Earl of Haddington

Earl of Haddington is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1627 for the noted Scottish lawyer and judge Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Melrose. He was Lord President of the Court of Session from 1616 to 1625. Hamilton had already been created Lord Binning in 1613 and Lord Binning and Byres, in the County of Haddington, and Earl of Melrose, in the County of Roxburgh, in 1619. These titles were also in the Peerage of Scotland. The title of the earldom derived from the fact that he was in possession of much of the lands of the former Melrose Abbey. However, Hamilton was unhappy with this title and wished to replace it with "Haddington" (a title which was then held by John Ramsay, 1st Earl of Holderness and 1st Viscount of Haddington, but on whose death in 1626 both peerages became extinct). In 1627 he relinquished the earldom of Melrose and was instead created Earl of Haddington, with the precedence of 1619 and with limitation to his heirs male bearing the surname of Hamilton. This derived from the fact that he considered it a greater honour to take his title from a county rather than from an abbey. Hamilton was a member of the prominent Scottish family of that name and descended from John de Hamilton, younger son of Walter de Hamilton (or Walter Fitzgilbert), who was granted the feudal barony of Cadzow and who is also the ancestor of the Dukes of Hamilton and Dukes of Abercorn.

Earldom of Haddington
Blazon
  • Arms: Quarterly: 1st and 4th grandquarters, quarterly: 1st and 4th, Gules on a Chevron between three Cinquefoils Argent a Buckle Azure between two Ermine Spots all within a Bordure Or charged with eight Thistles Vert (Hamilton of Byres); 2nd and 3rd, Argent a Fess wavy between three Roses Gules barbed and seeded proper (Melrose); 2nd and 3rd grandquarters, Sable the Sun in his Glory between nine Stars three two three and one Argent (Baillie of Jerviswoode)
  • Crest: 1st: Two dexter Hands issuing out of Clouds conjoined fesswise and holding betwixt them a Branch of Laurel erect all proper (Hamilton); 2nd: A Crescent Or (Baillie)
  • Supporters: On either side a Talbot Argent plain collared Gules
Creation date1627
Created byJames VI and I
PeeragePeerage of Scotland
First holderThomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington
Present holderGeorge Baillie-Hamilton, 14th Earl of Haddington
Heir presumptiveThomas Richard Baillie-Hamilton
Subsidiary titlesLord Binning
Viscount Maitland
Lord Byres and Binning
Statusextant
Seat(s)Mellerstain House
Former seat(s)Tyninghame House

Lord Haddington was succeeded by his eldest son, the second Earl. He was a staunch Covenanter. Haddington served as Governor of the Castle of Dunglass, and was killed by a massive explosion there in 1640. His eldest son, the third Earl, died childless at an early age and was succeeded by his younger brother, the fourth Earl. On his death the titles passed to his son, the fifth Earl. He married Margaret Leslie, 8th Countess of Rothes (died 1700), daughter of the noted statesman John Leslie, 1st Duke of Rothes, who had received a re-grant of the earldom of Rothes in 1663 which allowed it to be passed on to his daughter (see the Earl of Rothes for earlier history of this title). According to the regrant of 1663, the earldom of Rothes was not allowed to be united with the earldom of Haddington. The couple were therefore in 1689 granted a patent of the marriage contract, which stated that the earldom of Rothes should descend to their eldest son, John, while the earldom of Haddington should be inherited by their second son, Thomas. According to this patent Lady Rothes was succeeded by her eldest son John, the ninth Earl (who assumed the surname of Leslie; see the Earl of Rothes for further history of this branch of the family).

Lord Haddington was succeeded accordingly by his second son Thomas, the sixth Earl. He obtained a new charter of the earldom. He sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1716 to 1735 and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire from 1716 to 1735. He was also appointed Hereditary Keeper of Holyrood Palace. His eldest son Charles Hamilton, Lord Binning, married Rachel (died 1773), daughter of George Baillie, of Mellerstain House and Jerviswood. Through this marriage Mellerstein House and the Jerviswood estate came into the Hamilton family. Lord Binning predeceased his father. Lord Haddington was therefore succeeded by his grandson, Thomas the seventh Earl (the eldest son of Lord Binning), who married Mary Lloyd, née Holt (great-niece of Sir John Holt, Lord Chief Justice 1689-1709). On his death the titles passed to his son Charles, the eighth Earl. He was a Scottish Representative Peer from 1807 to 1812 and Lord-Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire from 1804 to 1823. He was succeeded by his son, the ninth Earl. He was a Tory politician and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland from 1834 to 1835 and as First Lord of the Admiralty (with a seat in the cabinet) from 1841 to 1846. In 1827, one year before he succeeded his father in the earldom, he was created Baron Melros, of Tyninghame in the County of Haddington, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.

Lord Haddington resigned the office of Hereditary Keeper of Holyrood Park in 1843 for a compensation fee of £40,000. He was childless and on his death in 1859 the barony of Melros became extinct.

