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Warren Hastings
(1732-1818)

Active: 1750-1797 in England, Britain, Europe, India, South Asia

By Andrew McCann (University of Melbourne)

Indexing Data:

  • Active In: England, Britain, Europe, India, South Asia
  • Born In: England, Britain, Europe
  • Activity: Governor General of British India, Politician

Life, Works and Times

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irrevocably linked, as they were in the late eighteenth century. In fact Hastings is as much a figment of Edmund Burke's histrionic oratorical style as he is an historical entity in his own right. Without doubt Burke's parliamentary speeches are the most readily accessible source material we have for Hastings' career, and also the most biased against Hastings. The relationship between the two men entered the public domain most emphatically in 1788 when the House of Lords began impeachment proceedings against Hastings for “high crimes and misdemeanours” in his role as Governor-General of Bengal.

Hastings was born in 1732 in Daylesford, Worcestershire. The misfortunes of his immediate family, rather than any purposeful design, launch

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First published 08 January 2001

Citation: McCann, Andrew. "Warren Hastings". The Literary Encyclopedia. 8 January 2001.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2026, accessed 9 February 2010.]

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