Transcript:Cokayne, George Edward. Complete Peerage/Abercorn

The Complete Peerage

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[2nd edition, volume 1, page 2]

Abercorn

{i.e., “ Abercorn, co. Linlithgow,” Barony [S.] (Hamilton), cr. 1603 ; Earldom [S.], cr. 1606 ; Marquessate [G.B.], cr. 1790 ; Dukedom [I.], cr. 1868.}

Barony and Earldom

1. James Hamilton, Master of Paisley,(^2a) s. and h. ap. of Claud (Hamilton), 1st Lord Paisley [S.], by Margaret, da. of George (Seton), 6th Lord Seton [S.], was M.P. [S.] for Linlithgow 1597, and, being P.C. and Gent. of the Bedchamber to James VI [S.], obtained in 1600 the office of Sheriff of co. Linlithgow to him and his heirs male, and in 1601, a grant of the lands of Abercorn, &c., in that co., subsequently erected into a free Barony. On 5 Apr. 1603, he was cr. LORD(^2b) ABERCORN, co. Linlithgow [S.], to him and his heirs male and assigns whatever. In 1604 he was on the Commission which treated of a proposed Union of Scotland with England. On 10 July 1606, he was cr. EARL OF ABERCORN, LORD PAISLEY, HAMILTON, MOUNTCASTELL, and KILPATRICK [S.], to him and his heirs male whatever. On 20 May 1615 he was appointed one of the Council of the province of Munster, having previously by Privy Seal, Westm., 31 Mar. 1613, obtained a Royal Warrant “ to hold [in Ireland] the place and precedency of an Earl in Parliament as he did at the Council table and in all other places.”(^2c) He received large grants of land in the Barony of Strabane, co. Tyrone, and built a castle thereon. He m. Marion, 1st da. of Thomas (Boyd), 5th Lord Boyd [S.], by Margaret, da. of Sir Matthew [page 3] Campbell, of Loudoun. He d. v.p., at Monkton, 23 Mar., and was bur. 29 Ap. 1618, in the Abbey Church, Paisley, aged 43. Will dat. 7 June 1616, pr. 26 June 1624. His widow, a prominent Rom. Cath. who was excommunicated in the Kirk of Paisley 20 Jan. 1628, d. in the Canongate, Edinburgh, 26 Aug., and was bur. 13 Sep. 1632, with her husband.

2. James (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], s. and h. In the lifetime of his father and grandfather, he, though only about thirteen years of age, was, on 8 May 1617 (the Privy Seal being dat. 18 Oct. 1616), cr. LORD HAMILTON, BARON OF STRABANE, co. Tyrone [I.], with rem. to the heirs male of the body of his father. Soon after this he suc. to his father's Peerages in Scotland, and in 1621 he suc. his grandfather as LORD PAISLEY, co. Renfrew [S.], a Peerage cr. 29 July 1587. On 11 Nov. 1633 he resigned his Irish Peerage in favour of his yr. br., Claud Hamilton, on whom the Irish estates were settled. Being a Rom. Cath., he was excommunicated by the general assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1649, and ordered out of that kingdom. On 11 Sep. 1651, by the death, s.p.m., of his cousin, William, 2nd Duke of Hamilton [S.], he became the male representative of the illustrious house of Hamilton, though he inherited none of the estates or titles of the senior line.(^3a) He m., about 1632, Catharine, Dowager Duchess of Lennox [S.], da. and h. of Gervase (Clifton), Lord Clifton of Leighton Bromswold, by Catharine, da. and h. of Sir Henry Darcy, of Leighton afsd. She (who by Royal Lic., 28 Nov. 1632, was entitled, notwithstanding her marriage, to retain her title, rank, and precedency as Duchess of Lennox [S.]), d. in Scotland, and was bur. “ without ceremonie ” 17 Sep. 1637, aged about 45. Will dat. 12 Aug. 1637, pr. 15 Jan. 1638/9. He was then living, but “ more than 400,000 merks in debt.” He d. about 1670. [page 5]

[James Hamilton, styled Lord Paisley s. and h. ap. He m., 28 Apr. 1653, at St. Bartholomew's-the-Less, London, Catharine,(^5a) da. of Sir John Lenthall, Marshal of the King's Bench, by Hester, da. of Sir Thomas Temple, 1st Bart., of Stowe, which John (^5b) was a br. of William Lenthall, of Burford, Oxon, Speaker of the House of Commons. He d. v.p. and s.p.m. before 1670. His widow's admon. as “ of Burford, Oxon, widow,” 20 July 1696.]

