Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of Huntingdon (10 December 165030 May 1701) was a 17th-century English politician and
Jacobite. One of the few non-Catholics to remain loyal to
James II of England
James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
after November 1688, on the rare occasions he is mentioned by historians, he is described as a 'facile instrument of the
Stuarts,' a 'turncoat' or 'outright renegade.'
Once the leading political power in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
, his family had declined in influence; regaining that position became his primary ambition and drove his political choices. During the 1679 to 1681
Exclusion Crisis
The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion Bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, ...
, he supported the removal from the succession of the Catholic heir,
James, Duke of York
James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...
, before switching allegiance in 1681. James succeeded as king in 1685 with widespread support but this collapsed when his religious measures and the methods used to enforce them seemed to undermine the legal system and the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
. By the end of 1687, Huntingdon was one of the few non-Catholics who continued to actively implement his policies.
Even among those who considered James the legitimate king after 1688, the vast majority viewed the primacy of the Church of England as non-negotiable; Hastings was considered to have actively persecuted his own church, a distinction that damaged his reputation among his contemporaries. One of 30 individuals excluded from the 1690 Act of Grace, he lost his offices but continued to attend the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
and remained a committed Jacobite. He was arrested and charged with treason in 1692, although charges were later dropped; shortly before his death in May 1701, he was one of five peers who voted against the 1701
Act of Settlement
The Act of Settlement ( 12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Cathol ...
barring Catholics from the throne.
His daughter
Lady Elizabeth Hastings (1682-1739) became a noted philanthropist and supporter of women's education who established the 'Lady Elizabeth Hastings Charities'.
Early life
Theophilus Hasting was born on 10 December 1650, fourth son of
Ferdinando Hastings, 6th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife
Lucy
Lucy is an English language, English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings ar ...
. They had ten children including
Elizabeth.
His three elder brothers died before his birth and he succeeded his father in 1656 at the age of five. Once the pre-eminent family in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...
, the Hastings declined in influence after decades of over-spending and losses incurred during the 1642 to 1651
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
. The 6th Earl remained neutral but his younger brother Henry commanded the Royalist garrison holding the family seat of
Ashby de la Zouch Castle
Ashby de la Zouch Castle is a ruined fortification in the town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. The castle was built by William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, William, Lord Hastings, a favourite of Edward IV of England, Edward IV, ...
, which this was partially destroyed by
Parliamentarian forces in 1648.

The family relocated to their estate at
Donington Hall
Donington Hall is a country house set in parkland near Castle Donington village, North West Leicestershire. The Hall and Estate was purchased in April 2021 by MotorSport Vision, which also operates the neighbouring Donington Park racing cir ...
, where Hastings was educated by his mother and his uncle Henry, who returned from exile after
The Restoration in 1660. He was also created
Baron Loughborough and
Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, an office held by the Hastings family almost continuously between 1550 and 1642. After Henry died in 1667, he was replaced by
John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland, and regaining this position became Hastings' overriding ambition.
In 1672, Hastings married Elizabeth Lewis (died 1688), whose sister Mary (died 1684) was the wife of the
Earl of Scarsdale; the two were co-heiresses of Sir John Lewis, a wealthy merchant who owned
Ledstone Hall, in
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...
. They had nine children, only two of whom survived to adulthood;
George, 8th Earl of Huntingdon (1677-1704) and
Lady Elizabeth Hastings (1682-1739), a noted supporter of women's education.
Elizabeth died in 1688 and two years later, Hastings married Mary Fowler, the wealthy widow of Thomas Needham, 6th
Viscount Kilmorey. They had two sons and four surviving daughters: Ann (1691-1755), Catherine (1692-1739), Frances (1693-1750),
Theophilus, 9th Earl of Huntingdon (1696-1746), Margaret (1699-1768) and Ferdinando (1699-1726).
Career
Hastings took his seat in the Lords and was a reliable supporter of the Crown until 1677, when the
9th Earl of Rutland succeeded his father as Lord Lieutenant. The Manners family supported
Parliament
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
in the Civil Wars, and Hastings was frustrated by a perceived lack of gratitude for his family's service. He joined the faction led by
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Salisbury and north-northeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hi ...
, who opposed Charles' efforts to rule without Parliament and campaigned against 'Popery and arbitrary government.' The potential succession of the Catholic, pro-French Duke of York was seen as another step towards
absolutism and led to the 1679–1681
Exclusion Crisis
The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion Bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, ...
. Hastings became a prominent supporter; at a public dinner in 1679, he proposed a toast to the Protestant
Duke of Monmouth
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...
, viewed as an alternative to James, and 'confusion to Popery', prompting a heated exchange with other guests.
During the anti-Catholic campaign known as the
Popish Plot in 1680, Hastings voted for the execution of
Viscount Stafford, as did seven of eight members of Stafford's own family. It led to the execution of 22 alleged conspirators and caused widespread unrest; in August 1681,
Titus Oates, source of the accusations, accused
the Queen of conspiring to poison Charles.
This was seen as going too far and many now withdrew their support, including Hastings; banned from Court in 1680, he was restored to favour in October 1681. In February 1682, he paid Scarsdale £4,500 for his post as
Captain of the Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, a ceremonial bodyguard with close access to the monarch. He was appointed to the
Privy Council in 1683 and when James became king in February 1685, he was made
Justice in eyre and colonel of an
infantry regiment
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
.
