Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Question from Orla - John, heir of Sir George Hastings

I was wondering about John, son and heir of Sir George Hastings who was the ward of Thomas Boleyn. Is there any information on him? Did he live with the Boleyns?

1 comment:

Foose said...

I did find a document on Google Books called "3 Papers Relating to Claims to the Barony of Hastings" that references John Hastings in the course of what seems to be a lengthy investigation into various descendants' efforts to assert their right to the title.

Much of it is in rather peculiar Latin (this might just be how the Google Reader has rendered it, though), with brief summaries in English appended. It appears from this source that John Hastings' father George Hastings died in "June of the Fourth [Year, presumably] of Henry the Eighth, leaving John Hastings his Son and Heir." The Latin says June 11th was his date of death.

The next section states that John Hastings "died without Issue in the Fifth [Year] of Henry the Eighth, leaving Hugh Hastings, his Brother and Heir, then Nine Years Old." The Latin specifies that John died on February 10.

Norfolk Archaeology, Volume 6, states the father died in 1512 (reckoning coronal years is not my strong point), and lists John, "then aged thirteen years" as dead in 1513. In the first source Thomas Boleyn and John Sharpp, appear to be listed as John's guardians (again, the Latin's difficult to understand). If John lived with the Boleyns, it was only for a short time. John's brother Hugo succeeded at age 9, but I could not find information that he went to the Boleyns as a ward.

The timing is somewhat interesting. Thomas Boleyn was linked to the Hastings family through his great-grandfather, Lord Hoo. That aristocratic family is connected with the Hastings earls of Huntingdon, and in 1510 the Countess of Huntingdon, Anne Stafford, was suspected of being the mistress of Henry VIII and/or William Compton, his Groom of the Stole.

Boleyn might have gotten the wardship based on his connection with the Hastings family, or by soliciting an influential figure at court like William Compton.