3. George (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], 3rd, but 1st surv. s. and h., b. about 1636. He was living in 1670, but d. unm. at Padua, in Italy, before 1683.

4. Claud (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], also Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane [I.], cousin and h. male. He was s. and h. of George, 4th Lord Strabane [I.] (by Elizabeth, da. and h. of Christopher Fagan, of Feltrim, co. Dublin), who was br. and h. of James, 3rd Lord Strabane [I.], being s. of Claud, 2nd Lord Strabane [I.], which Claud was yr. br. of James, 2nd Earl of Abercorn, who had (as before mentioned) resigned in his favour the Irish Peerage of Strabane. He was bap. 13 Sep. 1659, St. Audoens, Dublin. On 14 Apr. 1668, he suc. his father in the Irish Peerage and estates. He was P.C. [I.], and Lord of the Bedchamber to James II, with whom he went to France at the Revolution, and for whom he commanded a regiment of Horse, in 1689, in Ireland, where he was killed when re-embarking for France, after the battle of the Boyne, 1 July 1690. He d. unm. After his death he was outlawed [I.], 11 May 1691, when his Irish Peerage and estates were forfeited.

5. Charles (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], and afterwards, also, Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane [I.], br. and h. By Royal Letters, 24 May 1692, he obtained a reversal of his brother's attainder, and suc. to the Irish Peerage and estates accordingly. On 31 Aug. 1695 he took his seat in the Irish House of Lords, and in 1697 signed the declaration for the succession to the Crown, &c. On 16 July 1697, he was tried at Oxford for the murder of Mr. Prior of Burford, and acquitted.(^5c) He m. Catharine, widow of William Lenthall (bur. 5 Sep. 1686), of Burford, Oxon, only da. and h. of James Hamilton, styled Lord Paisley, abovenamed, by Catharine, da. of Sir John Lenthall, afsd., Marshal of the King's Bench. He d., s.p.s., at Strabane, June 1701. Will dat. 7 Aug. 1697, pr. 16 May 1704. His widow d. 24 May 1723, aged about 70, in Pall Mall, and was bur. in the Richmond vault in Henry VII's Chapel, Westm. Abbey. Will dat. 17 Aug. 1722, pr. 24 May 1723. [page 6]

6. James (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], also Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane [I.], under the spec. rem. in the creation (1617) of that dignity, cousin and h. male, being s. and h. of Col. James H., by Elizabeth, da. of John (Colepeper), 1st Lord Colepeper, which Col. James was s. and h. ap. of Sir George H., of Donalong, co. Tyrone(^6a), 1st Bart. [I.], who was 4th s. of the 1st Earl. On 6 June 1673 he suc. his father (who d. v.p., being mortally wounded 3 June in a sea-fight with the Dutch), whose post as Groom of the Bedchamber to Charles II he obtained. M.P. for Tyrone 1692, and again 1695. He was Col. of a regiment to James II, but, deserting that King at the Revolution, assisted William III during the siege of Londonderry, by bringing relief to that city. Accordingly, on 2 Sep. 1701, he was cr. BARON MOUNTCASTLE, co. Tyrone, and VISCOUNT STRABANE [I.], and took his seat (as such) 21 Sep. 1703 in the Irish House of Lords. On 3 Oct. 1706 he took his seat in the Scottish House. He was P.C. [I.] to Queen Anne, Geo. I., and Geo. II. He m. (Lic. at Fac. off. 24 Jan. 1683/4), Elizabeth (then aged about 15), only child of Sir Robert Reading, of Dublin, Bart. [I.] (so cr. 1675), by Jane, Dowager Countess of Mountrath [I.], da. of Sir Robert Hannay, Bart. [S.]. He d. aged 73, 28 Nov., and was bur. 3 Dec. 1734, in the Ormonde vault in Henry VII's Chapel, Westm. Abbey. Will dat. 5 May 1731, pr. 2 Dec. 1734. His widow d. aged 86, in Sackville Str., Midx., 19, and was bur. 22 Mar. 1754, with her husband. Will dat. 5 Apr. 1739, pr. 20 Mar. 1754.

