John Hamilton, 2nd Lord Belhaven and Stenton (5 July 1656 – 21 June 1708) was a Scottish peer, landowner and politician.

Life

He was the eldest son of Robert Hamilton, Lord Presmennan (d. 1696). Having married Margaret, granddaughter of John Hamilton, 1st Lord Belhaven and Stenton; who had been made a peer by

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 1647, he succeeded to this title in 1679.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 In 1681, he was imprisoned for opposing the government and for speaking slightingly of James, duke of York, afterwards James VII and II, in parliament, and in 1689 he was among those who asked William of Orange to undertake the government of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. Belhaven was at the

Battle of Killiecrankie The Battle of Killiecrankie ( gd, Blàr Choille Chnagaidh), also referred to as the Battle of Rinrory, took place on 27 July 1689 during the Jacobite rising of 1689, 1689 Scottish Jacobite rising. An outnumbered Jacobitism, Jacobite force under ...

in 1689. He was a member of the Scottish privy council.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 He was a director of and invested heavily in the Scottish Trading Company, which was formed in 1695 and was responsible for the ill-fated

Darien scheme The Darien scheme was an unsuccessful attempt, backed largely by investors of the Kingdom of Scotland, to gain wealth and influence by establishing ''New Caledonia'', a colony on the Isthmus of Panama, in the late 1690s. The plan was for the co ...

to set up a Scots colony on the Darien peninsula in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 He was also a proponent of agricultural improvement publishing a handbook, ''The Countryman's Rudiments'' in 1699. He favoured the agitation for securing greater liberty for his country, an agitation which culminated in the passing of the

Act of Security The Act of Security 1704 (also referred to as the Act for the Security of the Kingdom) was a response by the Parliament of Scotland to the Parliament of England's Act of Settlement 1701. Queen Anne's last surviving child, William, Duke of Glou ...

in 1705, and he greatly disliked the

union of the parliaments The Acts of Union ( gd, Achd an Aonaidh) were two Acts of Parliament: the Union with Scotland Act 1706 passed by the Parliament of England, and the Union with England Act 1707 passed by the Parliament of Scotland. They put into effect the te ...

, a speech which he delivered against this proposal in November 1706 attracting much notice. He was, along with Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, one of the most eloquent of politicians. Two of his speeches, one being the famous one of November 1706, were published in an appendix to Daniel Defoe's ''History of the Union'' (first printed in 1710). Later he was imprisoned, ostensibly for favouring a projected French invasion, and he died in London on 21 June 1708. Belhaven's son, John, who fought on the

British Government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_est ...

side at the Battle of Sheriffmuir, became the 3rd Lord on his father's death. He was drowned in November 1721, whilst proceeding to take up his duties as governor of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

, and was succeeded by his son John (d. 1764).{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911 After the death of John's brother James in 1777 the title was for a time dormant; then in 1799 the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster ...

declared that William Hamilton (1765–1814), a descendant of John Hamilton, the paternal great-grandfather of the 2nd Lord, was entitled to the dignity. William, who became the 7th Lord, was succeeded by his son Robert (1793–1868), who was created a peer of the United Kingdom as Baron Hamilton of Wishaw in 1831. He died without issue in December 1868, when the barony of Hamilton became extinct; in 1875 the House of Lords declared that his cousin, James Hamilton (1822–1893) was rightfully Lord Belhaven and Stenton, and the title descended to his kinsman, Alexander Charles (b. 1840), the 10th Lord.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911

References

{{wikisource author {{reflist ;Attribution *{{EB1911, wstitle=Belhaven and Stenton, John Hamilton, 2nd Baron, volume=3 {{s-start {{s-reg, sct {{succession box, title=

Lord Belhaven and Stenton Lord Belhaven and Stenton, of the County of Haddington, is a Lordship of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1647 for Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, with remainder to his heirs male. History This branch of the prominent ...

, before= John Hamilton, after= John Hamilton, years=1678–1708 {{s-end {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Belhaven And Stenton, John Hamilton, 2nd Lord 1656 births 1708 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) Members of the Privy Council of Scotland 17th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish politicians 18th-century British politicians Scottish businesspeople Scottish investors Scottish agronomists Members of the Convention of the Estates of Scotland 1689 Commissioners of the Treasury of Scotland