James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh and Woodhouselee (died 1581) was a Scottish supporter of

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

, who

assassinated Assassination is the willful killing, by a sudden, secret, or planned attack, of a personespecially if prominent or important. It may be prompted by political, ideological, religious, financial, or military motives. Assassinations are orde ...

James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray (c. 1531 – 23 January 1570) was a member of the House of Stewart as the illegitimate son of King James V of Scotland. At times a supporter of his half-sister Mary, Queen of Scots, he was the regent of Scotl ...

, Regent of Scotland, in January 1570. Donaldson 1977, p. 93 Howie-Stewart 1846, p. 51 He shot Moray from the steps of his uncle Archbishop John Hamilton's house in

Linlithgow Linlithgow ( ; ; ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a historic route between Edi ...

Family

James Hamilton was a member of

Hamilton family The Hamiltons of the United States are a family of Scottish origin, whose most prominent member was Alexander Hamilton (1755/57–1804), one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Their ancestors and relations in Scotland included the Lai ...

from

Bothwellhaugh Bothwellhaugh was a Scotland, Scottish coal mining village, which housed Hamilton Palace Colliery workers and their families. Locals referred to the village as The Pailis, and it was located near the towns of Motherwell, Bellshill and Hamilt ...

, a village and castle in the

Clyde Valley The River Clyde (, ) is a river that flows into the Firth of Clyde, in the west of Scotland. It is the eighth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and the second longest in Scotland after the River Tay. It runs through the city of Glasgow. T ...

. His father was David Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh and his mother Christian Shaw. The lands of Bothwellhaugh are still the property of the

Dukes of Hamilton Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in April 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the premier peer of Sco ...

, but the village no longer exists. James's mother and two brothers, Arthur, later called "of Bothwellhaugh", and James, Provost of Bothwell were also accused of the assassination. Another younger brother was David Hamilton of Monktonmains, later "of Bothwellhaugh". David was said to have been present at the death of

Regent Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England. Origin ...

in 1571. James Hamilton married Isobel Sinclair, the daughter of Oliver Sinclair and

Katherine Bellenden Katherine Bellenden (1497 – c. 1568) was a courtier working in the wardrobe of James V of Scotland. Her niece of the same name was similarly employed. A family at court Katherine was the daughter of Patrick Bellenden a servant of Margaret T ...

, and the joint-heiress of Woodhouselee, a castle in

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

, a quarter-mile (400 m) northwest of

Easter Howgate Easter Howgate is a settlement in Midlothian, Scotland, UK, on the A702, two miles north of Penicuik. The Scottish Agricultural College maintains a teaching campus and a research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to ...

and north of

Penicuik Penicuik ( ; ; ) is a town and former Police burgh, burgh in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the west bank of the River Esk, Lothian, River North Esk. It lies on the A701 road, A701 midway between Edinburgh and Peebles, east of the Pentland Hil ...

in the valley of the River Esk. They had a son David and daughter Alison Hamilton. The other heiress of Woodhouselee, Alison Sinclair, married James's brother David.

Background to the assassination

James Hamilton, like most of the Hamilton family, supported Mary Queen of Scots, and fought for her against Regent Moray at the

battle of Langside The Battle of Langside was fought on 13 May 1568 between forces loyal to Mary, Queen of Scots, and forces acting in the name of her infant son James VI. Mary’s short period of personal rule ended in 1567 in recrimination, intrigue, and disast ...

. Though captured, his life was spared. The seventeenth-century historian

David Calderwood David Calderwood (157529 October 1650) was a Scottish minister of religion and historian. Calderwood was banished for his nonconformity. He found a home in the Low Countries, where he wrote his great work, the ''Altare Damascenum'' which was a ...

noted that

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

obtained James's release. Queen Mary was forced into exile and captivity in England, while Moray, her half-brother, ruled in Scotland on behalf of her son

James VI of Scotland James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...

