Robert Adam Nisbet-Hamilton (1804 – 9 June 1877), known as Robert Dundas until 1835 and as Robert Christopher between 1835 and 1855, was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. Excluding the prime minister, the chancellor is the highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the prime minister ...

under the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

between March and December 1852.

Background

Born Robert Dundas, he was the eldest son of Philip Dundas (c.1763–1807, the fourth son of Robert Dundas of Arniston, the younger), and Margaret (daughter of

John Wedderburn of Ballendean Sir John Wedderburn of Ballindean, 6th Baronet of Blackness (1729–1803) was a Scottish landowner who made a fortune in Sugar plantations in the Caribbean, slave sugar in the West Indies. Born into a family of impoverished Perthshire gentry, hi ...

(1729–1803) and sister of Sir David Wedderburn, 7th Baronet (1775–1858)). He assumed the surname of Christopher in lieu of his patronymic in 1835 when his wife Lady Mary Bruce (see below) inherited the Christopher estates at Bloxholm and Wellvale in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

. In 1855 he assumed the surname of Nisbet-Hamilton in lieu of Christopher after his wife succeeded to the Nisbet-Hamilton estates in Scotland, including

Dirleton Castle Dirleton Castle is a medieval fortress in the village of Dirleton, East Lothian, Scotland. It lies around west of North Berwick, and around east of Edinburgh. The oldest parts of the castle date to the 13th century, and it was abandoned by th ...

and Archerfield House.nisbetts.com Two ladies of Dirleton
/ref> General Robert Manners left Bloxholm to his brother George,

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilit ...

in 1826, whose death occurred in 1828. Both brothers having died unmarried, George left the estate to their dearest cousin, Mrs Jenney. She was the daughter of John, second Duke of Rutland, and sister of Lord Robert Manners, the father of Robert and George, making her their first cousin, once removed. However, Lady Mary Bruce, who was the brothers’ great niece, and eldest daughter of the 7th Earl of Elgin, contested the will, saying George had changed his will in her favour, and took the matter to court. A relative of the brothers wrote to the Editor of the ''Stamford Mercury'' on 26 March 1841 making it very clear that the family knew George wanted Bloxholm to go to Mrs Jenney, writing: ''for it is the opinion of all who are acquainted with the circumstances, that the testator would never have made an alteration had he been in the full possession of his faculties''. The matter was settled in favour of Lady Mary Bruce.

Political career

After a successful electoral petition against the General Election result Nisbet-Hamilton was returned to Parliament for

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

in 1827, a seat he held until 1831 and again briefly in 1835. He also represented

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 ...

between 1831 and 1832 and

North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Lincolnshire, England. At the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 Census, it had a population of 167,446. T ...

between 1837 and 1857. When the Conservatives came to power under the

in 1852, Nisbet-Hamilton was appointed

and sworn of the Privy Council. He remained as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster until the government fell in December 1852. In 1833 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

Family

Nisbet-Hamilton married Lady Mary, daughter of General

Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin and 11th Earl of Kincardine, ( ; 20 July 176614 November 1841), often known as Lord Elgin, was a Scottish nobleman, diplomat, and collector, known primarily for the controversial procurement of marble sculptures ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

, daughter and heiress of

William Hamilton Nisbet William Hamilton Nisbet (1747 – 17 July 1822) was a British politician. He was the eldest son of William Nisbet of Archerfield House, Dirleton and his wife Mary, the daughter and heiress of Alexander Hamilton of Pencaitland, Haddington a ...

, in 1828.historic-scotland.gov.uk An Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland: Dirleton
/ref>
/ref> They had one daughter. Nisbet-Hamilton died in June 1877, Lady Mary survived him by six years, dying in December 1883.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Portrait of Robert Nisbet-Hamilton at the National Portrait Gallery

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nisbet-Hamilton, Robert Adam 1804 births 1877 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Edinburgh constituencies Scottish Tory MPs (pre-1912) Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857

Robert Nisbet-Hamilton Robert Adam Nisbet-Hamilton (1804 – 9 June 1877), known as Robert Dundas until 1835 and as Robert Christopher between 1835 and 1855, was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster under th ...

Fellows of the Royal Society Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Ipswich Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom