Hatton Compton (died Wright 1963 p. 3) was an English army officer who served as

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like t ...

from 1713 to 1741Williamson and Fox 191
p. 21
/ref> and

Lord Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

from 1715 to 1717.

Family and personal life

Hatton Compton was one of three sons and two daughters of Sir Charles Compton, of Grendon and

Sywell Sywell is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 792. The name Sywell is thought to mean "seven wells". Facilities The facilities found i ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

, and his first wife, Mary, sister of Sir William Fermor, 1st Baronet of

Easton Neston Easton Neston is situated in south Northamptonshire, England. Though the village of Easton Neston which was inhabited until around 1500 is now gone, the parish retains the name. At the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish remained le ...

, also in Northamptonshire. Sources differ on Hatton's date of birth: Dalton says 1661,Dalton 191
p.97 note 2
/ref> Edwards that he was the eldest son of a father who died in 1661; Adam Williamson that he was "in his ninetieth year" in 1741, giving a birth year of 1651–2; Arthur Collins that he died "aged upwards of 80"; an 1887

marriage licence A marriage license (or marriage licence in Commonwealth spelling) is a document issued, either by a religious organization or state authority, authorizing a couple to marry. The procedure for obtaining a license varies between jurisdictions ...

index gives his age as 35 on 17 May 1698. Sir Charles Compton was the younger brother of the 3rd Earl of Northampton. Hatton Compton inherited Grendon Hall from his father and substantially extended it. In honour of his late father's loyalty to Charles II during the Interregnum, Hatton Compton was recommended as Knight of the Royal Oak. On 18 January 1686 Compton and William Seymour were injured fighting a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

arranged after Seymour's great-uncle

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

had rejected a challenge from Compton's cousin the 4th Earl of Northampton, triggered by Henry's foiling of Northampton's wooing of his stepdaughter, the dowager Countess of Conway. In 1698 Compton married his cousin Penelope Nicholas, daughter of MP Sir John Nicholas. At this time he

settled A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

the manor of

Lavendon Lavendon is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the northernmost village in the Milton Keynes UA and South East England, near Olney, about WNW of Bedford and N ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, after the death of

Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough (15 November 1621 – 19 June 1697) was an English soldier, peer and courtier. Early life Styled Lord Mordaunt from 1628, he was the eldest son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough. He was educ ...

, who had mortgaged the manor to Sir Charles Compton in 1653. Penelope and Hatton had three sons and a daughter: * Charles (died 21 November 1761) a fellow of

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

and treasurer of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

from 1742. Adam Williamson said he shared his father's "miserable disposition",Williamson and Fox 191
p. 104
/ref> * Edward (died 4 October 1769), cashier of the

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

officers and later Deputy Paymaster of the Forces Abroad in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

; his son William (1733–1824) was

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

Diocese of Ely The Diocese of Ely is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury. It is headed by the Bishop of Ely, who sits at Ely Cathedral in Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely. There is one suffragan bishop, suffragan (subordinate) bishop, the Bisho ...

* James, married Frances Riggs of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1736; their daughter Penelope in 1778 married

John Pennington, 1st Baron Muncaster John Pennington, 1st Baron Muncaster (c. 1740 – 8 October 1813), known as John Pennington until 1783, was a British peer and Tory (political faction), Tory politician. Background Muncaster was the eldest son of Sir Joseph Pennington, 4th B ...

* Mary (born c. 1708), third wife (17 February 1748) of

Thomas Gooch Sir Thomas Gooch, 2nd Baronet (1674–1754) was an English bishop. Life Gooch was born to Thomas Gooch of Great Yarmouth, Yarmouth, and educated at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, which he entered in 1691. He graduated Bachelor of Arts ...

, bishop and Master of Gonville and Caius College As

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

of the

will and testament A will and testament is a legal document that expresses a person's (testator) wishes as to how their property (estate (law), estate) is to be distributed after their death and as to which person (executor) is to manage the property until its fi ...

of his uncle, bishop

Henry Compton Henry Compton may refer to: * Henry Compton (bishop) (1632–1713), English bishop and nobleman * Henry Compton, 1st Baron Compton (1544–1589), English peer, MP for Old Sarum * Henry Combe Compton (1789–1866), British Conservative Party polit ...

