John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton (5 July 1656 – 21 June 1708) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

peer, landowner and politician.

Life

He was the eldest son of Robert Hamilton, Lord Presmennan (d. 1696). Having married Margaret, granddaughter of John Hamilton, 1st Lord Belhaven and Stenton; who had been made a peer by

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

in 1647, he succeeded to this title in 1679.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 In 1681, he was imprisoned for opposing the government and for speaking slightingly of James, duke of York, afterwards James VII and II, in parliament, and in 1689 he was among those who asked William of Orange to undertake the government of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Belhaven was at the

Battle of Killiecrankie The Battle of Killiecrankie, also known as the Battle of Rinrory, took place on 27 July 1689 during the Jacobite rising of 1689, 1689 Scottish Jacobite rising. An outnumbered Jacobitism, Jacobite force under Ewan Cameron of Lochiel, Sir Ewen Ca ...

in 1689. He was a member of the

Scottish privy council The Privy Council of Scotland ( — 1 May 1708) was a body that advised the Scottish monarch. During its existence, the Privy Council of Scotland was essentially considered as the government of the Kingdom of Scotland, and was seen as the most ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 He was a director of and invested heavily in the

Company of Scotland The Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies, also called the Scottish Darien Company, was an overseas trading company created by an act of the Parliament of Scotland in 1695. The act granted the company a monopoly of Scottish trade ...

, which was formed in 1695 and was responsible for the ill-fated

Darien scheme The Darien scheme was an unsuccessful attempt, backed largely by investors of the Kingdom of Scotland, to gain wealth and influence by establishing New Caledonia, a colony in the Darién Gap on the Isthmus of Panama, in the late 1690s. The pl ...

to set up a Scots colony on the Darien peninsula in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 He was also a proponent of agricultural improvement publishing a handbook, ''The Countryman's Rudiments'' in 1699. He favoured the agitation for securing greater liberty for his country, an agitation which culminated in the passing of the

Act of Security 1704 The Act of Security 1704 (c. 3), also referred to as the Act for the Security of the Kingdom, was a response by the Parliament of Scotland to the Parliament of England's Act of Settlement 1701. Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne's last su ...

in 1705, and he greatly disliked the union of the parliaments, a speech which he delivered against this proposal in November 1706 attracting much notice. He was, along with Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, one of the most eloquent of politicians. Two of his speeches, one being the famous one of November 1706, were published in an appendix to

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...

's ''History of the Union'' (first printed in 1710). Later he was imprisoned, ostensibly for favouring a projected French invasion, and he died in London on 21 June 1708. Belhaven's son, John, who fought on the

British Government His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

side at the

Battle of Sheriffmuir The Battle of Sheriffmuir (, ) was an engagement in 1715 at the height of the Jacobite rising of 1715, Jacobite rising in Scotland. The battlefield has been included in the Inventory of Historic Battlefields in Scotland and protected by Histor ...

, became the 3rd Lord on his father's death. He was drowned in November 1721, while proceeding to take up his duties as governor of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

, and was succeeded by his son John (d. 1764).{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 After the death of John's brother James in 1777 the title was for a time dormant; then in 1799 the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

declared that William Hamilton (1765–1814), a descendant of John Hamilton, the paternal great-grandfather of the 2nd Lord, was entitled to the dignity. William, who became the 7th Lord, was succeeded by his son Robert (1793–1868), who was created a peer of the United Kingdom as Baron Hamilton of Wishaw in 1831. He died without issue in December 1868, when the barony of Hamilton became extinct; in 1875 the House of Lords declared that his cousin, James Hamilton (1822–1893) was rightfully Lord Belhaven and Stenton, and the title descended to his kinsman, Alexander Charles (b. 1840), the 10th Lord.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911

References

{{wikisource, works=or {{reflist Attribution: *{{EB1911, wstitle=Belhaven and Stenton, John Hamilton, 2nd Baron, volume=3, page=682 {{s-start {{s-reg, sct {{succession box, title=

Lord Belhaven and Stenton Lord Belhaven and Stenton, of the County of Haddington, is a Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1647 for John Hamilton, 1st Lord Belhaven and Stenton, Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, with remainder to his heirs ...

, before= John Hamilton, after= John Hamilton, years=1678–1708 {{s-end {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Belhaven And Stenton, John Hamilton, 2nd Lord 1656 births 1708 deaths Nobility from East Lothian Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Members of the Privy Council of Scotland 17th-century Scottish businesspeople 18th-century Scottish businesspeople 17th-century Scottish politicians 18th-century Scottish politicians Scottish investors Scottish agronomists Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland