Life
1754-1826 [Francis Rawdon-Hastings; also Lady Moira]; first Marquis of
Hastings and 2nd Earl of Moira; ed. Harrow and University College, Oxford;
distinguished himself at Bunker’s Hill, 1775; fought at Brooklyn
and Whites Plains, 1776; adjut.-gen. British forces in America, 1778;
commanded left wing at Camden, 1780; defeated Greene at Hobkirk’s
Hill, 1781; captured by French on voyage home; created Baron Rawden, 1783;
joined opposition, 1789; assumed name of Hastings, 1790; succeeded as
Earl of Moira, 1793; commanded expedition to Brittany, 1793; commanded
reinforcements for Duke of York in Flanders, 1794; spoke against Union,
1799; general, 1803; cammander-in-chief in Scotland, 1803; master of ordnace,
1806-07; actively supported Prince of Wales, 1810-11; attempted with Wellesley
to form ministry, 1812; governor-gen. of Bengal, 1813-22; carried on successful
war against Nepal, 1814-16; created Marquis of Hastings, 1817; extirpated
Pindaris and estab. British supremacy in Central India by defeating Mahrattas,
1817-18; secured cession of Singapore, 1819; opened relations with Siam,
1822; pursued liberal policy towards natives; granted £60,000 by East
India Company; resigned when his permission to the banker Palmer to lend
money to Hyderabad was annulled by court of directors; named gov. of Malta,
1824; dies at sea, Baia Bay; statue by Chantrey at Dalhousie Inst., Calcutta.
DNB
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Notes
Brian Hollingworth, Maria Edgeworth’s Irish Writings (London:
Macmillan 1997), quoting Edgeworth’s account of a visit to the Moira
home at Castle Donnington en route to France: ‘… in the valley
below suddenly appeared the turrets of a castle - surpassing all he had
conceived of light and magnificent in architecture - a real castle! not
a modern bungling imitation - not a Slane Castle - The inside was suitable
in grandeur to the outside - Hall - staircase - antichambers [sic] - you
must imagine to your taste - the library a room [word deleted] feet long
filled up entirely with books in plain handsome mahogany book cases not
a frippery ornament - everything grand but nothing gaudy - marble tables
- books upon the tables - nothing littered but sufficient signs of living
and occupied being. (Maria Edgeworth to Mary Sneyd, 27th. September, 1802;
Butler- Edgeworth Correspondence, No. 305.)
‘The first properly documented account of a bog body’ thus cited
by P. V. Glob (1969, p.103), was given by Lady Moira, a neighbour and
friend of the Edgeworths. (See Brian Hollingworth, Maria Edgeworth’s
Irish Writings, 1997, p.84.)
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Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco)