James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn PC (S) (1575–1618) was a Scottish peer and diplomat for James VI and I. He was also an important undertaker in the Plantation of Ulster, Ireland.

James Hamilton
Earl of Abercorn
Reign	1606–1618
Successor	James, 2nd Earl of Abercorn
Born	12 August 1575
Died	23 March 1618 Monkton, Ayrshire, Scotland
Buried	Paisley Abbey
Spouse(s)	Marion Boyd
Detail Issue James, Claud, George, & others
Father	Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley
Mother	Margaret Seton

Birth and origins

James was born on 12 August 1575,[1] probably at Paisley, Scotland, the eldest son of Claud Hamilton and his wife Margaret Seton. His father was the first Lord Paisley.[2] His paternal grandfather was James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran. James's mother was a daughter of George Seton, 6th Lord Seton.[2][3] Both parents were Scottish. They married in 1574.[3]

Family tree

James Hamilton with wife, parents, and other selected relatives. James 2nd Earl c. 1516 – 1575 Margaret Douglas James 3rd Earl 1537–1609 John 1st Marquess Hamilton 1540–1604 Claud 1st Ld Paisley 1546–1621 Margaret Seton d. 1616 James 1st Earl 1575–1618 Marion Boyd d. 1632 Recusant Claud of Shawfield d. 1614 George of Greenlaw & Roscrea d. bef. 1657 Frederick 1590–1647 James 2nd Earl d. c. 1670 Katherine 2nd Baroness Clifton c. 1590 – 1637 Claud 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane d. 1638 George 1st Bt. Donalong c. 1608 – 1679 George 3rd Earl c. 1636 – bef. 1683 James 3rd Baron H. of Strabane 1633–1655 George 4th Baron H. of Strabane 1636/7 – 1668 James c. 1630 – 1673 Claud 4th Earl 1659–1691 Charles 5th Earl d. 1701 James 6th Earl c. 1661 – 1734 Legend XXX James Hamilton XXX Earls of Abercorn XXX Earls of Arran This family tree is partly derived from the Abercorn pedigree pictured in Cokayne.[4] Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

Several of his siblings died in their infancy or childhood.[5] Six reached adulthood:[6]

James listed among his siblings

He heads the list of siblings below as the eldest: James (1575–1618); John, married Johanna Everard, daughter of Levimus Everard;[7] Claud (died 1614), of Shawfield, appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland,[8] and whose daughter Margaret married Sir John Stewart of Methven;[9] George (died before 1657) of Greenlaw and Roscrea, lived at Derrywoone Castle in County Tyrone;[10] Frederick (1590–1647), built Manorhamilton and served Sweden in the Thirty Years' War;[11] Margaret (died 1623), married William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas.

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.[12]

Marriage and children

Shortly before or in 1592 Master Paisley married Marion, daughter of Thomas Boyd, 6th Lord Boyd.[13] Marion was a prominent Roman Catholic and would in 1628 be excommunicated by the synod of the Church of Scotland in Glasgow[14] after his death.

James and Marion had nine children, five boys:

1. James (c. 1603 – c. 1670), succeeded as the 2nd Earl of Abercorn;[15]
2. Claud (died 1638), established himself in Ireland;[16]
3. William (died 1681), was created Baronet Hamilton of Westport and represented Henrietta Maria, Charles I's widow, at the pope;[17][18][19]
4. George (c. 1608 – 1679), was created Baronet Hamilton of Donalong;[20] and
5. Alexander (died before 4 May 1669), founded the German branch of the family;[21]

—and four girls:

1. Anne (1592–1620), married Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill in 1611;[22]
2. Margaret (died 1642), married Sir William Cunninghame of Caprington.[23]
3. Isobel (1600–1620);[24] and
4. Lucy (born before 1618), for whom a marriage was arranged with Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim, but the wedding never took place;[25]

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. [26]

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

On 5 April 1603, Master Paisley was created Lord Abercorn, of Linlithgowshire.[27] 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 Mar. 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".[28]

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.[29] Though the project failed, the king was content with his services. He received large grants of lands in Scotland.

