Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'' (1778–99).

Life

Hasted was born in Lombard Street, London, the son of Edward Hasted (1702–1740) of Sutton-at-Hone, near Dartford,

by his wife, Ann Tyler. His grandfather, Joseph Hasted (1662–1732), had been employed as chief painter at the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

Chatham dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century ...

, but he was also a skilled financier, and amassed a considerable private estate and income. Hasted's father, Edward, became a wealthy barrister, and the young Edward Hasted was educated at Darent (1737–40), The King's School,

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

(1740–44). From there, he went to

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...

(1744–48), and a school in

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...

(1748–50). After completing his education, he was a student for a short time at Lincolns Inn, although he was not called to the bar. Hasted returned to his parents' home in Sutton-at-Hone, and, in July 1755, married Anne, Dorman, the daughter of a neighbour. In May 1766, he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

. Hasted acquired The Knights Hospitaller's manor house of St. John's Jerusalem; and it was here that he wrote his ''magnum opus''. He attended the local church regularly, and also sat on the West Kent

Quarter Sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388 (extending also to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535). They were also established in ...

bench at

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

. The couple had two daughters and five sons, one of whom was also named Edward. In 1770, they moved to

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, where they lived until 1789, by which time his finances were in total confusion. Although he sold off some of his estates, he sank deeper into debt. In 1790, he left his wife Anne, and fled to France with another woman. There he remained until the war with Napoleon drove him back home and into

debtors' prison A debtors' prison is a prison for people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe.Cory, Lucinda"A Histori ...

for almost seven years. Released in 1802, Hasted lived in poverty for five years until he was given the Mastership of Lady Hungerford's Almshouse in

Corsham Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest of ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, by his friend

William Bouverie, 1st Earl of Radnor William Bouverie, 1st Earl of Radnor FRS (26 February 1725 – 28 January 1776) was a British peer, styled Hon. William Bouverie from 1747 until 1761. He was the eldest son of Jacob Bouverie, 1st Viscount Folkestone and Mary Clarke, and was edu ...

. Hasted remained Master of the Almshouse from 1807 until his death in 1812, aged 79.

Works

''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'' was first published in four folio volumes between 1778 and 1799. A second edition appeared in 12

octavo Octavo, a Latin word meaning "in eighth" or "for the eighth time", (abbreviated 8vo, 8º, or In-8) is a technical term describing the format of a book, which refers to the size of leaves produced from folding a full sheet of paper on which multip ...

volumes between 1797 and 1801. It incorporated much new material, but also omitted many details from the first edition: it had been greatly revised by either one or two unidentified editors, and the extent to which it drew on materials collected by Hasted, or to which he was able to influence the work, remains unclear. A modern reprint of the second edition was published in 1972. Hasted also published a separate ''History of the Antient and Metropolitical City of

Civil and Ecclesiastical'' (1799).

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

Hasted's ''History of Kent''
a full-text edition of the second edition, as part of British History Online. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hasted, Edward Hasted Hasted People educated at Eton College People educated at King's School, Rochester Hasted Hasted English antiquarians 18th-century antiquarians Hasted Fellows of the Royal Society