James Hamilton (assassin)
Encyclopedia
James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh (died 1581) was a Scottish
supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, who assassinated
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
, Regent of Scotland, in January 1570. He shot Moray from the steps of his uncle Archbishop John Hamilton
's house in Linlithgow
, in what is believed to be the first assassination using a firearm
.
from Bothwellhaugh
, a village and castle in the Clyde Valley. The property of the Dukes of Hamilton
, it no longer exists.
Hamilton married Isobel Sinclair, the daughter of Oliver Sinclair
and Katherine Bellenden
, and the heiress of Woodhouselee, a castle in Midlothian
, a quarter-mile (400 m) northwest of Easter Howgate
and 2½ miles (4 km) north of Penicuik
in the valley of the River Esk
. He fought for Mary, Queen of Scots, against Moray at the Battle of Langside
and was captured, however his life was spared.
There is a traditional story (now discredited) that Woodhouselee was given to Sir James Ballenden, who took possession of the property in the middle of the night, throwing Hamilton's wife and newborn child out into the bitter cold in just their night clothes. The ghosts of his tragic wife and child are said to still haunt the site of the old castle and her frenzied and terrifying screams have been heard by those dwelling nearby. However, the true reasons for the assassination are rooted in the political rivalries in Scotland at the time, and Hamilton's uncle, John Hamilton
, Archbishop of St. Andrews, at least had prior knowledge of the plot.
in 1569 in retaliation against the Hamiltons for supporting Mary. James Hamilton decided to assassinate Moray and travelled to the Borders
, Edinburgh
, York
, London
, Perth
, Glasgow
and Stirling
without an opportunity arising. Finally Moray was making his way from Stirling to Edinburgh via Linlithgow
when the chance for revenge presented itself. Hamilton prepared the assassination carefully, gaining access to a Hamilton family property which had a projecting gallery, placing feathers on the ground to deaden his footsteps, hanging a black cloth on the wall to hide his shadow and obtaining a brass match-lock carabine with a rifled barrel for accuracy. The weapon was long preserved at Hamilton Palace
. He had a saddled horse waiting and all entrances were either barricaded or stuffed with spiny gorse
.
It is said that John Knox
warned the Regent of the danger, and it was known the house used was the property of the Archbishop of Saint Andrews.
, showing him about to assassinate the regent. The weapon illustrated is however a fire-lock and therefore not the type of weapon used. The incident is also depicted on stained glass in St. Giles' Cathedral
in Edinburgh
.
After a desperate ride, closely pursued by the Regent's men, James made it to the safety of his triumphant kin in Hamilton
.
As the Domestic Annals of Scotland put it:
of 3 in 5 in (104.14 cm) length and a hexagonal bore barrel of 2 in 5 in (73.66 cm) length. The stock was inlaid with a deer feeding and at the butt had the usual covered container for storing bullets. The butt carried an oval brass plate inscribed: Bothwellhaughes Gun with which he Shot Regent Murray upon the 23d January 1570. The owner in 1890 was Lord Hamilton of Dalzell, who wrote: Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh was a nephew of Hamilton of Orbiston, and occupied Bothwellhaugh, a farm on the estate of Orbiston. The gun remained in the possession of the Orbiston family until my grandfather, General Hamilton of Orbiston and Dalzell, sold the estate of Bothwellhaugh sixty years ago to the then Duke of Hamilton, when he made a present of this carbine. At the sale of the Hamilton collection in 1882, the present Duke of Hamilton gave it back to me. It was exhibited at Glasgow in 1888.
in Scotland commemorates the murdered Earl of Moray; it is located in Saint Giles Kirk, Edinburgh. It carries the Moray arms and figures representing Religion and Justice.
After a time he left the country and went to France where he offered his services to the Guise
family, kinsmen of Mary. He was asked to assassinate Gaspard II de Coligny, however he refused, stating that a man of honour was entitled to settle his own quarrels, but not to murder for others.
He must have married again as his son David is buried at Crosbie church
and his sister married into the Fullarton of Fullartons as indicated further on and another daughter, Alison, married Gavin Hamilton
, Bishop of Galloway
.
The Archbishop of Saint Andrews was captured at Dumbarton and tried and convicted of art and part
in the Regent's killing. He was hanged at Stirling
.
of Linlithgow
shows the houses of the High Street, one of which was the property of Archbishop Hamilton from which James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh shot the Regent, James Stewart, Earl of Moray in 1570. Pont's map even details the gallery from which the shot was probably fired.
, Fullarton, Troon
. A Fullarton family tradition suggests that this David Hamilton may have been closely involved in or might even have been the true assassin of the Earl of Moray. In 1545 John Hamilton, abbot of Paisley, feued to David Hamilton his kinsman, the lands of Monktonmains near Prestwick.
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...
supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots, who assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray , a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V, was Regent of Scotland for his nephew, the infant King James VI of Scotland, from 1567 until his assassination in 1570...
