THE HAMILTONS AND KILLYLEAGH

THE HAMILTONS AND KILLYLEAGH
August 26, 2000

The following was family information that was given to me about 10
years ago, by Mr. J.W.B. Hamilton from Peterborough, Ontario,
Canada. I have yet to make a connection to this side of the family.
If there are mistakes or omissions, this is the way it was written and
some of it was by hand.

When one tries to establish a lineage in the early years of a nations
history, there are obvious problems; for no records of the sort we are
used to exist, and only the flimsiest and almost accidental
documentation seems to exist. On arriving in Peterborough, I was
given a lengthy family tree, the source of which is unknown to me,
and I can only assume that my cousin Margaret put it together. In it,
she sets out the following lineage:

(1) Robert de Belmont (came to UK with Wm the Conqueror in 1066)
(2) Robert, 1st. Earl of Leicester
(3) Robert, 2 nd. Earl of Leicester
(4) William de Hambeldon (1274)
(5) Sir Walter Fitzgilbert de Hambeldon (1201) M Emma de UmJueville
(6) Walter Fitzgilbert de Hambeldon (1294) M ? 1320
M Mary Gordon 2nd. Wife.
(7) Sir David Fitzwalter Fitzgilbert of Hambeldon
(8) David Hamilton
(9) Sir John Hamilton of Cadzow (1479) M Mary Stuart,
Daughter of King James II of Scotland.
Child: James H. ( First Earl of Arran) M Janet Beltrum
Child: James H. 2nd. Earl of Arran M Margaret Douglas
(10) Thomas Hamilton of Raploch (brother of 1st. Earl of Arran)
M Helen Douglas
(11) James Hamilton (of Raploch?)
(12) William Hamilton (of Raploch?) M Margaret Baillie
(13) James Hamilton (of Raploch ?) M Isabella Blackwood
(14) Archibald Hamilton of Raploch M Janet Denholm and had,
out of wedlock it is understood,
(15) Rev. Hans Hamilton (1536-1608) M Margaret Denham
and had (Sir) James, Viscount Cladeboye (1559-1643),
who built, or rebuilt Killyleagh Castle, and James H.
( first Earl of Claubrassil)
(16) Archibald Hamilton of Halcraig M Rachel Carmichael,
and had several sons, including….
(17) Gawen Hamilton of Killyleagh (1630-1703) who married
Jane Hamilton, Daughter of (a) Archibald Hamilton
and he in turn was survived by his son
(18) Archibald Hamilton of Killyleagh, M Mary Johnstone
(19) Gawen Hamilton of Killyleagh (1729-1805)

Before proceeding further, I think it may be of note that we refer
back to (9) Sir John Hamilton of Cadzow, whose father,
David Hamilton, was the first to describe himself as the "Lord of Cadzow".
David had a number of sons, four or five, from one of whom
descend the Lords of Belhaven. Sir John also had a number of
sons, the younger two being allegedly the founders of the Houses of
Dalserf and Raploch. The lineage provided indicates that the
youngest one would be Thomas (dates unknown) and the eldest,
logically, was Sir John of Cadzow, from whom descended the
Hamilton's of Silvertonhill and the Lords Hamilton of Dalzell.
Sir John's eldest son, Sir James, was survived by his son
Sir James, who first married a Douglas, and then Mary, sister of James the III
of Scotland, and widow of Thomas Boyd, the Earl of Arran,
and from this marriage descended the present Earls of Arran,
and the Dukes of Hamilton. Not really related unless you want to consider
something ridiculous such as 25th cousins, or some such thing.
We share a common ancestor, and that is about all, other than
the name of Hamilton.

I cannot go into detail, for I don't have it, but it is interesting
to note that James Hamilton (13) of Raploch married Isabella Blackwood,
and you will see later where the Blackwoods persist in marrying
the Hamilton's, I gather, to their mutual benefit.

It is appropriate at this point to mention the Rev Hans (5) Hamilton
who, regardless of his having being born out of wedlock, for it is
thr9ough his offspring that we now become interested in Killyleagh.
The Rev Hans had a number of children it is understood, but the
ones we are concerned with are James, his eldest, and Archibald of
Halcraig. At this time, the Hamiltons lived in Scotland still,
the Rev Hans being The Vicar of Dunlop, in Ayrshire, and his wife
Margaret Denham being the daughter of the Laird of Weshiels.
At any rate, without going into a great deal of detail, James acquired
Killyleagh Castle, and for some generations his descendants lived there,
until it was left to a daughter and a cousin, the daughter being Dorcas,
who married a Blackwood, and Gawen Hamilton (17).
The Keep went to Gawen and the Gate House went to Dorcas, and subsequently
to the Blackwood family. A slight problem which was
amicably resolved in later years when another Hamilton married
another Blackwood, and the Gate House was turned over to the Hamiltons.