, and began to pacify resistance loyal to Mary. The Hamiltons remained supporters of Mary. There is a traditional story (now perhaps discredited as a fictionalised account by

Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

Mason 2013, p. 51) that James was an especial enemy of the Regent's party because his wife and child were evicted from Woodhouselee. According to the story, Woodhouselee was given to Sir James Ballenden by James Hamilton in order to secure his freedom after Langside. Bellenden took possession of the property in the middle of the night, throwing James Hamilton's wife and newborn child out into the bitter cold in just their night clothes. The ghosts of his tragic wife and child are said to still haunt the site of the old castle and her frenzied and terrifying screams have been heard by those dwelling nearby. Ritchie 1835, p. 216 After the assassination, the lands of Woodhouslee were given to the Bellenden family for forty years. The story that James Hamilton gave Woodhouselee to James Bellenden after Langside, but not the eviction of his wife, first appeared in

John Spottiswoode John Spottiswoode (Spottiswood, Spotiswood, Spotiswoode or Spotswood) (1565 – 26 November 1639) was an Archbishop of St Andrews, Primate of All Scotland, Lord Chancellor, and historian of Scotland. Life He was born in 1565 at Greenbank in ...

's ''History''. A contemporary

polemic Polemic ( , ) is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called polemics, which are seen in arguments on controversial to ...

writer

Adam Blackwood Adam Blackwood may refer to: * Adam Blackwood (writer) (1539–1613), Scottish author and apologist for Mary, Queen of Scots * Adam Blackwood (actor) Adam Blackwood (born 14 July 1959) is an English actor. Early life Blackwood was born in Chic ...

told a different and simpler version of the story, stating that Regent Moray came to Bothwellhaugh in person to burn the house of Bothwellhaugh in revenge after Langside, and ignored the pleading of Hamilton, his wife, and sister-in-law. However, the main motive for the assassination was rooted in the political rivalries in Scotland at the time, and James Hamilton's uncle, John Hamilton, Archbishop of St. Andrews, at least had prior knowledge of the plot Fraser 1993, p. 339, 486 (It has been suggested that the Archbishop and James's mother Christian Shaw may have been born to the same mother, or that "uncle" was merely a courtesy title). Shortly after Moray's assassination, his secretary Master John Wood was also murdered, which second killing has been taken by commentators since the contemporary

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

to support the interpretation that this was a political crime and not a personal feud.

Assassination

Preparation

Moray had been appointed Regent of Scotland after his half-sister Mary abdicated in 1567, and had subsequently clashed with her and her supporters. He burnt down

Rutherglen Castle Rutherglen Castle was located where Castle Street meets King Street in Rutherglen, Scotland. It was a large and important castle, having been built in the 13th century; the walls were reportedly 5 feet thick. Mason 2000. James Hamilton decided to assassinate Moray and travelled to the

Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

without an opportunity arising. Finally Moray went from Stirling to

, where he stopped at the house of the Provost, Charles Drummond, the brother of Sir

Robert Drummond of Carnock Sir Robert Drummond of Carnock (died 1592) was Master of Work to the Crown of Scotland from 1579 to 1583. This was the responsibility for building and repair of palaces and castles. His appointment was made to be "as Sir James Hamilton of Finnar ...

. When Moray left the house to go to Edinburgh, the chance for revenge presented itself. Hamilton, who had six accomplices drawn from his close family, prepared the assassination carefully, gaining access to a Hamilton family property which had a projecting gallery.

told his secretary,

Richard Bannatyne Richard Bannatyne (died 1605) was a Scottish clergyman and scribe who served as secretary to John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Refor ...

of the danger in Linlithgow, and Bannatyne warned Regents Moray's wife, Agnes Keith. She sent Moray's secretary Master John Wood to alert her husband. Knox's source had told him that the attempt would be on the High Street, near the cross, and an alternative route to avoid the Archbishop's house was suggested in vain. The details of Hamilton's preparations were conjectured in a fictionalised account by Leitch Ritchie. In Ritchie's story, James placed feathers on the ground to deaden his footsteps, hanging a black cloth on the wall to hide his shadow and obtaining a brass match-lock

carbine A carbine ( or ) is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length. Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges. The smaller size and ligh ...

with a rifled barrel for accuracy. The weapon was long preserved at

Hamilton Palace Hamilton Palace was a country house in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was the seat of the Dukes of Hamilton and is widely acknowledged as having been one of the grandest houses in the British Isles.gorse ''Ulex'' (commonly known as gorse, furze, or whin) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. The genus comprises about 20 species of thorny evergreen shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the pea family Fabaceae. The species are na ...

