Henry Hastings had three great passions in his life - food, hunting and seducing other men’s wives. Born it is reckoned in 1561, he was the Squire of Woodlands in North Dorset.
With the exception of oysters, which he consumed twice daily, he ate little he had not hunted and caught himself. He used the pulpit of a nearby disused chapel as his larder. ‘It was never wanting of a cold chine of beef, venison pie, gammon of bacon or great apple pie with thick crust.’ Bizarrely, this eccentric red-headed countryman, normally clothed in green, loved to dine sitting in a tree.
When not ‘borrowing’ the daughters and wives of his neighbours, he spent his time fishing, hawking and hunting. Hastings was not the most house proud of individuals and the windows of his large parlour were strewn about with bows, arrows and other equipment. Many dogs could be found in the parlour where the chairs were occupied by litters of cats. He kept a little white stick to discourage the cats from trying to eat his meat.
The lecherous seducer had a particular liking for women under the age of 40 years from the ‘lower classes’. No such women were safe from his advances and he would invite husbands and fathers into his house and ply them with ‘beef, pudding and small beer in great plenty.’ With their lowly position in society at the time, it would have been difficult for them to challenge Hastings’ behaviour.
Despite his wayward lifestyle, Henry Hastings lived to a ripe old age. He died in 1650.
Comments
Post a Comment