George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney
Encyclopedia
Field Marshal George Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney KT
(9 February 1666 – 29 January 1737) was a British
soldier
and Scottish nobleman and the first British Army
officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. The son of the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, he fought for William of Orange
in Ireland and the Low Countries. He was raised to the peerage in 1695, and continued to serve with distinction in the War of the Spanish Succession
. After these campaigns he retired from active service, taking on governorships and sitting as a representative peer in the House of Lords
.
, the fifth son of Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
and William Douglas, Earl of Selkirk
. He was first trained by his uncles, Lord Dumbarton
, Lord James Douglas
, and Lord Angus, in military service in the 1st Regiment of Foot (then known as His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot).
, and a few months later a brevet
ted colonel
. He and his regiment served at the battles of the Boyne
and Aughrim
in the Irish War. He then moved to command of the Royal Fusiliers and fought at the Battle of Steenkeerke
. He moved back to the 1st Foot, participated in various battles of the Irish
rebellion, and eventually fought at the battle of Landen
and the 1695 Siege of Namur, both of which were fought during the War of the League of Augsburg. At Namur, however, Hamilton received a serious wound, and was eventually promoted to the rank of brigadier
.
In 1695, Hamilton married Elizabeth Villiers sister to Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey
, and the following year, he was raised to the Scottish peerage
as Earl of Orkney
, Viscount Kirkwall and Baron Dechmont.
and fought in the War of the Spanish Succession
under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
. A few years later in 1704, Orkney was promoted to lieutenant general
. At the Battle of Blenheim
, Orkney led the final assault on the village of Blenheim
, receiving the surrender of its French defenders. Later, in June 1705, he marched his column from the Moselle
to relieve the besieged city of Liège. At the Battle of Ramillies
, he led the pursuit of the defeated French
, and he played a major role at the Battle of Oudenarde
.
In 1708, he captured two major fortifications at Tournai
. At the desperate Battle of Malplaquet
, Lord Orkney's battalion
s led the charge toward the French entrenchments, suffering serious losses. He remained with his army near Flanders
, until the end of the war. During that time, he received a promotion to general
. After the peace treaties, he received the honorary title of Colonel Commandant of his old unit, the 1st Foot.
to George I
, and was Governor of Virginia
in 1714, but appears never to have visited the colony. He served as a Scottish Representative Peer
in six parliaments from 1707 to 1736, and was the Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire
. In 1735 he commissioned the building of a temple at his Buckinghamshire
home, Cliveden House, by the architect Giacomo Leoni
. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in 1736. This was the first promotion to the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Hamilton died a year later in his accommodation on Albemarle Street
, London
.
, daughter of Sir Edward Villiers
and Lady Frances Howard, Lord Orkney had three daughters, the eldest of which inherited his estate and title:
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...
(9 February 1666 – 29 January 1737) was a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
and Scottish nobleman and the first British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. The son of the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, he fought for William of Orange
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
in Ireland and the Low Countries. He was raised to the peerage in 1695, and continued to serve with distinction in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
. After these campaigns he retired from active service, taking on governorships and sitting as a representative peer 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....
.
Early life
Lord George Douglas-Hamilton was born at Hamilton PalaceHamilton Palace
Hamilton Palace was a large country house located north-east of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The former seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, it was built in 1695 and subsequently much enlarged. The house was demolished in 1921 due to ground subsidence despite inadequate evidence for that...
, the fifth son of Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton was a Scottish peeress.The daughter of Sir James Hamilton, 1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, Scottish General and premier peer of the realm, and Lady Mary Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh and Lady Susan Villiers, a...
and William Douglas, Earl of Selkirk
William Douglas, Duke of Hamilton
William Douglas-Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Hamilton, KG, PC , born Lord William Douglas, was the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and his second wife Lady Mary Gordon, a daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly...
. He was first trained by his uncles, Lord Dumbarton
George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton
Major-General George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dumbarton KT was a Scottish nobleman, and soldier.-Early Life:The son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas and his second wife Lady Mary Gordon daughter of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly, Douglas was the younger brother of the William...
