Hatton Compton (died Wright 1963 p. 3) was an English army officer who served as

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

from 1713 to 1741Williamson and Fox 191
p. 21
/ref> and

Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets. The Lord Lieutenancy was created in 1660 at the Restoration. It was generally held by the Constable of the Tower of London. Lieutenants were appointed until 1889 ...

from 1715 to 1717.

Family and personal life

Hatton Compton was one of three sons and two daughters of Sir Charles Compton, of Grendon and Sywell in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

, and his first wife, Mary, sister of

Sir William Fermor, 1st Baronet Sir William Fermor, 1st Baronet (sometimes written as Farmer or Fermour) (1621 – 14 May 1661), was an officer in the Royalist army during the English Civil War. He stood for election as a Member of Parliament after the restoration of the monar ...

Easton Neston Easton Neston is situated in south Northamptonshire, England. Though the village of Easton Neston which was inhabited until around 1500 is now gone, the parish retains the name. At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish remained le ...

, also in Northamptonshire. Sources differ on Hatton's date of birth: Dalton says 1661,Dalton 191
p.97 note 2
/ref> Edwards that he was the eldest son of a father who died in 1661; Adam Williamson that he was "in his ninetieth year" in 1741, giving a birth year of 1651–2; Arthur Collins that he died "aged upwards of 80"; an 1887

marriage licence A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdiction ...

index gives his age as 35 on 17 May 1698. Sir Charles Compton was the younger brother of the 3rd Earl of Northampton. Hatton Compton inherited Grendon Hall from his father and substantially extended it. In honour of his late father's loyalty to Charles II during the Interregnum, Hatton Compton was recommended as

Knight of the Royal Oak The Knights of the Royal Oak was an intended order of chivalry in England. It was proposed in 1660 at the time of the restoration of Charles II of England to be a reward for those Englishmen who had faithfully and actively supported Charles dur ...

. On 18 January 1686 Compton and William Seymour were injured fighting a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

arranged after Seymour's great-uncle

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

had rejected a challenge from Compton's cousin the 4th Earl of Northampton, triggered by Henry's foiling of Northampton's wooing of his stepdaughter, the dowager Countess of Conway. In 1698 Compton married his cousin Penelope Nicholas, daughter of MP Sir John Nicholas. At this time he

settled A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

the manor of

Lavendon Lavendon is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the northernmost village in the Milton Keynes UA and South East England,near Olney, about WNW of Bedford and N ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, after the death of

Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough (15 November 1621 – 19 June 1697) was an English soldier, peer and courtier. Early life Styled Lord Mordaunt from 1628, he was the eldest son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough. He was educa ...

, who had mortgaged the manor to Sir Charles Compton in 1653. Penelope and Hatton had three sons and a daughter: * Charles (died 21 November 1761) a fellow of

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

and treasurer of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

from 1742. Adam Williamson said he shared his father's "miserable disposition",Williamson and Fox 191
p. 104
/ref> * Edward (died 4 October 1769), cashier of the

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the Eng ...

officers and later Deputy Paymaster of the Forces Abroad in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

; his son William (1733–1824) was

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the Diocese of Ely * James, married Frances Riggs of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1736; their daughter Penelope in 1778 married

John Pennington, 1st Baron Muncaster John Pennington, 1st Baron Muncaster (c. 1740 – 8 October 1813), known as John Pennington until 1783, was a British peer and Tory politician. Background Muncaster was the eldest son of Sir Joseph Pennington, 4th Baronet, of Muncaster Castl ...

* Mary (born c. 1708), third wife (17 February 1748) of

Thomas Gooch Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

, bishop and Master of Gonville and Caius College As

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

of the

will and testament A will or testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property ( estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person ( executor) is to manage the property until its final distributi ...

of his uncle, bishop Henry Compton (died 1713), Hatton Compton consigned the

Benedictional of St. Æthelwold The Benedictional of St. Æthelwold (London, British Library, Add MS 49598) is a 10th-century illuminated benedictional, the most important surviving work of the Anglo-Saxon Winchester School of illumination. It contains the various pontific ...

William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (1672 – 4 June 1729) was a British nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Counc ...

; of Henry's five

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, ...

s in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

, Hatton gave three to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, of which the bishop had been

visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can interve ...

, and sold two to his successor John Robinson. Compton lived in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

; in

Dean Street Dean Street is a street in Soho, central London, running from Oxford Street south to Shaftesbury Avenue. Historical figures and places In 1764 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, then a young boy, gave a recital at 21 Dean Street. Admiral Nelson stayed ...

from 1713 until 1728, when he moved to a house in

Great Marlborough Street Great Marlborough Street is a thoroughfare in Soho, Central London. It runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street. Originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street), the street was named ...

given by Mary Dutton, widow of George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland. Adam Williamson, Compton's subordinate at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

from 1722, wrote after his death that "He had lived the last two years in a sort of Stupidity, and allwais in a Most close and avaritious Manner".

Army service

Compton was a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

in the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) (RHG) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. Raised in August 1650 at Newcastle upon Tyne and County Durham by Sir Arthur Haselrigge on the orders of Oliver Cr ...

on 1 July 1685 in the troop of his uncle, Sir Francis Compton. During the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

, the cornet was an early supporter of the future king William III; about 7 November 1688, conspirators who met at his lodgings in St. Alban's Street,

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, included generals

Percy Kirke Lieutenant General Percy Kirke (c. 1646 – 31 October 1691), English soldier, was the son of George Kirke, a court official to Charles I and Charles II. Career In 1666 Kirke obtained his first Army commission in Lord Admiral's regiment, and ...

