Francis Hastings | |
|---|---|
| Earl of Huntingdon | |
 Portrait bySir Joshua Reynolds, 1754 | |
| Born | (1729-03-13)13 March 1729 |
| Died | 2 October 1789(1789-10-02) (aged 60) |
| Issue | Sir Charles Hastings, 1st Baronet |
| Father | 9th Earl of Huntingdon |
| Mother | Lady Selina Shirley |
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of HuntingdonPC (13 March 1729 – 2 October 1789) was a Britishpeer and politician.
He was the eldest of seven children of the9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife,Lady Selina, a leader of the Methodist evangelical revival. Hastings was eighteen when he succeeded asEarl of Huntingdon andBaron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746. The earl never married but did father an illegitimate son,Charles, by aParisian girl named Mademoiselle Lany, a dancer at the Opera whilst on hisGrand Tour with his friendDavid Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont in 1747 (which was sponsored by the4th Earl of Chesterfield). In August 1752, Huntingdon left Paris for Spain, where his self-importance irritated the British minister,Sir Benjamin Keene. He visited Gibraltar (April 1753) and Lisbon (May 1753) before returning to England in early July 1753. The following July, he left England for a second, two-year tour of the continent. In Italy, he studied antiquities with the antiquarian Antonio Cocchi (a friend of his late father), as well as Joseph Wilton and the Abbé Venuti.
On his return fromthe continent, Hastings did well at theRoyal Court, as a descendant ofGeorge, Duke of Clarence, brother of KingEdward IV, seemed to assure him and he was appointedMaster of the Horse in 1760. He was aBearer of the Sword of State atGeorge III'scoronation in 1761, though the Sword of State itself was mislaid and he instead had to carry theLord Mayor of London'sPearl Sword.[1][2] He becameGroom of the Stole, also in 1761. In particular,the Earl of Chesterfield, oversaw each step in the social and intellectual education of young Huntingdon, whom he praised as "the bright exemplar of the union of a scholar with the man of the world." In 1762, he incorrectly announced to the King that his first-born child (Prince George) bythe Queen was a girl. The error was doubly unfortunate at the time, as the King had hoped for a male heir and he also promised £1,000 to the bearer of the news that he had a son and £500 that he had a girl (Huntingdon did not receive either). In 1766, he launched a claim to the royal Dukedom of Clarence that preoccupied him for the rest of his life. He died suddenly on 2 October 1789, at theLondon house of his nephew,Francis Rawdon. On his death in 1789, the earldom became dormant. He was succeeded in the baronies of Hastings, Hungerford, de Moleyns and Botreaux by his sisterLady Elizabeth, wife ofJohn Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira. Huntingdon was aFellow of the Royal Society in 1758 and of theSociety of Antiquaries in 1768.
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Master of the Horse 1760 – 1761 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire 1763 – 1765 | Succeeded by |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by | Groom of the Stole 1761 – 1770 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Huntingdon 1746 – 1789 | Succeeded by |
| Baron Botreaux 1746 – 1789 | Succeeded by | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
