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 Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, with remainder to his heirs male.

History

This branch of the prominent Hamilton family descends from John Hamilton (d. c. 1550), the illegitimate son of

James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician. Early life James Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of Cadzow. He was born at Cadz ...

, by Janet Calderwood, and half-brother of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran (from whom the

Dukes of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sc ...

descend; for earlier history of the Hamilton family see this title). In 1512 John's birth was legitimized. His grandson, James Hamilton, notably served as Sheriff of Perthshire. In 1634 he was created a baronet, of Broomhill, in the

Baronetage of Nova Scotia Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain. Baronetage of England (1611–1705) King James ...

. He was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned second Baronet, who was elevated to the peerage in 1647. The following year he was a member of the Scottish army in England that attempted to rescue King Charles I, and fought at the Battle of Preston. As Lord Belhaven and Stenton had no male heirs, he surrendered the lordship to the Crown in 1675 and received a new patent with remainder to his kinsman John Hamilton of Pressmannan, the husband of his granddaughter Margaret, and in failure of that line to his heirs whatsoever. On his death in 1679 the baronetcy became extinct while he was succeeded in the lordship according to the new patent by John Hamilton of Pressmannan, the second Lord. He was the great-great-great-grandson of John Hamilton, brother of Claud Hamilton, grandfather of the first Lord. On his death the title passed to his son, the third Lord. He sat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

as a

Scottish Representative Peer This is a list of representative peers elected from the Peerage of Scotland to sit in the House of Lords after the Acts of Union 1707 abolished the Parliament of Scotland, where, as a unicameral legislature, all Scottish P ...

from 1715 to 1721. The latter year he was appointed

Governor of Barbados This article contains a list of viceroys in Barbados from its initial colonisation in 1627 by England until it achieved independence in 1966. From 1833 to 1885, Barbados was part of the colony of the Windward Islands, and the governor of Barbad ...

but drowned on the journey out. By Anne, daughter of Andrew Bruce, Merchant of Edinburgh he had four sons (1st. John, 2nd. Andrew, 3rd. James, 4th, Robert and a daughter Margaret). His eldest son John Hamilton succeeded to his father's title, becoming 4th Baron Belhaven and Stenton, and died unmarried on 28 August 1764. His next brother Andrew having died unmarried in 1736, the title was inherited by the 3rd son James Hamilton, who became 5th Baron of Belhaven and Stenton. On James's death in 1777, the line of the second Lord failed since Robert Hamilton, the youngest of the 3rd Baron's sons, had died in 1743. There now arose controversy as to the succession of the title. In 1777 it was incorrectly assumed by Captain William Hamilton, the great-great-great-great-grandson of John Hamilton of Coltness, younger son of John Hamilton of Udston, whose other son James Hamilton was the grandfather of the second Lord, and whose grandfather John Hamilton was the brother of the aforementioned Claude Hamilton, grandfather of the first Lord Belhaven and Stenton. William voted at the Election of Scottish Peers in 1790. However, it was resolved by the Committee for Privileges of the House of Lords in 1793 that this vote was not valid. The title was instead determined in favour of William Hamilton, the seventh Lord. He was the son of Robert Hamilton of Wishaw (who was adjudged ''de jure'' sixth Lord), grandson of Robert Hamilton, "Younger of Wishaw", son of Robert Hamilton, 3rd of Wishaw, son of William Hamilton, 1st of Wishaw, son of John Hamilton of Udston, grandson of John Hamilton, brother of the aforesaid Claude Hamilton, grandfather of the first Lord. The seventh Lord was succeeded by his son, the eighth Lord. He was a Scottish Representative Peer from 1819 to 1831 and also served as

Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire. * George Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney 1714 - 29 January 1737 *Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton 17 March 1794 – 2 August 1799 * Archibald Douglas-H ...

. In 1831 he was created Baron Hamilton of Wishaw, in the County of Lanark, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, which gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords. However, this title became extinct on his death in 1868 while the lordship became dormant. In 1875, the House of Lords decided that the rightful successor was James Hamilton, the ninth Lord. He was the son of Archibald Hamilton, grandson of James Hamilton, younger son of the aforesaid Robert Hamilton, Younger of Wishaw. Lord Belhaven and Stenton notably served as Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire. He had seven daughters but no sons and on his death the title was claimed by his kinsman Alexander Charles Hamilton, the tenth Lord. He was the son of geologist William Hamilton (

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Newport, Isle of Wight Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, and is in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the na ...

), son of

William Richard Hamilton William Richard Hamilton, FRS, (9 September 1777 – 11 July 1859) was a British antiquarian, traveller and diplomat. Early life Hamilton was born in St Martin-in-the-Fields, London in 1777. He was the son of Rev. Anthony Hamilton, Archdeac ...

(

Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office This is a list of Permanent Under-Secretaries in the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (and its predecessors) since 1790. Not to be confused with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Permanent Unde ...

), son of the Venerable

Anthony Hamilton (Archdeacon of Colchester) Anthony Hamilton (1739–1812) was an Anglican priest, Archdeacon of Colchester from 1775. Life His father Alexander Hamilton was the fifth son of William Hamilton the Scottish antiquarian, who died in 1724. He had married the heiress Charlotte ...

, son of Alexander Hamilton, younger son of the aforementioned William Hamilton, 3rd of Wishaw. In 1894 his claim was admitted by the House of Lords. He later served as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1900 to 1920. He was succeeded by his nephew, the eleventh Lord. He was an officer in the Indian Army and also sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer between 1922 and 1945. In 1934 he assumed the additional surname of Udny. However, none of the subsequent Lords have held this surname.

Coat of arms

The heraldic blazon for the coat of arms of the lordship is: ''Quarterly: 1st and 4th, gules, a mullet argent between three cinquefoils ermine (for Hamilton of Udston); 2nd and 3rd, gules, a man's heart proper shadowed or between three cinquefoils ermine (for Hamilton of Raploch); all within a bordure argent''.

Hamilton Baronets of Broomhill (1634)

*Sir James Hamilton, 1st Baronet (died c. 1645) * Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet (d. 1679) (created Lord Belhaven and Stenton in 1647)

Lords Belhaven and Stenton (1647)

John Hamilton, 1st Lord Belhaven and Stenton John Hamilton, 1st Lord Belhaven and Stenton (died 17 June 1679), known as Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet from circa 1645 to 1647, was a Scottish peer. Hamilton was the son of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Baronet, and his wife Margaret (née Hamilton) ...

(d. 1679) (baronetcy extinct) *

John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton (5 July 1656 – 21 June 1708) was a Scottish peer, landowner and politician. Life He was the eldest son of Robert Hamilton, Lord Presmennan (d. 1696). Having married Margaret, granddaughter of John H ...

(1656–1708) *John Hamilton, 3rd Lord Belhaven and Stenton (d. 1721) *John Hamilton, 4th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (d. 1764) *James Hamilton, 5th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (d. 1777) *Robert Hamilton, 6th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1731–1784) *William Hamilton, 7th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1765–1814) * Robert Montgomery Hamilton, 8th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1793–1868) (dormant 1868) *James Hamilton, 9th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1822–1893) (revived 1875) *Alexander Charles Hamilton, 10th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1840–1920) * Robert Edward Archibald Udny-Hamilton, 11th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1871–1950) * Robert Alexander Benjamin Hamilton, 12th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1903–1961) *Robert Anthony Carmichael Hamilton, 13th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (1927–2020) *Frederick Carmichael Arthur Hamilton, 14th Lord Belhaven and Stenton (b. 1953) The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

is the present holder’s son William Richard Hamilton (b. 1982)

Notes

References