Huntingdon, Henry Hastings, 3rd earl of (1536-95). Huntingdon was of royal blood and briefly within reach of the throne. His great-grandmother was a daughter of the duke of Clarence and a niece of Edward IV. Huntingdon was summoned to Parliament in 1559 in his father's barony and succeeded him in 1560. Two years later, when the queen was believed to be dying of smallpox, Huntingdon, as a protestant, was discussed as a monarch to keep out Mary, queen of Scots. Elizabeth recovered and Huntingdon became a trusted servant.

earl of, 1535–95, English nobleman. Through his mother, Catherine Pole, a great granddaughter of the duke of Clarence (brother of Edward IV and Richard III), Hastings claimed the right to succeed Elizabeth I to the English throne. He received some support from the Protestant party. Hastings was custodian of the rival claimant, Mary Queen of Scots, for a brief period in 1569. In 1572 he was president of the council of the north.

Bibliography

See biography by C. Cross (1966).