Christopher Hatton, c. 1575

Hatton in old age by Nicholas Hilliard, 1588-1591

Sir Christopher Hatton (1540 – November 20, 1591) was an English politician, the lord chancellor of England and, according to speculation, the lover of Queen Elizabeth I. Image File history File links Christopherhatton_after_ketel_detail. ... Image File history File links Christopherhatton_after_ketel_detail. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x1318, 113 KB) Description: Title: de: Porträt des Sir Christopher Hatton, Oval Technique: de: Wasserfarbe auf Pergament auf Pappe Dimensions: de: 5,7 × 4,5 cm Country of origin: de: Großbritanien Current location (city): de: London Current location (gallery... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x1318, 113 KB) Description: Title: de: Porträt des Sir Christopher Hatton, Oval Technique: de: Wasserfarbe auf Pergament auf Pappe Dimensions: de: 5,7 × 4,5 cm Country of origin: de: Großbritanien Current location (city): de: London Current location (gallery... Self-portrait, 1577. ... Year 1540 was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1591 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about Elizabeth I of England. ...

His father was William Hatton (d. 1546) of Holdenby, Northamptonshire and his mother was Alice Saunders. He was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford. Known as a handsome and accomplished man, especially distinguished for his elegant dancing, he soon attracted the notice of Queen Elizabeth and became one of her gentlemen pensioners in 1564, and the captain of her bodyguard in 1572. He received valuable estates and offices from the Queen, and this prompted rumours that he was her lover, a charge which was definitely made by Mary, Queen of Scots in 1584. Hatton had been made vice-chamberlain of the royal household and a member of the Privy Council in 1578, and had been a member of parliament since 1571, first representing the borough of Higham Ferrers and afterwards the county of Northamptonshire. In 1578 he was knighted, and became the Queen's spokesman in the House of Commons. He was an active agent in the prosecutions of John Stubbs and William Parry, disputing John Jovey's suggestion to execute the "seditious pair." He was also one of those appointed to arrange a marriage between Elizabeth and Francois, Duke of Alençon, in 1581. Holdenby Palace before its demolition in the 17th century Holdenby House is a historic country house in Northamptonshire, completed 1583 by the Elizabethan Lord chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... St Mary Hall was a college of the University of Oxford from 1326 until 1902 when it merged with Oriel College. ... Mary I (popularly known as Mary, Queen of Scots: French: ); (December 8, 1542 – February 8, 1587) was Queen of Scots (the monarch of the Kingdom of Scotland) from December 14, 1542, to July 24, 1567. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Higham Ferrers is a market town in east Northamptonshire, adjacent to (and forming a single urban area with) Rushden to the south. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups... Stubbs seditious pamphlet John Stubbs (or Stubbe) (c. ... William Parry or Parrie (d. ... Hercule François, Duke of Anjou and Alençon, (March 18, 1555 – June 19, 1584) was the youngest son of Henry II of France and Catherine de Medici. ...

As a lawyer, he was a member of the court which tried Anthony Babington in 1586; and was one of the commissioners who found Mary, Queen of Scots guilty of treason. He urged Elizabeth not to marry the French prince; but, according to one account, repeatedly assured Mary that he would fetch her to London if the English queen died. Whether true or not, Hatton's loyalty was unquestioned; and he brought about a memorable incident seen in the House of Commons in December 1584, when four hundred kneeling members repeated after him a prayer for Elizabeth's safety. Anthony Babingtons coat of arms Anthony Babington (October 24, 1561 – September 20, 1586) was convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary I of Scotland. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Type Lower House Speaker of the House of Commons Leader of the House of Commons Michael Martin, (Non-affiliated) since October 23, 2000 Harriet Harman, QC, (Labour) since June 28, 2007 Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May, PC, (Conservative) since December 6, 2005 Members 646 Political groups...

Having been the constant recipient of substantial marks of the queen's favour, he vigorously denounced Mary Stuart in parliament, and advised William Davison to forward the warrant for her execution to Fotheringhay. In the same year (1587) Hatton was made Lord Chancellor; he was the last MP to hold this position (barring the strange case of Charles Yorke) until Jack Straw, some four hundred and twenty years later. Although he had no great knowledge of the law, he appears to have acted with sound sense and good judgment in his new position. He is said to have been a Roman Catholic in all but name, yet he treated religious questions in a moderate and tolerant way. He died in London, and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral. William Davison (c. ... Fotheringhay is a village in Northamptonshire, England. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Charles Yorke (30 December 1722_20 January 1770) was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain. ... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... This article is about the cathedral church of the diocese of London. ...

