Francis Edward Rawdon-Hastings, 1st Marquess of Hastings KGThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
PC (9 December 1754 – 28 November 1826), styled
The Honourable Francis Rawdon from birth until 1762 and as
The Lord Rawdon between 1762 and 1783 and known as
The Earl of Moira between 1793 and 1816, was an
IrishThe Kingdom of Ireland refers to the country of Ireland in the period between the proclamation of Henry VIII as King of Ireland by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 and the Act of Union in 1800. It replaced the Lordship of Ireland, which had been created in 1171...
-
BritishThe former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
politician and military officer who served as
Governor-General of IndiaThe Governor-General of India was the head of the British administration in India, and later, after Indian independence, the representative of the monarch and de facto head of state. The office was created in 1773, with the title of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William...
from 1813 to 1823. He took the additional surname 'Hastings' in 1790 in compliance with the will of his maternal uncle,
Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of HuntingdonFrancis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon PC was a British peer and politician.He was the son of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife, Selina. Hastings succeeded as Earl of Huntingdon and Baron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746...
.
Background, education and early military career
Hastings was born at
Moira, County DownMoira is a village in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is in the northwest of the county, near the borders with counties Antrim and Armagh. The M1 motorway and Dublin–Belfast railway line are nearby. The settlement has existed since time immemorial...
, the son of
John Rawdon, 1st Earl of MoiraJohn Rawdon, 1st Earl of Moira , known as Sir John Rawdon, Bt, between 1724 and 1750 and as The Lord Rawdon between 1750 and 1762, was an Irish peer.-Background:...
and Elizabeth Rawdon, 13th Baroness Hastings. He grew up there, and in Dublin, Ireland. He joined the
British ArmyThe British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
on 7 August 1771 as an
ensignAn ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
in the 15th Foot, (the going rate was
₤200). He was at Harrow School and matriculated at
University College, Oxford.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, but dropped out. He became friends there with
Banastre TarletonGeneral Sir Banastre Tarleton, 1st Baronet, GCB was a British soldier and politician.He is today probably best remembered for his military service during the American War of Independence. He became the focal point of a propaganda campaign claiming that he had fired upon surrendering Continental...
. With his uncle
Lord HuntingtonFrancis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon PC was a British peer and politician.He was the son of the 9th Earl of Huntingdon and his wife, Selina. Hastings succeeded as Earl of Huntingdon and Baron Botreaux on his father's demise in 1746...
, he went on the
Grand TourThe Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
On 20 October 1773, he was promoted to lieutenant in the 5th Foot. He returned to England, to join his regiment, and sailed for America on 7 May 1774.
In May 1789 he acted as the
Duke of YorkThe Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
s second in his duel with Lieut.-Colonel Lennox on Wimbledon Common.
Battle of Bunker Hill
Rawdon was posted at Boston as a Lieutenant in the 5th Regiment of Foot's Grenadier company, during the Battle of Lexington and Concord, but he saw action at the battle of
Bunker HillThe Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
. Serving with the grenadiers, he participated in the second assault against Breed's hill (which failed), and the third assault against the redoubt. As his superior, Captain Harris, was wounded beside him, he took command of his company, for the successful assault. John Burgoyne noted in dispatches: "Lord Rawdon has this day stamped his fame for life." He also was wounded during the assault. He was promoted Captain, and given a company in the 63rd Foot. There was a rumor that Lieutenant Lord Rawdon killed the rebel General
Joseph WarrenDr. Joseph Warren was an American doctor who played a leading role in American Patriot organizations in Boston in early days of the American Revolution, eventually serving as president of the revolutionary Massachusetts Provincial Congress...
. Lord Rawdon is depicted in
John TrumbullJohn Trumbull was an American artist during the period of the American Revolutionary War and was notable for his historical paintings...
's famous painting
The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Rawdon is in the far background holding the British ensign,.