7. James (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], also Viscount Strabane, &c. [I.], 2nd, but 1st surv. s. and h., b. 22 Mar. 1685/6, styled Lord Paisley from 1701 till he suc. to the peerage. F.R.S., 10 Nov. 1715. Author of Calculations and Tables on the attractive Power of Loadstones (1729). P.C. of England 20 July 1738, of Ireland 26 Sep. 1739. He m., in 1711, before 28 Apr., (Lic. at Fac. off. 26 Mar. 1711, to m. at Widford, Herts), Anne, 1st surv. da. of Col. John Plumer, of Blakesware, in Ware, Herts, by Mary, 1st da. of William Hale, of King's Walden in that co. He d. in Cavendish Sq., aged 57, 11, and was bur. 16 Jan. 1743/4, with his father in Westm. Abbey. Admon. 25 Feb. 1743/4. His widow (who was b. 29 June and bap. 3 July 1690 at Ware), d. in London, 7, and was bur. 13 Aug. 1776, with her husband, aged 86. Will dat. 24 June 1771, pr. 10 Aug. 1776.

8. James (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], also Viscount Strabane, &c. [I.], s. and h., b. 22 Oct. 1712, in Queen Sq., St. Geo. the Martyr, Holborn. He was sum. v.p., [page 7] on 23 Mar. 1735/6, as BARON MOUNTCASTLE (I.) to the Irish House of Lords, and took his seat the same day.(^7a) In 1761, 1768, 1774, 1780, and 1784 he was chosen a Rep. Peer (Tory) [S.]. On 11 Mar. 1766 he voted against the Repeal of the American Stamp Act, and on 17 Dec. 1783 against Fox's India Bill. On 24 Aug. 1786, he was cr. a Peer of Great Britain(^7b) as VISCOUNT HAMILTON,(^7c) with a spec. rem., failing his issue male, to his nephew, John James Hamilton. In 1745 he purchased the Barony of Duddingston, co. Edinburgh (where he built a mansion), and in 1764 the Lordship of Paisley, co. Renfrew (being the inheritance, anciently, of his paternal ancestors), where, in 1779, he laid out a new town. He also built a magnificent house at Baronscourt, near Londonderry. He d. unm. at Boroughbridge (on a journey), 9 Oct. 1789, in his 77th year, and was bur. in the Abbey of Paisley.(^7d) Will dat. 24 May 1785, pr. 14 Oct. 1789.

Marquessate

9 and 1. John James (Hamilton), Earl of Abercorn, &c. [S.], also Viscount Strabane, &c. [I.], also Viscount Hamilton, (under the spec. rem. abovementioned), nephew and h., being posthumous s. and h. of John H., Capt. R.N. (by Harriet, widow of Richard Eliot of Port Eliot, Cornwall, and illegit. da. of the Rt. Hon. James Craggs), which John H. was next br. to the 8th Earl, but d. Dec. 1755, v.f., aged 41. He was b. July 1756, and bap. at St. Geo., Han. Sq. M.P. (Tory) for East Looe 1783–4, and for St. Germans 1784–9. On 15 Oct. 1790, he was cr. MARQUESS OF ABERCORN. P.C. [I.] 1 Feb. 1794, K.G. 17 Jan. 1805. He m., 1stly, 20 June 1779, at St. Marylebone, Midx., Catharine, 1st da. of Sir Joseph Copley, 1st Bart., by Mary, da. of John Buller, of Morval, Cornwall. She d. at Bentley Priory, Midx., 13, and was bur. 19 Sep. 1791, at Stanmore. He m., 2ndly, 4 Mar. 1792, in Grosvenor Sq., Midx., his 1st cousin, Lady Cecil Hamilton (raised to the precedency of an Earl's da. by Royal Warrant, 27 Oct. 1789),(^7e) 5th and yst. da. and coh. of his [page 8] uncle, the Hon. and Rev. George Hamilton, Canon of Windsor, by Elizabeth, da. of Lieut. Gen. Richard Onslow. She was b. 15 Mar. 1770, was separated from her husband 1798, and divorced by Act of Parl., Apr. 1799.(^8a) He m., 3rdly, 3 Apr. 1800, in Dover Str., St. Geo., Han. Sq., Lady Anne Jane Hatton, (widow of Henry Hatton, of Great Clonard, co. Wexford), da. of Arthur Saunders (Gore), 2nd Earl of Arran [I.], by his 1st wife, Catharine, da. of William (Annesley), 1st Viscount Glerawley [I.]. He d. at Bentley Priory, Stanmore,(^8b) 27 Jan., and was bur. 5 Feb. 1818, at Stanmore. Will dat. 18 Mar. 1809, pr. 9 May 1818. His widow, who was b. Apr. 1763, d. 8 May 1827, at Naples. Will pr. June 1827.

