James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn, PC (Ire) (c. 1661 – 1734) was a Scottish and Irish peer and politician. Appointed a groom of the bedchamber to Charles II after the death of his father in battle, he took the Williamite side at the Glorious Revolution and on 21 March 1689 supplied Derry with stores that enabled the town to sustain the Siege of Derry until it was relieved in 1689. 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
Reign	1701–1734
Predecessor	Charles, 5th Earl of Abercorn
Successor	James, 7th Earl of Abercorn
Born	c. 1661
Died	28 November 1734
Buried	Westminster Abbey
Family	House Hamilton
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Reading
Detail Issue James, George, Jane, Charles, & others
Father	James Hamilton
Mother	Elizabeth Colepeper

Birth and origins

James was born in 1661 or 1662,[1][lower-alpha 1] the eldest son of James Hamilton and his wife Elizabeth Colepeper. His father was a colonel in the English army, Hyde Park Ranger, a groom of the bedchamber to Charles II of England, and a member of a cadet branch of the Abercorns. James's mother was a daughter of John Colepeper, 1st Baron Colepeper[3] His parents married in 1661.[4] They had six sons, of which three survived into adulthood.[5]

Family tree

James Hamilton with wife, parents, and other selected relatives. James 1st Earl 1575–1618 Marion Boyd d. 1632 Recusant James 2nd Earl d. c. 1670 Claud 2nd Baron H. of Strabane d. 1638 George 1st Bt. Donalong c. 1608 – 1679 Mary Butler d. 1680 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 d. 1673 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 XXX James Hamilton XXX Earls of Abercorn This family tree is partly derived from the Abercorn pedigree pictured in Cokayne.[6] Also see the lists of siblings and children in the text.

He heads the list of brothers below as the eldest:

1. James (c. 1661 – 1734)
2. George (died 1692), became a colonel in the foot guards and fell in the Battle of Steenkerque[7]
3. William (after 1662 – 1737), married his cousin Margaret Colepeper and became the ancestor of the Hamiltons of Chilston[8]

He was raised a Protestant as his father, who was originally a Catholic, had converted to that faith to marry his mother. He was the heir apparent of the Donalong cadet branch of the earls of Abercorn, which started with his grandfather Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet, of Donalong, who was the fourth son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn.

Father's and grandfather's successions

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.[9] He was compensated by an appointment as an extra groom of the bedchamber on 18 April 1680.[10] 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, he 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.[11] This might indicate that this baronetcy had never been duly created.[12]

Marriage and children

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.[13] 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.[14]

James and Elizabeth had 14 children of which 10 survived into adulthood, six sons:

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

—and four daughters:

1. Elizabeth Hamilton, married firstly on 2 January 1711 William Brownlow, and secondly in 1741 Martin, Count de Kearnie.[21] Through her first marriage she is an ancestress of actor Ralph Fiennes.
2. Mary (born before 1704), married in January 1719 Henry Colley of Carbury Castle, County Kildare and have issue[22]
3. Philippa Hamilton (died 1767), married Rev. Benjamin Pratt without issue, then married Michael O'Connell of London and had one son[23]
4. Jane (before 1704 – 1753), married Archibald Douglas-Hamilton as his third wife.[24] She also was mistress to Frederick, Prince of Wales.[25]

Lord Abercorn in parliamentary robes

Expedition to Derry

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[26] arrived at Derry from England with two ships: the frigate HMS Jersey and the merchantman Deliverance,[27] bringing gunpowder, munition, weapons, and £595 in cash.[28] 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.[29]

He therefore helped to defend Derry. His uncle Richard Hamilton (officer), lieutenant-general in the Irish Royal Army, attacked it.[30]

Member of parliament

After the end of the Williamite war in Ireland, he was elected as one of the two MPs for Tyrone County in the Irish House of Commons on 22 September 1692 and again on 12 August 1695.[31][32][33]

Sixth Earl of Abercorn

In June 1701 died in Strabane his second cousin Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Abercorn, without surviving children. [34] 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.[35] The former was an enhancement of his title of Baron Hamilton of Strabane and was probably given to enhance 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.

