James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn, PC (Ire) (c. 1661 – 28 November 1734), was a Scottish and Irish peer and politician. Appointed a groom of the bedchamber to Charles II after his father's death in battle, he took the Williamite side at the Glorious Revolution and in March 1689 supplied Derry with stores that enabled the town to sustain the Siege of Derry until it was relieved in August. Shortly after inheriting a Scottish and Irish peerage from a second cousin, he was created a viscount in Ireland for his services to the Williamite cause.

James Hamilton
Earl of Abercorn
James_Hamilton_6th_Earl_of_Abercorn.jpg
Detail from the portrait below
Tenure1701–1734
PredecessorCharles, 5th Earl of Abercorn
SuccessorJames, 7th Earl of Abercorn
Bornc. 1661
Died28 November 1734
BuriedWestminster Abbey
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Reading
Issue
Detail
James, George, Jane, Charles, & others
FatherJames Hamilton
MotherElizabeth Colepeper

Birth and origins

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James was born in 1661 or 1662,[1][a] the eldest son of James Hamilton and his wife Elizabeth Colepeper. His father, James the elder, was a colonel in the English army, Hyde Park Ranger, and a groom of the bedchamber to Charles II of England. His father's family was a cadet branch of the Abercorns that started with his grandfather Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet, of Donalong, who was the fourth son of the 1st Earl of Abercorn.

Family tree
James Hamilton with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[b]
James
1st Earl

1575–1618
Marion
Boyd

d. 1632
Recusant
James
2nd Earl

d. c. 1670
Claud
2nd Baron
Strabane

d. 1638
George
1st Baronet.
Donalong

c. 1608 – 1679
Mary
Butler

d. 1680
George
3rd Earl

c. 1636 –
bef. 1683
James
3rd Baron
Strabane

1633–1655
George
4th Baron
Strabane

1636/7 – 1668
James
d. 1673
d.v.p.*
Elizabeth
Colepeper

d. 1709
Claud
4th Earl

1659–1691
Charles
5th Earl

d. 1701
James
6th Earl
c. 1661 – 1734
Elizabeth
Reading

d. 1754
James
7th Earl

1686–1744
Anne
Plumer

1690–1776
James
8th Earl

1712–1789
John
Hamilton

1714–1755
Harriet
Eliot
John
1st
Marquess

1756–1818
Catherine
Copley

died 1791
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article
XXXEarls of
Abercorn
XXXBarons
Strabane
*d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris)

James's mother was a daughter of John Colepeper, 1st Baron Colepeper, an English courtier.[4] His parents married in 1661.[5] James, the younger, was one of six sons, of which three survived into adulthood.[6] and are listed in his father's article. James, the younger, was raised a Protestant as his father, who had originally been a Catholic, had converted to that faith to marry his mother.

Father's and grandfather's successions

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On 6 June 1673 when he was about twelve years old, his father died from a wound received at a sea fight with the Dutch in the Third Anglo-Dutch War.[7] James, the younger, was compensated by an appointment as an extra groom of the bedchamber on 18 April 1680.[8] His father had predeceased his grandfather who still held the land of Donalong between Strabane and Derry in Ireland.

When his grandfather died in 1679, James, the younger, inherited the land and should have succeeded to his grandfather's baronetcy, i.e. Baronet Hamilton of Donalong, but he never assumed the title calling himself Captain Hamilton, his rank in the English army.[9] This might indicate that this baronetcy had never been properly created.[10]

Marriage and children

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Captain Hamilton married the heiress Elizabeth Reading, daughter of Sir Robert Reading, 1st Baronet, of Dublin, and Jane Hannay, widow of Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Mountrath, in January 1684.[11] Charles II issued a warrant on 22 January 1684 to create Hamilton "Baron Hamilton of Bellamont", county Dublin, in the Irish peerage, but it never passed the seals.[12]

James and Elizabeth had 14 children nine sons:

  1. Robert (1687), died as a young child[13]
  2. James (1686–1744), became the 7th Earl[14]
  3. Robert, died very young[15]
  4. John (c. 1694 – 1714), never married[16]
  5. George, died in infancy[17]
  6. George (died 1775), MP, married and had issue[18]
  7. Rev. Hon. Francis Hamilton (1700–1746), married and had issue[19]
  8. William (1703–1721), was lost aboard HMS Royal Anne Galley[20]
  9. Charles (1704–1786), MP, married and had issue[21]

