Henry Hastings, second son of the 5th Earl of Huntingdon was King Charles I had a dashing commander during the Great Civil War in North West Leicestershire and beyond. Nicknamed Rob Carrier for carrying out regular raids on foodstuffs and ammunition being transported by the enemy across the Midlands, he was a friend of Prince Rupert, nephew of King Charles I, and a highly regarded Royalist leader. Once the kings cause was lost, Hastings delivered his headquarters, Ashby Castle, to Parliament and went abroad. He returned at the Restoration of the monarchy, dying in 1667 in London.
Hastings may have ended up on the losing side, but he was greatly respected, and feared, by his enemies and one of the most famous of Ashbeians down the centuries.
His portrait in oil was painted in 1651 by Robert Grindall, and remained in the familys possession until the mid 20th century, when it passed into private hands until it came up for auction in March 2010. Ashby Museum purchased it, thanks to the generosity of the V & A Purchase Fund, Leicestershire Museum Service and the Friends of Ashby Museum (FOAM). It now hangs in the main gallery, looking down on a model of the castle that he so successfully defended for nearly four years.