Winter quarters 1774–1775
During the Boston winter quarters, Rawdon made his stage debut, delivering a prologue for Aaron Hill's tragedy,
Zara, which had been written by
John BurgoyneGeneral John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
. He was appointed Aide-de-camp to General Sir Henry Clinton, and sailed with him on the expedition to
Brunswick Town, North CarolinaBrunswick Town is a colonial ghost town located beside the Cape Fear River in Smithville Township, Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Brunswick Town was the first settlement in the Cape Fear region, a major North Carolina port in the 18th century, and home to three colonial governors...
, on the
Cape Fear RiverThe Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
, and then to the repulse at
Fort MoultrieFort Moultrie is the name of a series of citadels on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, built to protect the city of Charleston, South Carolina. The first fort, built of palmetto logs, inspired the flag and nickname of South Carolina...
,
Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. He returned with him to New York. On 4 August, he dined with General Clinton,
Admiral Lord HoweAdmiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe KG was a British naval officer, notable in particular for his service during the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars. He was the brother of William Howe and George Howe.Howe joined the navy at the age of thirteen and served...
,
Lord CornwallisCharles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
,
General VaughanLieutenant-General Sir John Vaughan KB , styled The Honourable from 1741, was a British soldier and a Member of Parliament in both the British and Irish Parliaments.-Background and early career:...
, and others. During the
Battle of Long IslandThe Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
, he was at headquarters, with Clinton.
Landing at Kip's Bay
On 15 September, he led his men at Kip's Bay, an amphibious landing on Manhattan island. The next day, he led his troops in support of the Light Infantry, that attacked
Harlem HeightsThe Battle of Harlem Heights was fought during the New York and New Jersey campaign of the American Revolutionary War. The action took place in what is now the Morningside Heights and west Harlem neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City on September 16, 1776....
, until the Americans withdrew.
White Plains
Again he participated at the landings at Pell's Point. The British pressed the Americans to White Plains, where on 1 November the Americans withdrew from their entrenchments.
Rhode Island, England, and New York
On 8 December he landed with Clinton at Rhode Island securing the ports for the British Navy. On 13 January 1777, with Clinton, he departed for London, arriving 1 March. During a ball at
Lord George GermainGeorge Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville PC , known as the Hon. George Sackville to 1720, as Lord George Sackville from 1720 to 1770, and as Lord George Germain from 1770 to 1782, was a British soldier and politician who was Secretary of State for America in Lord North's cabinet during the American...
's he met
LafayetteMarie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette , often known as simply Lafayette, was a French aristocrat and military officer born in Chavaniac, in the province of Auvergne in south central France...
, (who was visiting London).
Returning to America, in July, while Howe went to his
Philadelphia campaignThe Philadelphia campaign was a British initiative in the American Revolutionary War to gain control of Philadelphia, which was then the seat of the Second Continental Congress...
, Rawdon went with Clinton to the New York headquarters, where he participated in the battles of the New York Highlands, where on 7 October, Fort Constitution, (opposite West Point), was captured. However, this was too late to link up with General
BurgoyneGeneral John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
at
AlbanyAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
Rawdon was sent to Philadelphia with dispatches, and returned to New York for the winter, where he raised a regiment, called the
Volunteers of IrelandThe Volunteers of Ireland was a British provincial military unit during the American Revolutionary War which was added to the British regular army....
, recruited from deserters and Irish loyalists. Promoted colonel, in command of this regiment, Rawdon went with Clinton to Philadelphia. Starting out on 18 June 1778, he went with Clinton during the withdrawal from Philadelphia to New York, and saw action at the
Battle of MonmouthThe Battle of Monmouth was an American Revolutionary War battle fought on June 28, 1778 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Continental Army under General George Washington attacked the rear of the British Army column commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton as they left Monmouth Court...
