Death of 15th Duke of Hamilton

[John Mason]

The death of His Grace the Duke of Hamilton has been reported by
Buckingham Palace according to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/10251544.stm

John Mason

[marquess]

Reasonable Obit in the Telegraph what has always foxed me about the
Dukedom and the subsidiary titles, is how they managed to become earls
of Cambridge? Is it the same as the the Cambridge in England or a
Cambridge in Scotland?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/7807070/The-Duke-of-Hamilton.html

[marquess]

Do the Dukes of Hamilton still own any land in Scotland?

On 6 June, 12:26, marquess <marquessmarqu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> Reasonable Obit in the Telegraph what has always foxed me about the
> Dukedom and the subsidiary titles, is how they managed to become earls
> of Cambridge? Is it the same as the the Cambridge in England or a
> Cambridge in Scotland?
>

> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/royalty-obituaries/7807070...

[Turenne]

On 7 June, 07:37, marquess <marquessmarqu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

>
> > Reasonable Obit in the Telegraph what has always foxed me about the
> > Dukedom and the subsidiary titles, is how they managed to become earls
> > of Cambridge? Is it the same as the the Cambridge in England or a
> > Cambridge in Scotland?
>

Cambridge in England. The title was first created for the the 2nd
Marquess of Hamilton in 1619, along with the title Baron Innerdale,
(co. Cumberland). It is important to note that throughout the reign of
James I, Scotland and England were separate nations (a system that
existed until 1707/1801). If James wanted support from Scottish peers
in the English House of Lords, he had to confer English peerages on
them.

I note that The Telegraph states 'he was also pretender to the French
Dukedom of Châtelherault'. The Hamilton claim to that dukedom is
pretty flimsy, since there are others (including the Duke of Abercorn)
with a better claim.

Richard L

[WilliamD]

This from an earlier post on the son and heir...

The engagement was announced 20 March 2010, between Alexander Douglas
Douglas-Hamilton, styled Marquis of Clydesdale (b 31 Mar 1978), elder
son of Angus Alan Douglas [Douglas-Hamilton], 15th Duke of Hamilton
(b 13 September 1938), by his late former wife Sarah Jane Scott (b.
28 Oct 1945; d. 17 Feb 1994), eldest dau. of Sir Walter Scott, 4th
Bt., of Beauclerc, Bywell St Andrews, co. Northumberland, & Sophie
Ann Rrutherford,, dau of Mr Hubert Rutherford, of Roxburghshire and
Mrs Isabel Rutherford, of Edinburgh.

[WilliamD]

There's Lennoxlove - see http://www.lennoxlove.com/

[marquess]

Lennoxlove looks like a glorified box, not a patch on the old Hamilton
Palace. Aren't the dukes of Abercorn in remainder to the dukedom of
Hamilton?

On 6 June, 22:10, WilliamD <wmdoug...@tinyworld.co.uk> wrote:
> There's Lennoxlove - seehttp://www.lennoxlove.com/

[Turenne]

On 7 June, 12:16, marquess <marquessmarqu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> Lennoxlove looks like a glorified box, not a patch on the old Hamilton
> Palace. Aren't the dukes of Abercorn in remainder to the dukedom of
> Hamilton?
>

Yes. They have a common ancestor in James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran
and Duc de Chatellerault who was for a time, heir presumptive to the
Crown of Scotland through his mother Catherine Stewart d. of James IV
of Scotland.

The Hamiltons descend from his 6th child John 1st Marquess of
Hamilton, and the Abercorns through his 8th child, Claud, 1st Lord
Paisley.

Richard L

[marquess]

Strange that this collateral connexion isn't shown in Debretts I
suppose they thought that it was so obvious that it didn't need
mentioning. What is the acreage of their Scottish holdings if any?

[Turenne]

On 7 June, 12:57, marquess <marquessmarqu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> Strange that this collateral connexion isn't shown in Debretts I
> suppose they thought that it was so obvious that it didn't need
> mentioning.

It's not that obvious...Bit lazy on their part.

>What is the acreage of their Scottish holdings if any?

I'm pretty sure that the acreage is negligible. The Hamilton's wealth
was built mainly on coal, though the 12th duke managed to blow much
it...

Richard

[marquess]

They are the only ducal family that have collaterals that are dukes
themselves! Well the Obit mentioned that the late duke was against
hunting on his land, so I assumed there must be some, how did he make
his living then? A stipend from this royal duties?

[Paul Theroff]

I wonder whether that is true. There is an extensive remainder to the
Dukedom of Marlborough, under an amendment granted to the first Duke. As I
understand it, the remainder was to, firstly, his heirs male; secondly, his
daughters and their heirs male, by primogeniture; thirdly, the daughters of
his daughters, by primogeniture, and their heirs male; and then fourthly,
"all and every other issue."

There were no surviving heirs male. The only heirs male of his daughters are
the male-line descendants of Lady Anne Churchill and the 3rd Earl of
Sunderland. If by some chance they became extinct, the next in line would be
the descendants of the daughters of daughters, starting with the descendants
of Lady Mary Godolphin and the 4th Duke of Leeds, followed by the
descendants of Lady Anne Spencer and Viscount Bateman, those of Lady Diana
Spencer and the 4th Duke of Bedford, those of Lady Anne Egerton and the 3rd
Earl of Jersey, and then by those of Mary Duchess of Montagu.

If all those became extinct, the fourth part of the remainder seems to give
the title to the senior heir whatsoever.

Can anyone say whether this is all correct? If so, surely there are some
dukes in remainder to this dukedom.

----- Original Message -----
From: "marquess" <marquess...@yahoo.co.uk>
To: "Peerage News" <peerag...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 8:58 AM
Subject: Re: Death of 15th Duke of Hamilton

> They are the only ducal family that have collaterals that are dukes
> themselves! Well the Obit mentioned that the late duke was against
> hunting on his land, so I assumed there must be some, how did he make
> his living then? A stipend from this royal duties?
>

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[Turenne]

Regarding the Hamilton's wealth; a friend pointed ot to me the
following:

According to Complete Peerage, vol. VI (1926), p. 277.

Family Estates. - These, in 1883, consisted of 102,210 acres in co.
Bute, 45,731 in co. Lanark, 3,694 in co. Linlithgow, and 810 in co.
Stirling, besides 4,939 in Suffolk (worth £ 8,017 a year) and two in
Berkshire (worth £ 120 a year), the total being 157,386 acres, worth £
73,636 a year, exclusive of a mineral rent of £ 67,006 a year.
Principal Residences. - Hamilton Palace, co. Lanark; Brodick Castle,
Isle of Arran; and Easton Park, near Wickham Market, Suffolk.

Richard L

[gentlemole]

The Hamilton acreage was guestimated in Who Owns Britain at 5,000
acres, although it may be more up to 10,000 perhaps. A significant
portion (at least 30,000 acres) was passed on by the 12th Duke to his
daughter who married a Duke of Montrose and then for some reason
passed on down the female side of the Montrose family to today i
believe.

[Michael Rhodes]

On 7 June, 11:10, WilliamD <wmdoug...@tinyworld.co.uk> wrote:
> There's Lennoxlove - seehttp://www.lennoxlove.com/

The Times obituary says Lennoxlove is now a hotel.

[Michael Rhodes]

_The demise of the 15th Duke of Hamilton & Brandon reported in the
Daily Express

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/179613/The-Queen-mourns-for-Duke-of-Hamilton/

[marquess]

What are the premier dukes of Scotland now reduced to living in a mere
street?

On 7 June, 20:35, Michael Rhodes <mig73allenford2...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

[WilliamD]

The Sun's version of the obituary:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3003842/Alexander-Douglas-Hamilton-becomes-the-16th-Duke-of-Hamilton.html

Can anyone identify the family members in the photograph?

The Herald has a good one:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/obituaries/duke-of-hamilton-and-brandon-scotland-s-premier-peer-flier-and-distinguished-engineer-1.1033417

William

[Raveem]

And why shouldn't a duke live in a street? If the (hereditary) peerage
remains bound up with the idea of compulsory wealth, privilege and
separation from wider society, then it has an even slimmer chance of
surviving into the future. Certainly not an outcome many on this board
would wish to see.

Raveem.

[marquess]

I didn't say that a duke should not live in a street, everyone has to
live somewhere, but one would have thought that the premier duke of
Scotland would at least have some kind of ancestral seat even a modest
one. When one looks at the Batemen's Great Landowners from 1883, they
seemed to own so much and now so little. Moreover the dukes Hamilton
have hereditary royal duties so they are hardly ordinary dukes, if
indeed such a thing could possibly exist. Being member of a club that
only has 27 members, is always going to separate you from wider
society, as to surviving that will depend on whether or not they
managed to produce heirs.

[Richard R]

Extract from The Times obit and a link to the piece:
The Duke of Hamilton
Premier Peer of Scotland and sometime racing car driver and aviator
who battled ill health for many years
When Angus Hamilton became the 15th Duke of Hamilton and 12th Duke of
Brandon in 1973 at the age of 35, he inherited not only the premier
dukedom of Scotland and one of its most ancient titles, but also three
substantial stately homes, with the added burden of death duties. It
was a measure of his resourcefulness, that he succeeded in securing a
solid use for all of them. At the same time he created a career of his
own, as an engineer, a pilot of distinction and a racing driver. He
retained his flying skills to the end, memorably taking part in a fly-
past to mark the funeral of one of his Scottish neighbours, the
Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti in 2007.
Although he did not greatly relish the inheritance thrust upon him,
he fulfilled the role with a proper sense of duty, carrying the
Scottish crown in the presence of the Queen when she opened the
Scottish Parliament in 2004 — although he would later claim that he
almost lost his footing and was within an inch of throwing the royal
symbol into the hands of his friend, the Lord Lyon King of Arms.
Angus Alan Douglas Douglas-Hamilton was born in 1938 in London into
a family at the centre of a lively London and Edinburgh social scene.
His mother, Elizabeth Percy, was the daughter of the Duke of
Northumberland, and married the heir to the Dukedoms of Hamilton and
Brandon. Her wedding in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh, to the “Boxing
Marquess” was a highlight of 1937. Hamilton came into the world in
1938 as the Earl of Angus and succeeded his father as Marquess of
Douglas and Clydesdale in 1940 on the death of his grandfather, the
13th Duke.
Hamilton spent his earliest years at Dungavel, with his grandmother,
the vegetarian animal rights campaigner Nina, Duchess of Hamilton… .
His father bought Lennoxlove House, near Haddington, in 1947; and it
remains today the centre of the Hamilton family concerns. Archerfield
Estate was added soon afterwards.
In 1972 he married Sarah Jane Scott, the daughter of Sir Walter
Scott, 4th Baronet, and started to refurbish the farm at Archerfield,
his family home for the next 35 years, Dungavel having already been
disposed of by his father. They moved into Archerfield in 1975,
Hamilton having succeeded his father to the dukedoms in 1973, just
months before his first daughter was born. He found himself saddled
with three great houses — Chatelherault, in Lanarkshire, Lennoxlove,
and Archerfield. The first was sold to the council and is now open to
the public, Lennoxlove has been converted for use as an hotel, and
Archerfield is now a privately owned house attached to a championship
golf course. In each case, the Duke was instrumental in smoothing the
way from stately home to modern usage.
In 1973 Hamilton made his maiden speech as a cross-bencher in the
House of Lords on nuclear power. Elsewhere, his work for charity
showed when he was appointed to the Order of St John, and he often
wore the insignia of a Knight of the Order. Even so, his politics were
always to the Left and his style self-effacing. He wrote a study of
Mary, Queen of Scots in 1991.
The pressures of history, perhaps the shadow of a father who had
achieved so much, seem to have been heavy; alcohol became a refuge and
life became difficult. A divorce from Sally followed in 1987 and she
died in 1994. A brief marriage to Jillian Robertson followed but
already the most important person in his life had joined him. Kay
Carmichael, then divorced from her husband, met him through an
interest in an abused dog and over the next few years she rescued
Hamilton from the despair of alcohol. They were married in 1998 and
put much energy into Staffordshire terrier rescue, campaigns to
abolish animal cruelty — especially against the production of foie
gras, and the rituals involved with his role as Hereditary Keeper of
the Palace of Holyroodhouse. In 1999 the Duke of Hamilton, as the
descendant of the ancient Lords of Abernethy, bore the Crown from the
Honours of Scotland to the opening of the reconvened Scottish
Parliament in which his ancestors had played major roles from the
creation of the dukedom in 1643. He renewed his marriage vows to Kay
in the summer of 2009 by which time the cloud of dementia had
descended on their lives.
… . He was proud of his ancestors, not the great dukes of the
17th-19th centuries, but the sailors of modest rank from whom his
branch of the family descended, the titles but not all the property
having moved between distant cousins when the 12th Duke died in 1895
with no male issue.
… . He and Kay were patrons of the arts, and in latter years they were
keen to maintain the history of the family represented in the Kneller
portraits at Lennoxlove.
He is survived by his wife Kay and by two daughters and two sons.
His son Alexander succeeds to the dukedoms.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7145567.ece

I'm hopeful we'll get obits from The Indepenent and Guardian as well.

> > > > The Times obituary says Lennoxlove is now a hotel.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Michael Rhodes]

"He traced his ancestry back to Mary Queen of Scots....." says the
Telegraph

The Hamilton family and some of their peerages pre-date
Mary Queen of Scots by some centuries.

[Michael Rhodes]

Press Association:-

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gLnBVTWZ7BcGCbmvddZZTHHY17hg

Secretive life of the new duke

http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3003842/Alexander-Douglas-Hamilton-becomes-the-16th-Duke-of-Hamilton.html

[marquess]

He could secretly be living on a council estate, due to owning
virtually nothing in ducal terms.

On 8 June, 06:30, Michael Rhodes <mig73allenford2...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:
> Press Association:-
>
> http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5gLnBVTWZ7BcGCb...

>
> Secretive life of the new duke
>

> http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3003842/Alexander-Dougl...

[bx...@yahoo.com]

The new Duke (b. 1978) is the youngest Duke.

Brooke

[Ronald]

the ancestors of the new duke and his fiancee. Any additions are most
welcome!

http://heirsofeurope.blogspot.com/2010/03/hamilton-and-brandon.html

Ronald

[Turenne]

Good stuff Ronald! I am a bit sceptical about the inclusion of
Chatelherault; otherwise, pretty nifty...

Richard L

[WilliamD]

Still wondering who else is in the photograph published in the Sun???

Any ideas?

16th Duke at the back, 15th Duke to the right, and who else?

Anyone?

On Jun 8, 10:33 am, WilliamD <wmdoug...@tinyworld.co.uk> wrote:
> The Sun's version of the obituary:http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3003842/Alexander-Dougl...

>
> Can anyone identify the family members in the photograph?
>

> The Herald has a good one:http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/obituaries/duke-of-hamilton-and...
>
> William

[Turenne]

On 12 June, 10:51, WilliamD <wmdoug...@tinyworld.co.uk> wrote:
> Still wondering who else is in the photograph published in the Sun???
>
> Any ideas?
>
> 16th Duke at the back, 15th Duke to the right, and who else?
>
> Anyone?

I'll have a go:

Kay, Duchess of Hamilton, Lady Eleanor Douglas-Hamilton, the 16th
Duke, Lady Ann Douglas-Hamilton, the 15th Duke and (in the chair)
Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Hamilton, (widow of the 14th Duke).

Richard L

[Richard R]

Here's the Independent's obit, with a fine picture of the late Duke in
the course of his hereditary duty:

[EXTRACT] The Duke of Hamilton: Premier Peer of Scotland who raced
cars and flew reconnaissance missions over Malaya
Angus Hamilton was two people: a man surrounded by, suffused in and
part of the history of Scotland; and an ordinary bloke, in his
language, who was an engineer, flyer and racing driver.
…. Hamilton spent his earliest years at Dungavel with his grandmother,
the vegetarian animal rights campaigner Nina, Duchess of Hamilton,
which left a life-time aversion to violence and cruelty to animals,
later to form a key part of his life with his third wife, Kay
Carmichael. His father bought Lennoxlove, near Haddington, in 1947;
and it remains today the centre of the family concerns. Archerfield
Estate was added soon after.
…. In 1953 he was page to his father at the Coronation. In 1955, his
father sent him to Perth for the month of August, at the end of which
he had his solo pilot's flying licence, which he kept up for 50 years.
He joined the Air Cadets while at Eton, and the Oxford University Air
Training Corps when he went up in 1956 to read engineering, which
became the core of his business interests.
….After university he went straight into the RAF, seen as a natural
progression given that his father and three uncles had been senior
officers during the war. But for Flt Lieut Clydesdale it was the
chance for independence and a life away from the demands of high
society - and most of the preparation for future ducal
responsibilities. For example, in 1963, he was ADC to The Duke of
Gloucester, Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the
Church of Scotland.
…. In Singapore he started to drive racing cars, soon to pick up the
"Racing Marquess" nickname
…. Aspects of his personality emerge in all of his children, with
Eleanor taking forward the interest in nature, Anne catching his taste
for art, Johnnie pursuing a career in motocross track design and
Alexander, the heir to the titles, continuing the deep perception of
history and the family's place in the fabric of Scottish life. In 1973

Hamilton made his maiden speech as a cross-bencher in the House of

Lords on nuclear fusion, describing himself as a "humble engineer".
….His quiet work for charity showed when he was appointed to the Order
of the St John, and he often wore the insignia of a Knight of the
Order. Even so, his politics were always to the left and his style
self-effacing. As Professor Gordon Donaldson wrote in Hamilton's 1991
study of Mary, Queen of Scots, Maria R, "he makes no plea to be judged
other than by professional standards."
….The pressures of history, perhaps the shadow of a father who had

achieved so much, seem to have been heavy; alcohol became a refuge and
life became difficult.

…. In 1999, as the descendant of the ancient Lords of Abernethy, he
bore the Crown from the Honours of Scotland to the opening of the re-

convened Scottish Parliament in which his ancestors had played major

roles from the creation of the Dukedom in 1643. ….Hamilton was a
wicked mimic, not least of members of his own and other great families
with whom he came into contact in his formal roles. He was proud of
his ancestors - not the great Dukes of the 17th-19th centuries but the
sailors of modest rank from whom his branch descended, the titles but

not all the property having moved between distant cousins when the
12th Duke died in 1895 with no male issue.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/the-duke-of-hamilton-premier-peer-of-scotland-who-raced-cars-and-flew-reconnaissance-missions-over-malaya-1994891.html

[Michael Rhodes]

Animal sanctuary mourns patron

http://www.chardandilminsternews.co.uk/news/8215064.Animal_sanctuary_mourns_patron_s_death/

Memorial Service planned for Duke of Hamilton & Brandon

http://www.eastlothiannews.co.uk/news/Memorial-service-planned-for-Duke.6355118.jp

[Nick Kingsley]

The original Lennoxlove House was sold in the 1970s (from memory), but the
Duke built a modest new house in the park to which the family portraits were
moved: indeed the new house was to an extent designed around them as the
canvasses are so large! I went to the new house in about 1982, and my
recollection is that there was still a working estate at that date, although
of course more land may have been sold since.

Nick Kingsley

-----Original Message-----
From: peerag...@googlegroups.com [mailto:peerag...@googlegroups.com]
On Behalf Of Michael Rhodes
Sent: 08 June 2010 09:36
To: Peerage News
Subject: Re: Death of 15th Duke of Hamilton

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[Michael Rhodes]

__A memorial service for the 15th Duke of Hamilton & Brandon, whose
family seat is Lennoxlove House near Haddington, will be held on July
31 2010, at St Mary's Parish Church in Haddington.
Scotland's premier peer died in the early hours of Saturday morning,
June 5, at the age of 71. He was diagnosed with dementia in 2001.
Hereditary Keeper of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official royal
residence in Scotland, he slipped away in his own bed at 3.15am in the
arms of his duchess at their house in Dirleton. A private funeral took
place on Thursday June 10 2010......


--==--

[Michael Rhodes]

Kay Duchess of Hamilton has opened her heart to the East Lothian
Courier after her husband, the 15th duke, died on June 5

http://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/roundup/articles/2010/06/10/401294-a-cherished-time-/



> --==--

[Richard R]

Thanks for that Michael. I see he's to be buried in his RAF uniform.
Some good stuff in theis local story. I suppose it's too much to hope
for factuarl & historical accuracy, since that's not what the story's
about as far as the paper's concerned:
The Hamilton dukedom IS THE OLDEST SURVIVING TITLE IN SCOTLAND, dating
to the 1600s....
He was the hereditary bearer of the Crown of Scotland TO THE
PARLIAMENT OF SCOTLAND....
Etc....


On Jun 15, 7:52 pm, Michael Rhodes <mig73allenford2...@yahoo.co.uk>
wrote:

> Kay Duchess of Hamilton has opened her heart to the East Lothian
> Courier after her husband, the 15th duke, died on June 5
>

> http://www.eastlothiancourier.com/news/roundup/articles/2010/06/10/40...
>
>
>
> > --==--- Hide quoted text -

[marquess]

I don't know why the keep referring to Lennoxlove as the family seat
when it was only bought in the 40's and is now an hotel, I wonder
where the new duke lives?

[Turenne]

On 16 June, 13:01, marquess <marquessmarqu...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> I don't know why the keep referring to Lennoxlove as the family seat
> when it was only bought in the 40's and is now an hotel, I wonder
> where the new duke lives?

I was under the impression that the duke lives in a wing of the house.
There are only 11 hotel rooms plus some function rooms. I'm sure there
is plenty of room for the duke. That said, the property is set in 460
acres, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Dower House.

Richard L