shadow of britain

Chapter 774 The Carter Family's Long-standing Friendship

"Which lady-in-waiting at Kensington Palace do you think you know?"

Elder did not dodge the question; instead, he replied with a grin, "Arthur, speaking of which, that lady actually has some connection with you."

"Fate?" Arthur pondered for a moment. "She's also from York? Could she be the former Duchess of York's..."

Before Arthur could finish speaking, Elder waved his hand to interrupt him, saying, "I'm not talking about fellow townsmen. If we're talking about hometown ties, that young lady and I are the ones who are from the same hometown."

"You mean, that lady is from Nottingham?"

Arthur frowned slightly, his tone hesitant.

Although he had never checked the resumes of every lady-in-waiting at Kensington Palace, he knew that those selected by the Duchess of Kent to join the ranks of ladies-in-waiting were often either noble ladies from prominent families or well-educated daughters of gentry from respectable backgrounds.

Although Nottingham is not lacking in prominent families, to be favored by the Duchess of Kent and Conroy, and to also gain the approval of William IV...

Arthur couldn't think of anything for the moment.

Seeing that Arthur couldn't guess, Elder simply gave a hint: "Who told you she's from Nottingham? I am from Nottingham, that's true, but the Carter family are genuine Irish nobles, and that young lady is also from Irish noble families."

When Elder mentioned Ireland, Arthur immediately understood.

It's not unusual to find Irish nobles in Kensington Palace.

Since John Conroy, the "head butler" of Kensington Palace, was Irish, it was only natural that he would take care of a fellow countryman.

Even so, Arthur pondered for a long time before hesitantly asking, "Elder, you...you said she and I are destined for each other?"

"uh-huh."

"You don't mean Miss Flora Hastings, do you?"

"Bingo!" Elder said with a grin, "To be honest, the reason I took a liking to you the moment we met when we were in school was because your surname is Hastings. I thought you were some distant cousin of hers. After all, Hastings isn't a very common surname. Although I've heard there are some people with the surname Hastings in southern England, you said you came from the north, so don't blame me for making that connection."

Arthur tapped his fingertips lightly on the table: "You mean, you thought I was a member of the Marquis Hastings family? A relative of Miss Flora Hastings?"

“Of course, who would have thought you were actually a pig farmer?” Elder laughed so hard his stomach hurt at the memory of his foolishness. “And I remember my first thought was, ‘My God, if this man inherits his family’s ways, he’s going to be in big trouble.’”

So what do you think now?

“Now…” Elder shrugged. “I think my idea was indeed prescient.”

Arthur scoffed and poured himself a cup of black tea. “Mr. Nine Thousand Pounds, you’re being far too impolite. It’s a shame I’ve gone to Scotland Yard’s jail cell so many times to bail you out. By the way, next time you go to the Alhambra Theatre and Nightingale’s Mansion, don’t sign the bill with ‘AH’.”

Upon hearing this, Elder immediately apologized to Arthur without hesitation: "Please, Arthur, it was just a joke. Given our relationship, why are you being so calculating? You're a big businessman."

"Then tell me, how exactly did the Carter family and the Hastings family get involved?"

Elder didn't answer immediately this time. He straightened up from his chair, his expression slightly serious, as if he was finally willing to address the topic in a slightly more serious tone: "Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll tell you something from the past. But before that, you have to promise not to tell anyone about it after you hear it."

“Me, shouting everywhere?” Arthur laughed in exasperation. “If I really wanted to shout, you’d be in the debtors’ jail on Fleet Street by now.”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Elder said. “This story begins in Ireland. Our Carter family was originally a military family in County Kildare, dating back to the time of Cromwell. One of our ancestors was a newly rich man who came to Ireland with the Parliamentarian army to quell a rebellion. Later, during the reign of George II, our family was betrothed to a family named Rodton in County Dunne. I heard that the bride and groom met at a ball in Dublin.”

Arthur lit his pipe and took a puff: "Your Carter family has always been Protestants?"

Elder's eyes widened. "Of course! Otherwise, our family line would have ended in the 18th century. Do you think Cromwell's army was a joke? That old man was quite the expert at 'shaving' heads."

Arthur chuckled, a wisp of smoke curling between his fingers. "The Carter family certainly has a glorious tradition. And that Rotton family from Dunne County you mentioned, could it be..."