. He was appointed adjutant general. Rawdon was sent to learn news of the
battle of Rhode IslandThe Battle of Rhode Island, also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill and the Siege of Newport, took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and militia forces under the command of General John Sullivan were withdrawing to the northern part of Aquidneck Island after abandoning their siege of...
.
At New York, on 3 September 1779, he quarreled with Clinton, and resigned his position as adjutant general. He served with the
Volunteers of IrelandThe Volunteers of Ireland was a British provincial military unit during the American Revolutionary War which was added to the British regular army....
, during the raid on Staten Island, by Lord Stirling on 15 January 1780.
Southern Campaign
He went south to the
Siege of CharlestonThe Siege of Charleston was one of the major battles which took place towards the end of the American Revolutionary War, after the British began to shift their strategic focus towards the American Southern Colonies. After about six weeks of siege, Continental Army Major General Benjamin Lincoln...
with reinforcements, then Lord Cornwallis posted him at Camden (16 August 1780) as the British sought to occupy South Carolina. Rawdon commanded the British left wing at the
Battle of CamdenThe Battle of Camden was a major victory for the British in the Southern theater of the American Revolutionary War...
. When Cornwallis went into
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, he left Rawdon in effective command in the south.
Perhaps his most noted achievement was the victory in 1781 at the
Battle of Hobkirk's HillThe Battle of Hobkirk's Hill was a battle of the American Revolutionary War fought on April 25, 1781, near Camden, South Carolina...
, where in command of only a small force, he defeated by superior military skill and determination, a much larger body of Americans rebels. Thinking, (in error) that
Nathanael GreeneNathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...
had moved his artillery away, Rawdon attacked Greene's left wing, forcing the Americans to retire.
However, Rawdon was forced to begin a gradual retreat to Charleston, relieving the
siege of Ninety-SixThe Siege of Ninety Six was a siege late in the American Revolutionary War. From May 22 to June 18, 1781, Continental Army Major General Nathanael Greene led 1,000 troops in a siege against the 550 Loyalists in the fortified village of Ninety Six, South Carolina. The 28-day siege centered on an...
, but then evacuating it and withdrawing to Charleston. When the Loyalists he saved in the Siege of Ninety-Six were eventually relocated to
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, they named their community of Rawdon, Nova Scotia after him. In July 1781, in poor health, he gave up his command. He was captured at sea, by
De GrasseLieutenant Général des Armées Navales François-Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse was a French admiral. He is best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the Chesapeake, which led directly to the British surrender at Yorktown...
, but was exchanged. He was awarded the
freedom of the cityFreedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
of
Dublin in recognition of his service in America. After Rawdon's departure the decision was made to evacuate Charleston as the war drew to a close.
French Revolutionary Wars
Following the declaration of war, of France upon Great Britain, he was appointed major general, on 12 October 1793. Sent by the
PittWilliam Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
ministry, Hastings launched an expedition into Ostend, France, in 1794. He marched to join with the army of the
Duke of YorkThe Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany was a member of the Hanoverian and British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son, of King George III...
, at Alost. The French general
PichegruJean-Charles Pichegru was a French general and political figure of the French Revolution and Revolutionary Wars.-Early life and career:...
with superior numbers forced the British back toward their base at
Antwerp. He left the expedition, feeling Pitt had broken promises.
Political career
hi
Rawdon-Hastings sat for
RandalstownRandalstown was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-1692–1801:...
in the
Irish House of CommonsThe Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
from 1781 until 1783, when he was created
Baron Rawdon, of Rawdon, in the County of York. In 1787, he became friends with the Prince of Wales, and loaned him many thousands of pounds. In 1788 he became embroiled in the
Regency CrisisGeorge IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
. In 1789, he took the surname Hastings in accordance with his uncle's will. He succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Moira on 20 June 1793, and served in the
House of LordsThe House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
for three decades.
