Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon
PC (13March 17292October 1789) was a British
peer and politician.
Life
He was the eldest of seven children of the
9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife,
Lady Selina, a leader of the Methodist evangelical revival. Hastings was eighteen when he succeeded as
Earl of Huntingdon and
Baron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746. The earl never married but did father an illegitimate son,
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
, by a
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
ian girl named Mademoiselle Lany, a dancer at the Opera whilst on his
Grand Tour with his friend
David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont in 1747 (which was sponsored by the
4th 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 from
the continent, Hastings did well at the
Royal Court
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...
, as a descendant of
George, Duke of Clarence, brother of King
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...
, seemed to assure him and he was appointed
Master of the Horse
Master of the Horse is an official position in several European nations. It was more common when most countries in Europe were monarchies, and is of varying prominence today.
(ancient Rome)
The original Master of the Horse () in the Roman Rep ...
in 1760. He was a
Bearer of the Sword of State at
George III's coronation
A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...
in 1761, though the Sword of State itself was mislaid and he instead had to carry the
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...
's
Pearl Sword.
He became
Groom 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) by
the 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 the
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
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 sister
Lady Elizabeth, wife of
John Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira. Huntingdon was a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1758 and of the
Society of Antiquaries in 1768.
Citations
References
Record for ''Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon'' on ''thepeerage.com''*
David, Saul (1998), ''The Prince of Pleasure''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntingdon, Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of
1729 births
1789 deaths
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon
Hastings, Francis
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
10
Grooms of the Stool
Barons Hastings
Barons Botreaux
Barons Hungerford
Lord-lieutenants of the West Riding of Yorkshire
Court of George III