On 10 July 1606 he was further honoured by being created Earl of Abercorn,[30] Baron Paisley, Baron Hamilton, Baron Mountcastell, and Baron Kilpatrick.[31][32] The family tree shows how the Abercorn title was inherited moving at the death of the 3rd Earl to the eldest descendant of the 2nd son, Claud, and then at the death of the 5th Earl to the eldest descendants of his 4th son, George.

Irish Plantation

Lord Abercorn, as he was now, and his brothers Claud and George were undertakers in James VI and I's 1611 Plantations of Ireland.[33] He was given pieces of land called Strabane, Donnalonge and Shean in County Tyrone that had been confiscated from the O'Neill clan.[34] He built a castle at Strabane.[35] 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 11 March 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 20 May 1615.[36]

Death, succession, and timeline

Lord Abercorn died on 23 March 1618, at Monkton, Ayrshire, Scotland, and was buried on 29 April 1618 in Paisley Abbey church.[37][38][39][lower-alpha 1] 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.[40] His brother, Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw and Roscrea, helped to bring up the children and to convert them to the Catholic religion.[41]

Timeline
Age	Date	Event
0	1575, 12 Aug	Born, probably at Paisley[1]
17	1592, about	Married Marion Boyd[13]
27	1603, 24 Mar	Accession of King James I, replacing Queen Elizabeth I.[42]
27	1603, 5 Apr	Created Lord Abercorn, of Linlithgowshire[27]
30	1606, 10 Jul	Created Earl of Abercorn[32]
36	1611	Undertaker in James's Ulster Plantation[34]
42	1618, 23 Mar	Died in Monkton, Ayrshire, Scotland[37][38][39]

See also

• Earl of Abercorn – for his title
• Marquess of Hamilton – for his uncle John's title
• Earl of Arran (Scotland) – for his paternal grandfather's title
• House of Hamilton – for his wider family

Notes

1. The span defined by the given birth date (12 August 1575) and death date (23 March 1617/18) clashes with the age of 43 years given by Cokayne and Paul. It could be that Lord Abercorn died in 1618/19.[1][37][38][39]

