Horatio Woods

Notable action
 Under Review 

Family and Colleagues
Fredrick Hastings - FT 

Jordan Hastings - FT 

Record of Achievement
October 4th, 1722 - Enlisted in the squadron

The Making of a Noble Family
The Making of a Noble Family William Estus Woods was born on March 26, 1550 in the village of Ruthin in the newly created county of Denbighshire, Wales. His father Edgar Woods was a tenant farmer raising sheep in the Clwyd Vale. His mother Mary (Estus) Woods was a talented seamstress and pattern designer. Her income allowed the family to move to Westminster where they opened a small tailor shop. Edgar tended to the male clientele while Mary tended the ladies of Westminster. Soon Mary had attracted the attention of several ladies of the court and in 1562 she attracted the attention of Queen Elizabeth who made her the royal dressmaker. Now 12 years old William was awe struck by the grandeur of the English Court and developed an interest in reading as well as listening. By age 16 he had joined the ranks of Yeoman Warders and spent many hours in the company of nobility and foreign dignitaries. He made friends easily amongst visitors to Whitehall and Westminster and learned to speak French and Spanish as well as some Latin. His skills as a fighting man were sharp but it was his intellect that won him a position as a captain of the Yeoman Warders in 1569. Relations between Catholics and Protestants were strained, and plots were hatched with regularity against the Queen. William discovered and reported a plot against Her Majesty’s life and throne in 1571. William was, by then only 21 years old, and oft described as very handsome, a quality which earned him the ire of many courtiers. For his actions in the discovery of the Ridolfi Plot; he was made a Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and quickly became one of Elizabeth’s favorites. To his credit, Woods was always discrete and stayed close to the Queen, often appearing in court at her request. In 1573 constant appearances in court sparked rumors of a secret affair with the Queen that seemed to be substantiated when she saw fit to elevate William to the peerage as Baron Woods in 1574. He was granted a vast tract of land bordering the River Clwyd and granted a monopoly on the wool trade in the Clwyd Vale of Wales. The revenues earned, quickly made Woods wealthy and he used his income to further his political career as well as to do “good works” publicly, earning him the love of his fellow Welshmen and Englishmen alike. In 1578 he commissioned the construction of a grand country house in the Tudor style, a palace he called Plas Clwyd. Now acting in an advisory capacity to the Queen in matters of foreign policy, Woods traveled to France, Spain and Italy as an emissary on Elizabeth’s behalf. His service was rewarded by the Queen when in 1584 he was granted the titles of Earl of Clwyd and Viscount Denbighshire. In 1588 William served as the lieutenant of the Earl of Leicester as they marshaled the troops in Tilbury to battle an invading Spanish force. He escorted the Queen personally as she made her memorable speech to the troops and when news came of the defeat of the Armada at sea, he returned to London with her. Woods retired from court in 1596 when it became clear Elizabeth no longer desired his companionship or council. Later in the year he met the Lady Elisabeth Paulet and began a short courtship ending in marriage. In 1597 at the age of 47 he sired his first of four legitimate children with his young bride, a daughter of the 3rd Marquise of Winchester. His eldest son Edward Howard “Howie” Woods was raised predominantly in the Marquises house, in Hampshire, along with the Marquise own grandson, John, who was close in age to Howie. The two were educated by private tutors at Basing House and spent their leisure time hunting on the Marquises lands. Mary Woods, Williams’s second child was learned and well practiced at court life. She married Sir Edward Percy at age 16. The two were always happy together and she bore him four sons and two daughters only three of which survived infancy into adulthood. She died of the pox in the winter of 1621 along with her husband and youngest child. George Woods, the youngest of William’s three children was a reserved and quiet child with a clever mind. Awestruck by the wonders of the bible from an early age he attended the Seminary University of Oxford and joined the clergy upon receiving his diploma. He served as a member of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s household and achieved an appointment as the Bishop of Bangor in 1648 where he served until his death in 1663. William Estus Woods died unexpectedly in his sleep in 1616 at the age of 64 thus elevating Howie to Howard Woods, 2nd Earl of Clwyd, Viscount Denbighshire, and Baron Woods at the young age of only 18. Howard visited the court of King James I on a few occasions and sat in his parliaments of 1621 and 1624. After which he was granted the office of Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire. He held his office from 1624 until 1648 when the monarchy was dissolved in favor of the Commonwealth of England. Howard Woods married Lady Mary Somerset, the youngest daughter of Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worchester in 1626. Together they had five children. The eldest, named Thomas Edward Woods was styled Lord Thomas, Viscount Denbighshire at birth but died prematurely at age 6 leaving his younger brother Brandon Alexander Woods as the heir apparent. Howard Woods remained a royalist and staunch supporter of restoration until his death in 1659 just one year before the monarchy was restored. Brandon Woods was the political polar opposite of his father and had his own ideas on government. He continued to ride the fence on the issue of loyalty to a monarch even after his father’s death and the restoration of the House of Stuart, even allowing his position in the peerage to lie in abeyance. He spoke openly about possibilities of true democracy and it was at one of his private gatherings he met Margret Hastings, Countess Strathy. The two fell in love dispite their political disagreements and were married in 1677. In 1679 when his first child was born, Lord Woods petitioned King Charles II for his title. Phillip Andrew Woods, Viscount Denbighshire, was educated by private tutor until age 13 when he was sent to Eton College and then to Oxford where he studied politics, and according to his father, all things aberrant. He was called to attend parliament by accelerated writ in 1707, age 28, due to his father being out of the country and unable to attend. He there participated in the ratification of the Act of Union, creating Great Britain by joining Scotland and England. Brandon’s second surviving son and fourth child, Horatio Jonathan Woods, Esquire, was born at Plas Clwyd in August of 1695. His mother was severely weakened by the birth and died three days later, a fact that haunted Brandon and drove a wedge between him and his youngest child. Not much of a family man, in the absence of his wife, Brandon busied himself with his interests in the Caribbean. In 1695 He sent Horatio to live with his late wife Margret Hastings’ cousins. The 7th Earl of Huntingdon, Theophilus Hastings, was a stern man who battled King William III on every political front. The Earl’s youngest son, Theophilus, was a year younger than Horatio and the two grew to be more like brothers than Phillip and Horatio were. When Horatio turned ten, the Earl of Huntingdon died and Horatio returned to Plas Clwyd where he was educated by private tutors until he turned 13 and was given the choice of studying with the clergy or joining the Royal Navy under the command of his cousin Lord George Hastings. Horatio chose the sea over the cloth and began his service to the crown as a midshipman aboard the H.M.S. Tarpon, a small 36 gun frigate. He excelled rapidly mastering the sextant and learning to read the wind from the experienced men of the Tarpon. He was made full Lieutenant by the age of 15 and surprised his board when he showed no fear during the sitting there of. He was then reassigned aboard the H.M.S. Havilland, a small unrated ship which he captained. He was commended for the rescue of Lewis Herring during a pirate attack near Jenny Bay in the Caribbean in 1720, though Captain Herring perished from wounds received after the battle. In 1721, Brandon Hastings contracted yellow fever while visiting Belize and perished on his journey back to England. Phillip Andrew Woods became 4th Earl of Clwyd, 3rd Earl of Strathy, 4th Viscount Denbighshire, and 4th Baron Woods, at age 42. A career army officer, Phillip was praised by King George for his part in defeating the Jacobite led Spanish invasion of Scotland at Eilean Donan. For his heroic action there he was made a Knight of the Garter. Horatio continues to serve the British Royal Navy in the Caribbean where he currently holds the rank of Captain. He was assigned to the prestigious St. George Squadron in October 1722 and continues to serve with distinction.

