Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon
Encyclopedia
Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon (April 24, 1586 – November 14, 1643) was a prominent English
nobleman and literary patron in England during the first half of the seventeenth century.
and Lady Sarah Harrington. Henry was a great great great grandson of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury.
Henry Hastings was educated at Gray's Inn
. In 1595, Henry's father, Francis, died, and Hastings was next to succeed his grandfather, George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon
, which on December 31, 1604, he did. In 1607, at the age of 21, Hastings commanded forces in the suppression of the Midlands Revolt. Throughout his maturity the 5th Earl served in a wide range of offices in the counties of Leicestershire, Lancashire
, and Rutland
, including Lord Lieutenant of Leicester and Rutland, 1614–42. He was also a member of the Virginia Company
.
(1588–1633), the third and youngest daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby
and Lady Alice Spencer. His wife was a great-great-granddaughter of Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk
. She, at one time, was third-in-line to succeed to the throne of England. However, she and her two older sisters were passed over for James VI of Scotland
.
They maintained their country seat at Ashby-de-la-Zouch castle in Leicestershire
and together had four children:
movement and a critic of the policies of the House of Stuart
, Hastings was also a patron of stage drama, comparable to his contemporaries the Earls of Pembroke—William Herbert, 3rd Earl
and Philip Herbert, 4th Earl
. Hastings was known as the most important aristocratic patron of the playwrights Francis Beaumont
and John Fletcher
. (Hastings and Beaumont were distant cousins.) Hastings patronized other dramatists of the era as well, including John Marston
.
Upon his death in 1643, Henry Hastings was succeeded by his eldest son, Ferdinando Hastings, as 6th Earl.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nobleman and literary patron in England during the first half of the seventeenth century.
Life
He was born at Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, the only son of Francis Hastings, Baron HastingsFrancis Hastings, Baron Hastings
Francis Hastings, Lord Hastings was the son of George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon and Dorothy Port. He married Sarah Harington, daughter of Sir James Harington and Lucy Sydney...
and Lady Sarah Harrington. Henry was a great great great grandson of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury.
Henry Hastings was educated at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
. In 1595, Henry's father, Francis, died, and Hastings was next to succeed his grandfather, George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon
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...
, which on December 31, 1604, he did. In 1607, at the age of 21, Hastings commanded forces in the suppression of the Midlands Revolt. Throughout his maturity the 5th Earl served in a wide range of offices in the counties of Leicestershire, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and Rutland
Rutland
Rutland is a landlocked county in central England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
, including Lord Lieutenant of Leicester and Rutland, 1614–42. He was also a member of the Virginia Company
Virginia Company
The Virginia Company refers collectively to a pair of English joint stock companies chartered by James I on 10 April1606 with the purposes of establishing settlements on the coast of North America...
.
Marriage
On January 15, 1601, he married Lady Elizabeth StanleyLady Elizabeth Stanley
Elizabeth Stanley, Countess of Huntingdon was an English noblewoman and writer who was third in line of succession to the English throne. She was the wife of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon...
(1588–1633), the third and youngest daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby was the son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Clifford. According to the will of Henry VIII, his mother was heiress presumptive of Elizabeth I of England from 1578 to her own death in 1596...
and Lady Alice Spencer. His wife was a great-great-granddaughter of Mary Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk
Mary Tudor (queen consort of France)
Mary Tudor was the younger sister of King Henry VIII of England and queen consort of France through her marriage to Louis XII. The latter was more than 30 years her senior. Following his death, which occurred less than two months after her coronation as his third wife, she married Charles Brandon,...
. She, at one time, was third-in-line to succeed to the throne of England. However, she and her two older sisters were passed over for James VI of Scotland
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
They maintained their country seat at Ashby-de-la-Zouch castle in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
and together had four children:
- Lady Alice Hastings (1606- 1667), married Sir Gervase Clifton, 1st BaronetSir Gervase Clifton, 1st BaronetSir Gervase Clifton, 1st Baronet , K.B. was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1666. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.-Political career:...
; died childless. - 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...
(18 January 1608- 13 February 1655), married Lucy DavisLucy HastingsLucy 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...
, by whom he had issue. - Lord Henry Hastings, 1st Baron LoughboroughHenry Hastings, 1st Baron LoughboroughHenry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough was an English Royalist army commander in the Midlands during the English Civil War.-Life:...
of Loughborough (28 September 1610- 10 January 1667), died unmarried without issue. - Lady Elizabeth Hastings (born ca. 1605), married Sir Hugh Calverley; died childless.
Patronage
Though a recognized leader of the PuritanPuritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
movement and a critic of the policies of the House of Stuart
House of Stuart
The House of Stuart is a European royal house. Founded by Robert II of Scotland, the Stewarts first became monarchs of the Kingdom of Scotland during the late 14th century, and subsequently held the position of the Kings of Great Britain and Ireland...
, Hastings was also a patron of stage drama, comparable to his contemporaries the Earls of Pembroke—William Herbert, 3rd Earl
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke
William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke, KG, PC was the son of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke and his third wife Mary Sidney. Chancellor of the University of Oxford, he founded Pembroke College, Oxford with King James. He was warden of the Forest of Dean, and constable of St Briavels from 1608...
and Philip Herbert, 4th Earl
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and 1st Earl of Montgomery KG was an English courtier and politician active during the reigns of James I and Charles I...
. Hastings was known as the most important aristocratic patron of the playwrights Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont
Francis Beaumont was a dramatist in the English Renaissance theatre, most famous for his collaborations with John Fletcher....
and John Fletcher
John Fletcher (playwright)
John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
. (Hastings and Beaumont were distant cousins.) Hastings patronized other dramatists of the era as well, including John Marston
John Marston
John Marston was an English poet, playwright and satirist during the late Elizabethan and Jacobean periods...
.
Upon his death in 1643, Henry Hastings was succeeded by his eldest son, Ferdinando Hastings, as 6th Earl.
Sources
- Doyle, James William Edmund. The Official Baronage of England. London, Longmans, Green, 1886.
- Finkelpearl, Philip J. Court and Country Politics in the Plays of Beaumont and Fletcher. Princeton, NJ, Princeton University Press, 1990.
- McMullan, Gordon. The Politics of Unease in the Plays of John Fletcher. Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts Press, 1994.