“That’s right, that’s the family.” Elder interrupted, his expression revealing the pride of an “Oxford graduate”: “The Marquess of Hastings, or more accurately, the branch of the Earl of Moira. Back then, they were still surnamed Rodton, but another family that intermarried with the Rodton family at that time, you must be very familiar with, because that family is the Hastings family, and the Rodton family changed their surname because they inherited the title of Baron of Hastings from the Hastings family.”

Arthur raised an eyebrow: "Do Irish nobles have to change their surnames when they inherit a title? I don't recall there being such a rule."

Elder sipped his tea: "There's no such rule, but the fact that the Hastings title might be inherited by a nephew has greatly troubled the 10th Earl Huntington, the head of the Hastings family. In his will, he stated that if his nephew could change his surname to Hastings, he promised to pass the title to his sister, the wife of the first Earl Moira, after his death. In this way, his nephew could inherit his mother's title of Baron Hastings. Otherwise, he would rather have no heir than pass the title to an outsider. Although not many people know the inside story, the final result was that the Roton family agreed to this request and added Hastings to their eldest son's surname. From then on, the Roton family became the Hastings family."

Arthur pondered for a moment. Although the story sounded absurd, upon closer examination, the Rodton family couldn't actually be considered to have suffered a loss.

Because their original title, Earl Moira, was actually just an Irish noble title, they did not have a seat in the House of Lords in England at the time. However, after inheriting the Hastings title, they rightfully inherited the Hastings family's seat in the House of Lords and their illustrious reputation.

After all, the title of Baron Hastings dates back to the 15th century. The first Baron Hastings, William Hastings, was a favorite of Edward IV. Although he was later executed by Charles III, the Hastings family's fortunes took off from there.

In 1529, the Hastings family was granted the title of Earl of Huntington in addition to Baron Hastings.

In the centuries that followed, they successively received the baronies of Hendersonford, Demorlins, and Portrex.

However, as Elder said, the Hastings family's good fortune came to an end in 1789 during the reign of the 10th Earl of Huntington.

Ultimately, the bad luck of nobles boils down to just a few things.

In short, they couldn't have children, especially not a legal son.

Fortunately, according to the royal decree issued by the king at the time, among the Hastings family titles, only the title of Earl of Huntington strictly required that it be inherited by a male.

Therefore, after the Rodton family agreed to change their surname, the 10th Earl of Huntington, upon his death, passed on the baronies of Hastings, Hendersonford, Demorlins, and Portrex to his sister who had married and moved to Ireland. After his sister's death, his nephew continued the Hastings family line.

The title of Earl of Huntington went into dormancy after the death of the 10th Earl in 1789.

Although Reverend Theopheles Henry Hastings, a distant cousin of the Hastings family, had long claimed the right of succession, it was not until after his death in 1819 that Parliament, after two years of deliberation, formally recognized his claim as legitimate and posthumously recognized Theopheles Henry Hastings as the 11th Earl of Huntington, while his nephew, Hans Francis Hastings, succeeded him as the 12th Earl of Huntington.

While the main branch of the Hastings family was embroiled in a power struggle over the succession, the Rodton-Hastings family, leveraging the Hastings name, successfully entered the core circle of the British aristocracy, rising to the ranks of the top British nobility.

Arthur recounted everything he knew about the Hastings family from his time studying history, but Elder, being an insider, clearly knew more than he did.

"Actually, to say that the Rodton-Hastington family rose to the upper echelons of British society through nepotism would be to underestimate them. This branch did not merely rely on surnames, titles, and genealogies; they actually accomplished several significant feats. Let's start with the first generation, Francis Rodton-Hastington, the first Marquess of Hastings."

Elder raised his fingers, listing off his achievements as if they were precious treasures: "He wasn't the kind of person who relied on gardening and raising dogs to get by in aristocratic circles; he earned his reputation through real battles. When he was young, he participated in the North American counterinsurgency wars, when he was just an obscure grenadier lieutenant in the 5th Infantry Regiment. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, our troops were besieged in Boston by the North American bumpkins. To break out successfully, we had to capture Charleston Heights, and to capture Charleston Heights, we had to capture Bunker Hill first."

The first Marquess of Hastings, as a grenadier, participated in the second assault on Bunker Hill. His superior, Captain Harris, was wounded beside him, so the then 21-year-old Marquess took over command of the grenadiers in the third and final assault on the fort. At that time, he noticed that the morale of our soldiers was beginning to waver due to heavy casualties, so he resolutely stood atop the fort's highest point, waving the 5th Regiment's flag, remaining steadfast despite his injuries. The soldiers were greatly encouraged by this, and ultimately, they captured Bunker Hill in one fell swoop, subsequently seizing Charleston Heights and relieving the siege of Boston.

