Claud Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane


Claud Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane was the founder of the Strabane branch of the Hamiltons. He died relatively young at about 32 and his wife, Jean Gordon, married Phelim O'Neill, one of the leaders of the 1641 rebellion, after his death.

Birth and origins

Claud Hamilton was born near the beginning of the 17th century, probably in Paisley, Scotland. He was one of the eight or nine siblings, and the second of the five sons, of James Hamilton and his wife Marion Boyd. His father had been created Lord Abercorn by James VI and I in 1603. His paternal grandfather was Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord of Paisley. His mother was a daughter of Thomas Boyd, 6th Lord Boyd of Kilmarnock.


His father had been a Protestant, but his mother, Marion Boyd, was a recusant, who brought him, like all his siblings, up as a Catholic. His uncle George of Greenlaw pushed in the same direction. He matriculated at the University of Glasgow in 1621 but does not seem to have obtained a degree.
His father, Lord Abercorn, around the time of his birth was advanced to Earl Abercorn in 1606.

Father's succession

When his father died in 1618, his eldest brother inherited his father's Scottish estates, but the Irish estates had been settled on him and his younger brothers in his father's will. His was the lion's share of these estates: the Strabane estate and the castle that his father had built there.
His father had also wanted him to inherit the Irish title as Baron Hamilton of Strabane to go with the Strabane estate. However, this proved difficult because of the title's ordinary primogeniture succession. The eldest brother therefore obligatorily inherited the title in 1618 and then resigned it, so that the title could be regranted to his younger brother by the crown. This took time and was only to happen in 1633.
His father predeceased his grandfather, who still was Lord of Paisley and held the lands of the former Scottish abbey, which Claud's eldest brother eventually inherited in 1621.

Algeo's crime

In May 1628 his servant Claud Algeo was suspected to be a Catholic and was served with a convocation to appear at the presbytery of Paisley by Ramsay, an officer of the Church of Scotland. However, Algeo assaulted Ramsay and Claud Hamilton supported him. Claud was briefly jailed in June 1628 in Edinburgh Castle for abetting his servant in an assault and ordered to pay £40 to Ramsay. Claud Algeo fled to his master's Irish estates.

Lord Strabane by regrant

In 1633, his elder brother, James, the 2nd Earl of Abercorn in Scotland and the 1st Baron Hamilton of Strabane in Ireland, resigned his Irish title to the crown, which regranted it to Claud on 14 August 1634, with the original precedence. He thereby became the 2nd Baron Hamilton of Strabane. His brother also gave to him the family's large estates around Strabane in County Tyrone.

Marriage and children

On 28 November 1632, he married Lady Jean Gordon, fourth daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly. The Huntlys were a Catholic family from Aberdeenshire Scotland.
They had four children, two boys:
  1. James, became the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Strabane; and
  2. George, became the 4th Baron Hamilton of Strabane;
—and two girls:
  1. Catherine, married James Hamilton of Manorhamilton, the eldest brother of Gustavus Hamilton, 1st Viscount Boyne and two other husbands afterwards; and
  2. Cecilia, also called Mariana, married Richard Perkins of Lifford.

    Death and timeline

He died on 14 June 1638, probably at the Castle of Strabane, and was buried at Leckpatrick, Strabane, County Tyrone. He was only in his thirties. His eldest son, James, succeeded him at the age of five as the 3rd Baron Hamilton of Strabane. His widow married Phelim O'Neill in November 1649.

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