The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1766: Chapter 86: The Carter Family’s Old Friends_2

Arthur raised an eyebrow: ”Do the Irish nobility have to change their surname when inheriting a title? I don’t recall such a rule.”

Eld sipped his tea gently: ”Indeed, there is no such rule, but the fact that the Hastings Family’s title might have been inherited by a nephew troubled the 10th Earl of Huntingdon greatly. In his will, he stated that if his nephew could change his surname to Hastings, he would acknowledge passing the title to his sister, the wife of the first Earl of Moira, upon his death. In this way, the nephew could inherit his mother’s title of Baron Hastings in the future. Although few knew the inside story, the eventual result was that the Roton Family agreed to this request and added Hastings to the surname of the eldest son, thus transforming the Roton family into the Hastings Family.”

Arthur pondered for a moment. Although the story seemed quite absurd, upon deeper thought, it was clear that the Roton family didn’t really suffer a loss.

This was because their primary title of Earl of Moira was essentially just an Irish noble title and therefore didn’t grant them a seat in the House of Lords at that time in Britain.

Upon inheriting the Hastings Family’s title, they thereby rightfully inherited a seat in the House of Lords and the prominent reputation of the Hastings Family.

After all, the title of Baron Hastings has a history that can be traced back to the 15th century, with the first Baron Hastings being William Hastings, a favored courtier of Edward IV. Although he was later executed by Charles III, the fortunes of the Hastings Family soared from that point onward.

In 1529, besides the barony of Hastings, the Hastings Family was again awarded the title of Earl of Huntingdon.

Over the ensuing centuries, they subsequently acquired the baronial titles of Hendersonford, Demolins, and Porterex.

However, as Eld mentioned, the good fortune of the Hastings Family came to an end during the period of the 10th Earl of Huntingdon in 1789.

The misfortunes of nobility, when it comes down to it, generally boil down to a few things.

In summary, it’s the inability to produce heirs, particularly legitimate sons.

Yet, the silver lining was that according to the patent of nobility issued by the King at the time, the title of Earl of Huntingdon in the Hastings Family was the only one strictly required to be inherited by a male.

Therefore, after the Roton family agreed to change their surname, the 10th Earl of Huntingdon transferred the title to his sister, who married into the Irish family after his death, allowing his nephew to continue the Hastings Family legacy.

The title of Earl of Huntingdon fell into abeyance when the 10th Earl died in 1789.

Though Theophillus Henry Hastings, a distant relative and priest of the Hastings Family, long claimed inheritance rights, it was not until two years after his death in 1819 that Parliament officially recognized his claim after lengthy deliberations, posthumously acknowledging Theophillus Henry Hastings as the 11th Earl of Huntingdon, with his nephew Hans Francis Hastings succeeding as the 12th Earl of Huntingdon.

While the main branch of the Hastings Family was embroiled in a struggle for inheritance rights, the Roton-Hastings Family successfully leveraged the Hastings name to penetrate the core of the British nobility, rapidly ascending to the ranks of top British aristocracy.

Arthur laid out his understanding of the Hastings Family from his history studies, but as an insider, Eld clearly knew more.

”Actually, to say the Roton-Hastings Family relied on connections to infiltrate British high society would be underestimating them. This branch didn’t merely rely on surnames, titles, and pedigrees. They accomplished significant deeds. Let’s start with the first generation, Francis Roton-Hastings, the 1st Marquis of Hastings.”

Eld raised his hand, enumerating with familiarity: ”He wasn’t the type to merely mingle in aristocratic circles by indulging in gardening or dog breeding. He had solid achievements. In his youth, he participated in the American Revolutionary War. At the time, he was just an obscure lieutenant in the 5th Infantry Grenadier Company. After the Battles of Lexington and Concord, our forces were besieged by American rebels in Boston. To successfully break through, we had to capture Charleston Heights, which first required taking Bunker Hill.

The initial Marquis of Hastings, as a grenadier, participated in the second assault on Bunker Hill. His superior, Captain Harris, was wounded beside him, prompting the then 21-year-old marquis to take command of the grenadiers for a third, and final, charge on the fort. At that time, he observed that our troops, suffering heavy casualties, were wavering in morale, so he resolutely stood atop the highest point of the fort, waving the 5th Regiment’s colors, even as he was wounded, but remaining steadfast. Inspired by his act, the soldiers charged with renewed vigor, eventually taking Bunker Hill, and subsequently, Charleston Heights, lifting the siege of Boston.

In the aftermath, the battlefield commander, ’Gentleman Johnny’ General John Burgoyne, personally commended him in a report, promoting him to captain and praising him by saying: ”Rotton’s actions today have forged a reputation for his lifetime.” Subsequently, he took part in the expedition to North Carolina and the Long Island campaign and led landings at Manhattan and Rhode Island. Later, leveraging his Irish heritage, he formed a unit called the Irish Volunteers, recruiting deserters and North American Irish Royalists, and thus ascended to the position of North American Director of Military Affairs.”