James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn

James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Abercorn PC (S) (1575–1618), was a Scottish diplomat for James VI and an undertaker (a term for a British colonist) in the Plantation of Ulster in the north of Ireland.

Birth and origins

James was born on 12 August 1575,Template:Sfn probably at Paisley, Scotland, the eldest son of Claud Hamilton and his wife Margaret Seton. At that time his father was only a younger brother of the 3rd Earl of Arran, but he would on 24 July 1587 be created Lord Paisley.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn His paternal grandfather was the 2nd Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Scotland and the Duke of Châtellerault in the Kingdom of France. His father's family descended from Walter FitzGilbert, the founder of the House of Hamilton,Template:Sfn who had received the barony of Cadzow from Robert the Bruce.Template:Sfn

James's mother was a daughter of the 7th Lord Seton.<ref name="FOOTNOTECokayne1910[httpsarchiveorgdetailscompletepeerageo01cokapage2 2]"/>Template:SfnTemplate:Efn His parents had married in 1574 at Niddry Castle, West Lothian, Scotland.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Both sides of the family were Scottish, Catholic, and supporters of Mary, Queen of Scots. His father and his father-in-law had both fought for her at Langside in 1568.

As eldest son he was given the courtesy title of Master of Paisley after the Scottish habit.Template:Sfn George had four brothers and one sister, who are listed in his father's article.

Marriage and children

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

Template:Anchor James and Marion had nine children, five boys:

1. James (c. 1603 – c. 1670), succeeded as the 2nd Earl of AbercornTemplate:Sfn
2. Claud (died 1638), established himself in IrelandTemplate:Sfn
3. William (died 1681), was created Baronet Hamilton of Westport and represented Henrietta Maria, Charles I's widow, at the popeTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn
4. George (c. 1608 – 1679), was created Baronet Hamilton of DonalongTemplate:Sfn
5. Alexander (died before 4 May 1669), founded the German branch of the familyTemplate:Sfn

—and four girls:

1. Anne (1592–1620), married Hugh Sempill, 5th Lord Sempill in 1611Template:Sfn
2. Margaret (died 1642), married Sir William Cunninghame of CapringtonTemplate:Sfn
3. Isobel (1600–1620)Template:Sfn
4. Lucy (born before 1618), for whom a marriage was arranged with Randal MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim, but the wedding never took placeTemplate:Sfn

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. Template:Sfn

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.Template:Sfn 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".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

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.Template:Sfn 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,Template:Sfn Baron Paisley, Baron Hamilton, Baron Mountcastell, and Baron Kilpatrick.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn 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 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.Template:Sfn He was given pieces of land called Strabane, Donnalonge and Shean in County Tyrone that had been confiscated from the O'Neill clan.Template:Sfn He built a castle at Strabane.Template:Sfn His brother Claude, called "of Shawfield", was given land in County Cavan.

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.Template:Sfn

Death, succession, and timeline

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

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.Template:Sfn His brother, Sir George Hamilton of Greenlaw and Roscrea, helped to bring up the children and to convert them to the Catholic religion.Template:Sfn

Timeline
Age	Date	Event
0	1575, 12 Aug	Born, probably at Paisley<ref name="FOOTNOTEBoyd1907[httpsarchiveorgdetailscalendarstatepa01boydgoogpagen223 182, line 44]"/>
Template:Age	1592, about	Married Marion Boyd<ref name="FOOTNOTEPaul1904[httpsarchiveorgdetailsscotspeeragefoun01paulpage47 47, line 9]"/>
Template:Age	1603, 24 Mar	Accession of King James I, succeeding Queen Elizabeth ITemplate:Sfn
Template:Age	1603, 5 Apr	Created Lord Abercorn, of Linlithgowshire<ref name="FOOTNOTECokayne1910[httpsarchiveorgdetailscompletepeerageo01cokapage2 2, line 8]"/>
Template:Age	1606, 10 Jul	Created Earl of Abercorn<ref name="FOOTNOTECokayne1910[httpsarchiveorgdetailscompletepeerageo01cokapage2 2, line 11]"/>
Template:Age	1611	Undertaker in James's Plantation of Ulster<ref name="FOOTNOTEMacNevin1846[httpsarchiveorgdetailsconfiscationuls01macngoogpagen192 188]"/>
Template:Age	1618, 23 Mar	Died in Monkton, Ayrshire, ScotlandTemplate:Efn predeceasing his father

Notes and references

Sources

• Template:Cite book – 1574 to 1581
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite EB1911
• Template:Cite EB1911
• Template:Cite book – Ab-Adam to Basing
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book – (for timeline)
• Template:Cite book – Viscounts
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book – 1610 to 1613
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite encyclopedia
• Template:Cite book – Abercorn to Balmerino (for Abercorn)
• Template:Cite book – Fife to Hyndford (for Walter FitzGilbert)
• Template:Cite book – Panmure to Sinclair (for Sempill)
• Template:Cite book – Sumerville to Winton
• Template:Cite encyclopedia