Warren Hastings

Andrew McCann (Dartmouth College)
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The names and the careers of Warren Hastings and Edmund Burke are today irrevocably as 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

1071 words

Citation: McCann, Andrew. "Warren Hastings". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 January 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2026, accessed 19 March 2024.]

2026 Warren Hastings 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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