—and five daughters:

  1. Elizabeth Hamilton, married firstly on 2 January 1711 William Brownlow, and secondly in 1741 Martin, Count de Kearnie[22] Through her first marriage she is an ancestress of actor Ralph Fiennes.[citation needed]
  2. Jane, died in infancy[23]
  3. Mary (born before 1704), married in January 1719 Henry Colley of Carbury Castle, County Kildare and had issue[24]
  4. Philippa Hamilton (died 1767), married Rev. Benjamin Pratt without issue, then married Michael O'Connell of London and had one son[25]
  5. Jane (before 1704 – 1753), married Archibald Douglas-Hamilton as his third wife[26] She also was mistress to Frederick, Prince of Wales.[27]

Expedition to Derry

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Captain Hamilton's post in the bedchamber ended with the King's death in 1685. He had entered a career in the army and held a commission in the English army of the new king, James II.

In 1688 at the Glorious Revolution he sided with William. In spring 1689 when war menaced in northern Ireland, he was sent to Derry with provisions in order to prepare the city for a likely siege. On 21 March 1689 he[28] arrived at Derry from England with two ships: the frigate HMS Jersey and the merchantman Deliverance,[29] bringing gunpowder, munition, weapons, and £595 in cash.[30] These provisions were to be crucial during the Siege of Derry. He also brought the commission from King William and Queen Mary that confirmed Colonel Robert Lundy as Williamite governor of the town.[31]

He therefore helped to defend Derry. His uncle Richard Hamilton (officer), lieutenant-general in the Irish Royal Army, attacked it.[32]

Member of parliament

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After the end of the Williamite war in Ireland, he was elected as one of the two MPs for County Tyrone in the Irish House of Commons on 22 September 1692 and again on 12 August 1695.[33][34][35]

 
Lord Abercorn in parliamentary robes

Sixth Earl of Abercorn

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In June 1701 died in Strabane his second cousin Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Abercorn, without surviving children.[36] Captain Hamilton was his second cousin. The great-grandfather they had in common was James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn (see Family tree). Captain Hamilton succeeded as 6th Earl of Abercorn in the Scottish and 7th Baron Hamilton of Strabane in the Irish peerage. His eldest, James, acquired the courtesy title Lord Paisley as the heir apparent. The new Lord Abercorn also entered into the possession of the corresponding lands.

About six months later, on 2 December 1701, Lord Abercorn was rewarded by King William with the titles of Viscount Strabane and Baron Mountcastle, both in the Peerage of Ireland.[37] The former was an enhancement of his title of Baron Hamilton of Strabane and was probably given to improve his precedence at the Irish House of Lords.

Lord Abercorn took his seat in the Irish House of Lords (as Viscount Strabane) on 21 September 1703, and in the Parliament of Scotland (as Earl of Abercorn) on 3 October 1706. By April 1711, he had been appointed also to the Privy Council of Ireland.

His father-in-law had built several lighthouses on Ireland's coast under a patent from Charles I. They had been made over to Hamilton as part of the dowry. In 1703 the Irish government found the lighthouses neglected and took them over. Hamilton was compensated by a payment of £3,000.[38]

Death, succession, and timeline

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Abercorn died on 28 November 1734 at the age of 73[39] and was buried on 3 December in the Ormond vault of the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey.[40] The Ormond Vault was opened in 1868 and was found to be filled with many coffins stacked one over the other. Their number was estimated at 59.[41] Individual identification beyond the top layer was not attempted. Abercorn's remains may well be there.