1. Boyd 1907, p. 182, line 44: "On the 12th instant [i.e. August 1575] Lord Claud Hamilton's wife, daughter to Lord Seton, was brought to bed of a son"
2. Cokayne 1910, p. 2: "JAMES HAMILTON, Master of Paisley, s. and h. ap. of Claud (HAMILTON), 1st LORD PAISLEY [S] by Margaret, da. of George [SETON], 6th Lord SETON [S.] was ..."
3. Burke 1949, p. 3, left column, bottom: "He [Claud Hamilton] was b. 1543 and m. 1 Aug. 1574 Margaret, dau. of George, 5th Lord Seton [see EGLINTON, E.]. She died before 18 Feb. 1616."
4. Cokayne 1910, p. 4: "Tabular pedigree of the Earls of Abercorn"
5. Paul 1904, p. 39: "... three children who died in infancy: ..."
6. Paul 1904, p. 40: "... and the following who attained maturity:"
7. Paul 1904, p. 40, line 4: "Sir John Hamilton, married Johanna, daughter of Levimus Everard, Councillor of State to the King of Spain, in the Province of Mechlin ..."
8. Paul 1904, p. 40, line 17: "Claud Hamilton of Shawfield, co. Linlithgow, a Gentleman of the King's Privy Chamber, appointed 11 February 1613 a member of the Privy Council in Ireland, was granted as an undertaker the small proportions of Killeny and Teadane or Eden containing together 2000 acres of the barony of Strabane ..."
9. Paul 1904, p. 43, line 4: "Margaret, married first to Sir John Stewart of Metven, natural son of Ludovic, second Duke of Lennox; and secondly, to Sir John Seton of Gargunnock."
10. Lodge 1789, p. 110: "Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw, in the county of Tyrone, and of Roscrea, in the county of Tipperary, was granted the middle proportion of Largie alias Cloghogenal and the small proportion of Derrywoone but the grant was never enrolled. In 1611 he was resident at Derrywoone ..."
11. Paul 1904, p. 43: "Sir Frederick Hamilton, a gentleman of the King's Privy Chamber, was in early life in the service of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden ..."
12. Paul 1904, p. 46, line 1: "... commonly designated Master of Paisley."
13. Paul 1904, p. 47, line 9: "He [James Hamilton] married Marion, eldest daughter of Thomas, fifth Lord Boyd by Margaret ... "
14. Metcalfe 1909, p. 236: "In November, 1627, they were reported to the Synod, and on January 20, 1628, sentence of excommunication was pronounced against the Dowager countess, ..."
15. Paul 1904, p. 48, line 22: "James, second Earl of Abercorn, born about 1603, succeeded his father 1618 ..."
16. Paul 1904, p. 50, line 7: "Dying 14 June 1638, he [Claude Hamilton] was buried in the church of Leckpatrick, County Tyrone."
17. Millar 1890, p. 177, line 32: "Sir William, the third son, represented Henrietta Maria, when queen dowager, at the papal court."
18. Burke 1869, p. 2, right column, line 80: "William (Sir), m. Jane dau. of Alexander Colquhoun, Laird of Luss, and widow of Alan, Lord Cathcart, but left no issue."
19. Paul 1904, p. 47, line 17: "Sir William died at South Shields, 25 June 1681"
20. Millar 1890, p. 177, left column, line 48: "On the Restoration he returned to England, was created a baronet of Ireland in 1660, and received other grants from Charles II in recompense for his services."
21. Paul 1904, p. 47, line 29: "Sir Alexander Hamilton, of Holborn, London, married Elizabeth , daughter of ... Bedingfield and died before 4 May 1669, when administration of his estate was granted to a creditor, leaving with three daughters one son, Alexander, settled at the court of Philip William Elector Palatine ..."
22. Paul 1910, p. 555: "He [Hugh Sempill] married in 1611 ... first Anne Hamilton, eldest daughter of James, 1st Earl of Abercorn."
23. Paul 1904, p. 48, line 9: "Margaret, married 1628 to Sir William Cunningham of Caprington, in the County of Ayr, Knight, and died without issue."
24. Paul 1904, p. 48, line 12: "8. Isobel named with her brothers and her sisters Margaret and Lucrece as parties to an action in the Court of Session on 4 November 1620."
25. Paul 1904, p. 48, line 15: "Lucy or Lucrece, contracted by her father, when very young, to Randal, Lord Dunluce, afterwards Marquess of Antrim, but he not abiding by the contract, she never married; and by letters from Whitehall, 28 October 1627, the Earl of Antrim was ordered to pay £3000 to James, Earl of Abercorn for his son's failure to implement the contract."
26. Cokayne 1910, p. 2, line 5: "... obtained in 1600 the office of Sheriff of co. Linlithgow to him and his heirs male and assigns whatever."
27. Cokayne 1910, p. 2, line 8"On 5 Apr. 1603 he was cr. LORD ABERCORN, co. Linlithgow [S.], to him and his heirs whatsoever."
28. William Fraser, Memorials of the Earls of Haddington, vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1889), pp. 209-11: James Maidment, Letters and State Papers during the Reign of James the Sixth (Edinburgh, 1838), pp. 54-5.
29. Cokayne 1910, p. 2, line 10: "In 1604 he was on the Commission which treated of a proposed union of Scotland with England."
30. Millar 1890, p. 177: "... for his efforts in this matter he was rewarded with the title of Earl of Abercorn, by patent dated 10 July 1606."
31. Paul 1904, p. 46, line 17: "... on 10 July 1606 he was advanced to the dignity of EARL OF ABERCORN, BARON OF PAISLEY, HAMILTON, MOUNTCASTELL, and KILPATRICK."
32. Cokayne 1910, p. 2, line 11: "On 10 July 1606, he was cr. EARL OF ABERCORN, LORD PAISLEY, HAMILTON, MOUNTCASTELL, and KILPATRICK [S.] to him and his heirs male whatsoever."
33. Masson 1889, p. lxxx: "Undertakers for 3000 acres each: ... James Hamilton, Earl of Abercorn (in County Tyrone) ... Undertakers for 2000 acres each: ... Sir Claud Hamilton (in County Tyrone) ... Undertakers for 1500 acres each: .... Sir George Hamilton (in County Tyrone)"
34. MacNevin 1846, p. 188: "1. Strabane 1000; 2. Donnalonge 1000; 3. Shean 1500 acres."
35. Paul 1904, p. 46: "At Strabane he built a very strong and fair castle ..."
36. Cokayne 1910, p. 2, line 14: "On 20 May 1615 he was appointed one of the Council of the province of Munster ..."
37. Burke 1949, p. 3, left column, line 85: "JAMES, 1st Earl of Abercorn, created BARON OF ABERCORN in the peerage of Scotland 5 Apr. 1604 ... He d.v.p. 23 March 1617-18 ..."
38. Cokayne 1910, p. 3, line 1: "He [James Hamilton] d. v.p. at Monkton 23 Mar. and was bur. 29 Ap. 1618 in the Abbey Church, Paisley, aged 43."
39. Paul 1904, p. 47, line 5: "... he [James Hamilton] died in the parish of Monkton, a month after, in the life of his father, 23 March 1618, aged forty-three, and was buried 29 April following in the abbey church in Paisley."
40. Cokayne 1910, p. 3, line 3: "His widow, a prominent Rom. Cath., who was excommunicated in the kirk of paisley on 20 Jan. 1628, d. in the Canongate, Edinburgh, 26 Aug., and was bur. 13 Sep. 1632 with her husband."
41. Wasser 2004, p. 838, left column, line 36: "... was raised,along with his siblings, by his uncle Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw, who converted them to Roman Catholicism."
42. Smyth 1839, p. xiii, line 17: "James I. . [Accession] 24 March 1603"

