James Hamilton, 3rd Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane (1633–1655) fought against the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland together with his stepfather
Phelim O'Neill. In the
Siege of Charlemont
The siege of Charlemont took place in July – 14 August 1650 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland when the fortress of Charlemont, County Armagh, Charlemont in County Armagh Ireland was besieged by Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mount ...
of 1650, they defended the
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
against
Coote, but had eventually to surrender. In 1655 Lord Strabane accidentally drowned in the
River Mourne
The River Mourne ( ga, An Mughdhorn) is a river in County Tyrone (between Strabane and Newtownstewart), Northern Ireland, and is a tributary of the River Foyle It is formed at the meetings of the River Derg and River Strule below Ardstraw. At St ...
near
Strabane, aged about 22 and was succeeded by his brother
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...
.
Birth and origins
James was born in 1633 probably at Strabane Castle, as the eldest son of
Claude Hamilton and his wife Jean Gordon. His father was the 2nd
Baron Hamilton of Strabane
Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane, in the County of Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland created on 8 May 1617, for James Hamilton, Master of Abercorn, eldest son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn, during the life of his father (an ...
, a member of the Strabane cadet branch of the
Abercorns. James's mother was the fourth daughter of
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly
George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (156213 June 1636) was a Scottish nobleman who took a leading role in the political and military life of Scotland in the late 16th century, and around the time of the Union of the Crowns.
Biography
The son o ...
. His parents had married in 1632. James had one brother and two sister,
which are listed in his father's article.
Baron Strabane
Hamilton succeeded his father in 1638 at the age of about five. His mother ran the family estate for the yond Lord Strabane, as he was now, and they continued to live in the Castle of Strabane.
Irish wars
In 1641, when Strabane was about eight years old, the
Irish Rebellion broke out. The rebel leader
Phelim O'Neill captured and burnt Strabane Castle and took him, his mother, and his siblings captive. Phelim brought them to his castle in
Kinard but released them after a few days and sent them to "Sir George Hamilton". This could have been
Sir George of Donalong or his great-uncle Sir
George Hamilton of Greenlaw and Roscrea
Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw and Roscrea (died before 1657) was an undertaker in the Plantation of Ulster. Born and bred in Scotland, by 1611 he had moved to Ireland with his Scottish wife to occupy his plantation grant. In 1630 he married ...
.
In 1649, when he was about 16, during the
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...
, Strabane Castle was attacked again, this time by
Robert Monro
Robert Monro (died 1680), was a famous Scottish General, from the Clan Munro of Ross-shire, Scotland. He held command in the Swedish army under Gustavus Adolphus during Thirty Years' War. He also fought for the Scottish Covenanters during the ...
and his
Covenanter
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...
army. The castle was relieved by Phelim O'Neill, its previous attacker. Phelim married his mother in November. Phelim became his stepfather and his half-brother
Gordon O'Neill
Colonel Gordon O'Neill, was an officer in King James II's Irish army who fought at the Siege of Derry, the Battle of the Boyne, and the Battle of Aughrim for the Jacobites.
Birth and origins
Gordon was born, about 1650 or about 1652 a ...
was born.
In 1649
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...
invaded Ireland with the Parliamentarian forces. On 21 June 1650 the Confederate Ulster Army lost the
Battle of Scarrifholis
The Battle of Scarrifholis, also spelt Scariffhollis was fought on 21 June 1650, near Letterkenny in County Donegal during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. A force loyal to the Commonwealth of England commanded by Charles Coote defeated ...
. His stepfather fought in the battle and then fled and escaped capture. In July 1650, aged about 17, Strabane joined his stepfather in his fight against the Parliamentarians. Together with Phelim O'Neill he defended
Charlemont Fort
Charlemont Fort was a garrison situated in Charlemont, County Armagh.
History
The fort was built in 1602 by Lord Mountjoy. The name ''Charlemont'' came from Charles Blount's Christian name. It was situated on the Armagh bank of the River Bl ...
in the
Siege of Charlemont
The siege of Charlemont took place in July – 14 August 1650 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland when the fortress of Charlemont, County Armagh, Charlemont in County Armagh Ireland was besieged by Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mount ...
against
Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath
Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath (c. 1610 – 17 December 1661) was an Anglo-Irish peer, the son of Sir Charles Coote, 1st Baronet, and Dorothea Cuffe, the former being an English veteran of the Battle of Kinsale (1601) who subsequentl ...
. The fort surrendered to Coote on terms on the 6th or on the 14th of August 1650. The garrison was allowed to march to a port to go overseas into foreign service.
Lord Strabane, however, did not want to leave the country. He therefore escaped and hid in the woods and bogs of the Munterlony mountains where he was captured soon after. He then sought Coote's protection; but in December, he returned to his old cause and took up arms again with Phelim O'Neill. His lands, comprising among others what is today called the
Baronscourt
Baronscourt, Barons-Court or Baronscourt Castle is a Georgian country house and estate 4.5 km southwest of Newtownstewart in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and is the seat of the Duke of Abercorn. It is a Grade A-listed building.
The Ba ...
Estate, were confiscated. In 1652 Phelim O'Neill was captured. He was tried and convicted for treason in October and executed.
Death and timeline
Strabane drowned in the
River Mourne
The River Mourne ( ga, An Mughdhorn) is a river in County Tyrone (between Strabane and Newtownstewart), Northern Ireland, and is a tributary of the River Foyle It is formed at the meetings of the River Derg and River Strule below Ardstraw. At St ...
at Ballyfatten near Strabane in 1655, aged about 22. He had never married and was succeeded by his younger brother George as the 4th Baron of Strabane.
Notes and references
Notes
Citations
Sources
* – 1642 to 1660 (for Scarrisholis and Charlemont)
* – G to K (for Hamilton of Strabane)
* – Ab-Adam to Basing (for Abercorn)
*
* – (for timeline)
* – Short biographies in the biographical notes
*
* – Abercorn to Balmerino (for Abercorn)
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton of Strabane, James Hamilton, 3rd Baron
1633 births
1655 deaths
17th-century Irish people
Barons in the Peerage of Ireland
James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguati ...
People from County Tyrone
People of the Irish Confederate Wars