Robert Adam Nisbet-Hamilton PC, FRS, JP (1804 – 9 June 1877), known as Robert Dundas until 1835 and as Robert Christopher between 1835 and 1855, was a British

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician. He served as

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...

under the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end ...

between March and December 1852.

Background

Born Robert Dundas, he was the eldest son of

Philip Dundas Philip Dundas (baptised 7 May 1762 – 8 April 1807) was a Scottish East India Company naval officer, president of the East India Marine Board, and superintendent of Bombay. He returned to Britain and became a member of parliament and returned to ...

(c.1763–1807, the fourth son of

Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger, FRSE (18 July 1713 – 13 December 1787) was a Scottish judge. He served as Solicitor General for Scotland from 1742 to 1746, as Lord Advocate from 1754 to 1760, and as Member of Parliament for Midlothian ...

), and Margaret (daughter of

John Wedderburn of Ballendean Sir John Wedderburn of Ballindean, 6th Baronet of Blackness (1729–1803) was a Scottish landowner who made a fortune in slave sugar in the West Indies. Born into a family of impoverished Perthshire gentry, his father, Sir John Wedderburn, 5t ...

(1729–1803) and sister of Sir David Wedderburn, 7th Baronet (1775–1858)). He assumed the surname of Christopher in lieu of his patronymic in 1835 when his wife Lady Mary Bruce (see below) inherited the Christopher estates at Bloxholm and Wellvale in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

. In 1855 he assumed the surname of Nisbet-Hamilton in lieu of Christopher after his wife succeeded to the Nisbet-Hamilton estates in Scotland, including

Dirleton Castle Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by th ...

and Archerfield House.nisbetts.com Two ladies of Dirleton
/ref> General Robert Manners left Bloxholm to his brother George,

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilitie ...

in 1826, whose death occurred in 1828. Both brothers having died unmarried, George left the estate to their dearest cousin, Mrs Jenney. She was the daughter of John, second Duke of Rutland, and sister of Lord Robert Manners, the father of Robert and George, making her their first cousin, once removed. However, Lady Mary Bruce, who was the brothers’ great niece, and eldest daughter of the 7th Earl of Elgin, contested the will, saying George had changed his will in her favour, and took the matter to court. A relative of the brothers wrote to the Editor of the ''Stamford Mercury'' on 26 March 1841 making it very clear that the family knew George wanted Bloxholm to go to Mrs Jenney, writing: ''for it is the opinion of all who are acquainted with the circumstances, that the testator would never have made an alteration had he been in the full possession of his faculties''. The matter was settled in favour of Lady Mary Bruce.

Political career

After a successful

electoral petition An election petition refers to the procedure for challenging the result of a Parliamentary election. Outcomes When a petition is lodged against an election return, there are 4 possible outcomes: # The election is declared void. The result is q ...

against the General Election result Nisbet-Hamilton was returned to Parliament for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

in 1827, a seat he held until 1831 and again briefly in 1835. He also represented

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

between 1831 and 1832 and

North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 167,446 in the 2011 census. The borough includes the towns of Scunthorpe, Brigg, Haxey, Crowle, Epworth, Bottesford, Kirton in Lindsey and Barton ...

between 1837 and 1857. When the Conservatives came to power under the

in 1852, Nisbet-Hamilton was appointed

and sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. He remained as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster until the government fell in December 1852. In 1833 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

Family

Nisbet-Hamilton married Lady Mary, daughter of General

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine (; 20 July 176614 November 1841) was a British nobleman, soldier, politician and diplomat, known primarily for the controversial procurement of marble sculptures (known as the Elgin Ma ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, daughter and heiress of

William Hamilton Nisbet William Hamilton Nisbet (1747 – 17 July 1822) was a British politician. He was the eldest son of William Nisbet of Archerfield House, Dirleton and his wife Mary, the daughter and heiress of Alexander Hamilton of Pencaitland, Haddington a ...

, in 1828.historic-scotland.gov.uk An Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland: Dirleton
/ref>
/ref> They had one daughter. Nisbet-Hamilton died in June 1877, Lady Mary survived him by six years, dying in December 1883.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Portrait of Robert Nisbet-Hamilton at the National Portrait Gallery

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nisbet-Hamilton, Robert Adam 1804 births 1877 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies Scottish Tory MPs (pre-1912) Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857

Robert Nisbet-Hamilton Robert Adam Nisbet-Hamilton PC, FRS, JP (1804 – 9 June 1877), known as Robert Dundas until 1835 and as Robert Christopher between 1835 and 1855, was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lanca ...

Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Ipswich Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom