Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Hastings, Henry (d.1268)
HASTINGS, HENRY, first Baron Hastings by writ (d. 1268), baronial leader, was son of Henry Hastings (d. 1250, sixth baron by tenure, and Ada, thir.d daughter of David, earl of Huntingdon, brother of William the Lion, by Maud, daughter and coheiress of Hugh, earl of Chester. His grandfather, William Hastings (d. 1226), took part with the barons against King John, and in 1216 his lands were forfeited; he was taken prisoner at Lincoln in 1217, and was one of William of Aumale's supporters at Biham in 1221. Henry Hastings the elder fought in Poitou in 1242 and was taken prisoner at Saintes, he served in Scotland in 1244 (Report on Dignity of a Peer, iii. 20). In 1250 he was one of the nobles who took the cross, but died in July of the same year. Matthew Paris calls him ‘a distinguished knight and wealthy baron’ (iv. 213, v. 96, 174).
Henry was under age at his father's death, and the king granted the wardship of his estates to Geoffrey de Lusignan, who, however, in the following year transferred it to William de Cantelupe. In 1260 Hastings received a summons to be at Shrewsbury in arms on 8 Sept. in order to take part in the Welsh war (Report on Dignity of a Peer, iii. 21). He was one of the young nobles who at the parliament held in May 1262 supported Simon de Montfort in his complaint of the non-observance of the provisions of Oxford (Wykes, iv. 133), and siding with the barons in the war of 1263 was one of those excommunicated by Archbishop Boniface. Hastings also joined on 13 Dec. 1263 in signing the instrument which bound the barons to abide by the award of Louis IX. In April 1264 he was in Kent with Gilbert de Clare, and took part in the siege of Rochester (Gervase, ii. 235). He marched with Earl Simon to Lewes, and was knighted by him, either on the morning before the battle on 14 May 1264 (ib. ii. 237), or at London on 4 May (according to Chr. Dover in MS. Cott. Julius, D. ii.). In the battle of Lewes Hastings commanded the Londoners, and took part in their flight from Edward. Afterwards he was made by Earl Simon constable of the castles of Scarborough and Winchester, and on 14 Dec. received the summons to parliament from which the extant barony of Hastings dates (Report on Dignity of a Peer, iii. 34). He was one of the barons who were going to take part in the tournament at Dunstable in March 1265 (Cal. Rot. Pat. 49 Hen. III). He was taken prisoner at Evesham on 4 Aug. 1265, but afterwards obtaining his release joined Robert Ferrers earl of Derby [q. v.], at Chesterfield in the following May, and only escaped capture with him through being out hunting (Robert of Gloucester, 11849–56). He then went to Kenilworth, and, joining with John de la Ware and others, ravaged the surrounding country, and held the castle against the king from 24 June to 28 Oct. Hastings was specially excepted from the ‘Dictum de Kenilworth,’ and sentenced to pay a fine of seven years' value of his estates. But being released he broke his oath not to take up arms again, and joining ‘the disinherited’ in the Isle of Ely became their leader (Wykes, iv. 203). He was, however, forced to submit to Edward in July 1267. He died next year. Wykes, who was a royalist, speaks of his inordinate pride and violence, and calls him ‘malefactorum maleficus gubernator’ (ib. l.c.) He married Joanna de Cantelupe, daughter of his guardian (she is sometimes called Eva, but cf. Cal. Gen. i. 197, and Ann. Dunst. iii. 257). By her, who survived him, he had with three daughters two sons, John, second baron (1262–1313) [q. v.], and Edmund (see below). Hastings and his wife were buried in the church of the Friars Minor at Coventry (Dugdale, Antiq. Warw. i. 183). His barony, after many vicissitudes [see under Hastings, Sir Edward, (1381–1437)], was revived in 1841 in favour of Sir Jacob Astley, grandfather of the present Lord Hastings.
Hastings, Edmund (d. 1314?), Baron Hastings of Inchmahome, Perthshire, younger son of the above, was born after 1262. He is first mentioned in January 1292, when Edward I ordered John Baliol not to prevent Isabella Comyn from marrying whom she wished, as it was in his own power to give her to Edmund de Hastings. This lady was widow of William Comyn of Badenoch, and daughter of Walter Comyn, earl of Menteith in right of his wife. She married Edmund Hastings soon after the date mentioned, though she is not apparently again spoken of as his wife till 1306. Edmund Hastings had a grant of lands in Scotland in 1296, probably the part of the earldom of Menteith which he held in 1306 (Cal. Documents relating to Scotland, ii. 1771). He was engaged in the Scottish war in 1298 and 1299, and was at the siege of Caerlaverock in June 1300 with his brother. On 28 Dec. 1299 he had been summoned to parliament, and in February 1301 signed the famous letter of remonstrance to the pope. On the latter occasion he was styled ‘dominus de Enchemehelmock,’ and this, with the seal bearing the legend ‘S: Edmundi: Hasting: Comitatv: Menetei,’ has given rise to some discussion (cf. Archæologia, xxi. 217). Mr. Riddell has shown that the reference is to Inchmahome (anciently called Inchmacholmok), the chief castle of the earldom of Menteith. Edmund Hastings was specially ordered to stay in Scotland in September 1302. In May 1308 he was thanked for his services in Scotland, and in June was made warden between the Forth and Orkney (Cal. Doc. Scotl. iii. 43, 47). Early in 1309 he was warden of Perth, and was made constable of Dundee in May. In May 1312 he was warden of Berwick-on-Tweed. His last summons to parliament was dated 7 July 1313, and he probably died not long after, perhaps next year at Bannockburn. He apparently left no issue.
[Wykes, Dunstable, Waverley, and Worcester Annals in Annales Monastici; Matthew Paris; Continuation of Gervase of Canterbury; Robert of Gloucester (all these are in the Rolls Series); Dugdale's Baronage, i. 574–5; Report on Dignity of a Peer, vol. iii.; Courthope's Historic Peerage, pp. 239, 240; Blaauw's Barons' War. For Edmund Hastings see also T. Riddell's Inquiry into the Law and Practice in Scottish Peerages, ii. 990–1002; Nicolas's Song of Caerlaverock, p. 299; Bain's Calendar of Documents relating to Scotland, vol. iii.]