William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton
KG (14 December 161612 September 1651) was a
Scottish nobleman who supported both
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 governm ...
and
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
causes during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then separate entities united in a personal union under Charles I. They include the 1639 to 1640 B ...
.
Life
Hamilton was born at
Hamilton Palace
Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it dated from the 14th century and was subsequently much enlarged in the 17th and 19th centuries.[James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton
James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and 4th Earl of Arran KG PC (1589 – 2 March 1625), styled Lord Aven from 1599 to 1604, was a Scottish politician. He was the son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton and Margaret Lyon.
Career
Ha ...]
and
Lady Ann Cunningham
Lady Anna (Anne) Cunningham, Marchioness of Hamilton (died 1646Rosalind K. Marshall, "Cunningham, Anna , marchioness of Hamilton (d. 1647)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200accessed 15 Oct 2017/ref>) led a m ...
. Hamilton was educated at the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, and from there travelled to
Continental Europe, where he spent time at the court of
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
, on his return aged 21 he established himself as a favourite at the court 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 ...
in London.
Hamilton was created Earl of Lanark, Lord Machanshyre and Polmont in the
Peerage of Scotland in 1639, and in April 1640 was elected Member of Parliament for
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in the
House of Commons of England for the
Short Parliament.
He became
Secretary of State for Scotland. In 1643, he was arrested at
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
on the orders of
King Charles I for "concurrence" with his brother the
Duke of Hamilton. He escaped and was temporarily reconciled with the Presbyterian party.
After taking part in the
Battle of Kilsyth on the
covenanter side, Hamilton was sent by the Scottish
Estates of the Realm
The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed an ...
to treat with Charles I at Newcastle in 1646, when he sought in vain to persuade the king to consent to the establishment of
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
in England. On 26 September 1647 he signed, on behalf of the Scots, the treaty with Charles known as the "
Engagement", at
Carisbrooke Castle
Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of Carisbrooke (near Newport), Isle of Wight, England. Charles I was imprisoned at the castle in the months prior to his trial.
Early history
The site of Carisb ...
, and helped to organise the
Second English Civil War
The Second English Civil War took place between February to August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641 ...
.
In 1648 Hamilton fled to
Holland
Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
to the court in exile of the
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
at
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...
. The following year he succeeded to the
Dukedom of Hamilton, the Marquisate of Hamilton, the Earldoms of Arran and Cambridge and Lordhips of Aven and Innerdale following his brother's execution, making him the most senior figure among the Scots Royalist exiles. In 1650, the insignia of the
Order of the Garter were conferred upon him. He returned to Scotland with
King Charles II in 1650, but, finding a reconciliation with the
Marquess of Argyll
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
impossible, he refused to prejudice Charles's cause by pushing his claims.
Hamilton retired to his estates on the
Isle of Arran until the Scottish invasion of England during the
Third English Civil War
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (disambiguation)
* Third Avenue (disambiguation)
* H ...
, when he acted as colonel of a regiment drawn mainly from his tenantry.
Hamilton died from the effects of wounds received at the
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 in and around the city of Worcester, England and was the last major battle of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell d ...
, at
The Commandery
The Commandery is a historic building open to visitors and located in the city of Worcester, England. It opened as a museum in 1977 and was for a while the only museum in England dedicated solely to the Civil Wars. The Commandery ceased to b ...
,
Charles II's headquarters in that city. A neighbouring street, Hamilton Road, is named in his honour.
Family
Hamilton married Lady Elizabeth Maxwell, daughter of
James Maxwell, 1st Earl of Dirletoun
James Maxwell, 1st Earl of Dirletoun (died 1650) was a Scottish courtier and landowner, and Black Rod. He was involved in selling royal jewels.
James VI and I
Maxwell was the son of Robert Maxwell of Kirkhouse (d. 1583) and Nichola Murray, daught ...
on 26 May 1638, and had issue:
Balfour Paul, vol iv, p 380
/ref>
*James Hamilton, Lord Polmont (died in infancy, buried at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
)
*Lady Anne Hamilton, married Robert Carnegie, 3rd Earl of Southesk
Robert Carnegie, 3rd Earl of Southesk (b. before 1649–1688) was a Scottish nobleman.
Life
Commissioned as a captain in Louis XIV's Scottish Guards (France), Scottish Guards at Chantilly, Oise, France in 1659, he was later a colonel in the Angus, ...
*Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, married 1st Lord Kilmaurs, 2nd Sir David Cunningham of Robertland
The Castle and Barony of Robertland (NS 4428 4693) is located near Stewarton, off the B769 road, in the old district of Cunninghame, Parish of Stewarton, and now part of East Ayrshire, Scotland.
History
Robertland castle and barony
Robertland C ...
*Lady Mary Hamilton, married 1st Alexander Livingston, 2nd Earl of Callendar, 2nd Sir James Livingstone of Westquarter
Westquarter is a village in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The village is west of Polmont and south-east of the town of Falkirk.
Westquarter can be accessed from the north via the A803 road
The A803 is a road in central Scotland. It ...
, 3rd James Ogilvy, 3rd Earl of Findlater
*Lady Margaret Hamilton, married William Blair of that ilk.
*Lady Diana Hamilton, (died in infancy)
Leaving four daughters but no male heirs, according to the remainder, the dukedom of Hamilton devolved on Hamilton's eldest surviving niece, Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
, who became Duchess of Hamilton in her own right.
In literature
A highly fictionalised Hamilton is depicted in Nigel Tranter
Nigel Tranter OBE (23 November 1909 – 9 January 2000) was a writer of a wide range of books on castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Sco ...
's ''Montrose trilogy''.
Notes
References
* Anderson, John, ''Historical and genealogical memoirs of the House of Hamilton; with genealogical memoirs of the several branches of the family''. Edinburgh 182
* James Balfour Paul, Balfour Paul, Sir James''The Scots Peerage Vols IX.'' Edinburgh 190
*
External links
Hamilton's last letter to his wife
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton
1616 births
1651 deaths
102 102 may refer to:
* 102 (number), the number
* AD 102, a year in the 2nd century AD
* 102 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
* 102 (ambulance service), an emergency medical transport service in Uttar Pradesh, India
* 102 (Clyde) Field Squadron, Royal ...
Knights of the Garter
Cavaliers
Members of the Privy Council of Scotland
English MPs 1640 (April)
Politics of Portsmouth
17th-century Scottish peers
17th-century Scottish politicians
Place of birth missing
Earls of Cambridge
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
Peers of Scotland created by Charles I