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Anne Hamilton3rd Duchess of Hamilton

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Anne Hamilton3rd Duchess of Hamilton (6 January 1631 17 October 1716) was a Scottish peeress.

The daughter of Sir James Hamilton1st Duke of Hamilton and 3rd Marquess of Hamilton Scottish General and premier peer of the realmand Lady Mary Feilding daughter of William Feilding1st Earl of Denbigh and Lady Susan Villiersa sister of George Villiers1st Duke of Buckingham. She was born at the Palace of Whitehall in Londonwhere her mother was a Lady of the Bedchamber to Henrietta Maria of Francewife of King Charles I of Scotland and of England.

Following the 1st Duke's execution for his part in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in 1649his brotherWilliamEarl of Lanarkinherited the titles and lands. William died from wounds received at the Battle of Worcester in 1651 whilst leading his regiment into some of the thickest of the fighting. In his will made at the Hague in 1650he stipulated that the Lady Anne was his heirover and above his own children(all daughtershis only son having died in childhood).

Lady Anne became the Duchess of Hamiltonwith the subsidiary titles Marchioness of ClydesdaleCountess of ArranLanark and Cambridgethe Lady AvenInnerdaleMachanshire and Polmont. She succeeded to the Dukedom of Hamilton thanks to a remainder that stipulatedthe Dukedom should devolve upon his brother and male heirsand that the eldest daughter of the 1st Duke should succeed to the Dukedom only if her uncle died leaving no sons.

Through paternal descentAnne had a claim to the throne of Scotland although this was dependent upon the failure of the House of Stewart. She was descended from James II through the marriage of the 1st Lord Hamilton to James's daughter Mary. Her great great grandfatherthe 2nd Earl of Arranhad been heir presumptive from the death of Regent Albany until the birth of James VIand had served as Regent of Scotland during the childhood and absence in France of MaryQueen of Scots.

She was wed in 1656at the kirk of Corstorphine near Edinburghto William Douglas1st Earl of Selkirka younger son of William Douglas1st Marquess of Douglas. Selkirk was created Duke of Hamilton for his lifetimeincluded the subsidiary titles pertaining to the Dukedom de jure uxorisand in 1660 he assumed the surname Douglas-Hamilton. Between 1657 and 1673the couple produced 13 children.
Lady Mary Hamilton (16571666)
James Hamilton4th Duke of Hamilton (16581712)until 1698 he was d the Earl of Arran.
Lord William Hamilton (16591681)
Lady Anna Hamilton (16611663)
Lady Catherine Hamilton (16621707)married John Murray1st Duke of Atholl
Charles Hamilton (16641739)later 2nd Earl of Selkirk
John Hamilton (16651744)later 1st Earl of Ruglen and 3rd Earl of Selkirk
George Hamilton (16661737)later 1st Earl of Orkney
Lady Susan Hamilton married 1st John Cochrane4th Earl of Dundonald2nd John Hay2nd Marquess of Tweeddale
Lady Margaret Hamilton (16681731married James Maule4th Earl of Panmure
Lady Anna Hamilton (1669 died in infancy)
Lord Basil Hamilton (16711701)
Lord Archibald Hamilton (16731754)

The Earl of Arran's father died in 1694and in July 1698 his mother resigned all her titles into the hand of King William who regranted them to Arran a month later in a charter signed at Het LooNetherlands. He was conferred with the titles: Duke of Hamilton Marquess of ClydesdaleEarl of ArranEarl of LanarkEarl of CambridgeLord AvenPolmontMachansyreand Innerdale. This regrant of title was presumably because of the loyalty of Arran's parents to the Kingas his own affection to the House of Orange was questionable due to his suspected Jacobitism. The Duchess died at Hamilton on 17 October 1716and is buried therein the Bent Cemetery.

After her marriage the Duchess and her husband set about laying the foundations for what would beunder later Dukesthe largest private residence in the western hemisphere Hamilton Palace.

This was constructed on the site of what was commonly called either the 'Palace' or 'The Orchard'a courtyard building in the "Low Parks of Hamilton". The Hamiltons had lived in the "Low parks" the more formal area of their estatein the Clyde valleysince the fourteenth century.

In 1684 she commissioned the architectJames Smith to remodel the existing buildingsremoving the southern part of the previous courtyard building on the site and increasing the scale of the edifice to form a U-shaped mansion house.

Todaythe Palace is no moreand the "Low Parks" now form part of Strathclyde Parkhaving been given to the nation in lieu of death duties upon the passing of the 14th Duke of Hamilton in 1973.

Another of the Duchess's works was the building of a new school building to house the Grammar School of Hamilton (in 1848 renamed the Hamilton Academy) which had originally been endowed in 1588 by her great grandfather John Hamilton1st Marquess of Hamilton and sited near the churchyard adjoining Hamilton Palace. In 1714 the Duchess presented this new school building on the newly named Grammar School Square to the Town Council of Hamilton. The building remained in the school's use until 1848 whenas now the Hamilton Academythe school relocated to a further purpose-built building. Duchess Anne's building of 1714 survived until its demolition in 1932a plaque commemorating the site being subsequently erected by Hamilton Civic Societythe Hamilton family continuing as benefactors of the school.

On ArranAnne Hamilton is referred to as 'Good Duchess Anne'. Arran was part of the Hamilton estatesas one of their titles implies and Duchess Anne brought over a doctor to attend to the sick and built a harbour in Lamlash Bayamong other things.

See also:
The Arms and Legacy of Duchess Anne and Duke William
Kinneil House

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Last modified: Monday13 October 2025

Anne Hamilton3rd Duchess of Hamilton

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