Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton

For other people named Christopher Hatton, see Christopher Hatton (disambiguation).

Christopher Hatton, 1st Viscount Hatton (1632–1706) was an English aristocrat and diplomat.

A 1641 painting of Christopher Hatton by Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen

Career

He succeeded his father, Christopher Hatton, 1st Baron Hatton, as 2nd Baron Hatton and also as governor of Guernsey in 1670.^[1]

He and his family were living in the governor's official residence, Castle Cornet, in 1672 when its keep and some living quarters were destroyed by an explosion; his mother and wife were killed.^[2] Hatton and his three young daughters were rescued by black servant James Chappell.^[3]

He continue to employ his father's steward and composer George Jeffreys to care for his family's Kirby Hall estate. Many of Jeffreys's letters are preserved in the Hatton-Finch correspondence; they cover a period of nearly forty years.^[4]

Kirby Hall, Gretton Corby, Northamptonshire.(Seat of the Hattons)

In 1682, he was created Viscount Hatton, of Gretton, Northamptonshire by King Charles II.^[5]

Family

Christopher's younger brother was the botanist Charles Hatton.

He first married on 12 February 1667 to Cecily (d. 1672), daughter of John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet and Lady Margaret Sackville, daughter and heiress of 3rd Earl of Dorset and Lady Anne Clifford. They had the following issue:

• Anne Hatton (d. 1743), m. in 1685 to Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham, later 7th Earl of Winchilsea. Had many issues include Edward Finch-Hatton.
• Margaret Hatton (c. 1670)
• Elizabeth Hatton (c. 1672) and 1 more daughter.

Viscountess Frances Hatton by Mary Beale

In 1676 he married secondly Frances Yelverton (d. 1684), daughter of Sir Henry Yelverton, 2nd Baronet.^[2] They had several children, but only one daughter survived infancy.

• Alice Elizabeth Hatton^[6]

In 1684 he had William Mason create monuments to his two wives and deceased children at Gretton. In 1706 he was buried in the same church.^[7]

In August 1685 he married as his third wife Elizabeth Haslewood (d. 1733), the daughter and heiress of Sir William Haslewood of Maidwell, Northamptonshire.^[2][8] Elizabeth was first cousin to Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea (wife of Heneage Finch, 5th Earl of Winchilsea).^[9] They had several children, including two sons:

• William, 2nd Viscount Hatton (1690–1760)^[10]
• Anna Maria Hatton (1697-1764)^[11]
• Henry Charles, 3rd Viscount Hatton (c. 1700–1762)^[10]

Elizabeth died in Kensington on 15 January 1733.^[12]

Succession

Both his sons inherited the title Viscount Hatton in turn: William on his father's death in 1706, and Henry Charles for two years (1760–1762). As neither married, the title became extinct on the death of Henry Charles.^[10]

The family line continues with the Finch-Hattons, Earls of Winchilsea and Nottingham, whose ancestor, Daniel Finch, 7th Earl of Winchilsea and 2nd Earl of Nottingham, married Anne Hatton, daughter of the 1st Viscount Hatton.