William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon

Hastings family patrilineal arms

William Edward Robin Hood Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon, LVO (born 30 January 1948), is an English hereditary peer, and former racehorse trainer to Queen Elizabeth II.

Hastings-Bass (now styled Lord Huntingdon) is from an equestrian family: his father (Peter Hastings-Bass) and grandfather (Aubrey Hastings) were horse trainers; Hastings-Bass's mother, Priscilla Hastings, was also a racehorse owner and among the first women admitted as members of the Jockey Club.

In August 1990, the 16th Earl of Huntingdon died without male issue, thus Hastings-Bass, the great-grandson of the 14th Earl, inherited the title. He was married to Susan Warner from 1989 to 2001, and is the maternal uncle of Clare Balding.^[1]

Career

Hastings-Bass was educated at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He started in horse training as assistant to Noel Murless and in Australia with Bart Cummings and Colin Hayes. He gained his trainer’s licence in 1976.

From 1988 to 1998, he ran his yard at West Ilsley, Berkshire, having taken over from Dick Hern. Horses he trained include Ascot Gold Cup winners Indian Queen and Drum Taps. He retired from horse training in 1998, citing financial problems.^[2]

After retiring as the Queen’s racehorse trainer, he was appointed a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (L.V.O.) and has taken part in charity work, driving a lorryload of supplies to Bosnia and taking part in bike ride across Borneo and a safari in the Australian outback.^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon

16. Francis Hastings, 13th Earl of Huntingdon               8. Francis Hastings, 14th Earl of Huntingdon                       17. Elizabeth Power               4. Hon. Aubrey Hastings                             18. Hon. John Westenra               9. Mary Westenra                       19. Anne Daubuz               2. Peter Hastings-Bass                                   ?               10. Thomas Forsyth-Forest                       ?               5. Winifred Forsyth-Forest                             ?               ?                       ?               1. William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon                                         ?               ?                       ?               6. Sir Malcolm Bullock, 1st Baronet                             ?               ?                       ?               3. Priscilla Bullock                                   28. Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby               14. Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby                       29. Lady Constance Villiers               7. Lady Victoria Stanley                             30. William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester               15. Lady Alice Montagu                       31. Countess Louise von Alten

References

1. www.burkespeerage.com
2. Independent, 6 Oct 1998: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/losses-force-queens-trainer-to-quit-1176407.html
3. Scottish Daily Record 2003 http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Racing%3A+Where+are+they+now+-+LORD+HUNTINGDON.-a0109925587

External links

• William Hastings-Bass, 17th Earl of Huntingdon