Person:William De Hastings (17)

Note about confusions. There were several Hastings families in this period, and several had people named William. A striking modern confusion is even found in Katherine Keats-Rohan's Domesday Descendants, who splits William into two people and mixes both of them with another William. This is discussed on the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy's "Domesday Corrections" webpages, in a note by Rosie Bevan.^[1] That note was partly developed with the webpage specifically about this confusion by Andrew Lancaster.^[2]

Parents. There is a record showing that William was heir to an uncle named Ralph de Hastings. The only clear source for his actual parents appears to be Dugdale, who claimed in his Baronage to have seen primary documents in the collection of the herald Robert Glover.

For the uncle, see Bury Charter number 89 (Douglas), which is Henry II's grant to his steward (dispensator) William de Hastings of the dapifership of Bury St Edmunds, which came with five knight's fees, a position that had been held by his paternal uncle Ralf de Hastings.

Henricus rex Anglorum et dux Normannorum et Aquietanorum et comes Andegauorum archiepiscopis. episcopis. comitibus. baronibus. iustic'. uicecomitibus. et ministris et omnibus hominibus suis francis et anglis salutem. Sciatis me concessisse et carta mea confirmasse Willelmo de Hastyngs dispensatori meo dapiferatum sancti Edmundi. Quare uolo quod idem Willelmus et heredes eius habeant et teneant dapiferatum illum bene et integre et in pace cum omnibus pertinenciis eius in liberacionibus et feodis et innominatim cum Legata et Bluneham et aliis locis et rebus eidem dapiferatui pertinentibus sicut Radulfus patruus eius eum melius habuit et tenuit uel Mauricius auunculus suus eiusdem Radulfi. Testibus. Willelmo Malet dapifero. lose [sic] de Baillol. Alano de Nouilla. Willelmo de Lanuolei. Hugone de Loncamp'. Hugone de Gondeuilla. Hugone de Piris. Waltero de Donstanuilla. Roberto filio Bernardi. Per manum Stephani capellani et cantoris mei. Apud Porcestram.

For the parents, Dugdale writes:

The first of this Family of whom I find mention, is William de Hastings, Steward to King Henry the First. Which Office he held by Serjeantie, in respect of his Tenure of the Mannor of Ashele, in Com. Norff. viz. by the Service of taking charge of the Naperie (id est, the Table-clothes and Linen) at the Solemn Coronations of the Kings of this Realm.

To whom succeeded Hugh his Son and Heir. Which Hugh obtain'd, by the Gift of that King, all the Lands of Robert de Flamenvill, with Erneburgh Daughter of Hugh Flamenvill, Niece to the same Robert.

This Hugh had Issue William his Son and Heir, Steward also to King Henry the Second; from whom he obtain'd a Confirmation of all the Lands which William de Hastings his Grandfather (Steward to King Henry the First) and Hugh his Father had enjoy'd in the time of that King. As also of all the Lands which Robert de Limesi Bishop of Coventre, by the Consent of the Chapter, and Approbation of King Henry the First, gave to the before-specified Robert de Flamenvill; viz. Burbache, Barewell, and Birdingburie, with their Appurtenances, viz. Scetescleve (now Sketchley) and Eston (now Aston-Flamvill) and Sta∣pelton. Likewise his Houses in Coventre, with one Burgess there, and one Croft in Wilie, to hold by the Service of two Knights Fees, as freely as King Henry the First gave them to Hugh de Hastings, his Father, with Erneburgh Daughter of the said Hugh de Flamenvill.

Marriage. The wife of William was given by Eyton in his History of Shrophire as Maud (or Mathilde) de Banastre, daughter of Thurstan, and this is now generally accepted. The Fine Rolls of Henry III also show how her heir was William de Hastings, and how her possessions went a few years later to William's son Henry de Hastings.^[3]

Marriage note. There is some confusion between Hastings families in online genealogies, and some old 19th century genealogies. But this Hastings family had no known connection to the place in Sussex named Hastings and also not to the families associated with that placename such as the "de Eu".

Children notes.

• Thomas de Hastings, sometimes named as a son, can not be a son. One of the only reports of such a Thomas was by Jocelin of Brakelond in his chronicle of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds, but he calls Thomas an uncle to Henry de Hastings, generally accepted as William's son and heir. Therefore he can be assumed to be William's brother.
• Henry de Hastings is named by Jocelin as the son and heir of the previous dapifer of Bury.
• William de Hastings was heir to his brother Henry in 1194.

Death. William stops appearing in royal records around 1168, which is significant because before then he appeared frequently as a royal steward.^[4] After 1168, two new Hastings names partly seem to replace William, possibly brothers, Thomas and Phillip. Another possible brother is Gilbert de Hastings who was assigned to work as the stand-in steward for the Abbot of Bury while the heir Henry was too young.

1. ↑ http://fmg.ac/projects/domesday-corrections/descendants-301-600#De%20Hastings%20entries%20pp.%20505-507
2. ↑ http://users.skynet.be/lancaster/Hastings%2520Part%202.html
3. ↑ Eyton, R. W. (1857), Antiquities of Shropshire, Vol. 5. google books link
4. ↑ See Pipe Rolls and also Eyton's (1878), Court, household and itinerary of King Henry II. archive.org link