1990) - William Edward Robin Hood Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon (b. 1948)
The heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
is the present holder's younger brother the Hon. Simon Aubrey Robin Hood Hastings-Bass (b. 1950). The second heir presumptive is his younger brother the Hon. John Peter Robin Hood Hastings-Bass (b. 1954).
See also
- Baron HastingsBaron HastingsBaron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1295, and is still extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in c. 1314...
- Baron HungerfordBaron HungerfordThe Barony of Hungerford was created in the Peerage of England on 7 January 1426 for Walter Hungerford, who was summoned to parliament, had been Member of Parliament, Speaker of the House and invested as Knight of the Order of the Garter before and was made Lord High Treasurer one year before he...
- Baron BotreauxBaron BotreauxBaron Botreaux is a title in the Peerage of England, created in 1368.The title was created by writ of summons, by Edward III to William de Botreaux, 1st Baron Botreaux in 1368....
- Baron de Moleyns
- Hastings BaronetsHastings BaronetsThere have been two Baronetcies created for members of the Hastings family headed by the Earl of Huntingdon, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Both creations are extinct....
- Abney-Hastings BaronetsAbney-Hastings BaronetsThe Hastings, later Abney-Hastings Baronetcy, of Willesley Hall in the County of Derby, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 28 February 1806 for the soldier Sir Charles Hastings. He was the illegitimate son of Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon...
- Britain's Real MonarchBritain's Real MonarchBritain's Real Monarch was a historical documentary presented by Tony Robinson first shown on Channel 4 on 3 January 2004. It has also been broadcast in America and Australia...
(argues that 3rd-10th Earls should have been the monarchs of England)