Hobart was ordained
deacon at
Winchester in June 1797 and
priest in February 1798. As the son of an earl he had many avenues of preferment open to him, largely exploiting family and political connections. He was to obtain numerous positions and
benefices, many of them held in plurality in places far apart, a practice that was not significantly restricted until the
Pluralities Act 1850. By this process he could acquire a relatively large income. He was not required to prove his worth as a
curate but went straight into remunerative and responsible positions. Almost as soon as he was ordained to the priesthood, Hobart became
rector of
Chipping Warden in
Northamptonshire. In 1801, he became rector also of the nearby
parish of
Edgcote. Both of these rectories he held until 1815, being appointed
prebendary of
Canterbury Cathedral in 1804, a post he held until 1816. In 1815, he was appointed to three lucrative livings in one year:
Vicar of
Nocton, a parish in the gift of his family; Rector of
St Dionis Backchurch in the City of London, a post he held until 1828; and Rector of
Great Haseley, Oxfordshire. In 1816, Hobart reached the pinnacle of his success as a clergyman with his appointment as
Dean of Windsor. This made him spiritual head of
St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, a
chapel royal and
royal peculiar, essentially the monarch's private chapel. He was to hold this deanery until his death in 1848, serving four monarchs:
George III,
George IV,
William IV and
Queen Victoria. The deanery carried with it the post of Register of the
Order of the Garter, which is based at the chapel. As dean, Hobart had the ear of the monarch. However, he seems not to have built up any great influence. This may be due to a certain insensitivity or lack of tact. When Victoria gave birth to the future
Edward VII in November 1841, Hobart congratulated her on "thus saving us from the incredible curse of a female succession." Even after his appointment at Windsor, Hobart acquired more livings. From 1823 to 1842 he was vicar of
Fulmer, Buckinghamshire, By a custom dating to the late 15th century, the Deanery of Windsor brought with it the
Deanery of Wolverhampton, another royal peculiar, outside the supervision of the local
Diocese of Lichfield.
St Peter's Collegiate Church was the centre of a large parish, extending far into the
Black Country and rural
Staffordshire. However, the deanery and prebends were virtual
sinecures, as the parish had long been used to absentee clergy and the work was done by poorly paid curates. The deanery lands brought Hobart £600 a year, mainly because of the mineral wealth underlying them. Section 21 decreed that the deanery should be suppressed, along with those of
Middleham,
Heytesbury and
Brecon. Section 51 restricted the rights of any appointees to positions within the colleges but allowed Hobart and the other deans to continue in office until their deaths. The prebends were left vacant in readiness and, on Hobart's death in 1846, the deanery was abolished, followed two years later by the
college itself. ==Marriage and family==