(died 1713), Hatton Compton consigned the Benedictional of St. Æthelwold to

William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire (1672 – 4 June 1729) was a British nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire and Lady Mary Butler. A prominent Whig, he was sworn of the Privy Cou ...

; of Henry's five

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

s in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...

, Hatton gave three to

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

, of which the bishop had been

visitor A visitor, in English and Welsh law and history, is an overseer of an autonomous ecclesiastical or eleemosynary institution, often a charitable institution set up for the perpetual distribution of the founder's alms and bounty, who can interve ...

, and sold two to his successor John Robinson. Compton lived in

Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Since the 1970s, the neighborhood has been the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, art installations such as The Wall ...

; in

Dean Street Dean Street is a street in Soho, central London, running from Oxford Street south to Shaftesbury Avenue. It crosses Old Compton Street and is linked to Frith Street by Bateman Street. Culture The Soho Theatre presents new plays and stand-u ...

from 1713 until 1728, when he moved to a house in

Great Marlborough Street Great Marlborough Street is a thoroughfare in Soho, Central London. It runs east of Regent Street past Carnaby Street towards Noel Street. Originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street), the street was named ...

given by Mary Dutton, widow of George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland. Adam Williamson, Compton's subordinate at the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

from 1722, wrote after his death that "He had lived the last two years in a sort of Stupidity, and allwais in a Most close and avaritious Manner".

Army service

Compton was a

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

in the

Royal Horse Guards The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, also known as the Blues, or abbreviated as RHG, was one of the cavalry regiments of the British Army and part of the Household Cavalry. In 1969, it was amalgamated with the 1st The Royal Dragoons to form the ...

on 1 July 1685 in the troop of his uncle, Sir Francis Compton. During the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, the cornet was an early supporter of the future king William III; about 7 November 1688, conspirators who met at his lodgings in St. Alban's Street,

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

, included generals

Percy Kirke Lieutenant-General Percy Kirke ( – 31 October 1691) was an English Army officer who was the son of George Kirke, a court official to Charles I and Charles II. Career In 1666 Kirke obtained his first Army commission in Lord Admiral's reg ...

, John Churchill and William Stewart, and bishops Henry Compton and William Sheridan. On 20 November Compton with some of his men (variously numbered as 14, "between 30 and 50", or "about 200") en route to Salisbury deserted James II for William at

Honiton Honiton () is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, Devon, River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 12,154 (based on 2021 census). History The ...

, even as his uncle and commander Sir Francis vacillated; his actions are mentioned in

Francis Gwyn Francis Gwyn Privy Council of Ireland, PC (1648 – 14 June 1734), of Llansannor Court, was a Welsh Tory politician who sat in the English House of Commons, English and British House of Commons, British Houses of Commons at various times between ...

's diary. For this he was cursed in the Jacobite ballad "The Belgick Boar", but made a

Groom of the Bedchamber Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Royal Household, Household of the monarch in early modern Kingdom of England, England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In King ...

by William from 6 July 1689 until the king's death in 1702. Compton was made guidon and

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the 3rd Troop of Horse Guards in 1691 and promoted to lieutenant-colonel in 1692. In retreat after the 1693

Battle of Landen The Battle of Landen, also known as Battle of Neerwinden took place on 29 July 1693, during the Nine Years' War near Landen, then in the Spanish Netherlands, now part of Belgium. A Kingdom of France, French army under François-Henri de Montmor ...

, Compton prevented the capture of king William, and he was breveted as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

on 16 February 1694. He was promoted to

brigadier Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...

on 7 March 1702, major general on 1 January 1704, and

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

on 1 January 1707. He retired from the Guards in 1718.

Tower service

In 1712 Compton's cousin, the 4th Earl of Northampton, was appointed as

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

, the ceremonial governor of the Tower of London. That December, Northampton dismissed William Cadogan as

, the deputy office to the Constable. Within a month he appointed his cousin Hatton Compton as Cadogan's replacement.Williamson and Fox 191
p. 185
/ref> Northampton was

Lord-Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility o ...

of the

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and includes much of ...

