New-York tribune., 1910-08-24
The Master of Belhaven.

For some reason or other Captain Ralph
Hamilton. who has been travelling in the
United States and who arrived in New
York the other day with his wife, Lady
Grizel Hamilton. the huntress daughter OF
the Earl of Dundonald. en- route for Eng
land. refrained from making use Of the
title Of Master of Belhaven, by which he
is always known i'm Great Britain. Mas
ter" is a designation always given in Scot
! land 10 the eldest son OF a peer of the
rank Of baron or viscount
The standard 'Peerages'' give the father
Of the Master OF extraordinarily, LORD
Belhaven-as having established his claim
to the peerage in 1894. But this is scarcely
correct; for Lord Belhaven has merely
chosen to have himself, in Scotch legal
phraseology. served heir to the BeIhaven
estates at WishaJv, in I4anarkshire. and has
refrained from taking any steps to estab-
lish his claim to the peerage before the
Committee of Privileges of the House of
Lords. The attitude OF the crown. which
is invariably advised by the Committee Of
Privileges Of the House OF Lords in such
matters. is best shown by the fact that
although Lord Belhaven's sisters have ap-
Piled for q patent of precedence, to take
rank if their father had succeeded to the
peerage. and which would have had the
effect OF enabling them to prefix the predi-
cate Of honorable 70 their name, the ap-
plication has not been sgr;-nted.
The trouble with Lord Belhavens case
is his failure to prove the absolute eX-
tinction of male issue of Captain Francis
hamilton. younger brother of the father of
the ninth Lord of Belhaven, and who died
in 1859. leaving issue. Should any sons Of
this Captain Francis Hamilton. who be
longed to the Saith Regiment appear upon
the scene they would undoubtedly have
rights TO the barony of Belflaven and 10
the Wishaw estates prior to those Of the
present lord. who has TO go back 10 the
middle Of the seventeenth century in order
10 prove his relationship 10 the ninth lord.
I may add that there was no doubt what
soever as to the right Of the ninth baron
to the title as this was established on the
death Of the eighth lord. after long and
careful investigation, by the Committee of
Privileges of the House of Lords. Single
Speech Hamilton. who was one of the re-
puted authors of the 'Junius'' letters, who
served as Chancellor OF the Exchequer in
Ireland from 1853 TO 1884: Sir Edward Walter
Hamilton. who was the private secretary
as well as the most faithful hiogrs pher of
Gladstone; Sir William Hamilton. who was
envoy at Naples al the beginning of the
last century and the husband of the no
torious Emma Lady Hamilton, the Egeria
Of Admiral Nelson, all belonged 10 this
Beihayen branch of the Hamilton family.
II is very numerous. and under the circtirn-
stances II is not astonishing that there
should be several claimants to the barony.
one Of them here in Arnerica-who are
prevented from taking any steps TO estab-
nsh their rretensions and thus to deprive
Lord Belhaven of MS doubtful honors only
by the terrible expense involved in any
legal proceedings of the kind before the
Committee Of Privileges Of the House Of
Lords the only tribunal competent TO deal
with the question
MARQJISE DE FoNTENOY.