[James Hamilton, styled Viscount Hamilton, s. and h. ap. by 1st wife, b. at Petersham Lodge, Surrey, 7 Oct., and bap. 4 Nov. 1786, at Petersham. Matric. Oxford (Ch. Ch.), 24 Oct. 1805. M.P. for Dungannon 1805–7, and for Liskeard 1807–12. He m., 25 Nov. 1809, in London, Harriet, da. of the Hon. John Douglas (2nd s. of James, XV (14th) Earl of Morton [S.]), by Frances, 1st da. of Edward (Lascelles), 1st Earl of Harewood. He d., v.p., 27 May 1814, in Upper Brook Str. His widow m., 8 July 1815, George (Gordon), 4th Earl of Aberdeen [S.], and d. 26 Aug. 1833.]

Dukedom

2, 10, and 1. James (Hamilton), Marquess of Abercorn &c.,(^8c) grandson and h., being s. and h. of James Hamilton, styled Viscount Hamilton, and Harriet his wife, abovenamed. He was b. 21 Jan. 1811, in Seamore Place, Mayfair. Ed. at Harrow, and at Ch. Ch., Oxford. Lord Lieut. of co. Donegal, 1844 ; K.G., [page 9] 12 Dec. 1844 ; P.C. 25 Feb. 1846 ; Groom of the Stole to the Prince Consort, 1846–59 ; LL.D. Cambridge, 5 July 1847 ; D.C.L. Oxford, 4 June 1856 ; LL.D. Dublin, together with the Prince of Wales and H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, 21 Apr. 1868 ; a Governor of Harrow School ; sometime Col. in the Donegal Militia ; Major-Gen. of the Royal Archers, the King's Body Guard of Scotland ; Lord Lieut. of Ireland (for the first time) July 1866 to Dec. 1868. On 10 Aug. 1868 he was cr. MARQUESS OF HAMILTON(^9a) of Strabane, co. Tyrone, and DUKE OF ABERCORN [I.]. Grand Master of Freemasons [I.] 1874 till his death. From Feb. 1878 to Dec. 1876 he was (for the second time) Lord Lieut. of Ireland. He was subsequently Envoy Extraordinary(^9b) to Italy for the investiture (at Rome, 2 Mar. 1878) of King Humbert with the Order of the Garter. Chancellor of the University of Ireland, 1881. A Conservative in politics. He m., 25 Oct. 1832, from Gordon Castle, at Fochabers, co. Banff, Louisa Jane, 2nd da. of John (Russell), 6th Duke of Bedford, by his 2nd wife, Georgiana, 5th da. of Alexander (Gordon), 4th Duke of Gordon [S.]. He d. 31 Oct. 1885, in his 75th year, at Baronscourt, and was bur. there.(^9c) Will dat. 13 Mar. 1869 to 2 Feb. 1877, pr. 27 Feb. 1886, over £144,000. His widow, who was b. 8 July 1812, member (3rd class) of the V.A.,(^9d) d. at Coats Castle, Pulborough, Sussex, 31 Mar., and was bur. 5 Apr. 1905, at Chenies, Beds. Will pr. above £24,000.