Death, succession, and timeline

Abercorn died on 28 November 1734 at the age of 73[36] and was buried on 3 December in the Ormond vault of the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey.[37] 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.[38] 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.[39]

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages.
Age	Date	Event
0	1661, about	Born[1]
12	1673, 6 Jun	His father died from a wound received in a sea-fight against the Dutch.[9]
18	1679	Did not assume the title of Baronet Hamilton of Donalong and Nenagh at his grandfather's death.[11]
22	1683, Jan	Married Elizabeth Reading.[13]
24	1685	He lost his office as groom of the bedchamber at Charles II's death.
27	1688	He sided with William at the Glorious Revolution.
28	1689, 21 Mar	Brought provisions to Derry.[26]
31	1692, 22 Sep	Elected MP for Tyrone.[32]
34	1695, 12 Aug	Re-elected MP for Tyrone.[33]
40	1701, Jun	Succeeded his second cousin Charles and became the 6th Earl of Abercorn.[34]
40	1701, 2 Sep	Created Baron Mountcastle and Viscount Strabane.[35]
48	1709	His mother died.[40]
73	1734, 28 Nov	Died and was buried in the Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey.[36]

Notes

1. His year of birth, given by Henderson (1890) as 1656,[2] is corrected to "about 1661" in Handley (2004).[1]

1. 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. 6, line 4: "being s. and h. of Col. James H. by Elizabeth da. of John (Colepepper) 1st Lord Colpeper, who was s. and h.ap. of Sir George H. of Donalong, co. Tyrone, 1st Bart. [Ireland]), who was 4th s. of the 1st Earl."
4. Burke 1949, p. 3, right column, line 6: "1. James, col. in the service of CHARLES II and Groom of the Bedchamber, m. 1661, Elizabeth, dau. of John, Lord Colepeper."
5. Paul 1904, p. 57, line 19: "... had six sons, of whom three only survived their infancy:"
6. Cokayne 1910, p. 4: "Tabular pedigree of the Earls of Abercorn"
7. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 47, right column, line 84: "George, col. of the foot guards. Killed at the battle of Steinkirk, 1692."
8. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 47, right column, line 86: "William, of Chelston, Kent, m. Margaret, dau. of Sir Thomas Culpeper, of Hollingborne, was ancestor of Hamilton, Bart. of Trebinshun."
9. 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 cannon ball of which wound he died 6 June 1673 ..."
10. Sainty & Bucholz 1997, p. [15]: "1680 18 Apr Hamilton J."
11. Burke 1949, p. 3, right column, line 50: "JAMES, 6th Earl of Abercorn, grandson of Sir George Hamilton, Bt of Donalong (4th son of James, 1st Earl of Abercorn), who had declined assuming the title of Baronet on the death of his grandfather, 1679, and was known as Captain Hamilton."
12. Cokayne 1903, p. 305, note c: "This non-assumption of the dignity throws some little doubt on its creation."
13. Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 16: "He m. (Lic. at Fac. off 24 January 1683/4) Elizabeth (then aged about 15), only child of Robert Reading, of Dublin, Bart. (so created 1675) ..."
14. 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'."
15. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, left column, line 84: "JAMES, 7th Earl."
16. Paul 1904, p. 59, last line: "John, died unmarried 1714, aged 20."
17. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, left column, line 85: "George, M.P. for Wells, m. 1719, Bridget, dau. of Col. William Coward, M.P. ..."
18. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, left column, line 87: "Francis (Rev.), m. 20 Oct. 1733, Dorothy, dau. and co-heir of James Forth, of Redwood ..."
19. 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."
20. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, left column, line 89: "Charles, M.P. for Truro, left issue by his 1st wife, 2 daus. He m. 2ndly Agnes, dau. of David Cockburn, M.D. of Ayr."
21. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, right column, line 1: "Elizabeth, m. 1st, 2 Jan. 1711 William Brownlow, of Lurgan, and 2ndly,1741, Martin, Count de Kearnie."
22. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, right column, line 4: "Mary, m. 1719, Henry Colley, M.P."
23. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, right column, line 5: "Philippa, m. 1st Benjamin Pratt, M.D.; and 2ndly Michael Connell, and d. 27 Jan. 1767."
24. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, right column, line 7: "Jane, m. 26 Sept. 1719, Archibald, son of the Duke of Hamilton."
25. 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 ..."
26. 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."
27. Childs 2007, p. 61: "HMS Jersey (captain John Beverley RN) and the merchantman Deliverance entered Lough Foyle on 21 March" ...
28. 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;"
29. Walker 1690, 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, ..."
30. MacGeoghegan 1763, p. 738: "Le capitaine Jacques Hamilton(a) ... [footnote](a) il étoit neveu de Richard Hamilton, qui commandoit ce siége pour le roi ..."
31. Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 9: "M.P. for Tyrone 1692 and again 1695"
32. House of Commons 1878, p. 633a: "1692 / 22 Sept. / James Hamilton, esq. / Donalonge / TYRONE County"
33. House of Commons 1878, p. 633b: "1695 / 12 Aug. / James Hamilton, esq. / Donalonge / TYRONE County"
34. Lodge 1789, p. 117: "... and died at Strabane June 1701."
35. Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 12: "Accordingly, on 2 Sep. 1701, he was cr. BARON MOUNTCASTLE, co. Tyrone, and VISCOUNT STRABANE [I.] ..."
36. Cokayne 1910, p. 6, line 19: "He d. 28 Sep. 1734, aged 73, and was bur. 3 Dec in the Ormonde vault in Henry VII's Chapel, Westmin. Abbey."
37. 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."
38. Stanley 1869, p. 630: "The Ormond Vault. Report of its examination on the 3rd of August 1868."
39. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 48, left column, line 82: "She [his wife] d. 19 March, 1754 ..."
40. Burke & Burke 1909, p. 47, right column: "She [his mother] d. 1709, leaving issue."