He was succeeded by his eldest son James as the 7th Earl. His wife died on 19 March 1754.[42]

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages.
Age Date Event
0 1661, about Born[1]
11–12 1673, 6 Jun Father died from a wound received in a sea fight against the Dutch.[7]
17–18 1679 Did not assume the title of Baronet Hamilton of Donalong and Nenagh at his grandfather's death.[9]
21–22 1683, Jan Married Elizabeth Reading.[11]
23–24 1685 Lost his office as groom of the bedchamber at Charles II's death.
26–27 1688 Sided with William at the Glorious Revolution.
27–28 1689, 21 Mar Brought provisions to Derry.[28]
30–31 1692, 22 Sep Elected MP for County Tyrone.[34]
33–34 1695, 12 Aug Re-elected MP for County Tyrone.[35]
39–40 1701, Jun Succeeded his second cousin Charles as 6th Earl of Abercorn.[36]
39–40 1701, 2 Sep Created Baron Mountcastle and Viscount Strabane.[37]
47–48 1709 Mother died.[43]
72–73 1734, 28 Nov Died and was buried in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey.[39]

Legacy

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Abercorn Street in Savannah, Georgia, is named for the 6th Earl.[44]

Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ His year of birth, given by Henderson (1890) as 1656,[2] is corrected to "about 1661" in Handley (2004).[1]
  2. ^ This family tree is partly derived from the Abercorn pedigree pictured in Cokayne.[3] Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c Handley 2004, p. 852, right column, line 25: "Hamilton, James, 6th Earl of Abercorn (c.1661–1734) ..."
  2. ^ Henderson 1890, p. 185: "Hamilton, James, sixth Earl of Abercorn (1656–1734)"
  3. ^ Cokayne 1910, p. 4: "Tabular pedigree of the Earls of Abercorn"
  4. ^ Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 4: "being s. [son] and h. [heir] of Col. James H. by Elizabeth da. [daughter] of John (Colepepper) 1st Lord Colpeper, who was s. and h.ap. [heir apparent] of Sir George H. of Donalong, co. Tyrone, 1st Bart. [Ireland]), who was 4th s. of the 1st Earl."
  5. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 54, right column, line 39: "1. James, Col. in the service of Charles II and Groom of the Bedchamber, m. [married] 1661, Elizabeth, dau. [daughter] of John, Lord Colepeper."
  6. ^ Paul 1904, p. 57, line 19: "... had six sons, of whom three only survived their infancy:"
  7. ^ a b Paul 1904, p. 57, line 3: "His regiment being embarked on board the navy, in one of the expeditions of the Duke of York against the Dutch, Colonel Hamilton had one of his legs taken off by a cannonball of which wound he died 6 June 1673 ..."
  8. ^ Sainty & Bucholz 1997, p. [15]: "1680 18 Apr Hamilton J."
  9. ^ a b Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 30: "James, 6th Earl of Abercorn, who had declined to assume the title of Baronet on the decease of his grandfather, 1679, and was known as Captain Hamilton."
  10. ^ Cokayne 1903, p. 305, note c: "This non-assumption of the dignity throws some little doubt on its creation."
  11. ^ a b Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 16: "He m. [married] (Lic. at Fac. off 24 January 1683/4) Elizabeth (then aged about 15), only child of Robert Reading, of Dublin, Bart. (so created 1675) ..."
  12. ^ Handley 2004, p. 852, right column, line 41: "... Hamilton had a warrant as Lord Bellamont, but that it would not be executed until 'some further matter b done for him'."
  13. ^ Paul 1904, p. 59, line 35: "Robert, baptized 12 July 1687, died soon afterwards."
  14. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 43: "James, 7th Earl."
  15. ^ Paul 1904, p. 59, line 37: "Robert, died very young."
  16. ^ Paul 1904, p. 59, last line: "John, died unmarried 1714, aged 20."
  17. ^ Paul 1904, p. 60, line 1: "George, died in infancy."
  18. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 44: "George, M.P. for Wells, m. [married] 1719, Bridget, dau. of Col. William Coward, M.P. ..."
  19. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 46: "Francis (Rev.), m. [married] 20 Oct. 1733, Dorothy, dau. and co-heir of James Forth, of Redwood ..."
  20. ^ Paul 1904, p. 61, line 14: "William Hamilton, baptized at St. Peter's, Dublin, 20 October 1703; lost off Lizard Point, 10 November 1721, in the Royal Anne galley, going out with Lord Belhaven to his government of Barbadoes, as a volunteer in the sea service."