Plot to become Prime Minister
In 1797 it was rumoured briefly that he would replace Pitt as
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
. There was some discontent with Pitt over his policies regarding the
war with FranceThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
. Additionally Pitt's long tenure in office had given him ample opportunity to annoy various political grandees, including but not limited to Lords
LeedsFrancis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds KG, PC , styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician...
,
ThurlowEdward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow PC, KC was a British lawyer and Tory politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain for fourteen years and under four Prime Ministers.- Early life:...
and
LansdowneWilliam Petty-FitzMaurice, 1st Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC , known as The Earl of Shelburne between 1761 and 1784, by which title he is generally known to history, was an Irish-born British Whig statesman who was the first Home Secretary in 1782 and then Prime Minister 1782–1783 during the final...
.
In mid-May a combination of these various figures, coupled with a handful of Members of Parliament, proposed to make the Earl of Moira Prime Minister. Having fought in the American War and having led an expedition to Quiberon he commanded widespread respect. His closeness to the Prince of Wales also established him as a potential rival to Pitt, who was supported heavily by King George III.
The prime motivation for the plot to become Prime Minister was to secure peace with France, the plotters having come to believe (somewhat unfairly) that Pitt was an obstacle to this objective. However the plot collapsed barely a month later in mid-June because of a lack of support from the political establishment. Additionally when Moira wrote to the King to propose the change of chief ministers his letter was simply ignored by the monarch. Thus the proposal came to nothing.
Later Politics
He was a long-standing advocate of Irish issues, in particular
Catholic EmancipationCatholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the penal laws...
, and at one point was described by the Irish revolutionary Wolfe Tone as "The Irish Lafayette".
Becoming a
WhigThe Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
in politics, he entered government as part of the
Ministry of all The TalentsThe Ministry of All the Talents was a national unity government formed by William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville on his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 11 February 1806 after the death of William Pitt the Younger...
in 1806 as
Master-General of the OrdnanceThe Master-General of the Ordnance was a very senior British military position before 1855, when the Board of Ordnance was abolished.-Responsibilities:...
and
Constable of the TowerThe 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...
, but resigned upon the fall of the ministry the next year. Being a close associate of the
Prince-RegentGeorge IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, Moira was asked by him to try to form a Whig government after the assassination of
Spencer PercevalSpencer Perceval, KC was a British statesman and First Lord of the Treasury, making him de facto Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated...
in 1812 ended that ministry. Both of Moira's attempts to create a governing coalition failed, and the Tories returned to power under the
Earl of LiverpoolRobert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool KG PC was a British politician and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since the Union with Ireland in 1801. He was 42 years old when he became premier in 1812 which made him younger than all of his successors to date...
. On 6 December 1816, he was raised to the rank of
Marquess of Hastings together with the subsidiary titles
Viscount Loudoun and
Earl of Rawdon. Fifteen years before
Hastings County, OntarioHastings County is located in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is The Cheese Capital of Canada. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. The population was 125,915 in 2001 and grew to 130,474 in the 2006 Canada Census...
and three of its early townships were named after him.
He also became the patron of
Thomas MooreThomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
the poet, who had visited him at
Donington ParkDonington Park is a motorsport circuit near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England.Originally part of the Donington Hall estate, it was created as a racing circuit during the pre-war period when the German Silver Arrows were battling for the European Championship...
, writing that
I thought it all exceedingly fine and grand, but most uncomfortable. Moore was later disappointed when Moira, having been appointed Governor General of India, did not offer to take him with him to India on his staff and the two men only met again once.
Governor-General of India
Through the influence of the Prince-Regent, Moira was appointed Governor-General of India in 11 November 1812. His tenure as Governor-General was a memorable one, overseeing the victory in the
Gurkha WarThe Gurkha War , sometimes called the Gorkha War or the Anglo–Nepalese War, was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company as a result of border tensions and ambitious expansionism...