, Regent of Scotland, in January 1570. He shot Moray from the steps of his uncle Archbishop John Hamilton
John Hamilton (archbishop)
The Most Rev. Dr. John Hamilton , Scottish prelate and politician, was an illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran....
's house in Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
, in what is believed to be the first assassination using a firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
.
Background to the assassination
Hamilton was a member of Clan HamiltonClan Hamilton
The House of Hamilton, occasionally and erroneously referred to as Clan Hamilton, is a Scottish family who historically held broad territories throughout central and southern Scotland, particularly Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and the Lothians...
from Bothwellhaugh
Bothwellhaugh
Bothwellhaugh was a Scottish coal mining village occupied from the mid 1880s until the 1960s, when it was abandoned. The village was based next to the towns of Motherwell and Hamilton in Lanarkshire, about ten miles south-east of Glasgow, now within Strathclyde Country Park.There were two coal...
, a village and castle in the Clyde Valley. The property of the Dukes of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton
Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage , and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas...
, it no longer exists.
Hamilton married Isobel Sinclair, the daughter of Oliver Sinclair
Oliver Sinclair
Sir Oliver Sinclair de Pitcairnis , , was a favourite courtier of James V of Scotland. A contemporary story tells that James V gave him the battle standard and command at the Battle of Solway Moss...
and Katherine Bellenden
Katherine Bellenden
Katherine Bellenden was a courtier working in the wardrobe of James V of Scotland. Her niece of the same name was similarly employed....
, and the heiress of Woodhouselee, a castle in Midlothian
Midlothian
Midlothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It borders the Scottish Borders, East Lothian and the City of Edinburgh council areas....
, a quarter-mile (400 m) northwest of Easter Howgate
Easter Howgate
Easter Howgate is a settlement in Midlothian, Scotland, UK, on the A702, two miles north of Penicuik.The Scottish Agricultural College maintains a teaching campus and a research farm there, named "Edinburgh Genetics".-External links:*...
and 2½ miles (4 km) north of Penicuik
Penicuik
Penicuik is a burgh and civil parish in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River North Esk. The town was developed as a planned village in 1770 by Sir James Clerk of Penicuik. It became a burgh in 1867. The town was well known for its paper mills, the last of which closed in 2005....
in the valley of the River Esk
River Esk, Lothian
The River Esk is a river which flows through Midlothian and East Lothian, Scotland.It initially runs as two separate rivers, the North Esk and the South Esk....
. He fought for Mary, Queen of Scots, against Moray at the Battle of Langside
Battle of Langside
The Battle of Langside, fought on 13 May 1568, was one of the more unusual contests in Scottish history, bearing a superficial resemblance to a grand family quarrel, in which a mother fought her brother who was defending the rights of her infant son...
and was captured, however his life was spared.
There is a traditional story (now discredited) that Woodhouselee was given to Sir James Ballenden, who took possession of the property in the middle of the night, throwing Hamilton's wife and newborn child out into the bitter cold in just their night clothes. The ghosts of his tragic wife and child are said to still haunt the site of the old castle and her frenzied and terrifying screams have been heard by those dwelling nearby. However, the true reasons for the assassination are rooted in the political rivalries in Scotland at the time, and Hamilton's uncle, John Hamilton
John Hamilton (archbishop)
The Most Rev. Dr. John Hamilton , Scottish prelate and politician, was an illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran....
, Archbishop of St. Andrews, at least had prior knowledge of the plot.
Preparation
Moray had been appointed Regent of Scotland after his half-sister Mary abdicated in 1567, and had subsequently clashed with her and her supporters. He burnt down Rutherglen CastleRutherglen castle
Rutherglen Castle was located where Castle Street meets King Street in Rutherglen. It was a large and important castle having been built in the 13th century, the walls were reportedly 5 feet thick. The castle fell under the control of the English during the First War of Scottish Independence and...
in 1569 in retaliation against the Hamiltons for supporting Mary. James Hamilton decided to assassinate Moray and travelled to the Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, 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...
, Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
without an opportunity arising. Finally Moray was making his way from Stirling to Edinburgh via Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
when the chance for revenge presented itself. Hamilton prepared the assassination carefully, gaining access to a Hamilton family property which had a projecting gallery, placing feathers on the ground to deaden his footsteps, hanging a black cloth on the wall to hide his shadow and obtaining a brass match-lock carabine with a rifled barrel for accuracy. The weapon was long preserved at Hamilton Palace
Hamilton 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...
. He had a saddled horse waiting and all entrances were either barricaded or stuffed with spiny gorse
Gorse
Gorse, furze, furse or whin is a genus of about 20 plant species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to western Europe and northwest Africa, with the majority of species in Iberia.Gorse is closely related to the brooms, and like them, has green...
.
It is said that John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
warned the Regent of the danger, and it was known the house used was the property of the Archbishop of Saint Andrews.
Execution
On 23 January 1570 James Hamilton fired at the Regent from a window, behind some washing, and mortally wounded him. He is the subject of a painting by George CattermoleGeorge Cattermole
George Cattermole was an English painter and illustrator, chiefly in watercolours. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and many other literary and artistic figures.-Life and work:...