We now come to the somewhat sad story of Gawen Hamilton (1729-1805)
of Killyleagh. In 1750, at the early age of 21, he married
the daughter of William Rowan, a barrister-at-law. She, Jane,
had already been married and widowed, and by her he had two
children, Archibald, His son and heir, and a daughter, Sidney.
Gawen's wife, Jane, did not like living at Killyleagh and resolved to
move to London, which she did relatively quickly, for Archibald was
born there, in Rathbone Square, on May the 12th, 1752, a few days
less then two years following their marriage, and Sidney was born
there subsequently. The sad story of the lives of both Archibald,
who was required to adapt his maternal Grandfather's surname in order
to inherit (he became A. Hamilton Rowan, and was better known as the
United Irishman), and his sister Sidney and the agonies she was
required to endure in order to eventually to enjoy her marriage to the
Rev. Benjamin Beresford, are recanted in considerable detail in Harold Nicolson's
Life of A. Hamilton Rowan, "The Desire to Please", and more of which later.

Gawen Hamilton, meanwhile, continued to live on at Killyleagh Castle,
in the Keep and presumably providing the Rose nad the Spur annually to the
Blackwoods at Clandeboye. Assuming the Mrs. Hamilton departed the castle
some time in between may of 1750 and1752, it is perhaps surprising that
nothing happened of such a nature until 1776-77, but when it started is
left open to speculation. At any rate, some time in the intervening period
a young girl from the town of Killyleagh was employed in the castle as a
housemaid, by the name of Ursula Carlisle. Whether she made the initial
move or whether Gawen did is not known, although Ursula was known to the
family as being quite a demanding person, and perhaps just a bit of an
aggressive bitch. At any rate, she eventually found her way into Gawens bed,
presumably, and, since the duration of their relationship went on from at
least 1777 until Gawens death in 1805,she became in effect the resident
chatelaine of the castle for a period of 28 years, and felt very much the
Lady of Killyleagh. One can only speculate as to how this was viewed by
both the family and friends of the family in the area, ie, the Blackwoods
at Clandeboye, etc, and by the local residents in the town below, from
whence Ursula had come originally.

What is known is that Ursula gave birth to Gawen's son, but Nicolson
fails to identify the boy, subsequently he does indicate that Gawen Hamilton
died, the estate agent, one Archibald Hamilton, presumably not a relative,
or at least not a close one, was instructed by Archibald Hamilton Rowan to
seize the castle and ensure that all valuables and documents were secure
since it was anticipated that Ursula would attempt to do well for herself.
In the event, Archibald Hamilton reported that the son was away at the time,
(1805) was considered, unlike his mother, to be a decent and undemanding young man,
and that his request for the return of belongings centered primarily on a chest
in the castle dinning room and his dog. It is assumed that his request was granted.
More to the point, if the son was born in 1776 or 1777, he would have been
27 or 28 years of age, and it must be assumed, since he had, up to some
point at least, been living at Killyleagh, then Gawen, his father
must have assumed the responsibility for his education and for some sort
of start in life.

On my arrival in Peterborough, Aunt Seaborn had informed me that to the
best of her knowledge, Robert Hamilton's father and mother had been
Sir Archibald Rowan Hamilton and a cousin, Ursula Campbell, and that
he had been born in Killyleagh. Working back from his tombstone,
which indicates that he died in 1836 at the age of 59,it must be deduced
that he was born some time in 1776 or 1777, and therefore the only
possibility, if the connection is correct, was that his father was
Gawen Hamilton, and not Archibald H. Rowan. Although I have no
documentary evidence , at least as yet, I have hypothesized the
Robert Hamilton, late of the 79th. Highlanders, was the natural son
of Gawen Hamilton, and the subsequent coincidental factors that
will be demonstrated only serve to strengthen my conviction.

The following was sent to me recently...

"I,ve just purchased some property in Killyleagh called Hamilton House. It was built around 1830's, originally as a Georgan home and some time later as a public house and now business rental units. The address is 2 Catherine street Killyleagh. "
This person has renovated and provided before and after photo's.

......

Other Hamilton information pages...

"Family Announcements"
"Hamilton Family Facts"
"Hamilton Family Employment History"
"Hamilton Family Medical History"
"Hamilton/Hill Family Photos"
"Clan Hamilton Information"
"Kinship to Debbie Neesom (Gerrard)"
"All about me!"

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