, Lord James Douglas
Lord James Douglas
Lord James Douglas was a Scottish nobleman and soldier.He was born at Douglas Castle, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, the son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas, and his wife Margaret Hamilton, a daughter of Claud Hamilton, 1st Lord Paisley....
, and Lord Angus, in military service in the 1st Regiment of Foot (then known as His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot).
Ireland and the Low Countries
In 1689, after entering military service, he became a lieutenant colonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, and a few months later a brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
ted colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. He and his regiment served at the battles of the Boyne
Battle of the Boyne
The Battle of the Boyne was fought in 1690 between two rival claimants of the English, Scottish and Irish thronesthe Catholic King James and the Protestant King William across the River Boyne near Drogheda on the east coast of Ireland...
and Aughrim
Battle of Aughrim
The Battle of Aughrim was the decisive battle of the Williamite War in Ireland. It was fought between the Jacobites and the forces of William III on 12 July 1691 , near the village of Aughrim in County Galway....
in the Irish War. He then moved to command of the Royal Fusiliers and fought at the Battle of Steenkeerke
Battle of Steenkerque
The Battle of Steenkerque was fought on August 3, 1692, as a part of the Nine Years' War. It resulted in the victory of the French under Marshal François-Henri de Montmorency, duc de Luxembourg against a joint English-Scottish-Dutch-German army under Prince William of Orange...
. He moved back to the 1st Foot, participated in various battles of the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
rebellion, and eventually fought at the battle of Landen
Battle of Landen
The Battle of Landen , in the current Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, was a battle in the Nine Years' War, fought in present-day Belgium on 29 July 1693 between the French army of Marshal Luxembourg and the Allied army of King William III of England...
and the 1695 Siege of Namur, both of which were fought during the War of the League of Augsburg. At Namur, however, Hamilton received a serious wound, and was eventually promoted to the rank of brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
.
In 1695, Hamilton married Elizabeth Villiers sister to Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey
Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey
Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey son of Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond and Frances Howard, the youngest daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk and Elizabeth Hume, was created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers in 1691 and Earl of Jersey in 1697.His grandfather, Sir Edward...
, and the following year, he was raised to the Scottish peerage
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
as Earl of Orkney
Earl of Orkney
The Earl of Orkney was originally a Norse jarl ruling Orkney, Shetland and parts of Caithness and Sutherland. The Earls were periodically subject to the kings of Norway for the Northern Isles, and later also to the kings of Alba for those parts of their territory in mainland Scotland . The Earl's...
, Viscount Kirkwall and Baron Dechmont.
War of the Spanish Succession
He became a major generalMajor General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
and fought in the War of the Spanish Succession
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...
under John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
. A few years later in 1704, Orkney was promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. At the Battle of Blenheim
Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim , fought on 13 August 1704, was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. Louis XIV of France sought to knock Emperor Leopold out of the war by seizing Vienna, the Habsburg capital, and gain a favourable peace settlement...
, Orkney led the final assault on the village of Blenheim
Blindheim
Blindheim is a municipality in the Bavarian district of Dillingen in Southern Germany, consisting of several villages. Its population is roughly 1,700...
, receiving the surrender of its French defenders. Later, in June 1705, he marched his column from the Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
to relieve the besieged city of Liège. At the Battle of Ramillies
Battle of Ramillies
The Battle of Ramillies , fought on 23 May 1706, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession. For the Grand Alliance – Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic – the battle had followed an indecisive campaign against the Bourbon armies of King Louis XIV of France in 1705...
, he led the pursuit of the defeated French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and he played a major role at the Battle of Oudenarde
Battle of Oudenarde
The Battle of Oudenaarde was a key battle in the War of the Spanish Succession fought on 11 July 1708 between the forces of Great Britain, the Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire on the one side and the French on the other...
.
