William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton

William Alexander Archibald Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and 8th Duke of Brandon (19 February 1811 – 8 July 1863) styled Earl of Angus and Arran before 1819 and Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale between 1819 and 1852, was a Scottish nobleman and the Premier Peer of Scotland.

His Grace The Duke of Hamilton
11th Duke of Hamilton 8th Duke of Brandon
Tenure	1852–1863
Predecessor	Alexander Hamilton
Successor	William Hamilton
Born	(1811-02-19)19 February 1811 London, England
Died	8 July 1863(1863-07-08) (aged 52) Hôtel Bristol, Paris, France
Offices	Knight Marischal, Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire
Spouse	Princess Marie Amelie of Baden ​ ​ (m. 1843)​
Issue	William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton Charles Douglas-Hamilton, 7th Earl of Selkirk Lady Mary Victoria Douglas-Hamilton
Parents	Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton Susan Euphemia Beckford

Biography

Hamilton was the son of Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton and Susan Euphemia Beckford, daughter of English novelist William Beckford. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He was Knight Marischal of Scotland from 1846 and Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire from 1852 until his death.^[1]

At the Mannheim Palace, on 23 February 1843, he married Princess Marie Amelie of Baden, daughter of the Grand Duke Charles of Baden and Stéphanie de Beauharnais, the adopted daughter of Napoleon I. After his marriage, he lived chiefly in Paris and Baden, taking very little interest in British affairs. They had three surviving children:

• Unnamed son (stillborn 7 February 1844), at Holyrood Palace^[2]
• William Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton (1845–1895), also succeeded as 8th Earl of Selkirk in 1886
• Lt. Lord Charles George Douglas-Hamilton (1847–1886), 11th Hussars, succeeded by special remainder as 7th Earl of Selkirk in 1885, died unmarried
• Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton (1850–1922), married firstly Albert I, Prince of Monaco, latterly to Prince Tassilo Festetics de Tolna

Though he had married in 1843, the duke did not succeed to his title until 1852. In that year, he purchased the house located at 22 Arlington Street in St. James's, a district of the City of Westminster in central London from Henry Somerset, 7th Duke of Beaufort for £60,000 (equivalent to £8,235,000 in 2023). The duke lavished expenses on the house for approximately a decade, including installing iron firebacks with his coronet and motto. Upon his death, the house passed to his widow who sold it to Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne via auction in 1867.^[3]

Legacy

He was a close friend of the French Empress Eugenie. According to Lady Helena Gleichen, they accidentally caused a scandal at the French Court when courtiers were told that Lord Hamilton would not be joining them for the hunt because of an injury and the Empress said: "Yes, I saw the bruise on his leg. It is very bad." This shocked the French court and later, the Empress had Lord Hamilton come down to show everyone that Scottish lords wore kilts, and thus, their legs were visible to everyone.^[4]

Ancestry

Ancestors of William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton

16. James Hamilton, 4th Duke of Hamilton 8. James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton 17. Hon. Elizabeth Gerard 4. Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton 18. Edward Spencer 9. Anne Spencer 19. Anne Baker 2. Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton 20. James Stewart, 5th Earl of Galloway 10. Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway 21. Lady Catherine Montgomerie 5. Lady Harriet Stewart 22. John Cochrane, 4th Earl of Dundonald 11. Lady Catherine Cochrane 23. Lady Anne Murray 1. William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton 24. Peter Beckford 12. William Beckford 25. Bathshua Herring 6. William Beckford 26. Hon. George Hamilton 13. Maria Hamilton 27. Bridget Coward 3. Susan Beckford 28. John Gordon, 3rd Earl of Aboyne 14. Charles Gordon, 4th Earl of Aboyne 29. Grace Lockhart 7. Lady Margaret Gordon 30. Alexander Stewart, 6th Earl of Galloway (= 10) 15. Lady Margaret Stewart 31. Lady Catherine Cochrane (= 11)