William Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton (24 December 1634 – 18 April 1694), also known as Lord William Douglas and the Earl of Selkirk, was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He was the eldest son of the 1st Marquess of Douglas by his second wife, Lady Mary Gordon, a daughter of the 1st Marquess of Huntly. Subsequent to marrying Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, he was created

Duke 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 Duke of Rothesay, Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the pr ...

in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...

, which also allowed him to use his wife's subsidiary titles during his lifetime and to take the name Hamilton for their descendants.

Early life and marriage

Lord William Douglas was created Earl of Selkirk in 1646, at the age of 11. He supported the Royalist cause in the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

and was fined £,1000, under the terms of the English Commonwealth's Act of Pardon and Grace to the People of Scotland. On April 29th 1656, he married Anne Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton. She was from a staunchly Royalist dynasty. Her estates had been declared forfeit by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

after the activities of her father and uncle in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Her father, James, 1st Duke of Hamilton, was executed by the English in 1649 at the end of the

Second English Civil War The Second English Civil War took place between February and August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639–1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 164 ...

, and her uncle, William, 2nd Duke of Hamilton, died following 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 1642 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A Parliamentarian army of around 28,000 under Oliver Cromwell def ...

in 1651.

Restoration

After the Restoration, he was created Duke of Hamilton in 1660 on the petition of his wife, Anne Hamilton, '' suo jure'' Duchess of Hamilton, receiving also several of the other Hamilton peerages for life. He supported the

Duke of Lauderdale Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...

in the early stages of his Scottish policy, in which he adopted a moderate attitude towards the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

s. However, the two were soon alienated through the influence of the Countess of Dysart, according to Gilbert Burnet, who spent much time at Hamilton Palace in arranging the Hamilton family's archives. With other Scottish noblemen who resisted Lauderdale's measures, he was twice summoned to London to present his case at court, but without obtaining any result. He was dismissed from the Privy Council in 1676, and on a subsequent visit to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, Charles II refused to receive him. On the accession of James II, he received numerous honours, but he was one of the first to enter into communication with William III of Orange. He presided over the Convention of Edinburgh, summoned at his request, which offered the Scottish crown to William III and

Mary II Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland with her husband, King William III and II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Sh ...

in March 1689. His death took place at

Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...

on 18 April 1694. His wife survived until 17 April 1716.

Children

He was married to Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, who bore eleven children by him. He adopted the surname Douglas-Hamilton and the Hamilton arms, and his children bore the surname Hamilton. * Lady Mary Hamilton (1657–July 1666), who died young. * James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658–1712) * Lord William Hamilton (1659–1681) * Lady Catherine Hamilton (1662–1707), who married 1st Duke of Atholl. * Charles Douglas, 2nd Earl of Selkirk (-) * John Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Selkirk, 1st Earl of Ruglen (–1744) * George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney (1666–1737) * Lady Susannah Hamilton (1667–1737), who married John Cochrane, 2nd Earl of Dundonald. After his death, she married Charles Hay, 3rd Marquess of Tweeddale. * Lady Margaret Hamilton (1668–1731), who married James Maule, 4th Earl of Panmure. * Lord Basil Hamilton (1671–1701), drowned at age 30. * Lord Archibald Hamilton (1673–1754), an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

who married Lady Jane Hamilton (a daughter of the 6th Earl of Abercorn).

Notes

References

* * * * ;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, William, Duke of Hamilton 1634 births 1694 deaths Nobility from South Lanarkshire Dukes of Hamilton 1 William Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton Knights of the Garter Lord high admirals of Scotland Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1661–1663 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1665 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1667 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1669–1674 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1678 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1681–1682 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1685–1686 Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1689–1702 Members of the Privy Council of England Younger sons of marquesses Lords High Commissioner to the Parliament of Scotland Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland Senators of the College of Justice Extraordinary Lords of Session

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

17th-century Scottish military personnel 17th-century Scottish peers Life peers created by Charles II