Afterwards, General John Burgoyne, the battlefield commander, personally commended him in the battle report, promoting him to captain and praising him, saying, "Roton's performance today has already established his reputation for life." Later, he participated in the expedition to North Carolina and the Long Island campaign, and commanded the landings at Manhattan and Rhode Island. Later still, leveraging his Irish identity, he formed a unit called the Irish Volunteer Army, specifically recruiting deserters and Irish-American royalists in North America, eventually rising to the position of Inspector General of North American Military Affairs.

"The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill," painted by American artist John Trumbull in 1775, is now in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Note: The man waving the British military flag in the painting is Francis Rodton-Hastings, the first Marquess of Hastings.
Arthur leaned back in his chair for a moment, muttering to himself, "To be honest, Elder, if you hadn't told me, I would have only ever thought that the first Marquis of Hastings was a renowned Governor-General of India. But I always felt that he only became Governor-General of India and was made the first Marquis of Hastings because of his close relationship with George IV, which allowed him to be placed in various positions to enhance his prestige. Now it seems that, given his experience fighting in North America when he was young, he certainly deserved to be appreciated by Regent George IV."

At this point, Arthur paused, as if recalling something, his brow furrowing slightly and his tone lowering: "No wonder... no wonder Miss Flora Hastings said something strange to me at the ball at Kensington Palace once."

Elder raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Oh? What did she say?"

Arthur picked up his teacup, watching the ripples in the black tea, and felt something was off: "She said, 'Every time I see what you've been through, it reminds me of my father.'"

At this point, he couldn't help but chuckle and said, "At the time, I thought it was just her usual aristocratic flattery. After all, she knew I had done some dangerous jobs at the Tower of London and in the Caucasus, so she must have just said it casually. But now, after hearing what you've said, I understand that what she said wasn't just a casual remark."

To everyone's surprise, Elder seemed unconcerned: "Come on, Flora would say something like that? I don't believe it. When she was born, the eldest daughter of the Hastings family, her father was already fifty-two years old. If it weren't for my love of these heroic tales and the fact that there wasn't much to do when visiting their estate, I wouldn't have bothered rummaging through her father's medals and war souvenirs, dragging her around to ask the adults about the origins of these treasures."

Arthur looked at Elder with interest upon hearing this: "So you've changed your ways now. When you were a kid, you were more eager to see someone's medals than their daughters. How come you think girls are more precious than medals now?"

Upon hearing this, Elder immediately raised his hands in a gesture of respect, just as Arthur had taught him years ago: "Thank goodness, Sir! You still remember that I'm interested in young women? In that case, according to your suggestion, could we ditch Alexander and Charles tonight and replace them with two young and pretty girls to go to the theater?"

“Let me think about it. You continue.” Arthur narrowed his eyes and said, “When exactly did your Carter family and the Marquis of Hastings family begin their intermarriage?”

Elder felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing this: "From which generation specifically? It was probably my grandfather's generation. His sister, my great-aunt, whose name was Mary Carter, I think, was betrothed to Charles Rodton. Charles was the brother of the first Marquess of Hastings, the fifth son in the family. He didn't own any property or have a title. But he had considerable influence within the family and was a key assistant to the first Marquess when he was recruiting soldiers in Ireland."

Arthur nodded thoughtfully. "So your great-aunt married into a branch of the Rodton-Hastington family?"

“Yes.” Elder nodded. “Nobody took that marriage seriously back then. Looking at it today, it seems like our Carter family is marrying above our station. But back then, before the Rodton family was called the Rodton-Hastington family, our Carter family was much more powerful in Ireland than theirs. And my great-aunt Mary was a really capable woman.”

Arthur became interested: "Oh? How so?"

Elder said with no small amount of pride, “I heard that after she married into the family, she turned what was a chaotic little estate into a perfectly organized place. She even went to India with her husband, back when the first Marquis of Hastings was appointed Governor-General of Bengal. They lived in Calcutta for three years, and Mary helped organize several local social balls. Can you imagine? She actually got British merchants and Indian nobles dancing together. And when word got back to England, it became quite a topic of conversation in high society. Go to a used bookstore and look around; if you can find any old newspapers published by the East India Company, you might even find her name.”

(End of this chapter)