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Clan Hamilton (Tartans, Crest) and The Story Behind

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Hamilton

Gaelic Name: Hamultun

Clan Crest: In a ducal coronet an oak tree fructed and penetrated transversely in the main stem by a frame saw Proper, the frame Or

Clan Motto: Through

Origin of Name: Placename, England, Hambledon

Lands: Renfrewshire, Arran

Historic Seat: Lennoxlove House, East Lothian

Clan Chief: His Grace The Duke of Hamilton

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Hamilton Clan History

A Norman named Walter Fitz-Gilbert of Hambledon moved to Renfrewshire and took the name of a town in England. He first appears in a charter granted to Paisley monastery in 1294, granting the privilege of fishing for herring in the Clyde, to which he is a witness. Later, during the Wars of Independence, Fitz-Gilbert was the English governor of Bothwell Castle, but he switched sides and was rewarded with a portion of confiscated Comyn lands. Among his new possessions were the Barony and lands of Cadzow, which would eventually become the town of Hamilton.

The family's power grew as a result of their unwavering devotion to the Crown. Walter's son, Sir David, was captured with his King in 1346 while fighting for David II at the Battle of Neville's Cross, and the two were not released until an enormous ransom was paid.

When James, the 1st Lord Hamilton, married Princess Mary, the daughter of James II, in 1474, the two families became even closer. Their son was made Earl of Arran and was the next in line to the throne.

Hamilton Palace, the former residence of the Dukes of Hamilton, was constructed in 1695. It was once considered one of the finest houses in Scotland before being demolished in 1927.

In 1503, the family settled on the island of Arran, and for the majority of the century, a Hamilton was on the verge of inheriting the Crown. With James IV and Mary, Queen of Scots, the 2nd Earl was heir to the throne. He squandered Mary's wealth as Regent, and his allegiance to England or France was a simple matter of bribery.

Henry VIII's wrath was a free gift he brought to Scotland.

The 4th Earl was the keeper of both Edinburgh and Stirling Castles before rising to the rank of Marquess in 1599. Claude, his brother, was made the first Lord Paisley and then Lord Abercorn in 1587. Claude's descendants became extremely wealthy as well, carving out a portion of Ulster and elevating the Abercorn title to Earldom and then Dukedom by 1868.

In 1643, the third Marquess was made a Duke for his support of Charles I. In 1649, he was beheaded alongside his King in London.

When subsidence forced the closure of Hamilton Palace, the chief family relocated to Lennoxlove, Haddington.

Hamilton Places & People

Clan Hamilton People

Preston's Sir Robert Hamilton (1650-1701)

Sir Robert led the Covenanters who read the Rutherglen Declaration before fighting at Drumclog in 1679. Among Hamilton's interpretations of holiness was that 'it is not endurance but the infliction of pain that makes a true soldier of Christ'.

Sir Robert fled the fighting for Holland during the aftermath of Drumclog, which was fought at Bothwell Bridge, when the pains inflicted by government troops began to indicate defeat for the Covenanters.

Alexander Hamilton (d.1732)

Captain Hamilton, a little-known sailor, published "A New Account of the East Indies" in 1727, based on his thirty-five years at sea. His book provided readers at home with an incredible insight into life in the area's ports and the types of people who do business there, particularly those employed by the London East India Company.

His book is not only of historical interest; it is reprinted on a regular basis.

Sir William Hamilton (1730–1803)

Sir William served as the British ambassador in Naples from 1764 to 1800. This was fortunate because archaeology was his hobby. He was involved in the Pompeii and Herculaneum excavations.

He scaled the still-active Vesuvius twenty times. He married Emma Lyon, a lovely thirty-six-year-old, when he was sixty-one. Emma was well-known in the establishment for her scandalous relationship with Lord Nelson.

Hamilton, David (1768-1843)

Hamilton's architectural career spanned thirty years of success. The Glasgow native joined the Masonic Incorporation in 1800, and his first works, such as the Royal Exchange, completed in 1830, were inspired by the Greek Revival.

He experimented with various styles before returning to the Classical style. In 1836, he won one of four prizes for his Scottish Jacobean style entry in the Houses of Parliament design competition.

Hamilton Tartans

Hamilton the Elder

Hamilton Contemporary

Hamilton's Ancient Hunt

Hamilton Hunting Contemporary

Hamilton Crest & Coats of Arms

Clan Hamilton Crest

Crest Description: An oak tree fructed and transversely penetrated in the main stem by a frame saw Proper, the frame Or, in a ducal coronet.

Coats of Arms of Hamilton

A word about Coats of Arms:

A coat of arms is granted to an individual under Scottish heraldic law (with the exception of civic or corporate arms). A 'family coat of arms' does not exist. With the exceptions noted above, the arms depicted below are personal arms. Only the person who has been granted these weapons has the right to use them.

Cadzow's HAMILTON

Ermine, three cinquefoils gules.

Earl of Arran HAMILTON

Quarterly, Gules, three cinquefoils, Ermine (for Hamilton); Argent, a lymphad (galley), Sable, sails furled, Proper, flagged, Gules (for the Earldom of Arran); 2nd and 3rd, Argent, a lymphad (galley), Sable, sails furled, Proper, flagged, Gules (for the Earldom of Arran).