(1814–1816); the
final conquestThe Third Anglo-Maratha War was the final and decisive conflict between the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire in India. The war left the Company in control of most of India. It began with an invasion of Maratha territory by 110,400 British East India Company troops, the largest...
of the
MarathaThe Maratha are an Indian caste, predominantly in the state of Maharashtra. The term Marāthā has three related usages: within the Marathi speaking region it describes the dominant Maratha caste; outside Maharashtra it can refer to the entire regional population of Marathi-speaking people;...
s in 1818; and the purchase of the island of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1819.
After delays clearing affairs, he reached Madras on 11 September 1813. In October, he settled in at Calcutta. British India then consisted of Madras, Bengal, and Bombay. He commanded an army of 15,000 British regulars, a Bengal army of 27 regiments of native infantry, and eight regiments of cavalry; a Madras army, led by General John Abercrombie of 24 regiments of native infantry, and eight regiments of native cavalry.
Gurkha War
In May 1813, the Gurkhas declared war. Hastings sent four divisions in separate attacks General Bennet Marley with 8,000 men against Katmandu, General John Sullivan Wood with 4,000 men against Butwal, General Sir
David OchterlonySir David Ochterlony, 1st Baronet GCB was a British general.-Biography:David Ochterlony was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and attended the Dummer Charity School in nearby Byfield, Massachusetts...
with 10,000 men against
Amar Singh ThapaAmar Singh Thapa, also known as "Living lion of Nepal", was the General of the Nepalese forces of western front in the Anglo–Nepalese War. He is regarded as one of the National heroes of Nepal....
, and General Robert
Rollo Gillespie-Early life:Robert Rollo Gillespie grew up in County Down, in what was then the Kingdom of Ireland, after turning down the opportunity of going to Cambridge university he joined the 3rd Irish Horse as a Cornet. In 1786 he was involved in a duel in which he killed the opposing duellist. Fleeing to...
, with 3,500 men against Nahan, Srinagar, and Garhwal. Only Ochterlony had some success; Gillespie was killed. After inconclusive negotiations, Hastings reinforced Ochterlony to 20,000 men, who then won the battle of Makwanpur on 28 February. The Gurkhas then sued for peace, under the
Sugauli TreatyThe Sugauli Treaty was signed on December 2, 1815 and ratified by March 4, 1816, between the British East India Company and Nepal, which was a kingdom during that era. This ended the second British invasion of the Himalayan kingdom during the Anglo-Nepalese War...
.
Third Anglo-Maratha War
After raids by Pindaris, in January 1817, Hastings led a force at Hindustan in the North; in the South, the Army of the Deccan, under the command of General
Sir Thomas HislopSir Thomas Hislop, 1st Baronet, GCB was a senior British Army officer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Serving exclusively in colonial campaigns, Hislop fought in the West Indies between 1796 and 1810 and subsequently in India, where he was a senior commander during the Third...
. The Peshwa was defeated by William Fullarton Elphinstone on the Poona. Appa Sahib, was defeated at the battle of
NagpurNāgpur is a city and winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, the largest city in central India and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune...
. Hislop defeated
HolkarThe Holkar dynasty , whose earliest known clan-man was Malhar Rao, who joined the service of the Peshwa in 1721, and quickly rose to the ranks of Subedar...
at the
Battle of MahidpurThe Battle of Mahidpur was fought during the Third Anglo-Maratha War between the Marathas and the British led by Sir Thomas Hislop at Mahidpur, a town in the Malwa region, on 20 December 1817....
.
Diplomacy
He was active diplomatically, protecting weaker Indian states. His domestic policy in India was also largely successful, seeing the repair of the
MughulThe Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
canal system in
DelhiDelhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in 1820, as well as educational and administrative reforms. He confirmed the purchase of
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, from the Sultan of Jahore, by Sir
Stamford RafflesSir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is often described as the "Father of Singapore"...
, in January 1819.
He became increasingly estranged from the
East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's Board of Control — see
Company rule in IndiaCompany rule in India refers to the rule or dominion of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent...
