Chief among the legends still clinging to this important family is that which gives a descent from the House of Beaumont, a branch of which is stated to have held the manor of Hamilton, Leicestershire; and it is argued that the three cinquefoils of the Hamilton shield bear some resemblance to the single cinquefoils of the Beaumonts. In face of this it has been recently shown that the single cinquefoil was also borne by the Umfravilles of Northumberland, who appear to have owned a place called Hamilton in that county. It may be pointed out that Simon de Montfort, the great earl of Leicester, in whose veins flowed the blood of the Beaumonts, obtained about 1245 the wardship of Gilbert de Umfraville, second earl of Angus, and it is conceivable that this name Gilbert may somehow be responsible for the legend of the Beaumont descent, seeing that the first authentic ancestor of the Hamiltons is one Walter FitzGilbert. He first appears in 1294–1295 as one of the witnesses to a charter by James, the high steward of Scotland, to the monks of Paisley; and in 1296 his name appears in the Homage Roll as Walter FitzGilbert of "Hameldone." Who this Gilbert of "Hameldone" may have been is uncertain.
Walter Fitz Gilbert was rewarded with lands for his support of king Robert the Bruce.[1] Walter's son, David, fought at the Battle of Neville's Cross for David II of Scotland in 1346.[1] David was captured and was not released until a substantial ransom was paid.[1]
However, the royal marriage did not take place and Mary married an heir to the French throne instead.[1] James Hamilton was created Duke of Châtellerault because he had figured prominently in the marriage negotiations with France.[1] In 1561, he was sent into exile for five years because he openly opposed Mary's marriage to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, having had his hopes rekindled when Mary's marriage ended upon the death of the Dauphin of France.[1]
Excessive subsidence of the palace caused by the family's mines led to its condemnation and demolition in 1921.[1] The 13th Duke then moved to Dungavel House, near Strathaven. This was where deputy-führer Rudolf Hess aimed to reach during his doomed peace mission to see Douglas, 14th Duke of Hamilton, in 1941.
In 1947, Dungavel was sold to the coal board, and then on to the government, which turned it into an open prison. Currently, it is the site of a controversial holding centre for asylum-seekers.
Hamyltownetartan, as published in 1842 in Vestiarium Scoticum; note: the modern thread count calls for more than one white line.
Swedish branch
Malcolm Hamilton Archbishop of Cashel, first son was Hugh Hamilton, 1st Viscount of Glenawly, a soldier in Swedish service, who in Sweden was created baron of Deserf. Captain John Hamilton of Monea was Malcolm's younger son. His sons, Malcolm and Hugo, went to Swedish service in 1655 and were in 1689 created barons of Hagaby. They stayed in Swedish service and Malcolm's son Gustav David Hamilton was named the title of count in 1751, and in 1765 he gained the rank of field marshal.
Dutch branch
John Jack Hamilton was born on 13 August 1640 in Dromore, Kirkcudbright, South Scotland. He joint the Scots Brigade and served as the palfrenier to the Governor of 's Hertogenbosch, John Kirkpatrick. In 1679 he married Maria Wijgherganck. He is the progenitor of the Dutch branch of the Hamilton family.
The Hamilton DNA Project, involving hundreds of participants including a close relative of the current Duke of Abercorn, has made significant contributions to understanding the genetic lineage of Clan Hamilton. The genetic research conducted by the Hamilton DNA Project has demonstrated that all Hamilton branches descending from Sir James Hamilton, 5th Laird of Cadzow, who is the progenitor of both the mentioned branches of the Dukes of Abercorn and the Dukes of Hamilton until 1895, belong to the Y-DNA Haplogroup I-Z63. This finding suggests a most recent common ancestor for these branches who lived about 750 years ago.[6][7]
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