References

• Boyd, William K., ed. (1907), Calendar of the State Papers Relating to Scotland, 5, Edinburgh: H. M. General Register House – 1574 to 1581
• Burke, Bernard (1869), A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (31st ed.), London: Harrison
• Burke, Bernard (1949), A Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (99th ed.), London: Burke's Peerage Ltd.
• Cokayne, George Edward (1910), Gibbs, Vicary (ed.), The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, extant, extinct, or dormant, 1 (2nd ed.), London: St Catherine Press – Ab-Adam to Basing
• Lodge, John (1789), The Peerage of Ireland, 5, Dublin: James Moore – Viscounts
• Masson, David, ed. (1889), Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 9, Edinburgh: H. M. General Register House – 1610 to 1613
• MacNevin, Thomas (1846), The Confiscation of Ulster, Dublin: James Duffy
• Metcalfe, William Musham (1909), A History of Paisley, Paisley: Alexander Gardner
• Millar, Alexander Hastie (1890), "Hamilton, James, first Earl of Abercorn (d. 1617)", in Lee, Sidney (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, 24, New York: MacMillan and Co., p. 176
• Paul, James Balfour (1904), The Scots Peerage, 1, Edinburgh: David Douglas – Abercorn to Balmerino (for Abercorn)
• Paul, James Balfour (1910), The Scots Peerage, 7, Edinburgh: David Douglas – Panmure to Sinclair (for Sempill)
• Smyth, Constantine (1839), Chronicle of the Law Officers of Ireland, London: Henry Butterworth (for Table of reigns)
• Wasser, Michael (2004), "Hamilton, James, first earl of Abercorn (1575–1618)", in Matthew, Colin; Harrison, Brian (eds.), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 24, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 837–838, ISBN 978-0198614111

General references

• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911), "ABERCORN, JAMES HAMILTON, 1st Earl of", Encyclopædia Britannica, 1 (11 ed.), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 43