The Duke of Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 afterAdriaen Hanneman, 1625–1650 | |
| Predecessor | James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton |
| Successor | Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton |
| Other titles | Earl of Lanark, Earl of Cambridge, Lord Machanshyre, Lord Polmont |
| Born | 14 December 1616 Hamilton, South Lanarkshire |
| Died | 12 September 1651(1651-09-12) (aged 34) The Commandery,Worcester |
| Buried | Worcester Cathedral |
| Noble family | Hamilton |
| Spouse | Lady Elizabeth Maxwell |
| Issue |
|
| Father | James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton |
| Mother | Lady Ann Cunningham |
William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton (14 December 1616 – 12 September 1651) was aScottish nobleman who supported bothRoyalist andPresbyterian causes during theWars of the Three Kingdoms.
Hamilton was born atHamilton Palace in on 14 December 1616, the younger son ofJames Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton andLady Ann Cunningham. Hamilton was educated at theUniversity of Glasgow, and from there travelled toContinental Europe, where he spent time at the court ofLouis XIII of France, on his return aged 21 he established himself as a favourite at the court ofCharles I in London.[1]
Hamilton was createdEarl of Lanark, Lord Machanshyre and Polmont in thePeerage of Scotland in 1639, and in April 1640 was elected Member of Parliament forPortsmouth in theHouse of Commons of England for theShort Parliament.[2] He becameSecretary of State for Scotland. In 1643, he was arrested atOxford on the orders ofKing Charles I for "concurrence" with his brother theDuke of Hamilton. He escaped and was temporarily reconciled with the Presbyterian party.[3]
After taking part in theBattle of Kilsyth on thecovenanter side, Hamilton was sent by the ScottishEstates of the Realm to treat with Charles I at Newcastle in 1646, when he sought in vain to persuade the king to consent to the establishment ofPresbyterianism in England. On 26 September 1647 he signed, on behalf of the Scots, the treaty with Charles known as the "Engagement", atCarisbrooke Castle, and helped to organise theSecond English Civil War.[3]
In 1648 Hamilton fled toHolland to the court in exile of thePrince of Wales atThe Hague. The following year he succeeded to theDukedom of Hamilton, the Marquisate of Hamilton, the Earldoms of Arran and Cambridge and Lordships of Aven and Innerdale following his brother's execution, making him the most senior figure among the Scots Royalist exiles. In 1650, the insignia of theOrder of the Garter were conferred upon him. He returned to Scotland withKing Charles II in 1650, but, finding a reconciliation with theMarquess of Argyll impossible, he refused to prejudice Charles's cause by pushing his claims.[3]
Hamilton retired to his estates on theIsle of Arran until the Scottish invasion of England during the 1650 to 1652Anglo-Scottish War, when he acted as colonel of a regiment drawn mainly from his tenantry.[3]
At theBattle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, Hamilton was shot in the leg with a musket and he was taken back to his lodgings atThe Commandery,Charles II's headquarters in that city, which had since been taken over byRoundhead soldiers.
At The Commandery, his leg was examined by both aCavalier surgeon, who believed the leg should be amputated, and a Roundhead surgeon sent byOliver Cromwell, who believed the leg did not need to be amputated – Hamilton refused to have his leg amputated by the Roundhead surgeon as he perceived all Roundheads to be traitors.[4]
On his deathbed on 8 September, Hamilton had just enough energy to write the following farewell letter to his wife:
"Dear Heart,
YOV know I have been long labouring, though in great weakness, to be prepared against this expected Change, and I thank my God I find Comfort in it, in this my day of Tryal; for my Body is not more weakned by my Wounds, then I find my Spirit Comforted and Supported by the infinite Mercies and great Love of my Blessed Redeemer, who will be with me to the end and in the end.
I am not able to say much more to you, the Lord preserve you under your Tryals, and sanctifie the use of them to the Comfort of your Soul.
I will not so much as in a Letter divide my dear Neeces and you; the Lord grant you may be constant Comforts to one another in this Life, and send you all Eternal Happiness with your Saviour in the Life to come: to both of your Cares I recommend my poor Children, let your great Work be to make them early accquainted with God, and their Duties to him; and though they may suffer many wants here before their Removal from hence, yet they will find an inexhaustible Treasure in the Love of Christ. May the Comforts of the Blessed Spirit be ever near you in all your Straits and Difficulties, and suffer not the least repining to enter into any of your Hearts for his Dispensations towards me, for his Mercies have been infinitely above his Iustice in the whole Pilgrimage of,
Dear Heart, Your Own, HAMILTON.
Worcester, Sept. 8. 1651."
He died fromexhaustion linked to his injuries four days later on 12 September 1651 and he was buried inWorcester Cathedral against his wishes as he wished to be buried inScotland.[4]
A neighbouring street, Hamilton Road, is named in his honour.
Hamilton married Lady Elizabeth Maxwell, daughter ofJames Maxwell, 1st Earl of Dirletoun on 26 May 1638, and had issue:[5]
Leaving four daughters but no male heirs, according to the remainder, the dukedom of Hamilton devolved on Hamilton's eldest surviving niece,Anne, who became Duchess of Hamilton in her own right.[3]
A highly fictionalised Hamilton is depicted inNigel Tranter'sMontrose trilogy.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hamilton, Marquesses and Dukes of s.v. William, 2nd duke of Hamilton".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 879–880.| Parliament of England | ||
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| Parliament suspended since 1629 | Member of Parliament forPortsmouth 1640 With:Henry Percy | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State, Scotland 1641–1649 With:Sir Robert Spottiswood 1644 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of Scotland | ||
| Preceded by | Duke of Hamilton 1649–1651 | Succeeded by |
| New creation | Earl of Lanark 1639–1651 | |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by | Earl of Cambridge 4th creation 1649–1651 | Extinct |
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