William Hamilton, 1st Baronet (of Preston)

Sir William Hamilton, 1st Baronet (around 1645, † around 1690) was a Scottish nobleman.

He was the elder son and heir of Sir Thomas Hamilton († 1672), Laird of Preston in Haddingtonshire and Fingalton in Renfrewshire , from his second marriage to Anne Hamilton. His father had fought as an officer on the side of the royalists in the civil war .

In 1670 he married Rachel Nicolson, daughter of Sir Thomas Nicolson of Cockburnspath and Rachel Burnet. With her he had three daughters:

• Rachel Hamilton
• Anne Hamilton, ⚭ I) 1697 Thomas Oswald, ⚭ II) 1705 Gilbert Burnet
• Jane Hamilton, ⚭ 1695 George Stirling of Letham

When his father died in 1672 he inherited his property. On November 5, 1673 he was awarded the hereditary title of baronet , of Preston in the County of Haddington, by King Charles II in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia . The award was made with the special addition that the title could be inherited by any male offspring in the absence of male descendants.

Presumably in connection with the unsuccessful rebellion of the Presbyterian Covenanters , in which his brother Robert was a leading member, he sold his property to his daughter Anne's father-in-law, Sir James Oswald, and emigrated to the Netherlands in 1681 .

Since he left no sons, his younger brother Robert (1650–1701) inherited his title of nobility when he died around 1690.

Web links

• Sir William Hamilton of Preston, 1st Bt. On thepeerage.com
• Baronetage: STIRLING-HAMILTON of Preston, Haddington at Leigh Rayment's Peerage

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Baronet (of Preston) 1673 – about 1690	Robert Hamilton