Barbara Huddleston Abney-Hastings, 13th Countess of Loudoun, was a Scottish countess in her own right, and a member of the House of Lords.
Background
On her mother"s side, she was descended from and heir-general of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence. Her other notable ancestors include Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Lady Mary Boleyn, King James IV of Scotland, William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Alice Spencer, Countess of Derby.
Career
Her only brother, Ian Huddleston Abney-Hastings, styled Lord Mauchline (1918–1944), was killed in Italy in World World War II, so as the oldest sister Barbara succeeded in the earldom in 1960. She sat as a cross-bencher, and was concerned with social justice. She lived in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire.
Membership
Lady Loudoun was a member of the House of Lords until 1999 when the right of hereditary peers to sit in the Lords was abolished.