2, 3, and 11. James (Hamilton), Duke of Abercorn [1868], Marquess of Hamilton of Strabane [1868], Viscount Strabane [1701], Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane [1617], and Baron of Mountcastle [1701], in the peerage of Ireland, also Marquess of Abercorn [1790] and Viscount Hamilton [1786] in that of Great Britain, also Earl of Abercorn [1606], Lord Paisley [1587], [page 10] Lord Abercorn(^10a) [1603], Lord Paisley, Hamilton, Mount Castell and Kilpatrick (1606), in that of Scotland,(^10b) 1st s. and h. He was b. 24 Aug. 1838, at Brighton ; was styled Viscount Hamilton till 1868, and Marquess of Hamilton 1868 to 1885 ; ed. at Harrow, and at Ch. Ch., Oxford ; B.A. 1860 ; M.A. 1865 ; was M.P. (Conservative) for co. Donegal 1860–80 ; Sheriff of co. Tyrone 1863 ; a Lord of the Bedchamber to the Prince of Wales 1866–85, and Groom of the Stole 1886–1891 ; attached to the Garter mission to Denmark, Apr. 1865 ; C.B. (civil) 1865 ; Knight of the Dannebrog of Denmark, of the St. Anne of Russia, and of the Iron-Crown of Austria ; sometime Hon. Col. 5th Batt. Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers ; Lord Lieut. of co. Donegal, 1885 ; Grand Master of Freemasons [I.] 1886 ; Chairman of the British South African Company. K.G. 10 Aug. 1892. Special Envoy to the Courts of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Prussia, and Saxony, to announce the accession of H.M. King Edward VII, 1901. Lord High Constable [I.] at the Coronation of Edward VII, 9 Aug. 1902. He m., 7 Jan. 1869, at St. Geo., Han. Sq., Mary Anna, 2nd da. of Richard William Penn (Curzon-Howe), 1st Earl Howe, by his 2nd wife, Anne, 2nd da. of Admiral Sir John Gore, K.C.B. She was b. 23 July 1848.

[James Albert Edward Hamilton, styled, since 1885, Marquess of Hamilton, 1st s. and h. ap. ; b. 30 Nov. 1869, in Hamilton Place, Piccadilly, the Prince of Wales being one of his sponsors. Ed. at Eton. Sometime Capt. 1st Life Guards. M.P. Londonderry City 1900. Treasurer of the Household, 1903–5. He m., 1 Nov. 1894, at St. Paul's, Knightsbridge, Rosaline Cecilia Caroline, only da. of Charles George (Bingham), 4th Earl of Lucan [I.], by Cecilia Catherine, da. of Charles (Gordon-Lennox), 5th Duke of Richmond. She was b. 26 Feb. 1869.]

[James Edward Hamilton, styled Lord Paisley, b. 29 Feb. 1904, for whom the King stood sponsor.]

Family Estates

These, in 1883, consisted of 76,500 acres in Ireland (viz. 60,000 in co. Tyrone and 16,500 in co. Donegal), worth £41,000 a year, and of 2,162 in Scotland (viz. 1,500 in co. Edinburgh and 662 in co. Renfrew), worth £11,900 a year.(^10c) Total, 78,662 acres, worth about [page 11] £53,000 a year.

Principal Seats

Baronscourt, near Newtown Stewart, co. Tyrone, and Duddingston House, co. Edinburgh.

Pedigree

[page 4]

TABULAR PEDIGREE OF THE EARLS OF ABERCORN [S.] shewing their descent from, and since 1651, their representation in the male line of the family of Hamilton Earls of Arran [S.], of the Lady Mary Stewart, 1st da. of James II of Scotland, as also of the Dukes of Châtellerault in France. To the first (Hamilton) Earl of Arran [S.], and the heirs male of his body, the Roman numerals I to XV are successively prefixed. The descent of the Earl of Derby, the heir of line, & the descent of the Duke of Hamilton [S.] (who is neither h. male, nor h. of line) from the same three sources is also shewn.

Notes

(^2a) The eldest sons of Scottish Peers were said to be Peers, and (presumably as such) were declared, in Dec. 1708, incapable of sitting in the House of Commons as members for any shire or burgh in Scotland. The title of ‘ Master ’ was as early as ‘ the beginning (at least) of the 15th century borne by the heirs apparent of the noblemen of the 1st class ’ ; such was the case of ‘ Robert, Master of Atholl,’ grandson and h. ap. [1437] of Walter (Stewart), Earl of Atholl [S.]. It was, in some cases, as in that of Forrester, 1651, expressly conferred, while on certain occasions (as in that of the Earldom of Lennox, 17 Sep. 1490) both the father and the son (the h. ap.) are given the same peerage title, the fee of such title having been resigned by the former, though the life-rent was reserved. (See Riddell, p. 114).

