>Ser Amantio di Nicolao at 02:00, 17 March 2021

2021-03-17T02:00:38Z

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{{EngvarB|date=August 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Francis Hastings
| image =
| order =
| office = President of Fort St George (Madras)
| term_start = 18 January 1720
| term_end = 15 October 1721
| lieutenant =
| predecessor = [[Joseph Collett]]
| successor = [[Nathaniel Elwick]]
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date = 1721
| death_place =
| party =
| spouse =
| children =
| profession =
| religion =
| signature =
}}

'''Francis Hastings''' was a British administrator and a factor of the [[British East India Company]] who functioned as the President of Madras from 18 January 1720 to 15 October 1721.

== Tenure as President of Madras ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=October 2012}}
Hastings' Presidency which lasted a year and a half.

On 19 February 1720, a Havildar had stopped a consignment of goods belonging to the [[British East India Company]] from passing through the village of [[Egmore]] and arrested the transporters. When the news reach the Directors the next morning, a dubash and later, the Company's chief peon were dispatched to negotiate with the Havildar. But when the Chief peon approached the Havildar, a struggle broke out between the peons and 50 of the Havildar's supporters in which the Chief peon shot dead the Havildar and 2 of his supporters. The chief peon was commended for his act by the President. However, these incidents and other misgivings were thoroughly investigated by Hastings' successor [[James Macrae]].

Hastings regarded the ''Chetties'' of Madras with an amount of aversion and dislike. Hence, in April 1720, when the tidings of a secret correspondence between the Portuguese at Goa and the Chetties of Madras reached the ears of the Directors, Hastings proclaimed that the Chetties of Madras intended to desert the British and migrate en masse to the Portuguese colony of St. Thome. He placed the chief of the Chetties under confinement and promised a handsome reward to anyone who would provide a testimony to the conspiracy. But no one came forward. More important, Hastings provoked the ire of Factor Elwick who was thoroughly displeased with the President's conduct.

However, despite the internal troubles, Hastings' Presidency was one of relative calm. The Company maintained a peaceful relationship with the Nawab of Carnatic as well as the Mughal Subedar of Deccan.

On 15 October 1721 Francis Hastings was replaced with Nathaniel Elwick as the President of Fort St George.

== Later life ==

Francis Hastings died on 19 December 1721 and was the first to be buried in [[St. Mary's Church Chennai|St. Mary's Church]], Madras.<ref name="genealogy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.links.org/links-cgi/readged?/home/ben/camilla-genealogy/current+c-hastings6884+2-2-0-1|title=Francis Hastings|accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref>

== References ==

{{reflist|2}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before= [[Joseph Collett]] | title= [[Madras Presidency|President]] of [[Madras]] | after=[[Nathaniel Elwick]] | years=18 January 1720 – 15 October 1721}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hastings, Francis}}
[[Category:Administrators in British India]]
[[Category:1721 deaths]]
[[Category:Presidents of Madras]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:1721 in India]]
[[Category:1720 in Asia]]

Francis Hastings of Madras - Revision history

>Ser Amantio di Nicolao at 02:00, 17 March 2021