Introduction

Biography

The Count­ess’ title came from her 1728 mar­riage to Theo­phi­lus Hast­ings, Ninth Earl of Hunt­ing­don.

At an ear­ly age, she re­ceived ser­ious re­li­gious im­pres­sions, which stayed with her all her life. She was a mem­ber of the first Me­tho­dist So­ci­ety, in Fet­ter Lane, Lon­don, and the first Me­tho­dist Con­fer­ence was held at her house in 1744.

Her sym­pa­thies, how­ev­er, were with the Cal­vin­ism of George White­field, and when a breach arose be­tween White­field and the Wes­leys, she chose White­field.

She spent her mon­ey free­ly build­ing cha­pels, found­ing Tre­vec­ca Col­lege, South Wales (now Ches­hunt), and sup­port­ing her preach­ers.

Works

For use in her cha­pels, she com­piled A Select Col­lect­ion of Hymns. There are al­so a few hymns at­trib­ut­ed to her own hand.