}
Edith Maud Abney-Hastings, 12th Countess of Loudoun (13 May 1883 – 24 February 1960) was a British
peeress.
Family
She was the first daughter and coheir of Hon. Paulyn Abney-Hastings (the second son of Charles Abney-Hastings, 1st
Baron Donington
Baron Donington, of Donington Park in the County of Leicester, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 4 May 1880 for Charles Frederick Abney-Hastings. Born Charles Frederick Clifton, he was the widower of Edith Mary ...
, and
Edith Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun
Edith Maud Rawdon-Hastings, 10th Countess of Loudoun (10 December 1833 – 23 January 1874) was a Scottish peer. She died aged 40 after caring for Rowallan Castle. Sir George Gilbert Scott designed an Eleanor Cross style monument to her which wa ...
) and his wife, Lady Maud ''née'' Grimston (the third daughter of
James Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam
James Walter Grimston, 2nd Earl of Verulam (20 February 1809 – 27 July 1895), known as Viscount Grimston from 1815 to 1845, was a British peer and Conservative politician. He was the eldest son of James Walter Grimston, 1st Earl of Verulam, a ...
).
On 12 December 1916, she married Captain Reginald Huddleston, who adopted her surname. They divorced in 1947 after having six children:
* Captain Ian Huddleston Abney-Hastings, Lord Mauchline (1918 – 11 July 1944), killed in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
*
Lady Barbara Huddleston Abney-Hastings (1919–2002), later 13th Countess of Loudoun
* Lady Jean Huddleston Abney-Hastings (later Campbell of Loudoun, 1920–1981), married (1) Edgar Wakefield, (2) Arthur Hubble
* Lady Iona Mary Huddleston Abney-Hastings (1922–1990), married Robert French
* Lady Fiona Huddleston Abney-Hastings (1923–1993), married Robert Conroy-Robertson (later de Fresnes), 12th baron de Fresnes
* Lady Edith Huddleston Abney-Hastings (1925–2006), married David Maclaren (they had two children, Norman Angus MacLaren and Roderick John MacLaren).
Peerages
On 17 May 1920, she inherited the
earldom of Loudoun from her childless uncle,
Charles Clifton, 11th Earl of Loudoun
Charles Edward Rawdon-Hastings, 11th Earl of Loudoun (5 January 1855 – 17 May 1920) was a Scottish peer.
Early life
At his birth on 5 January 1855, he was given the name Charles Edward Abney-Hastings. He was the eldest son of Charles Abney- ...
.
On 19 October that year, she and her sister,
Viscountess St Davids, petitioned the
Committee for Privileges
The Committee for Privileges and Conduct was a select committee of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom which considered issues relating to the privileges of the House of Lords and its members, as well as having oversight fo ...
for the baronies of
Botreaux,
Hungerford
Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, west of Newbury, east of Marlborough, northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the ...
,
de Moleyns,
Hastings (de Hastings) and
Hastings (de Hungerford), which were
abeyant
Abeyance (from the Old French ''abeance'' meaning "gaping") is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vesting, vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the tru ...
between them and their other sister, Lady Flora, since the death of the 11th Earl. They also petitioned for the baronies of
Strange (de Knockyn) and
Stanley
Stanley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Film and television
* ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film
* ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy
* ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short
* ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...
as descendants of the last holder,
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby (1559 – 16 April 1594), was an English nobleman and politician. He was the son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby, and Lady Margaret Clifford. Ferdinando had a place in the line of succession to Eliza ...
. The sisters were confirmed as co-heirs to the baronies on 17 December. On 23 February 1921, the viscountess was granted the baronies of Hungerford, de Moleyns and Strange (de Knockyn), whilst those of Botreaux, Stanley and Hastings (de Hastings) were granted to the countess on 7 March.
On 23 June that year, the two sisters also petitioned for the earldoms of
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
and
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
, and for the baronies of
Montagu,
Montacute,
Monthermer and Pole of Montagu, as descendants of
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick
Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick (25 February 1475 – 28 November 1499) was the son of Isabel Neville and George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence, and a potential claimant to the English throne during the reigns of both his uncle, ...
, and
Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury
Margaret Plantagenet, Countess of Salisbury (14 August 1473 – 27 May 1541), also called Margaret Pole, as a result of her marriage to Sir Richard Pole, was the only surviving daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, a brother ...
, and for the latters
attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...
s to be reversed. However,
James Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury
James Edward Hubert Gascoyne-Cecil, 4th Marquess of Salisbury, (23 October 1861 – 4 April 1947), known as Viscount Cranborne from 1868 to 1903, was a British statesman.
Background and education
Born in London, Salisbury was the eldest son ...
, and
Francis Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick
Francis Richard Charles Guy Greville, 5th Earl of Warwick (9 February 1853 – 15 January 1924), styled Lord Brooke until 1893, was a British Conservative politician.
Early life
Greville was the son of George Greville, 4th Earl of Warwick, and h ...
, counter-petitioned and the attainders were not reversed.
Lords Hansard (10 December 1928) - ''Baronies of Montacute and Monthermer''
/ref>
On Lady Loudoun's death in 1960, her earldom passed to her eldest surviving child, Lady Barbara, whilst her English baronies became abeyant again, between her five daughters.
The Great Fire
On 1 December 1941, the family comprising Lady Loudoun, her daughters and infant granddaughter Sheena, were sleeping in their rooms under the first floor library in Loudoun Castle
Loudoun Castle is a ruined 19th-century country house near Galston, in the Loudoun area of Ayrshire, Scotland. The ruins are protected as a category A listed building.
History
Loudoun Castle is the former home of the Mure-Campbell family. U ...
. Heating was by coal and log fires and it is thought that burning resin came back down the library chimney setting the wooden floor alight. The resulting fire destroyed the building, except for the stone walls.
No one from the family has slept in the castle since that night. In 1995 the castle grounds were converted into a popular amusement park.
References
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, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loudoun, Edith Abney-Hastings, 12th Countess of
Earls of Loudoun
Hereditary women peers
Scottish countesses
1883 births
1960 deaths
20th-century British women politicians
20th-century Scottish politicians
20th-century Scottish women
Barons Hastings
People from East Ayrshire
20th-century English nobility
Barons Stanley