James Hamilton, Earl of Abercorn

JAMES HAMILTON, EARL OF ABERCORN

James Hamilton, Earl of Abercorn, is the son of Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley NRS: GD220/1/A/7/4/1

Marriage

James Hamilton, Earl of Abercorn, married Marion Boyd, Countess of Abercorn NRS: GD8/537

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

                   1

15 November 1611: Extract Decree of Transferring by the Lords of Council, of a Summons of Declarator at the instance of James Elphinstone of Woodsyde, against Thomas, Lord Boyd, in the person of Robert, now Lord Boyd, grandson and apparent heir to the late Thomas, Lord Boyd; James, Master of Boyd, his father, Dame Elizabeth Wallace, Lady Boyd, relict of the said Thomas, Sir James Boyd of Bonschawe, Adam and John both sons to the said deceased Thomas, Lord Boyd and Dames MARIAN, Elizabeth and Agnes Boyds, lawful daughters of the said Thomas, Lord Boyd, James, Earl of Abercorn, spouse to the said MARIAN, Sir Duncan Campbell of Auchenbreck, spouse to the said Elizabeth and Sir George Elphinstone of Blythswood, spouse to the said Agnes, passive. National Records of Scotland, Boyd Papers, Burgh of Kilmarnock, reference GD8/537

                   2

20 June 1612: Tack by James, Earl of Abercorn as sole commissioner of Claud, Lord Paisley, his father, for setting tacks of the teinds of the Abbey of Paisley and as assignee for Dame Isabel Hamilton, Lady Seton and Sir William Seton in Kylsmuir, her son, who had a tack of the teinds of the parish of Kilpatrick from the said Claud, Lord Paisley in favour of John Graham, second son of Robert Graham of Auchincloich and Margaret Montgomery, his wife, of the teind sheaves of the £10 lands of Auchincloich, Hiltoun and Auldmarrock for 19 years from Lammas 1611, for payment of £16 yearly of teind tackduty; at Edinburgh. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Graham Family, Dukes of Montrose, reference GD220/1/A/7/4/1

Biographical Summary Copied from Wikipedia

James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn PC (S) (Saturday, 12 August 1575 to Tuesday, 23 March 1618) was a Scottish diplomat for James VI and I and an undertaker in the Plantation of Ulster, Ireland.

Birth and origins

James was born on Saturday, 12 August 1575, probably at Paisley, Scotland, the eldest son of Claud Hamilton and his wife Margaret Seton. His father was the first Lord Paisley. His paternal grandfather was James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran in Scotland and Duke of Châtellerault in France. His father's family descended from Walter FitzGilbert, the founder of the House of Hamilton, who had received the barony of Cadzow from Robert the Bruce. James's mother was a daughter of George Seton, 7th Lord Seton. Both parents were Scottish. They had married in 1574.

Several of his siblings died in their infancy or childhood. Six reached adulthood.

Early life

Nothing seems to be known about his youth. As eldest son he was given the courtesy title of Master of Paisley after the Scottish habit.

Marriage and children

Shortly before or in 1592, Master Paisley married Marion, daughter of Thomas Boyd, 6th Lord Boyd. Marion was a prominent Roman Catholic and would in 1628 be excommunicated by the synod of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow after his death.

James and Marion had nine children, five boys:

• James (c. 1603 – c. 1670), succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Abercorn
• Claud (died 1638), established himself in Ireland
• William (died 1681), was created Baronet Hamilton of Westport and represented Henrietta Maria, Charles I's widow, at the pope
• George (c. 1608 – 1679), was created Baronet Hamilton of Donalong
• Alexander (died before Wednesday, 4 May 1669), founded the German branch of the family

—and four girls:

• Anne (1592–1620), married Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill in 1611
• Margaret (died 1642), married Sir William Cunninghame of Caprington
• Isobel (1600–1620)
• Lucy (born before 1618), for whom a marriage was arranged with Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim, but the wedding never took place

Life in Scotland

In 1597, Master Paisley sat for Linlithgow in the Parliament of Scotland. He was also made a Gentleman of the Bedchamber and a member of the Privy Council to James VI of Scotland. In 1600, the King created him hereditary Sheriff of Linlithgow.

On Friday, 24 March 1603 James VI also became King of England as James I and from there on reigned both kingdoms in personal union.

On Wednesday, 5 April 1603, Master Paisley was created Lord Abercorn, of Linlithgowshire. This made him the first of the long line of earls, then marquesses, and finally dukes of Abercorn.

His wife was a close friend of Anne of Denmark. In May 1603 Anne of Denmark came to Stirling Castle hoping to collect her son Prince Henry, who was in the keeping of the Earl of March Anne fainted at dinner and when Jean Drummond and Marion Boyd, Mistress of Paisley, carried her to bed she had a miscarriage. The lawyer Thomas Haddington wrote an account of these events, and said the queen had told her physician Martin Schöner and the Mistress of Paisley that she had taken "some balm water that hastened her abort".

In 1604, Lord Abercorn, as he was now, served on a royal commission established to consider the union of the crowns of England and Scotland. Though the project failed, the king was content with his services. He received large grants of lands in Scotland.

