Robert Hamilton (c.1600–1649) was a prominent Scottish clergyman who served as Protestant

Bishop of Caithness The Bishop of Caithness was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Caithness, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. The first referenced bishop of Caithness was Aindréas, a Gael who appears in sources between 1146 and 1151 as bishop. Ai ...

Life

He was born around 1600, probably the son of Rev Robert Hamilton of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Scotland. He studied at Glasgow University graduating MA in 1616.''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; vol. 3; by Hew Scott He moved to

Glassford Glassford (; locally known as ''The Glesart'' ) is a small village located south of Hamilton, and north-east of Strathaven, in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It has a population of roughly 500–600 people. Features include the 19th-century Par ...

, south of Hamilton, as assistant to Rev George Clydesdale and replaced him as minister in 1626 (probably due to ill-health as Clydesdale died in 1627). He was awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

around 1630. He was made Procurator to the Church of Scotland and in the Glasgow Assembly of 1638 and this capacity presented the Bishops' "Declinator" of the Presbyterian jurisdiction. The same Assembly rebuked Hamilton on several charges: frequent absence from his parish; encouraging dancing; and encouraging male members of the congregation to play

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

after his sermon. For these indiscretions he was deposed from his position as Procurator on 14 December 1638. Ironically, roughly at the same time, in 1638, he replaced John Abernethy as

. He was never consecrated but in August 1639 was described as "Bishop Elect". He retired to England where he died on 1 November 1649.History of the Church in Caithness, by James Brown Craven

Family

He married Isobel Murray (possibly Bishop Abernethy's widow), and had one daughter. He later married Helen Whiteford daughter of Adam Whiteford of Milton, widow of John Hamilton of Coltness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Robert 1649 deaths Alumni of the University of Glasgow Scottish bishops