, and as contemporary sources relate, he had a saddled horse waiting. Ritchie 1835, p. 219

Execution

On 23 January 1570 James Hamilton fired at the Regent from a window, behind some washing, and mortally wounded him. He is the subject of a painting by

George Cattermole George Cattermole (10 August 180024 July 1868) was a British painter and illustrator, chiefly in Watercolor painting, watercolours. He was a friend of Charles Dickens and many other literary and artistic figures. Life and work He was born a ...

, showing him about to assassinate the regent. The weapon illustrated is however a fire-lock and therefore not the type of weapon used. Ritchie 1835, p. 222 The incident is also depicted on stained glass in

St. Giles' Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral (), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended until the early 16th century; significant alteratio ...

in Edinburgh. After a desperate ride, closely pursued by the Regent's men, James made it to the safety of his triumphant kin in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

. Ritchie 1835, p. 223 According to Moray's contemporary

, the getaway horse was provided by Lord John Hamilton,

Abbot of Arbroath The Abbot of Arbroath or Abbot of Aberbrothok (and later Commendator) was the head of the Tironensians, Tironensian Benedictines, Benedictine monastic community of Arbroath Abbey, Angus, Scotland, founded under the patronage of King William I of ...

. Buchanan wrote that the fatal shot also killed the horse of one of Moray's companions. Regent Moray dismounted, wounded below his navel, walked to his lodging and died the same day, according to the ''Diurnal of Occurrents'' at

Linlithgow Palace The ruins of Linlithgow Palace are located in the town of Linlithgow, West Lothian, Scotland, west of Edinburgh. The palace was one of the principal residences of the monarchs of Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland in the 15th and 16th ce ...

in the hour before midnight. The incident was described in the contemporary diary of Robert Birrel; The 17th-century historian

described the shot in more detail; "with a hacquebut, through a tirleis window (shuttered), from a stair whereupon were hunge sheets to drie, but in truthe, to hide the smooke, and make the place the lesse suspected".

Bothwellhaugh Carbine

James Hamilton used a

of length and a hexagonal bore barrel of length. The stock was inlaid with a deer feeding and at the butt had the usual covered container for storing bullets. The owner in 1890 was Lord Hamilton of Dalzell, who wrote, "Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh was a nephew of Hamilton of Orbiston, and occupied Bothwellhaugh, a farm on the estate of Orbiston. The gun remained in the possession of the Orbiston family until my grandfather, General Hamilton of Orbiston and Dalzell, sold the estate of Bothwellhaugh sixty years ago to the then Duke of Hamilton, when he made a present of this carbine. At the sale of the Hamilton collection in 1882, the present Duke of Hamilton gave it back to me." The gun was exhibited at Glasgow in 1888. The butt carried an oval brass plate inscribed: "Bothwellhaughes Gun with which he Shot Regent Murray upon the 23d January 1570".

Aftermath

Burial and civil war

News of the shooting quickly reached England. By 26 January, the Marshall of Berwick,

William Drury Sir William Drury (2 October 152713 October 1579) was an English statesman and soldier. Family William Drury, born at Hawstead in Suffolk on 2 October 1527, was the third son of Sir Robert Drury (c. 1503–1577) of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshir ...

, who had met with Moray at

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

on 19 January, knew that the Regent was dead, Bothwellhaugh had escaped, the Archbishop's house at Linlithgow had been burnt, and that the assassin's gun, which he called a '

caliver An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. The term ''arquebus'' was applied to many different forms of firearms ...

', belonged to Lord John Hamilton, Abbot of Arbroath. By 29 January news of the shooting, but not Moray's death, reached

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

in London. According to David Calderwood, the next night after Moray's death, Walter Scott of Buccleuch and Thomas Ker of Ferniehirst raided the English border deliberately to help the conspiracy. The Regent's body was first taken to the Chapel Royal in Stirling Castle, then shipped down the

River Forth The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic name for the ...

