James Hamilton (English army officer)
| James Hamilton | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1620 |
| Died | 6 June 1673 |
| Buried | Westminster Abbey |
| Allegiance |
 Kingdom of England |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy |
Col. James Hamilton (c. 1620 – 6 June 1673) was an Irish courtier and soldier, during the reign of Charles II of England. He was appointed a Ranger of Hyde Park in 1660 and Groom of the Bedchamber 1664. He died in June 1673 after losing a leg in a naval battle. His body was interred in Westminster Abbey.
Biography
James was the eldest son of Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet and Mary (died 1680), daughter of Thomas Butler, Viscount Thurles and Elizabeth Poyntz.[1][lower-alpha 1] He was a grandson of the Earl of Abercorn and his own son ultimately inherited the title.
Like his younger brothers, Hamilton chose a military career, and became a colonel. A favourite of Charles II, he was appointed Ranger of Hyde Park in 1660 on the death of the previous Ranger the Henry, Duke of Gloucester (the kings brother). While a Ranger, Hamilton was responsible for the partial enclosure of Hyde Park and its re-stocking with deer. He was allowed to rent a house from the crown in the vicinity of Hyde Park at what is now known as Hamilton Place which is named after him.[2]
He was appointed Groom of the Bedchamber on 28 October 1664,[2][3] and he sat Member of Parliament (M.P.) of the Parliament of Ireland for the constituency of Strabane between 3 July 1666 and 7 August 1666.[4]
Hamilton was known for his fine manners and dress and his gallantry. An admirer of the Countess of Chesterfield, his first cousin, he carried on a romance with her by turning her husband's suspicion on the Duke of York, only to discover that York was courting her as well.
Colonel Hamilton had one of his legs blown off by a cannonball in a sea-fight with the Dutch (presumably the Battle of Schooneveld), and died as a result thereof on 6 June 1673. He was buried in Westminster Abbey.[2][5]
Family
In 1661, Hamilton married Elizabeth (died after 1692[lower-alpha 2]), daughter of John Colepeper, 1st Baron Colepeper by his second marriage. [6] They had three sons:
- James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn[7] (c. 1661–1734)
- Colonel George Hamilton[8] (died 3 August 1692, Battle of Steenkerque)
- William Hamilton[9] (after 1662–1737), married his cousin Margaret Colepeper and had issue
Notes
- ↑ On 29 May 1669 James's mother, a sister of James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde was granted the rank of an earl's daughter (Lundy 2011a, p. 11028 § 110273 cites Cokayne 1983, p. 305; and Lundy 2011b, p. 11028 § 110273 cites Paul 1904, p. 53).
- ↑ During the Interregnum buildings were erected for the first time between what is now Old Regent Street and Hyde Park Corner. After the Restoration they were leased by James Hamilton and was renewed on a lease of 99 years by Elizabeth his widow in 1692 (Knight 1851, p. 798).
- ↑ Lundy 2011, p. 11025 §110243 cites Cokayne 2000, p. 3; Lundy 2011b, p. 11028 § 110272 cites Cokayne 2000, p. 6; Lundy 2011b, p. 11028 § 110272 cites Cokayne 1983, p. 305
- 1 2 3 Walford 1878, pp. 375-405.
- ↑ Lundy 2011a, p. 11028 § 110273 cites Cokayne 1983, p. 305
- ↑ Lundy 2011a, p. 11028 § 110273 Paul 1904, p. 53
- ↑ Lundy 2011, p. 11025 §110243 cites Cokayne 2000, p. 6
- ↑ Lundy 2011, p. 11025 §110243 cites Mosley 1999, p. 4
- ↑ Lundy 2011, p. 11025 §110243 cites Cokayne 2000, p. 3
- ↑ Lundy 2011, p. 11025 §110243 Paul 1904, p. 57
- ↑ Lundy 2011, p. 11025 §110243 cites Mosley 1999, p. 1279
References
- Knight, Charles, ed. (1851), Knight's cyclopædia of London, London, p. 789
- Lundy, Darryl (22 January 2011), Colonel James Hamilton, The Peerage, p. 11025 § 110243 External link in
|publisher=(help) - Lundy, Darryl (21 January 2011a), Thomas Butler, Viscount Thurles, The Peerage, p. 11028 § 110273 External link in
|publisher=(help) - Lundy, Darryl (22 January 2011b), Lady Mary Butler, The Peerage, p. 11028 § 110272 External link in
|publisher=(help) - Walford, Edward (1878), "Hyde Park", Old and New London, 4, pp. 375–405
The following are cited by Darryl Lundy (and recited here):
- Cokayne, George Edward (1983) [c. 1900], The Complete Baronetage, (5 volumes), III (reprint ed.), Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, p. 305
- Cokayne, George Edward; et al. (2000), The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, I (reprint in 6 volumes ed.), Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, pp. 3, 6
- Mosley, Charles, ed. (1999), Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 1 (106th, 2 volumes ed.), Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books), pp. 4, 1279
- Paul, Sir James Balfour (1904), The Scots Peerage: founded on Wood's edition of Sir Robert Douglas's The Peerage of Scotland, I, Edinburgh, Scotland: David Douglas, pp. 53, 57