In 1708, he captured two major fortifications at Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
. At the desperate Battle of Malplaquet
Battle of Malplaquet
The Battle of Malplaquet, fought on 11 September 1709, was one of the main battles of the War of the Spanish Succession, which opposed the Bourbons of France and Spain against an alliance whose major members were the Habsburg Monarchy, Great Britain, the United Provinces and the Kingdom of...
, Lord Orkney's battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
s led the charge toward the French entrenchments, suffering serious losses. He remained with his army near Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, until the end of the war. During that time, he received a promotion to general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. After the peace treaties, he received the honorary title of Colonel Commandant of his old unit, the 1st Foot.
Later life
For the next few decades, he held civilian and military positions of importance. He was installed as Governor of Edinburgh Castle, made a Lord of the BedchamberLord of the Bedchamber
A Lord of the Bedchamber, previously known as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber was a courtier in the Royal Household of the King of the United Kingdom and the Prince of Wales. A Lord of the Bedchamber's duties consisted of assisting the King with his dressing, waiting on him when he ate in private,...
to George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
, and was Governor of Virginia
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
in 1714, but appears never to have visited the colony. He served 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...
in six parliaments from 1707 to 1736, and was the 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 1735 he commissioned the building of a temple at his Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
home, Cliveden House, by the architect Giacomo Leoni
Giacomo Leoni
Giacomo Leoni , also known as James Leoni, was an Italian architect, born in Venice. He was a devotee of the work of Florentine Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had also been an inspiration for Andrea Palladio. Leoni thus served as a prominent exponent of Palladianism in English...
. He was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in 1736. This was the first promotion to the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Hamilton died a year later in his accommodation on Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street
Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray was based here, and Oscar Wilde, a member of the Albemarle Club, where an insult he received led to his suing for libel and to his eventual imprisonment...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Issue
By Elizabeth VilliersElizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney
Elizabeth Hamilton, Countess of Orkney , was the acknowledged mistress of William III & II, King of England and Scotland, from 1680 until 1695...
, daughter of Sir Edward Villiers
Edward Villiers
Sir Edward Villiers , the fourth son of Sir Edward Villiers and Barbara St. John, half-nephew to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham...
and Lady Frances Howard, Lord Orkney had three daughters, the eldest of which inherited his estate and title:
- Lady AnneAnne O'Brien, 2nd Countess of OrkneyAnne Douglas-Hamilton, 2nd Countess of Orkney was a Scottish noblewoman and the eldest daughter of Field Marshal George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney, and Elizabeth Villiers....
,suo jure Countess of Orkney, married William O'Brien, 4th Earl of InchiquinWilliam O'Brien, 4th Earl of InchiquinWilliam McWilliam O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin, KB, PC was an Irish peer and politician.-Background:O'Brien was the eldest son of William O'Brien, 3rd Earl of Inchiquin and his wife, Mary , sister of the 1st Earl of Jersey, and inherited his father's titles in 1719.-Political career:Inchiquin... - Lady FrancesFrances Lumley-Saunderson, Countess of ScarbroughFrances Douglas-Hamilton was the daughter of George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney and his wife, Elizabeth Villiers. She was a lady of the bedchamber to Caroline, Princess of Wales, later Queen Caroline of Great Britain and Princess Augusta of Wales.On 27 June 1724, she married Thomas...
, married Thomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of ScarbroughThomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of ScarbroughThomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of Scarbrough, KB was a British peer and diplomat.Born The Hon. Thomas Lumley, he was the third son of Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough and his wife, Frances... - Lady Henrietta, married John Boyle, 5th Earl of CorkJohn Boyle, 5th Earl of CorkJohn Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork and 5th Earl of Orrery, FRS was a writer and a friend of Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and Samuel Johnson....
Sources
- Heathcote, T. A., The British Field Marshals 1736 - 1997, Leo Cooper, 1999, ISBN 0 850526965
- Balfour Paul, Sir JamesJames Balfour PaulSir James Balfour Paul, KCVO was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the officer responsible for heraldry in Scotland, from 1890 until the end of 1926....
The Scots Peerage IX Vols. Edinburgh, 1907