James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Clanbrassil (c.1618 – 20 June 1659), was an Ulster-Scots

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

peer, soldier and politician. Lord Clanbrassil was the son of The 1st Viscount Claneboye and Jane Philips. His father had been an agent for

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

and was granted a large amount of land in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

following James' accession to the English throne. Clanbrassil sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

as the Member of Parliament for Down between 1634 and 1635. Upon the outbreak of the civil war in England, he raised a regiment of foot and a troop of horse in support of

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 ...

. The force was maintained for eight years at Clanbrassil's own expense. He succeeded to his father's viscountcy in 1644. Following the defeat of the king by the forces of

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, Clanbrassil's estates were seized by

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 ...

. On 7 June 1647, Charles I created him Earl of Clanbrassil in the

Peerage of Ireland The Peerage of Ireland consists of those titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It is one of the five divisi ...

in recognition of his service. Clanbrassil was one of a number of

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Royalists who were allowed to return to their estates under

The Protectorate The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, refers to the period from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659 during which England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and associated territories were joined together in the Com ...

, and did so in 1654 in return for a payment of £9,435. He was succeeded by his second son. In 1638 he was betrothed to Lady Mary Boyle, the 13-year-old daughter of The 1st Earl of Cork. The marriage, however, never took place, as Mary, despite intense pressure from her formidable father, absolutely refused to marry him, on the unflattering ground that she found him physically repulsive. This defiance of a father's wishes, particularly in such a young girl, was almost unprecedented in the seventeenth century. Mary, however, was noted from an early age for her extraordinary strength of character. Even her father ruefully admitted that he was unable to control "my unruly daughter", and since he was genuinely fond of her he let the betrothal lapse. On 23 Sep 1641, he married Lady Anne Carey.Jane Ohlmeyer, ''Making Ireland English: The Irish Aristocracy in the Seventeenth Century'' (Yale University Press, 2012), 202. The couple had four children: *Hon. James Hamilton, styled Viscount Claneboye (1642-1658) *

Henry Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassill Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

(1647–1675) *Hon. Hans Hamilton *Lady Jane Hamilton (died unmarried)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clanbrassil, James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Year of birth uncertain 1659 deaths Earls in the Peerage of Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Down constituencies Cavaliers 17th-century Anglo-Irish people