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

and taken to

Holyroodhouse The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...

. Moray was buried at St Giles Kirk in Edinburgh, his body carried by six earls and lords and his standard of the Red Lion of Scotland by

William Kirkcaldy of Grange Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation. He ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the c ...

. John Knox had prohibited funeral sermons ''on the grounds that they glorified the deceased and displayed distinctions between rich and poor'', however the ban was lifted on this occasion. His wife commissioned a handsome stone monument for the earl (however the one present today is a replica put up in 1864) together with a stained glass window illustrating the assassination scene, by the 12th Earl of Moray.Marshall, Page 72 There were calls for the chiefs of the Hamilton family to be arrested, notably from

William Douglas of Lochleven William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

who was Moray's half-brother. Kirkcaldy of Grange was asked to lead a feud against all Hamiltons, but declined. Following a battle at Linlithgow Bridge at the end of April 1570, a state of civil war ensued in Scotland until the end of the "Lang siege" of Edinburgh Castle. One of the finest remaining brasses in Scotland commemorates the murdered Earl of Moray, and is located in Saint Giles Kirk, Edinburgh. It carries the Moray arms and figures representing Religion and Justice.

Exile

After a time, Hamilton left the country and went to France, where he offered his services to the

Guise Guise ( , ; ) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The remains of t ...

family, kinsmen of Mary. He was asked to assassinate

Gaspard II de Coligny Gaspard de Coligny, seigneur de Châtillon (; 16 February 1519 – 24 August 1572), was a French nobleman, Admiral of France, and Huguenot leader during the French Wars of Religion. He served under kings Francis I and Henry II during the ...

; however, he refused, stating that a man of honour was entitled to settle his own quarrels, but not to murder for others. Hamilton's uncle, the Archbishop of St. Andrews, was captured at Dumbarton and tried and convicted of

art and part Art and part is a term used in Scots law to denote the aiding or abetting in the perpetration of a crime, or being an accessory before or at the perpetration of the crime. It results in each person involved in the crime being equally liable f ...

in the Regent's killing. He was hanged at

. At least two of Bothwellhaugh's letters home were intercepted and kept by the English Secretary of State William Cecil. One letter asked a servant of Mary Queen of Scots to send him financial aid because he had lost "all he had to live on for her Majesty's service". Another one written after the Archbishop's death tells younger brother David Hamilton that he is sending to him with their brother, John Provost of Bothwell, his long guns, pistols and a bulletproof breastplate.

Guilty verdict after nine years

The

was declared rebel in October 1579 by the

Parliament of Scotland In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

following the capture of their strongholds at

and Draffen in May. On 21 October 1579 and 10 November, the parliament heard a narrative of the Regent's murder. James Hamilton was called "of Woodhouslee" and "of Woodhouslee alias Bothwellhaugh" in the record. He was said to have shot Regent Moray twice in the belly and navel on 23 January 1570, with a gun loaded with two lead balls. By his flight to France he had taken responsibility for the treason and murder. The parliamentary account was derived from the testimony of Arthur Hamilton of Myreton (or Merington), Captain of Hamilton, who was executed in Stirling for his part in the murder on 30 May 1579. James Hamilton's brother Arthur, who was said to have held James's stirrup at Linlithgow (for the getaway) was questioned at Stirling in May 1579, but several lords spoke for his life to be saved. Four other Hamiltons were accused of directly participating in the Linlithgow murder at the assize at Stirling in May 1579, including David Hamilton, son of Hamilton of Mirington, laird of Sillerton, but they denied the charge and were imprisoned. The main perpetrator, James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, was still in France: in the letters of the English ambassador Lord Cobham his title was spelled "Bodilaugh", perhaps an indication of how the name was said.