(^2b) See p. 9 note “ e ”. {No such note exists, and p. 10 note “ a ” was probably intended.—Transcr.}

(^2c) On 11 March 1613/4 (1) the Earl of Abercorn [S.] ; (2) Lord Henry O'Brien, s. and h. ap. of the Earl of Thomond [I.] ; (3) Lord Audley [E.], afterwards Earl of Castlehaven [I.] ; (4) Lord Ochiltree [S.], afterwards, 1619, Baron Castle Stewart [I.], and (5) Lord Burleigh (Qy. Lord Balfour of Burleigh [S.]), were sum. by writ to the Irish House of Lords, it being enacted that the said Earl of Abercorn should ‘ hold the place and precedency of an Earl in parl.,’ &c. This singular warrant, granted to a person in no way connected with the Irish Peerage, appears to have been generally classed with the summons issued to the eldest s. and h. ap. of an Irish Peer. This classification is strengthened by the fact that on the same day, also by Privy Seal, occurs the 1st of such summons to the Irish House of Lords, viz., the s. of the Earl of Thomond, as Baron of Ibrackan. Of these summons of the h. ap. there were in all but nine, viz. (1) the said Lord Ibrackan, in 1613 ; (2) the s. of the Duke of Ormonde, as Earl of Ossory, in 1662 ; (3) the s. of the Earl of Clancarty, as Viscount Muskerry, also in 1662 ; (4) the s. of the Earl of Cork, as Viscount Dungarvan, in 1662/3 ; (5) the s. of the Earl of Meath, as Baron of Ardee, in 1665 ; (6) the [page 3] s. of the Earl of Clanricarde, as Baron Dunkellin, in 1711 ; (7) the s. of the Earl of Meath (again), as Baron of Ardee in 1714 ; (8) the s. of the Earl of Granard, as Baron Forbes in 1725 ; and (9) the s. of Viscount Strabane (Earl of Abercorn [S.]), as Baron Mountcastle, in 1735/6. As to the precedency of Peers in the English Parl. granted by Royal Warrants since the Statute of Precedency of 31 Hen. VIII, see Appendix C. at the end of this volume.

(^3a) As h. male of the body of James (Hamilton) Earl of Arran [S.] (so cr. 11 Aug. 1503, in consequence of his marriage with the Princess Margaret of Scotland), it is not improbable that he was entitled to that Earldom. (See Pedigree on p. 4). The original limitation thereof to heirs male of the body, was extended by the second, and possibly by the 1st, of two charters thereafter granted, viz. (1) on 16 Jan. 1512/3 the limitation of the lands and Baronies of Hamilton, &c. was extended to several bastard sons of the grantee and to others therein named (of the name of Hamilton) “ and the heirs male of their bodies respectively, which failing, to the nearest heir male whatever ” of the grantee. (2) On 15 Sep. 1650, by another charter, the Baronies of Hamilton &c., together with the Earldom of Arran, were granted to James, the 2nd Earl, and the heirs male of his body, which failing, to five other persons (therein named) of the name of Hamilton, in like manner, which failing, “ to his nearest heirs [query, heirs male] bearing the arms and name of Hamilton.” See Wood's Douglas, vol i., pp. 697–699.

(^5a) She had previously borne “ some children ” to Sir William Fleming. Baillie's Letters, vol. iii, p. 366. V.G.

(^5b) See Gent. Mag. N.S. vol. v, p. 570, for pedigree, with proofs enlarging that in Le Neve's Knights. V.G.

(^5c) Hist. MSS. Com. 12th Rep., App., Pt. 7, and Luttrell's Diary. V.G.

(^6a) This Sir George m. Mary, (d. Aug. 1680) sister of the famous James (Butler), Duke of Ormonde, and had 6 sons and 4 daughters. Of these (besides the abovenamed Col. James H.) the most celebrated were Elizabeth, Comtesse de Gramont, Sir George Hamilton (husband of Frances Jennings, afterwards Duchess of Tyrconnel [I.]), and Count Anthony Hamilton, author of the well known Mèmoires de Gramont. See note sub James, Viscount Strabane [1701].

(^7a) See p. 2 note “ c,” where all such summons, v.p., of eldest sons of Irish peers are enumerated.

(^7b) In consequence of this creation, by a resolution of the Committee for Privileges on 13 Feb. 1787 (52 to 38 votes), duly confirmed by the House of Lords, he ceased to be a Rep. Peer [S.]. This resolution was the first on this subject, and was somewhat militated against by the fact of the Duke of Atholl [S.] having sat in the House from 14 Mar. 1737 till the gen. election in 1741 as a Peer of Great Britain (Lord Strange), as well as a Rep. Peer [S.]. See Robertson, pp. 181 and 430. See also note sub William, Duke of Queensberry [1778].

(^7c) Described in the signet office docquet as Vt. Hamilton of Hamilton, co. Leicester, but on the patent roll referred to as (merely) “ Viscount Hamilton.”