References

• Burke, Bernard; Burke, Ashworth P. (1909), A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage and Baronetage, the Privy Council, Knightage, and Companionage (71st 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.
• Chester, Joseph Lemuel (1876), Registers of Westminster Abbey, London: Private Edition
• Childs, John (2007), The Williamite Wars in Ireland 1688 - 1691, London: Hambledon Continuum Press, ISBN 978-1-85285-573-4
• Cokayne, George Edward (1903), Complete Baronetage, 3 (1st ed.), Exeter: William Pollard & Co – 1649 to 1664
• 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, Ab-Adam to Basing (2 ed.), London: St. Catherine Press
• Handley, Stuart (2004), "Hamilton, James, sixth Earl of Abercorn", in Matthew, Colin; Harrison, Brian (eds.), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 24, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 852–853, ISBN 978-0198614111
• Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1890), "Hamilton, James, sixth Earl of Abercorn (1656–1734)", in Lee, Sidney (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, 24, New York: MacMillan and Co., p. 185
• House of Commons (1878), "Members of Parliament", Parliamentary Papers, London: H. M. Stationery Office, 62 (for the subject as MP)
• Lodge, John (1789), The Peerage of Ireland, 5, Dublin: James Moore - Viscounts
• MacGeoghegan, James (1763), Histoire de l'Irlande ancienne et moderne (in French), 3, Amsterdam
• Paul, James Balfour (1904), The Scots Peerage, 1, Edinburgh: David Douglas - Abercorn to Balmerino
• Sainty, Sir John Christopher; Bucholz, Robert O. (1997), Officials of the Royal Household 1660 – 1683: Department of the Lord Chamberlain and Associated Offices, London: University of London, Institute of Historical Research, ISBN 9781871348408
• Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn (1869), Historical Memorials of Westminster Abbey (3rd ed.), London: John Murray
• Walker, Rev. George (1690), The siege of Londonderry in 1689, as set forth in the Literary Remains of Colonel the Rev. George Walker, D.D., London: Robert Clavel & Ralph Simpson
• Walters, John (1972). The Royal Griffin: Frederick Prince of Wales 1707–51. London: Jarrolds. ISBN 0-09-111240-0.
• Wills, Rev. James (1841), Lives of Illustrious and Distinguished Irishmen Sir James Hamilton, First Viscount Strabane, 4, Glasgow: MacGregor, Polson & Co, pp. 55–56
• Witherow, Thomas (1879), Derry and Enniskillen in the Year 1689, London & Belfast: William Mallan & Son

External links

• Robert O. Bucholz Database of Court Officers 1660 – 1837 Loyola University of Chicago