Robert Hamilton

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

(19 April 1763 – 13 December 1831) was a Scottish advocate and close friend of

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy' ...

. Enjoying boat trips and other excursions together, Scott termed him Our Lord High Admiral Hamilton in his diaries. He is noted as a

gourmand A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure and interest in consuming good food and drink. ''Gourmand'' originally referred to a person who was "a glutton for food and drink", a person who eats and drinks excessively; this usage is now rare. ...

and suffered repeatedly from

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

.Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: Robert Hamilton

Life

Hamilton was born on 19 April 1763 one of 11 children to Alexander Hamilton of Gilkerscleugh near

Crawfordjohn Crawfordjohn ( gd, Creamhain Eòin) is a small village and civil parish of 117 residents located in South Lanarkshire, Scotland.The Imperial gazetteer of Scotland. 1854. VOL.I (AAN-GORDON) by Rev. John Marius Wilson. p.315 https://archive.org/ ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark ( gd, Siorrachd Lannraig; sco, Lanrikshire), is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the central Lowlands of Scotland. Lanarkshire is the most populous county in Scotlan ...

, and his wife Margaret (nee MacQueen). He trained in law at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

under John Millar, qualifying as an advocate in 1788. In 1796 he purchased (sic) from

Allan Maconochie, Lord Meadowbank The Hon Allan Maconochie, Lord Meadowbank FRSE FSA (Scot) (1748–1816) was a Scottish advocate, academic jurist, judge and agriculturalist. Life The only son of Alexander Maconochie of Meadowbank, Kirknewton, Midlothian, by his wife Isabella, ...

the chair of Professor of Public Law at the University. He never lectured, as was standard in this role at that time, which was largely titular, but held it until death, receiving £200 per annum for the title. From 1797 to 1822 he served as Sheriff of Lanark. From 1822 he served as Principal Clerk of Session in the High Court. In 1795 he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

, William Wright, and

Alexander Keith of Ravelston Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

. In 1799 he successfully pursued William Hamilton of Wishart’s claim to the title of

Lord Belhaven 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 ...

. He lived at 7 Hope Street, just off

Charlotte Square 300px, Robert Adam's palace-fronted north side Charlotte Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland, part of the New Town, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The square is located at the west end of George Street and was intended ...

in Edinburgh.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1830–31 He died on 13 December 1831 and is buried in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

in Edinburgh. On his death his professorship was not refilled. The post was not recreated until 1867 when Professor James Lorimer took on the role.

Family

In 1804 he married Janet Hamilton Anderson (died 1871), whose stepmother had been

’s childhood sweetheart. They had no children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Robert 1763 births 1831 deaths People associated with Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Academics of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard