Robert Montgomery Hamilton, 8th Lord Belhaven and Stenton
Encyclopedia
Robert Montgomery Hamilton, 8th Lord Belhaven and Stenton KT
(1793 – 22 December 1868) was a Scottish
peer and politician.
.
benches in the House of Lords
as a Scottish Representative Peer
between 1819 and 1832. The latter year he was created was created Baron Hamilton of Wishaw, in the County of Lanark, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. This title gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords. Hamilton also served as High Commissioner to the General Assembly and Kirk from 1831 to 1841, from 1847 to 1851, again from 1853 to 1857 and a last time from 1860 to 1866. Having been previously the county's vice-lord lieutenant, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire
in 1863, an office he held until his death five years later. In 1861, Hamilton was invested as a Knight of the Thistle.
He married Hamilton Campbell, daughter of Walter Frederick Campbell and Mary Nisbet, in 1815; they had no children. Hamilton died on 22 December 1868, aged 75 and was buried in Cambusnethan Kirkyard, where his large mausoleum still stands, although the kirk no longer exists. The kirkyard is located close to Wishaw
, by the River Clyde
. On his death, the barony of Hamilton of Wishaw became extinct while the lordship of Belhaven and Stenton became dormant.
Order of the Thistle
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle is an order of chivalry associated with Scotland. The current version of the Order was founded in 1687 by King James VII of Scotland who asserted that he was reviving an earlier Order...
(1793 – 22 December 1868) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
peer and politician.
Background
Born at Wishaw House, he was the son of William Hamilton, 7th Lord Belhaven and Stenton, and Penelope Macdonald, youngest daughter of Ranald MacDonald of Clanranald. In 1814 he succeeded his father in the Lordship of Belhaven and StentonLord Belhaven and Stenton
Lord Belhaven and Stenton, of the County of Haddington, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1647 for Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, with remainder to his heirs male. This branch of the prominent Hamilton family descends from John Hamilton Lord Belhaven and Stenton, of the...
.
Career
Hamilton sat on the WhigBritish Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
benches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Scottish Representative Peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
between 1819 and 1832. The latter year he was created was created Baron Hamilton of Wishaw, in the County of Lanark, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. This title gave him an automatic seat in the House of Lords. Hamilton also served as High Commissioner to the General Assembly and Kirk from 1831 to 1841, from 1847 to 1851, again from 1853 to 1857 and a last time from 1860 to 1866. Having been previously the county's vice-lord lieutenant, he was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire
Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire
This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire.*George Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney 1714 - 29th January 1737*Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton 17 March 1794 – 2 August 1799...
in 1863, an office he held until his death five years later. In 1861, Hamilton was invested as a Knight of the Thistle.
Family
He married Hamilton Campbell, daughter of Walter Frederick Campbell and Mary Nisbet, in 1815; they had no children. Hamilton died on 22 December 1868, aged 75 and was buried in Cambusnethan Kirkyard, where his large mausoleum still stands, although the kirk no longer exists. The kirkyard is located close to Wishaw
Wishaw
Wishaw is a large town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is on the edge of the Clyde Valley, 15 miles south-east of Glasgow....
, by the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
. On his death, the barony of Hamilton of Wishaw became extinct while the lordship of Belhaven and Stenton became dormant.