# Archibald Hamilton (bishop)

Archibald Hamilton (c. 1580 – 1659) was the fourth Anglican Archbishop of Cashel.

## Birth and origins

Archibald was born around 1580 probably in Cochno, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, the second son of Claud Hamilton and his wife Margaret Betoun. His father was Laird of Cochno. His father's family was a cadet branch of the House of Hamilton founded by Walter fitz Gilbert of Cadzow. His mother was a daughter of Robert Betoun of Creich.

## Studies and marriages

Hamilton studied at Glasgow University and obtained a MA in 1599. He stayed on, started teaching but also became minister in Paisley in 1610. He became a Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) in 1617.
While still in Scotland he married his first wife, who probably was Alison Hay, who had been a nurse to Elizabeth, Queen of Bohemia.
Later he married Anne Balfour of Burleigh, daughter of James Balfour, 1st Baron Balfour of Glenawley.
He had four sons, and some of his descendants became established in the Swedish nobility.

## Career

He was nominated Bishop of Killala and Achonry on 8 March 1623 and consecrated 29 May that same year in St. Peter's Church, Drogheda. He was advanced Archbishop of Cashel on 14 November 1629 and appointed by letters patent on 20 April 1630. On 20 April 1630 he was translated to the archbishopric of Cashel and Emly.

## Income

The temporalities of his see having been much diminished by Miler Magragh, Hamilton petitioned Thomas Wentworth for their recovery. It required a special letter of instruction from the king to undo the acts of Magragh. Archbishop William Laud cautioned Wentworth to keep a sharp eye on Hamilton, who then incurred Laud's displeasure. Summoned to Dublin to explain matters, Hamilton pleaded inability to travel. His friends, including the Queen of Bohemia, interceded with the king.

## Flight to Sweden and death

When the Irish Rebellion of 1641 broke out in Tipperary, Hamilton was absent from his diocese. However he was joined by his wife and family, who had been helped by Catholic neighbours and he left for Sweden. His loss of personal property in the rebellion was great.
He is usually said to have died at Stockholm, aged about 80, in 1659. He died in office at Stockholm, Sweden in 1659.

## Citations

* ↑ Grosjean 2004, p. 769, left column, line: "... was the son of Claud Hamilton of Cochno (d. 1611?) of Dunbartonshire, Scotland ..."
* ↑ Clavin, "Hamilton, Archibald", 1st paragraph: "... was second son of Sir Claud Hamilton of Cochnough, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Robert Betoun, of Creich."
* ↑ Clavin, "Hamilton, Archibald", last paragraph: "After the death of his first wife, he married Anne Balfour of Burleigh."
* ↑ Grosjean, A. N. L. "Hamilton, Archibald". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/12050. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
* ↑ Fasti ecclesiæ hibernicæ: the succession of the prelates in Ireland Cotton, H., Dublin, Hodges & Smith, 1860
* ↑ Dunlop 1890, p. 138, left column: "Advanced by James I on 21 May 1623 to the conjoint sees of Killala and Achenry, he was consecrated in St Peter's church Drogheda on 29 June following."
* ↑ Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology (3rd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 400–401. ISBN 0-521-56350-X.
* 1 2 Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney, eds. (1890). "Hamilton, Archibald (1580?-1659)" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 24. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
* ↑ Johan Peringskiöld, in his Monumenta Ullerakerensia cum Upsalia Nova Illustrata (Stockholm, 1719, p. 176), stated that he died at Upsala in 1658, and lies buried in the cathedral there, in the same grave as Laurentius Petri Nericius. Johan Henrik Schröder in his Upsala Domkyrka (2nd edit., Upsala, 1857), p. 27, repeated this statement, but the destruction by fire in 1702 of the Upsala church registers made confirmation impossible.
* ↑ A New History of Ireland, Moody, T. W.; Martin, F. X.; Byrne, F. J.; Cosgrove, A.: Oxford, OUP, 1976 ISBN 0-19-821745-5

## Sources

* Clavin, Terry. McGuire, James; Quinn, James (eds.). "Hamilton, Archibald". Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 14 June 2021. – (online edition)
* Dunlop, Robert (1890). "Hamilton, Archibald, D.D. (1580?–1659)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 24. New York: MacMillan and Co. pp. 138–139. OCLC 8544105.
* Fryde, E. B.; Greenway, D. E.; Porter, S.; Roy, I., eds. (1986). Handbook of British Chronology. Royal Historical Society Guides and Handbooks, No. 2 (3rd ed.). London: Offices of the Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-86193-106-8. (for timeline)
* Grosjean, A. N. L. (2004). "Hamilton, Archibald (c.1578–1658/9)". In Matthew, Colin; Harrison, Brian (eds.). Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 24. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 769–770. ISBN 0-19-861374-1.

### Attribution

* Dunlop, Robert (1890). "Hamilton, Archibald D.D. (1580?–1659)". In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 24. New York: MacMillan and Co. pp. 138–139. OCLC 8544105.
Church of Ireland titles :
| Preceded byInaugural appointment | Bishop of Killala and Achonry 1623–1630 | Succeeded byArchibald Adair |
| Preceded byMalcolm Hamilton | Archbishop of Cashel 1630–1659 | Succeeded byThomas Fulwar |
* Christianity portal