, an office usually conferred on the Constable, but in August 1713, Compton disputed Northampton's authority to appoint William Nicholas as his agent for the muster of the Tower Hamlets

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

to celebrate the

Treaty of Portsmouth The Treaty of Portsmouth is a treaty that formally ended the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War. It was signed on September 5, 1905, after negotiations from August 6 to 30, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, United States. U.S. P ...

. In 1715 Northampton stood down as Constable and Lord-Lieutenant. On 29 July 1715, Hatton Compton was appointed Lord-Lieutenant but not Constable.Dalton 191
p.231
/ref> On 16 October 1715

Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle, PC (c. 1669 – 1 May 1738) was a British nobleman, peer, and statesman. Charles Howard was the eldest son of Edward Howard, 2nd Earl of Carlisle, and inherited his title on the death of his father in 169 ...

, recently resigned as

First Lord of the Treasury The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom. Traditional convention holds that the office of First Lord is held by the Prime Mi ...

, was appointed Constable, but Compton remained as Lord Lieutenant to continue supervising the militia in the heightened security situation around

the Jacobite rising ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

. On 21 September 1715 Compton wrote to the Privy Council that "there is no Horse belonging to the Tower Hamlets, but two very strong Regiments of Foot; and heyare ready to march when his Majesty pleases" and that he had ordered "the searching for, and seizing of

Papists The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...

, Jacobites, and Non-Jurors".Dalton 191
p.244 note 14
/ref> On 26 October he launched a loyalist defence association in the Tower Hamlets, which by November claimed over 3000 members. Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford was imprisoned by Compton, after his 1715 impeachment, in a part of the Tower occupied by the

Royal Mint The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's official maker of British coins. It is currently located in Llantrisant, Wales, where it moved in 1968. Operating under the legal name The Royal Mint Limited, it is a limited company that is wholly ow ...

, causing

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton () was an English polymath active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author. Newton was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment that followed ...

, then

Master of the Mint Master of the Mint is a title within the Royal Mint given to the most senior person responsible for its operation. It was an office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, between the 16th ...

, to complain at the encroachment. Edward Harley, the

auditor of the imprests Auditor of the Imprests was a profitable office of the Exchequer, responsible for auditing the accounts of officers of the English crown to whom money was issued for government expenditure, from 1559 to 1785. Foundation Prior to 1559 this duty wa ...

and brother of the earl, said of Compton "the Character of this man is so very mean that the best that can be said of him is, he is very fully qualified for a jailer".Wright 1963 p. 5 note 3 The

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

' command to deliver Jacobite lords

Derwentwater Derwentwater, or Derwent Water, is a lake in the Lake District in North West England, immediately south of Keswick, Cumbria, Keswick. It is in the unitary authority of Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland within the ceremonial county of ...

and Kenmure to

Westminster Hall Westminster Hall is a medieval great hall which is part of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. It was erected in 1097 for William II (William Rufus), at which point it was the largest hall in Europe. The building has had various functio ...

for

impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...

was addressed to Compton as "Lieutenant of the Tower" but it was his subordinate, Col. Robert d'Oyly, "Deputy-Governor of the Tower" who escorted the prisoners from the Tower on 9 February 1716. When the Earl of Nithsdale escaped from the Tower, Compton jailed his warders; when the Earl of Winton escaped, he blamed the warders' "wilfulness of carelessness" and said only the Constable had the authority to dismiss them. Carlisle succeeded Compton as Lord-Lieutenant on 19 July 1717, after the

Indemnity Act 1717 The Indemnity Act 1717 ( 3 Geo. 1. c. 19, also referred to as the Act of Grace and Free Pardon, is an act of the Parliament of Great Britain. The act was passed by both houses of parliament in July 1717, the last enactment of the session. ...

had freed most remaining Jacobite prisoners. Compton remained Lieutenant of the Tower until his death.

Sources

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Compton, Hatton 17th-century births 1741 deaths Lieutenants of the Tower of London Lord-lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets English army officers British Army lieutenant generals English military personnel of the Nine Years' War

Hatton Hatton may refer to: Places England * Hatton, Cheshire West and Chester, a former civil parish * Hatton, Derbyshire, a village and civil parish * Hatton, Lincolnshire, a village and civil parish * Hatton, London, in the London Borough of Houn ...

Grooms of the Chamber People from Soho Military personnel from Northamptonshire Military personnel from London People of the Glorious Revolution