Current Commission of Captain Horatio Woods
The HMS Kingston is currently assigned to small scouting fleets with orders to sink all enemy shipping in the lower Antilles. Though she is slow, the Kingston is sturdy and can take fire from multiple enemies at once acting as a shield for lesser ships.
 * HMS Kingston, Alexander Class, Fourth Rate Ship of the Line

Inactive Vessels and Past Commissions of Captain Horatio Woods

 * HMS Temperamental, Cap Mastercraft Class, Frigate
 * HMS Spear, Triron Class, Fast Frigate
 * HMS Chivalrous, Gallant Class, Naval Frigate

Economic Ties
Fredrick Hastings, Business Partner


 * 3 x Advanced Textile Mills, Charlestown
 * 3 x Hemp Plantations, Charlestown
 * 1 x Cotton Plantation, Charlestown
 * 2 x Fir Logging Camps, Belize
 * 1 x Tar Distillery, Belize

Jordan Hastings, Business Associate


 * 4 x Limestone Quarrys, Belize
 * 4 x Forges, Puerto Cabezas
 * 2 x Iron Mines, Puerto Cabezas

Port Battle Record
Records prior to October 1722 were lost as the result of enemy attack

{|
 * width="150" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Port
 * width="200" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Date
 * width="100" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Battle type
 * width="150" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Enemy
 * width="75" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Result
 * width="200" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Ship
 * width="300" align="Left" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|Role
 * De L'isle
 * October 29, 1722
 * Attack
 * [[File:PIRATE.JPG]] Pirates
 * Repelled
 * HMS Kingston, Alexander Class 4th Rate Ship of the Line
 * Captain of the Line (Red Sails)
 * Belize
 * November 5th, 1722
 * Defense
 * [[File:PIRATE.JPG]] Pirates
 * Victorious
 * HMS Temperamental, Cap MC 5th Rate Ship
 * Captain of the Line (White Sails)
 * Charlestown
 * November 13th, 1722
 * Defense
 * [[File:PIRATE.JPG]] Pirates
 * Defeated
 * HMS Angelique, Mont Blanc 4th Rate Ship
 * Captain of the Line (White Sails)
 * [[File:PIRATE.JPG]] Pirates
 * Defeated
 * HMS Angelique, Mont Blanc 4th Rate Ship
 * Captain of the Line (White Sails)