The ninth Earl was succeeded in the Scottish titles by his second cousin, the tenth Earl. He was the son of George Baillie of Jerviswood (who had assumed the surname of Baillie in lieu of Hamilton), son of George Hamilton, younger brother of the seventh Earl. He assumed in 1859 by Royal licence the additional surname of Hamilton to that of Baillie. Lord Haddington was a Scottish Representative Peer in the House of Lords from 1859 to 1870 and served as a government whip in the 1866–1868 Conservative administration. On his death the titles passed to his son, the eleventh Earl. He was Lord-Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire from 1876 to 1917. In 1858 Haddington assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Arden after that of Baillie-Hamilton. His eldest son George Baillie-Hamilton, Lord Binning (1856–1917), was a brigadier-general in the army. However, he predeceased his father. Lord Haddington was therefore succeeded by his grandson, the twelfth Earl.[1] He was the son of Lord Binning. He sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1922 to 1963 (when all Scottish peers were granted the right to sit in the House of Lords) and served as Lord-Lieutenant of Berwickshire from 1952 to 1969. He was succeeded by his only son, the thirteenth Earl (1941–2016), in 1986. As of 2017 the titles are held by his only son, the fourteenth Earl, who succeeded in 2016.

Several other members of the Baillie-Hamilton family have also gained distinction. George Baillie, son of George Hamilton, younger brother of the seventh Earl, sat as Member of Parliament for Berwickshire. He was the father of (apart from the tenth Earl) 1) the politician and judge Charles Baillie, Lord Jerviswoode, and 2) Reverend John Baillie (1810–1888), Canon Residentiary of York, who the great-grandfather of John Robert Edward Baillie, a Brigadier in the Royal Engineers. The Venerable Charles Baillie-Hamilton (1764–1820), son of George Hamilton, younger brother of the seventh Earl, was Archdeacon of Cleveland. He was the father of Charles John Baillie-Hamilton (1800–1865), a Member of Parliament, and William Alexander Baillie-Hamilton (1803–1881), an admiral in the Royal Navy.

The family seat now is Mellerstain House, near Kelso, Berwickshire. The former family seat was Tyninghame House, near Tyninghame, East Lothian.

Earls of Haddington (1627)

The heir apparent is the present holder's son, Sullivan Simon Baillie-Hamilton, Lord Binning (born 2022).

Male-line family tree

Male-line family tree
Male-line family tree, Earls of Haddington.
Thomas Hamilton
1st Earl of Haddington

1563–1637
Thomas Hamilton
2nd Earl of Haddington

1600–1640
Thomas Hamilton
3rd Earl of Haddington

1626–1645
John Hamilton
4th Earl of Haddington

1626–1669
Charles Hamilton
5th Earl of Haddington

c. 1650 – 1685
Margaret Leslie
8th Countess of Rothes

died 1700
John Hamilton-Leslie
9th Earl of Rothes

1679–1722
Thomas Hamilton
6th Earl of Haddington

1680–1735
Charles Hamilton
Lord Binning

1697–1723
Thomas Hamilton
7th Earl of Haddington

1721–1794
Hon.
George Baillie
a. 1721 – 1797
Charles Hamilton
8th Earl of Haddington

1753–1828
Hon.
Thomas Hamilton
1758–1774
George Baillie
1763–1841
Baron Melrose (UK)
Thomas Hamilton
9th Earl of Haddington

1780–1858
George Baillie-Hamilton
10th Earl of Haddington

1802–1870
Charles Baillie
Lord Jerviswoode

1804–1879
James Baillie
1806–?
Rev. Hon.
John Baillie
1810–1888
Barony extinct
George Baillie-Hamilton-Arden
11th Earl of Haddington

1827–1917
Maj. Hon.
Robert Baillie-Hamilton
1828–1891
Cdr. Hon.
Henry Baillie-Hamilton
1832–1895
Rev. Hon.
Arthur Baillie-Hamilton
1838–1910
Hugh Baillie
1838–1923
Rev.
Thomas Baillie
1842–1917
George Baillie-Hamilton
Lord Binning

1856–1917
Lt. Hon.
Richard Baillie-Hamilton
1858–1881
Capt. Hon.
Henry Baillie-Hamilton
1862–1949
John Baillie
1888–?
Richard Baillie
1869–1945
George Baillie-Hamilton
12th Earl of Haddington

1894–1986
Hon.
Charles Baillie-Hamilton
1900–1939
Brig.
Jock Hamilton-Baillie
1919–2003
John Baillie-Hamilton
13th Earl of Haddington

1941–2016
Lt.Col.
Thomas Hamilton-Baillie
born 1948
John Hamilton-Baillie
born 1955
George Baillie-Hamilton
14th Earl of Haddington

born 1985
Laurence Hamilton-Baillie
born 1990
Sullivan Baillie-Hamilton
Lord Binning
born 2022

See also

References

  1. Hesilrige 1921, p. 429.
  2. "HADDINGTON - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements". Archived from the original on 8 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.

Sources

  • Hesilrige, Arthur G. M. (1921). Debrett's Peerage and Titles of courtesy. 160A, Fleet street, London, UK: Dean & Son. p. 429.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  • Kidd, Charles; Williamson, David, eds. (1990). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage. New York: St Martin's Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Mosley, Charles (1999). Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (106th ed.).
  • Mosley, Charles (2003). Burke's Peerage and Baronetage (107th ed.).
  • Cokayne, George E.; Gibbs, Vicary; Doubleday, Harry; de Walden, Lord Howard (1958). The Complete Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland both extant and extinct since earliest times to the present day. Vol. XIV. London and New York: St Catherine's Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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