James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Clanbrassil (c.1618 – 20 June 1659), was an Ulster-Scots

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 gove ...

peer, soldier and politician.

Early life

Lord Clanbrassil was the son of The 1st Viscount Claneboye and Jane Philips. His father had been an agent for

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

and was granted a large amount of land in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

following James' accession to the English throne.

Career

Clanbrassil sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...

as the Member of Parliament for

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

between 1634 and 1635. Upon the outbreak of the civil war in England, he raised a regiment of foot and a troop of horse in support 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 ...

. The force was maintained for eight years at Clanbrassil's own expense. He succeeded to his father's viscountcy in 1644. Following the defeat of the king by the forces of

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, Clanbrassil's estates were seized 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 ...

. On 7 June 1647, Charles I created him Earl of Clanbrassil in the

Peerage of Ireland The peerage of Ireland consists of those Peerage, titles of nobility created by the English monarchs in their capacity as Lordship of Ireland, Lord or Monarchy of Ireland, King of Ireland, or later by monarchs of the United Kingdom of Great B ...

in recognition of his service. Clanbrassil was one of a number of

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Royalists who were allowed to return to their estates under

The Protectorate The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the English form of government lasting from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659, under which the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotl ...

, and did so in 1654 in return for a payment of £9,435. He was succeeded by his second son.

Personal life

In 1638 he was betrothed to Lady Mary Boyle, the 13-year-old daughter of the 1st Earl of Cork. The marriage, however, never took place, as Mary, despite intense pressure from her formidable father, absolutely refused to marry him, on the unflattering ground that she found him physically repulsive. This defiance of a father's wishes, particularly in such a young girl, was almost unprecedented in the seventeenth century. Mary, however, was noted from an early age for her extraordinary strength of character. Even her father ruefully admitted that he was unable to control "my unruly daughter", and since he was genuinely fond of her he let the betrothal lapse. On 23 September 1641, he married Lady Anne Carey.Jane Ohlmeyer, ''Making Ireland English: The Irish Aristocracy in the Seventeenth Century'' (

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

, 2012), 202. The couple had four children: * Hon. James Hamilton, ''styled''

Viscount Claneboye A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

(1642–1658) *

Henry Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil Henry Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil (c.1647 – 12 January 1675) was an Anglo-Irish peer. His family alleged that he was murdered by his wife, Lady Alice Moore (Lady Clanbrassil), so that she could inherit his estate. Biography Lord Clanbras ...

(1647–1675) * Hon. Hans Hamilton * Lady Jane Hamilton, who died unmarried Lord Clanbrassil died on 20 June 1659 and was succeeded by his second son,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clanbrassil, James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Year of birth uncertain 1659 deaths Earls in the Peerage of Ireland Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Down constituencies Cavaliers 17th-century Anglo-Irish people