On Friday, 10 July 1606 he was further honoured by being created Earl of Abercorn, Baron Paisley, Baron Hamilton, Baron Mountcastell, and Baron Kilpatrick. The family tree shows how the Abercorn title was inherited moving at the death of the 3rd Earl to the descendants of the 2nd son, Claud, and then at the death of the 5th Earl to the descendants of his 4th son, George.

Plantation of Ulster

Lord Abercorn, as he was now, and his brothers Claud and George were undertakers in James VI and I's Plantation of Ulster. He does not appear on the list of undertaker of 1609, but on the list of 1611 he is granted the great proportion of Donalong (2000 acres) and the small proportion of Strabane (1000 acres). He acquired the middle (medium-sized) proportion of Shean from Boyd at a later time. He was given pieces of land called Strabane, Donnalonge and Shean in County Tyrone that had been confiscated from the O'Neill clan. He built a castle at Strabane. His brother Claude, called "of Shawfield", was given land in County Cavan. His brother George, called "of Greenlaw and Rosscrea", would found the village of Ballymagorry, 4.9 kilometres (3.0 mi) north of Strabane, where the townland of Greenlaw is, and build the castle or manor of Derrywoone, situated on the present-day Baronscourt estate.

On Saturday, 11 March 1614 [1613/4], he was summoned to attend the Parliament of Ireland and was granted the precedence of an earl in Ireland (confirmed by royal warrant on 31 March), although he had never been created a peer in that realm. He was appointed to the Council of Munster on Sunday, 20 May 1615.

Death, succession, and timeline

Lord Abercorn died on Tuesday, 23 March 1618, at Monkton, Ayrshire, Scotland, predeceasing his father and was buried on Thursday, 29 April 1618 in Paisley Abbey church.

He predeceased his father by three years and therefore never became Lord Paisley, but, having been created Earl of Abercorn, he did not miss this title. His eldest son, James, aged 14, succeeded him as the 2nd Earl of Abercorn. His widow died in Edinburgh in 1632. His brother, Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw and Roscrea, helped to bring up the children and to convert them to the Catholic religion.

Unattributed Biographical Summary

James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn PC (c. 1575 – 23 March 1618), was the eldest son of Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley (4th son of James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran), and of Margaret, daughter of George Seton, 5th Lord Seton.

Hamilton was made Sheriff of Linlithgow in 1600, received large grants of lands in Scotland and Ireland, was created in 1603 Baron Abercorn, and on 10 July 1606 was rewarded for his services in the matter of the union by being made Earl of Abercorn and Lord Paisley, Hamilton, Mountcastell and Kilpatrick. He married Marion, daughter of Thomas Boyd, 5th Lord Boyd, and left nine children:

Lady Anne Hamilton (1592–1620), married Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill and had issue

James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn (c. 1604 – c. 1670), created Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane in the Peerage of Ireland in his father's lifetime.

Sir William Hamilton, 1st Baronet (c. 1605–1680)

Claud Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane (c. 1606–1638)

Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet (c. 1607–1679)

Lady Lucy Hamilton (b. bef. 1618)

Sir Alexander Hamilton (d. bef. May 4, 1669), married and had issue

Lady Margaret Hamilton (d. c. May 4, 1642), married Sir William Cuninghame of Caprington

Lady Isobel Hamilton

He died on 23 March 1618. His heirs, Earls of Abercorn, heads of the Hamilton family, became Marquesses of Abercorn in 1790, and Dukes of Abercorn in 1868; the 2nd Duke of Abercorn (b. 1838) being a prominent Unionist politician and chairman of the British South Africa Company. The present Dukes are descended from his fourth son, Sir George, the issue of the three elder being extinct.

Unattributed Biographical Summary

James Hamilton held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Linlithgow Scotland in 1597. He was invested as a Privy Counsellor (P.C.) Scotland on 14 December 1598. He was made Sheriff of Linlithgow in 1600, received large grants of lands in Scotland and Ireland. He was created 1st Lord Abercorn, co. Linlithgow Scotland on 5 April 1603. In 1604 he served on the commission which treated for a proposed union of Scotland with England. He was created 1st Lord Paisley, Hamilton, Mountcashell and Kirkpatrick [Scotland] on 10 July 1606. He was created 1st Earl of Abercorn Scotland on 10 July 1606.4 He held the office of Member of the Council of the province of Munster on 20 May 1615.4 He held the office of Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James VI.

He married Marion, daughter of Thomas Boyd, 6th Lord Boyd, and left nine children:
Lady Anne Hamilton (1592–1620), married Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill and had issue James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn (c. 1604 – c. 1670), created Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane in the Peerage of Ireland in his father's lifetime. Sir William Hamilton, 1st Baronet (c. 1605–1680) Claud Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane (c. 1606–1638) Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet (c. 1607–1679) Lady Lucy Hamilton (b. bef. 1618) Sir Alexander Hamilton (d. bef. 4 May 1669), married and had issue Lady Margaret Hamilton (d. c. 4 May 1642), married Sir William Cuninghame of Caprington Lady Isobel Hamilton

Genealogy

1. The Scots Peerage I: pp. 46-8
2. Stirnet: Hamilton 10
3. Wikipedia