. He was appointed Governor of Malta in 1824. He died at sea off Naples two years later.
Legacy
The HMS
Moira was and the
Moira RiverThe Moira River is a river in Hastings County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It travels from its source in the centre of the county to the county seat Belleville and is named after Francis Rawdon-Hastings, Earl of Moira.-Course:...
in
OntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
is named in his honour. He was F.R.S. 1787 and F.S.A. 1793. For 1806-8 he was Grand Master of the Free Masons. The character of Rawdon Crawley in William Makepeace Thackery's novel
Vanity Fair is named after him.
Family
On 12 July 1804, he married
Flora Campbell, 6th Countess of LoudounFlora Mure-Campbell, Marchioness of Hastings and 6th Countess of Loudoun was a British peeress, second daughter of James Mure-Campbell, 5th Earl of Loudoun and Lady Flora Macleod....
, daughter of Major-General
James Mure-Campbell, 5th Earl of LoudounJames Mure-Campbell, 5th Earl of Loudoun was a Scottish aristocrat and soldier. He assumed the name of Mure on succeeding to the estate of his grandmother, the Countess of Glasgow, heiress of the family of Mure of Rowallan...
and Lady Flora Macleod. They had six children:
- Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings
Lady Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings was a British aristocrat and lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria's mother, the Duchess of Kent, whose death in 1839 caused a court scandal that gave the Queen a negative image....
(11 February 1806 – 5 July 1839), died unmarried.
- Hon. Francis George Augustus (1807–1807), died in infancy.
- George Augustus Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings
George Augustus Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Marquess of Hastings , styled Lord Rawdon from birth until 1817 and Earl of Rawdon from 1817 to 1826, was a British peer and courtier.-Background:...
(4 February 1808 – 13 January 1844)
- Sophia Frederica Christina Rawdon-Hastings (1 February 1809 – 28 December 1859), married John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute
John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute, KT, FRS was the son of John, Lord Mount Stuart and the former Lady Elizabeth McDouall-Crichton...
and had issue.
- Selina Constance Rawdon-Hastings (1810 – 8 November 1867), married Charles Henry and has issue
- Adelaide Augusta Lavinia Rawdon-Hastings (25 February 1812 – 6 December 1860), married Sir William Murray, 7th Baronet of Octertyre
The marquess also apparently fathered an illegitimate son
George Hunn NobbsGeorge Hunn Nobbs was an English missionary on Pitcairn Island and later Norfolk Island, where his many descendants still live today....
by Jemima Ffrench, although this is likely to be a falsification of Nobbs'.
Death
He died aboard
HMS RevengeHMS Revenge was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 13 April 1805. She was designed by Sir John Henslow as one of the large class 74s, and was the only ship built to her draught...
and following his directions his right hand was cut off and buried with his wife when she died; this wish was complied with, and it now rests clasped with hers in the family vault at
Loudoun KirkLoudoun Kirk is a disused church located about one mile west of Loudoun Castle, East Ayrshire. It served as Loudoun's parish church until some point after 1600, when this function moved to the church in nearby Newmilns...
.
Donington Park
Inheriting
Donington HallDonington Hall is a house and residual estate in Castle Donington, North West Leicestershire, located close to the city of Derby. The Hall serves as the headquarters for airline BMI....
from his uncle, he rebuilt it in Gothic style; Wilkins was the architect. He placed the park at the disposal of the Bourbon Princes upon their exile in England following the French Revolution and is said to have left a signed cheque-book in each bedroom for the occupant to use at their pleasure.
Sources
- Beevor, R. J. (1931). Hastings of Hastings. Printed for Private Circulation.
- Kelly, Ronan. Bard of Erin: The Life of Thomas Moore. Penguin Books, 2009.
- Morley, Vincent. Irish opinion and the American Revolution, 1760–83. Cambridge University Press, 2002.
External links