Portrait of Francis Hastings, 10th Earl of Huntingdon (1729-1789), half-length, in a black coat, feigned oval

The sitter was the eldest son of Theophilus, 9th Earl of Huntingdon, and his wife, Selina, second daughter and co-heir of Washington, 2nd Earl Ferrers. He was educated at Westminster, and Christ Church, Oxford. He carried the sword of state at the coronation of King George III on 22 September 1761, and is recorded as travelling in Italy 1754-56 and again in 1771-74. He was a patron of the sculptor Joseph Wilton. On his death in 1789, the Earldom went into abeyance until it was claimed by Hans Francis Hastings, a descendant of Francis, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, who succeeded in establishing his right to the title of 11th Earl of Huntingdon in January 1819.