Although mention has been made of a secret marriage, Hatton appears to have remained single, and his large and valuable estates descended to his nephew, Sir William Newport, who took the name of Hatton. Sir Christopher was a Knight of the Garter and chancellor of the University of Oxford. Elizabeth frequently gave her friend generous gifts. She called him her "mouton", and forced the bishop of Ely to give him the freehold of Ely Place, Holborn, which became his residence, his name being perpetuated in the neighbouring Hatton Garden. Hatton is reported to have been a very mean man, but he patronized men of letters, and among his friends was Edmund Spenser. He wrote the fourth act of a tragedy, Tancred and Gismund, and his death occasioned several panegyrics in both prose and verse. A garter is one of the Orders most recognisable insignia. ... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ... Statistics Population: 15,102 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: TL535799 Administration District: East Cambridgeshire Shire county: Cambridgeshire Region: East of England Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Cambridgeshire Historic county: Cambridgeshire Services Police force: Ambulance service: East of England Post office and telephone Post town: ELY... Holborn (pronounced ho-bun or ho-burn) is a place in London, named after a tributary to the river Fleet that flowed through the area, the Hole-bourne (the stream in the hollow). ... A scene in Hatton Garden A ring shop in Hatton Garden Hatton Garden is a street and area near Holborn in London. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A Panegyric is a formal public speech delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally high studied and undiscriminating eulogy. ...

When Hatton's nephew, Sir William Hatton, died without sons in 1597, his estates passed to a kinsman, another Sir Christopher Hatton (d. 1619), whose son and successor, Christopher, was created Baron Hatton of Kirby. Christopher Hatton (c. ...

Wealth

Hatton became very wealthy as a result of his progressing career and the Queen's fondness of him. So much so that in 1583, Hatton, deciding to further his social status, embarked on the construction of a magnificent house. The house was called Holdenby House, in Holdenby, Northamptonshire. It was, at the time, the largest privately owned Elizebethan house in England. It contained 123 huge glass windows, in the days when glass was very expensive (indeed, a good show of wealth was how many windows you could afford in your house). It had 2 great courts and was as large as the palace of Hampton Court. It was 3 storeys high and had 2 large state rooms (one for himself and another for the queen should she ever come and stay) - she never did!. William Cecil, one of Elizabeth's chief ministers visited the house in his old age and commented that he was immensely impressed with the grand staircase leading from the hall to the staterooms and proclaimed the house was so faultless that he forgot the 'infirmity of his legs' whilst he walked around. No expense was spared and Hatton even paid to move an entire small village because it spoiled his view from one of the windows. The cost of the house drained his purse to such an extent that Hatton was permanently short of money for the rest of his life. To maintain his dwindling wealth, Hatton began investing in some of the voyages of Francis Drake. He helped fund Drakes circumnavigation of the globe and when Drake reached the straits of Magellan he renamed his ship 'The Golden Hind' in Honour of Hatton's coat of Arms - which contained a golden hind. Hatton made a profit of £2300 from this particular expedition, but despite his successes, he died penniless and childless (only a few years after his house was finally completed). All that remains of his magnificent house of Holdenby are old drawing and plans, one room which was later incorporated into a new restoration in the 1870's, part of the pillared doorway and 2 arches with the date 1583 inscribed upon them, which now stand alone in the gardens. [[1]] Holdenby Palace before its demolition in the 17th century Holdenby House is a historic country house in Northamptonshire, completed 1583 by the Elizabethan Lord chancellor, Sir Christopher Hatton. ... The clock tower straddles the entrance between the inner and outer courts Hampton Court Palace is a former royal place on the north bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames about 12 miles (19 km) southwest and upstream of Central London, nowadays open to... William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 1521–4 August 1598), was an English politician, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign. ... Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral, (c. ... The Strait of Magellan, near Punta Arenas The Strait of Magellan is a navigable route immediately south of mainland South America. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ...

Further reading

• Sir NH Nicolas, Life and Times of Sir Christopher Hatton (London, 1847)
• Correspondence of the Family of Hatton, being chiefly Letters addressed to Christopher, first Viscount Hutton, 1601-1704, edited with introduction by EM Thompson (London, 1878).

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition article "Sir Christopher Hatton", a publication now in the public domain.