Archibald Hamilton

Hamilton was the fourth of nine children born to Sarah Hutton (1780–1817) and Archibald Hamilton (1778–1819), who lived in Dublin at 38 Dominick Street. Hamilton's father, who was from Dunboyne, worked as a solicitor.

Family notes

• from William Rowan Hamilton(1805–1865) by T.D. Spearman, School of Mathematics, Trinity College Dublin, proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy.(1995)

Archibald Hamilton acted as agent for the unrelated Hamilton Rowans. ... It seems likely he helped organize William Rowan Hamilton's escape from prison. He had to borrow substantial amounts of money & with other difficulties he was declared bankrupt.

• from http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Hamilton.html

William Rowan Hamilton's father, Archibald Hamilton, did not have time to teach William as he was often away in England pursuing legal business. Archibald Hamilton had not had a university education and it is thought that Hamilton's genius came from his mother, Sarah Hutton. By the age of five, William had already learned Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He was taught these subjects by his uncle, the Rev James Hamilton, who William lived with in Trim for many years. James was a fine teacher.

• from The curious connection between William Rowan Hamilton and other Hamiltons

William Hamilton and Grace McFerrand had six children: James, Archibald, Arthur, Robert, William and Jane Sydney.  Their son Archibald married Sarah Hutton in 1800, and among the children of Archibald and Sarah was a certain William Rowan Hamilton (1805-1865), who went on to become a mathematician and Astronomer Royal of Ireland. Grace McFerrand would have been a sort of “foster sister” to the United Irishman Archibald Rowan Hamilton, which may help explain why he was the godfather of William Rowan Hamilton, and may also help explain why the famous mathematician had Rowan for his middle name.