At the start of his reign, James had widespread backing, inheriting a legislature so dominated by his supporters it became known as the
Loyal Parliament. Memories of the 1638 to 1651
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
meant the majority feared the consequences of removing the 'natural' heir; this caused the rapid collapse of the
Monmouth
Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...
and
Argyll rebellions in June 1685. However, the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
and the legal system were key elements of a stable society; James' religious policies undermined the former, and attempts to enforce them attacked the latter. When Parliament refused to pass his measures, it was suspended in November 1685 and thereafter he ruled by decree; the principle was accepted, but the scope and approach were not, and judges who opposed his interpretation were dismissed.
This forced James to rely on a few loyalists, one being Hastings, who was made a member of the
Commission for Ecclesiastical Causes in July 1686. A number of people, including his first wife, accused him of being a secret Catholic; if true, this was controversial, since the Commission was set up to enforce compliance on the Church of England. Suspicions increased when he was exempted from the
1678 Test Act requiring officeholders to swear to uphold 'the Protestant religion.' In late 1687, James tried to ensure a Parliament that would vote for his
Declaration of Indulgence Declaration of Indulgence may refer to:
* Declaration of Indulgence (1672) by Charles II of England in favour of nonconformists and Catholics
* Declaration of Indulgence (1687) by James II of England granting religious freedom
See also
*Indulgence ...
; only those who confirmed their support for repealing the Test Act would be allowed to stand for election as
Member of Parliament. Lord-Lieutenants were to administer the so-called 'Three Questions'; many resigned rather than do so, including Scarsdale, whom Huntingdon replaced as
Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire. Since 1689, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Derbyshire.
* Francis Hastings, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon
* George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury 3 ...
.

Combined with the trial of the
Seven Anglican bishops for seditious libel in June 1688, James' policies now seemed to go beyond tolerance for Catholicism and
Nonconformists and into an assault on the Church of England. James was now abandoned by most of his supporters, including
Lord Chancellor Jeffreys; when he refused to sign the warrant committing the bishops to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...
, Hastings did so instead, which was later held against him.
Wild celebrations when the bishops were acquitted made it seem only James' deposition could prevent widespread civil unrest and the vast majority of his Tory supporters abandoned him. The seven signatories of the
Invitation to William
The ''Invitation to William'' was a letter sent by seven Englishmen (six nobles and a bishop), later referred to as "the Immortal Seven", to stadtholder William III, Prince of Orange, dated 30 June 1688 (Julian calendar, 10 July Gregorian cal ...
asking him to assume the English throne included representatives from the Tories, the Whigs, the Church and the Navy. During the
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
in November 1688, Hastings and his regiment were sent to secure
Plymouth
Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
; on arrival, he was arrested by its governor, the
Earl of Bath, who declared for
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
. He was released on 26 December, two days after his wife died in childbirth; as one of thirty individuals exempted from the 1690 Act of Grace, he forfeited his offices although he continued to attend the Lords.
He initially retained some local influence and in 1690, his support helped elect
Sir Edward Abney, Tory candidate for
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
. Thereafter the borough was dominated by the Manners family and he withdrew from active politics. As a committed Jacobite, Hastings was arrested during the 1692 invasion scare, allegedly because his stables were 'full of horses'. After the March 1696
Jacobite assassination plot, he voted against the execution of
Sir John Fenwick and refused to take the loyalty oath imposed by Parliament. One of his last acts was to vote against the
Act of Settlement
The Act of Settlement ( 12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2) is an act of the Parliament of England that settled the succession to the English and Irish crowns to only Protestants, which passed in 1701. More specifically, anyone who became a Roman Cathol ...
that disinherited the Catholic Stuart exiles in favour of the Protestant
Sophia of Hanover
Sophia (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate; – ) was Electress of Hanover from 19 December 1692 until 23 January 1698 as the consort of Prince-Elector Ernest Augustus. She was later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and ...
. His later years were dominated by a long-running legal dispute with his eldest son over his first wife's estates, which was settled only after his death. He died in London on 30 May 1701 and was succeeded by George, who served in the
Low Countries
The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
during the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...
and died of fever in 1705.
Although Hasting was a minor political figure and not unusual in changing sides, on the rare occasions he is mentioned by historians, he is described as a 'facile instrument of the Stuarts,' a 'turncoat' or 'outright renegade.' His reputation for inconsistency increased during the
1689 Convention Parliament, when he voted first against a Regency, then with the Jacobite loyalists, and finally in favour of making William king. Historian Peter Walker argues all other issues were secondary to restoring his family's position, but 'continued loyalty to James in his last years suggests (he) was not a man bereft of principle.'
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntingdon, Theophilus Hastings, 7th Earl of
1650 births
1701 deaths
Lord-lieutenants of Derbyshire
Lord-lieutenants of Leicestershire
Members of the Privy Council of England
Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms
Theophilus Hastings, 07th Earl of Huntingdon
Somerset Light Infantry officers
7
Barons Hastings
English Jacobites
Barons Botreaux
Barons Hungerford