James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, 6th Laird of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician.
Early life
James Hamilton was the son of
James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of
Cadzow. He was born at
Cadzow Castle,
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...
. He first appears on record on a charter of 1426, granting him the rights to the lands of
Dalserf, which had been
alienated by his father.
Douglas connection
Hamilton was intimately connected with the powerful
House of Douglas: his paternal grandmother was a daughter of James Douglas
Lord of Dalkeith d. 1441, and also through his marriage in 1439/1440 with Lady Euphemia Graham, the youthful widow of
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas and daughter of
Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn. Hamilton became stepfather to the young
6th Earl of Douglas, William Douglas, and his brother David, who would both be murdered in November 1440 at the '
Black Dinner' at
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...
in the presence of
James II. Furthermore, he was the stepfather of Margaret Douglas, known as the "
Fair Maid of Galloway", who was to marry her cousins
William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, and
James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas.
Laird o' Cadzow to Lord Hamilton
Prior to 1440 he achieved the status of
knighthood, and c. 1440/1441 he inherited his father's estates.
In 1445, Hamilton received
letters patent
Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...
creating him a
Lord of Parliament. This charter raised all his estates into the entail of that rank, with its
Capital Messuage at the ''Orchard'', (later
Hamilton Palace), at Cadzow. Furthermore, the charter stated that henceforth the lands would be known as
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
as they are today.
Hamilton accompanied his stepson in law, the 8th Earl of Douglas, to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
in 1450, and there obtained permission from the
Holy See
The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...
to convert the
Parish Church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
at the new
burgh
A burgh ( ) is an Autonomy, autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots language, Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when David I of Scotland, King David I created ...
of Hamilton into a
Collegiate Establishment, with endowments for a
Provost and six
Canons.
Royal displeasure
He was certainly with the 9th Earl of Douglas, a month after the murder when the 9th Earl burned the town of Stirling. There followed open warfare in which King James II attacked Douglas lands. An agreement was reached between the King and the Douglas faction at
Douglas Castle, in August 1452 that was to last until 1455 in which the Douglas forgave the King's killing of his brother.
In 1453, Hamilton was in England, again with the 9th Earl of Douglas, arranging the release of his brother in law,
Malise Graham, Earl of Strathearn. For this action Strathearn granted Hamilton the lands of Elliestoun in
Linlithgowshire
West Lothian, also known as Linlithgowshire (its official name until 1925), is a counties of Scotland, historic county in the east central Lowlands of Scotland. until 1925. It is bounded geographically by the River Avon, Falkirk, Avon to the wes ...
. Hamilton was again in London the following year negotiating a treasonous bond in which Douglas was to swear fealty to King Henry VI in return for support against King James, but the negotiations came to nothing. He was back in Scotland by February 1455 at which time Hamilton and the Earl of Douglas's brothers ravaged and burned much of Lanarkshire.
Siege of Abercorn and fall of the Black Douglas
In March 1455, King James took to the field against Douglas, sacking his properties and burning his crops. Hamilton's lands, he being a partisan of the Douglases, were also particularly devastated. King James then besieged the Douglas stronghold of
Abercorn Castle, using cannons to destroy it. Douglas mustered his men from Douglasdale,
Galloway
Galloway ( ; ; ) is a region in southwestern Scotland comprising the counties of Scotland, historic counties of Wigtownshire and Kirkcudbrightshire. It is administered as part of the council areas of Scotland, council area of Dumfries and Gallow ...
and the
Forest
A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
; Hamilton, his levies from Clydesdale. The troops marched to raise the siege, but the Earl of Douglas' indecision on a plan of attack is said to have perplexed Hamilton, and cause him to withdraw his support for the Douglas cause.
Hamilton changed sides and became a partisan of the Royal party. There is evidence to suggest that Hamilton's uncle,
James Livingstone, 1st Lord Livingston had a part in this change of heart. Douglas fled to England, his Castle of Abercorn was
slighted, two of his brothers died at and following the
Battle of Arkinholm; finally Douglas' great fortalice of
Threave Castle fell and Douglas was
attainted, all his enormous patrimony forfeit.
Return to Favour
Following the collapse of the Douglas rebellion, Hamilton was warded at
Roslin Castle, in
Midlothian
Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...
for a short while. As recompense for his ''Volte-Face'', Hamilton was created
Sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
of
Lanark
Lanark ( ; ; ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, located 20 kilometres to the south-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton. The town lies on the River Clyde, at its confluence with Mouse Water. In 2016, the town had a populatio ...
, in July 1455, and certain of the Earl of Douglas' forfeited lands were made over to him. These, and his existing lands, being confirmed in Royal charters of October that year. The Barony of Hamilton was increased to include the lands of
Drumsergard,
Cessford,
Kinneil etc., and carefully entailed to whosoever might bear the name and Chief arms of Hamilton. Hamilton was made
Bailie of the
Priory of Lesmahagow, a Douglas foundation, and was granted the privilege of the lands of
Finnart. Hamilton's new patron was the new Lord of Douglas,
George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, the head of the "Red line" of the House of Douglas, and a supporter of the King.
Marriage and issue
Hamilton married firstly, in 1406, Lady Euphemia Graham (died 1468), daughter of Patrick Graham, de jure
Earl of Strathearn and
Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn and widow of
Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas.
They had a daughter:
* Elizabeth Hamilton (c. 1442 – c. 1517), who married
David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose
He married secondly,
Mary, daughter of King
James II and widow of
Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran.
With Mary, Hamilton had three children:
*Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Lennox, who married
Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox. Her descendants included
James I of England & VI of Scotland.
*
James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran (c. 1475–1529)
*Robert Hamilton, Seigneur d'Aubigny (21 March 1476 – 1543)
Illegitimate children included Sir
Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil, father of
Master Patrick Hamilton, burnt for heresy in 1528 and a Protestant martyr.
Lord Hamilton also had a daughter who married Sir John MacFarlane, 11th chief of
Clan MacFarlane.
Macfarlane, p.14
/ref> John Hamilton of Broomhill (d. c. 1550), another illegitimate child of James, 1st Lord Hamilton, was by Janet Calderwood. In 1512 John's birth was legitimised. His grandson, James Hamilton, notably served as Sheriff of Perthshire, and his descendants became the Lords Belhaven and Stenton. Another illegitimate child by Janet Calderwood was David Hamilton, Bishop of Argyll and commendator of Dryburgh Abbey.
Ancestry
References
Notes
Sources
* 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'' Vol IV. Edinburgh 190
*MacFarlane, James, ''History of Clan MacFarlane'', Glasgow 192
*Johnston, G. Harvey (1909): "The Heraldry of the Hamiltons - with notes on all the males of the family, descriptions of the arms, plates and pedigrees", Johnston, Edinbourgh and London
(pdf)
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1410s births, Hamilton, James, 1st Lord
Hamilton, James, 1st Lord
Nobility from South Lanarkshire
Year of birth uncertain
Hamilton, James, 1st Lord
Peers created by James II of Scotland
Scottish knights
15th-century Scottish judges
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