Other accessories

Christian Shaw, James's mother, the widow of David Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, was charged with assisting the assassination in February 1571 at Lanark. James's brother, Arthur Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh, was acquitted in January 1581. On 16 June 1582, George Hume of Spott was charged with, among other crimes, helping the assassination by welcoming the "actual committaris", named as James Hamilton and his brother John, the Provost of Bothwell, after the shooting, at his house at Neidpath-Head. The Regent's widow Agnes Keith and daughter Elizabeth Stuart were represented at the proceedings, and Spott was acquitted of the other charges,

Heirs restored

James Hamilton's brother David, his wife Isobel Sinclair and her sister, Alison Sinclair, David's wife, were fully restored to the forfeited inheritance of Woodhouselee in January 1592, apparently despite the resistance of the

Lord Clerk Register The office of Lord Clerk Register (Scottish Gaelic: ''Clàr Morair Clèireach'') is the oldest remaining Great Officer of State in Scotland, with origins in the 13th century. It historically had important functions in relation to the maintenanc ...

. The lands had been forfeited for Moray's murder and reserved, despite previous acts of restoration, to Lewis Bellenden of Auchnoule and Broughton. David Hamilton, who was also called "Hamilton of Monktonmains" had shared the exile of Lord Claude Hamilton in France, who was now back in royal favour. An Act of Parliament of 24 June 1609 clarified their possession of Woodhouselee against the interests of William Bellenden of Broughton.

Timothy Pont

Pont's map of

shows the houses of the High Street, one of which was the property of Archbishop Hamilton from which James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh shot the Regent, James Stewart, Earl of Moray in 1570. Pont's map even details the gallery from which the shot was probably fired. Cunningham 2001, p. 135 Dennison

David Hamilton

His brother David is buried at Crosbie church and his daughter married into the Fullarton of Crosbie family and another daughter, Alison, married

Gavin Hamilton Gavin Hamilton may refer to: * Gavin Hamilton (archbishop of St Andrews) (died 1571), archbishop of St Andrews * Gavin Hamilton (bishop of Galloway) (1561–1612), bishop of Galloway * Gavin Hamilton (artist) (1723–1798), Scottish artist * Ga ...

Bishop of Galloway The Bishop of Galloway, also called the Bishop of Whithorn, is the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Galloway, said to have been founded by Saint Ninian in the mid-5th century. The subsequent Anglo-Saxon bishopric was founded in the late 7 ...

. A Fullarton family tradition suggests that this David Hamilton may have been closely involved in or might even have been the true assassin of the Earl of Moray. David had been forfeited and excluded from the 1573 Treaty of Perth, however his lands were returned to him by an act of 1592. In the apparent absence of recorded legal repercussions, a 19th-century historian, John Bain, put forward the view of his patron John Smith of Swindrigemuir, that David and James Hamilton probably were present at Linlithgow and their servant Pate Wilson may have fired the fatal shot. Bain, p. 143 In 1545 John Hamilton, Abbot of Paisley, feued to his kinsman David Hamilton and his wife Christian Shaw (who may have been a close relation of the Abbot), James's father, the lands of Monktonmains (later known as Fairfield) near Prestwick. Thus James's younger brother David, who died in 1619, was Hamilton of Monktonmains and also Bothwellhaugh. Hamilton of Wishaw has it that David died in 1613. John Colville wrote that David participated in the struggle at Stirling in September 1571 when

was killed.Laing, David, ''Original letters of John Colville'', p.73 File:Crosbie Church gates, Ayrshire.JPG, Crosbie church gates. File:Crosbie church and cemetery, Ayrshire.JPG, Crosbie Church and cemetery. File:David Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh's Grave, Crosbie, Ayrshire.JPG, David Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh's gravestone probably erroneously dated 1619, possibly following re-cutting. File:David Hamilton, Bothwellhaugh, Detail, Crosbie, Ayrshire.JPG, The inscription on David Hamilton's gravestone.

References

;Notes ;Sources # Undiscovered Scotland
James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #

External links

Video footage of Linlithgow and the story of the assassination
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, James 1581 deaths 1570 in Scotland Scottish assassins Assassins of heads of government 16th-century Scottish people Kingdom of Scotland expatriates in France Scottish soldiers Year of birth unknown 16th-century soldiers