John Churchill General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

and William Stewart, and bishops Henry Compton and William Sheridan. On 20 November Compton with some of his men (variously numbered as 14, "between 30 and 50", or "about 200") en route to Salisbury deserted James II for William at

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

, even as his uncle and commander Sir Francis vacillated; his actions are mentioned in

Francis Gwyn Francis Gwyn PC (1648 – 14 June 1734), of Llansannor Court, was a Welsh Tory politician who sat in the English and House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1727. Background Gwyn was the son and heir of Edward Gwyn of Llansannor, Gla ...

's diary. For this he was cursed in the Jacobite ballad "The Belgick Boar", but made a Groom of the Bedchamber by William from 6 July 1689 until the king's death in 1702. Compton was made guidon and

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the 3rd Troop of Horse Guards in 1691 and promoted to

lieutenant-colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

in 1692. In retreat after the 1693

Battle of Landen The Battle of Landen, also known as Neerwinden, took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen in modern Belgium. A French army under Marshal Luxembourg defeated an Allied force led by William III. By 1693, all combata ...

, Compton prevented the capture of king William, and he was

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

ed as

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

on 16 February 1694. He was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...

on 7 March 1702,

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

on 1 January 1704, and

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

on 1 January 1707. He retired from the Guards in 1718.

Tower service

In 1712 Compton's cousin, the 4th Earl of Northampton, was appointed as

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

, the ceremonial governor of the Tower of London. That December, Northampton dismissed William Cadogan as

, the deputy office to the Constable. Within a month he appointed his cousin Hatton Compton as Cadogan's replacement.Williamson and Fox 191
p. 185
/ref> Northampton was

Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

of the

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

, an office usually conferred on the Constable, but in August 1713, Compton disputed Northampton's authority to appoint William Nicholas as his agent for the muster of the Tower Hamlets

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

to celebrate the

Treaty of Portsmouth A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

. In 1715 Northampton stood down as Constable and Lord-Lieutenant. On 29 July 1715, Hatton Compton was appointed Lord-Lieutenant but not Constable.Dalton 191
p.231
/ref> On 16 October 1715

Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, PC (c. 1669 – 1 May 1738) was a British nobleman, peer, and statesman. Charles Howard was the eldest son of Edward Howard, 2nd Earl of Carlisle, and inherited his title on the death of his father in 1692 ...

, recently resigned as

First Lord of the Treasury The first lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is by convention also the prime minister. This office is not equivalent to the ...

, was appointed Constable, but Compton remained as Lord Lieutenant to continue supervising the militia in the heightened security situation around the Jacobite rising. On 21 September 1715 Compton wrote to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

that "there is no Horse belonging to the Tower Hamlets, but two very strong Regiments of Foot; and

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

are ready to march when his Majesty pleases" and that he had ordered "the searching for, and seizing of

Papists The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...

Jacobites Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometime ...

, and Non-Jurors".Dalton 191
p.244 note 14
/ref> On 26 October he launched a loyalist defence association in the Tower Hamlets, which by November claimed over 3000 members.

Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, KG PC FRS (5 December 1661 – 21 May 1724) was an English statesman and peer of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tor ...

was imprisoned by Compton, after his 1715 impeachment, in a part of the Tower occupied by the

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly owned by His Majesty's Treasury and is under an exclus ...

, causing

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

, then

Master of the Mint Master of the Mint is a title within the Royal Mint given to the most senior person responsible for its operation. It was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, between ...

, to complain at the encroachment. Edward Harley, the

auditor of the imprests Auditor of the Imprests was a profitable office of the Exchequer, responsible for auditing the accounts of officers of the English crown to whom money was issued for government expenditure, from 1559 to 1785. Foundation Prior to 1559 this duty was ...

and brother of the earl, said of Compton "the Character of this man is so very mean that the best that can be said of him is, he is very fully qualified for a jailer".Wright 1963 p. 5 note 3 The

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

' command to deliver Jacobite lords

Derwentwater Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, is one of the principal bodies of water in the Lake District National Park in north west England. It lies wholly within the Borough of Allerdale, in the county of Cumbria. The lake occupies part of Borrowda ...

and Kenmure to

Westminster Hall The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

for

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

was addressed to Compton as "Lieutenant of the Tower" but it was his subordinate, Col. Robert d'Oyly, "Deputy-Governor of the Tower" who escorted the prisoners from the Tower on 9 February 1716. When the Earl of Nithsdale escaped from the Tower, Compton jailed his warders; when the Earl of Winton escaped, he blamed the warders' "wilfulness of carelessness" and said only the Constable had the authority to dismiss them. Carlisle succeeded Compton as Lord-Lieutenant on 19 July 1717, after the

Indemnity Act 1717 The Indemnity Act 1717 (4 Geo. I c. 15), also referred to as the Act of Grace and Free Pardon, is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The Act was passed by both houses of parliament in July 1717, the last enactment of the session. Ph ...

had freed most remaining Jacobite prisoners. Compton remained Lieutenant of the Tower until his death.

Sources

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Compton, Hatton 17th-century births 1741 deaths Lieutenants of the Tower of London Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets English army officers British Army lieutenant generals British military personnel of the Nine Years' War

Hatton Hatton may refer to: Places Canada * Hatton, Saskatchewan England * Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish * Hatton, Derbyshire * Hatton, Lincolnshire * Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Hounslow * Hatton, Shropshire, a ...

Grooms of the Chamber People from Soho Military personnel from Northamptonshire Military personnel from London People of the Glorious Revolution