  21. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 48: "Charles, M.P. for Truro, left issue by his 1st wife, 2 daus. [daughters] He m. []married 2ndly Agnes, dau. of David Cockburn, M.D. of Ayr."
  22. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 51: "Elizabeth, m. [married] 1st, 2 Jan. 1711 William Brownlow, of Lurgan, and 2ndly,1741, Martin, Count de Kearnie."
  23. ^ Paul 1904, p. 62, line 7: "Jane, died in infancy."
  24. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 54: "Mary, m. [married] 1719, Henry Colley, M.P."
  25. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 55: "Philippa, m. [married] 1st Benjamin Pratt, M.D.; and 2ndly Michael Connell, and d. [died] 27 Jan. 1767."
  26. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, right column, line 57: "Jane, m. [married] 26 Sept. 1719, Archibald, son of the Duke of Hamilton."
  27. ^ Walters 1972, p. 99: "There was also a new occasion for pleasure in the form of a plain but nevertheless attractive matron aged thirty-five, seven years his senior. She was Jane, daughter of the Earl of Abercorn and third wife of Lord Archibald Hamilton ..."
  28. ^ a b Wills 1841, p. 328, line 10: "James Hamilton afterwards Earl of Abercorn, who brought to its [i.e. Derry's] relief from England a quantity of arms and ammunition, with five thousand pounds in money."
  29. ^ Childs 2007, p. 61: "HMS Jersey (captain John Beverley RN) and the merchantman Deliverance entered Lough Foyle on 21 March" ...
  30. ^ Witherow 1879, p. 75: "On the same day, the 21st of March, Captain James Hamilton arrived from England, bringing with him 8000 stand of arms for the garrison, 480 barrels of powder, and £595 in money;"
  31. ^ Walker 1893, p. 14"March 20. Captain James Hamilton arrived from England, with Ammunitions and Arms, 480 Barrels of Powder, and Arms for 2000 men, and a Commission from the King and Queen for Col. Lundy to be Governour of the City, ..."
  32. ^ MacGeoghegan 1763, p. 738: "Le capitaine Jacques Hamilton(a) ... [footnote](a) il étoit neveu de Richard Hamilton, qui commandoit ce siége pour le roi ..."
  33. ^ Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 9: "M.P. for Tyrone 1692 and again 1695"
  34. ^ a b House of Commons 1878, p. 633a: "1692 / 22 Sept. / James Hamilton, esq. / Donalonge / Tyrone County"
  35. ^ a b House of Commons 1878, p. 633b: "1695 / 12 Aug. / James Hamilton, esq. / Donalonge / Tyrone County"
  36. ^ a b Lodge 1789, p. 117: "... and died at Strabane June 1701."
  37. ^ a b Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 12: "Accordingly, on 2 Sep. 1701, he was cr. Baron Mountcastle, co. Tyrone, and Viscount Strabane [I.] ..."
  38. ^ Bergin 2009, 4th paragraph. "A lighthouse patent and related pension of £500 a year, conveyed to him by his father-in-law as part of his marriage settlement, were investigated in 1703 by the house of commons, which complained that the lighthouses were neglected; he surrendered both in return for £3,000."
  39. ^ a b Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 19: "He d. [died] 28 Sep. 1734, aged 73, and was bur. 3 Dec in the Ormonde vault in Henry VII's Chapel, Westmin. Abbey."
  40. ^ Chester 1876, p. 342: "1734 Dec. 3 Lord James Hamilton, Earl and baron of Abercorn, Baron Paisley, Hamilton, Mountcastle, and Kilpatrick, Scotch honours, and Viscount Struband [Strabane] and Mountcastle of the Kingdom of Ireland: in the Duke of Ormond's vault."
  41. ^ Stanley 1869, p. 630: "The Ormond Vault. Report of its examination on the 3rd of August 1868."
  42. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 55, left column, line 41: "She [his wife] d. [died] 19 March, 1754 ..."
  43. ^ Burke & Burke 1915, p. 54, right column: "She [his mother] d. 1709, leaving issue."
  44. ^ Cope 2016.

Sources

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Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by
Gordon O'Neill
Lewis Doe
Member of Parliament for County Tyrone
1692–1699
With: Henry Mervyn
Succeeded by
Peerage of Scotland
Preceded by Earl of Abercorn
1701–1734
Succeeded by
Peerage of Ireland
New creation Viscount Strabane
1701–1734
Succeeded by