(^7d) For illustrations of his stiff manners, “ Castilian pomp,” pride, eccentricity, and unpopularity, see several rather amusing stories in Gent. Mag. for Oct. 1789. V.G.

(^7e) This was certainly a most unusual proceeding, as neither her father (who d. s.p.m. 26 Nov. 1787) nor any of his issue ever could have suc. to the title, he having been a yr. br. of Capt. John H., ancestor of the then Peer. This favour was not extended to any of her four elder sisters ; indeed the precedency was only that of the [page 8] da. of an Earl, viz., one of a creation of 1789, not of 1606, as if her father had suc. to the Earldom. The explanation of this special favour is, according to Wraxall, (Posth. Mem. vol. i, pp. 63–4) highly discreditable to all the parties concerned, and implies that she had been the Marquess's mistress during his first wife's lifetime. Wraxall adds that the Marquess had used his influence with Pitt to obtain the honour for her, though not “ without strong marks of repugnance being evinced by their Majesties.” George Selwyn writes to Lady Carlisle, 9 Nov. 1786, “ Mr. Hamilton now Lord Hamilton but toujours magnifico will have one of his cousins a Lady as if she had been an Earl's daughter, and no other of her sisters. He will himself be Duc de Châtellerault, to which I know that he has no more pretensions than I should have to an estate that an ancestor of mine had sold a century ago.” V.G.

(^8a) She m., 2ndly, 23 May 1799, Capt. Joseph Copley, afterwards 3rd Bart. (on account of adultery with whom she had been divorced), the br. of the 1st wife of her former husband, and d. 19 June 1819. He d. 21 May 1838.

(^8b) “ He is stated to have always gone out shooting in his Blue Ribbon, and to have required his housemaids to wear white kid gloves when they made his bed. It is also alleged that having learnt of his second wife's contemplated elopement, he sent her a message begging her to take the family coach, as it ought never to be said that Lady Abercorn left her husband's roof in a hack chaise.” (G.E. Russell, Collections and Recollections, 1898). V.G.

(^8c) As to the Dukedom of Châtellerault, to which he was served h. male of the [page 9] body in Scotland, 13 Jan. 1862, and to which he unsuccessfully asserted his rights before the Conseil d'Etat in Paris in 1866, see Appendix B in this volume. V.G.

(^9a) This creation was by promotion (!!) of his Irish Viscountcy of Strabane, a mode of procedure supposed to be authorised by the Act of the Irish Union, but (excepting in this instance) not acted upon since 1831, when its absurdity and possible illegality were noticed. If the Viscountcy of Strabane has been “ promoted,” what has become of it ? It cannot both exist in its former state, and yet have been “ promoted,” to a higher.

(^9b) See list of these Garter missions in vol. ii, Appendix B.

(^9c) Of his seven daughters, all were married to Peers, viz., (1) to the Earl of Lichfield ; (2) to the Earl of Durham ; (3) to the Duke of Buccleuch [S.] ; (4) to the Earl of Mount Edgcumbe ; (5) to the Earl Winterton [I.] ; (6) to the Duke of Marlborough ; and (7) to the Marquess of Lansdowne.

(^9d) A photograph of her and her 101 descendants was taken in July 1894. [page 10] Her s. Lord Claud H. writes that in Dec. 1904 she had 162 living descendants ! V.G.

(^10a) Sir James B. Paul points out that the anomalous style for a Scots peerage “ Baron of Abercorn ” given in Wood's Douglas is merely that writer's translation of the common form “ Dominus de Abercorn ” which occurs in the Register of the Great Seal in the Charter to Abercorn, and freely elsewhere. V.G.

(^10b) The Duke of Abercorn, the Marquess of Lansdowne since 1895, and the Earl of Verulam, are the only Peers (in 1909) who, besides their Peerage of Parliament, possess Peerages both in Scotland and Ireland. From 1688 to 1715 the famous Duke of Ormonde, from 1836 to 1889 the Dukes of Buckingham and Chandos, and from 1840 to 1868 the Marquesses of Hastings enjoyed the same distinction.

(^10c) Bentley Priory in Harrow (near Stanmore), Midx., which, since 1788, had been the property and chief residence of the family, was sold by the 1st Duke, some 90 years subsequently, to Sir John Kelk, Bart. It is now (1909) an hotel, the land having been laid out for villas.