, showing him about to assassinate the regent. The weapon illustrated is however a fire-lock and therefore not the type of weapon used. The incident is also depicted on stained glass in St. Giles' Cathedral
St. Giles' Cathedral
St Giles' Cathedral, more properly termed the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is the principal place of worship of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Its distinctive crown steeple is a prominent feature of the city skyline, at about a third of the way down the Royal Mile which runs from the Castle to...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
.
After a desperate ride, closely pursued by the Regent's men, James made it to the safety of his triumphant kin in Hamilton
Hamilton, South Lanarkshire
Hamilton is a town in South Lanarkshire, in the west-central Lowlands of Scotland. It serves as the main administrative centre of the South Lanarkshire council area. It is the fifth-biggest town in Scotland after Paisley, East Kilbride, Livingston and Cumbernauld...
.
As the Domestic Annals of Scotland put it:
The Bothwellhaugh Carbine
James Hamilton used a carbineCarbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
of 3 in 5 in (104.14 cm) length and a hexagonal bore barrel of 2 in 5 in (73.66 cm) length. The stock was inlaid with a deer feeding and at the butt had the usual covered container for storing bullets. The butt carried an oval brass plate inscribed: Bothwellhaughes Gun with which he Shot Regent Murray upon the 23d January 1570. The owner in 1890 was Lord Hamilton of Dalzell, who wrote: Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh was a nephew of Hamilton of Orbiston, and occupied Bothwellhaugh, a farm on the estate of Orbiston. The gun remained in the possession of the Orbiston family until my grandfather, General Hamilton of Orbiston and Dalzell, sold the estate of Bothwellhaugh sixty years ago to the then Duke of Hamilton, when he made a present of this carbine. At the sale of the Hamilton collection in 1882, the present Duke of Hamilton gave it back to me. It was exhibited at Glasgow in 1888.
Aftermath
One of the finest remaining brassesMonumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
in Scotland commemorates the murdered Earl of Moray; it is located in Saint Giles Kirk, Edinburgh. It carries the Moray arms and figures representing Religion and Justice.
After a time he left the country and went to France where he offered his services to the Guise
House of Guise
The House of Guise was a French ducal family, partly responsible for the French Wars of Religion.The Guises were Catholic, and Henry Guise wanted to end growing Calvinist influence...
family, kinsmen of Mary. He was asked to assassinate Gaspard II de Coligny, however he refused, stating that a man of honour was entitled to settle his own quarrels, but not to murder for others.
He must have married again as his son David is buried at Crosbie church
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
and his sister married into the Fullarton of Fullartons as indicated further on and another daughter, Alison, married Gavin Hamilton
Gavin Hamilton (bishop)
Gavin Hamilton , bishop of Galloway, was the second son of John Hamilton of Orbiston, Lanarkshire. The father, descended from Sir James Hamilton of Cadzow, fell at the battle of Langside, fighting for Mary, Queen of Scots . Gavin was born about 1561, and was educated at the university of St...
, Bishop of Galloway
Bishop of Galloway
The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, was the eccesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7th century or early 8th century, and the first known...
.
The Archbishop of Saint Andrews was captured at Dumbarton and tried and convicted of art and part
Art and part
Art and part is a term used in Scots law to denote the aiding or abetting in the perpetration of a crime, or being an accessory before or at the perpetration of the crime...
in the Regent's killing. He was hanged at Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
.
Timothy Pont
Pont's mapTimothy Pont
Timothy Pont was a Scottish topographer, the first to produce a detailed map of Scotland. Pont's maps are among the earliest surviving to show a European country in minute detail, from an actual survey.-Life:...
of Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
shows the houses of the High Street, one of which was the property of Archbishop Hamilton from which James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh shot the Regent, James Stewart, Earl of Moray in 1570. Pont's map even details the gallery from which the shot was probably fired.
David Hamilton
One of David Hamilton's sisters married into the family of Fullarton of that Ilk from Ayrshire and he is buried at Crosbie ChurchCrosbie Castle and the Fullarton estate
Crosbie Castle and the Fullarton estate lie near Troon in South Ayrshire. The site was the home of the Fullartons of that Ilk for several centuries. Crosbie Castle eventually became an ice house after a new Fullarton House mansion was built. The mansion was demolished and the area set aside as a...
, Fullarton, Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
. A Fullarton family tradition suggests that this David Hamilton may have been closely involved in or might even have been the true assassin of the Earl of Moray. In 1545 John Hamilton, abbot of Paisley, feued to David Hamilton his kinsman, the lands of Monktonmains near Prestwick.
See also
- Crosbie Castle and the Fullarton estateCrosbie Castle and the Fullarton estateCrosbie Castle and the Fullarton estate lie near Troon in South Ayrshire. The site was the home of the Fullartons of that Ilk for several centuries. Crosbie Castle eventually became an ice house after a new Fullarton House mansion was built. The mansion was demolished and the area set aside as a...