The Castles of Clan Hamilton

Where else could we start, but with 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 thought to have been one of the grandest houses in the British Isles. The palace dated from the 14th century but was added to frequently over the years. Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton, and her husband William Duke of Hamilton commissioned leading Scottish architect James Smith to recreate the palace in the baroque style in the 1690s, in what they called ‘the Great Design.’ William died in 1694, but Anne was renowned for her formidable determination, and so the palace was virtually complete by 1701. She also employed William Morgan, a leading London woodcarver, to decorate the interiors of the newly built palace. She ordered that five rooms: a dining room, drawing room, bedroom and two dressing rooms, were fit out with carved wood felled from the nearby Cadzow woods. This was extremely unusual for the period and clearly a way for the Hamiltons to demonstrate their wealth and status!

However, the Hamiltons were not the type to rest on their laurels; between 1824 and 1832, 10th Duke, Alexander Hamilton, commissioned Glasgow-based architect David Hamilton, to rebuild the North front of the palace in the trendy Neo-Classical style. He was determined that they would not be behind the times! Alexander also oversaw a programme of flamboyant internal renovations. He had the State Rooms furnished with imported black marble and embellished with even more intricate woodwork. In the State Drawing Room, he added a striking black marble chimney piece and above this, an imposing carving of his arms as a Knight of the Garter.

By the mid-1800s, Hamilton Palace was at its grandest, and thought to have been the largest and finest non-royal residence in all of Europe. However, a tragic end was fast approaching. Rising debts led to the sale of the palace’s art collections in 1882, after which the Hamilton family spent little time there. In 1889, the 12th Duke leased out the coal rights of the grounds, and a further lease in 1915 led to the removal of the coal under the palace itself. Eventually, the building was sold to demolition contractors in 1921, and the remaining art pieces auctioned off.

Today, the treasures of Hamilton Palace are on display in prestigious museums across the globe, including the National Museums of Scotland, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, the National Trust, the Louvre, Lennoxlove House and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. A few select pieces of architecture from the palace also remain. The Old State Dining Room, for example, is now on display in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts. The grand fireplace wall from the Drawing Room now lives at National Museums of Scotland, as the centrepiece of the Art of Living gallery, but it undertook a long and varied journey to get there! First sold to publishing magnate William Randoph Hearst in the 1920s, it has travelled the globe for a century: to the auction rooms of London, to Hearst Castle in California, to a stint in the Metropolitan Museum inNew York, before finally journeying home to Scotland.

It is also worth noting that the Hamilton Mausoleum, the resting place of the Clan’s Chiefs, is located on the grounds where Hamilton Palace once stood. It is open to the public, so while you sadly can’t see the palace itself in all its glory, you can visit the mausoleum to connect with ancient Clan territory and pay respect to your noble ancestors.

Luckily, there is another Hamilton Seat that is still standing and is open to visitors today! Brodick Castle has been called the quintessential country estate, and it is the only island country park in Britain. The historic house is set against the striking backdrop of Goatfell, and there are numerous winding trails which lead through the castle grounds and up to the summit of the mountain.

There has been a castle on the site since at least the 5th century, but in 1503 the Hamilton family, Earls of Arran, took possession of it. They immediately began to transform the medieval fortress and introduced a number of defensive features to protect themselves in the turbulent political landscape. The castle changed hands with baffling frequency, in 1639, 1646, and 1651, between the Hamiltons and the Campbells in a long, drawn-out struggle for power.

However, by the 1800s, the castle was firmly in Hamilton hands, and in 1844 William 11th Duke of Hamilton launched a massive programme of construction work, commissioning the architect James Gillespie Graham to almost triple the size of the building. The work was a grand success, resulting in the imposing castle that we see today. However, William had no male heirs, so after his death, the castle finally left the Hamilton family for good. It was passed onto the Montrose family through marriage, until 1957 when it was given to the National Trust for Scotland.

If you are interested in the Hamilton Clan, or Scottish castles, it is well worth a visit! There is plenty to learn about the fortress’ long military history, fine furniture, and artwork to enjoy in the castle’s interior, and beautiful gardens and woodland trails to explore outside.

If you are particularly faint hearted, beware of any potential spooky encounters! Like any good ancient clan seat, Brodick Castle comes with a ghost story or two. A Grey Lady said to be the spectre of a woman who died from the Black Death and was thrown into the castle pit dungeon has been seen mournfully stalking the grounds. It is also said that the ghost of a white deer can be seen grazing beside the castle whenever the chief of the Hamilton family is about to die.

Let us know if you pick up on any ghostly presences if you decide to visit! You can read more about Brodick Castle here.

Our final site is slightly more mysterious. Cadzow Castle was built by the Hamilton family above their stronghold in the valley. There aren’t many historical references to the site but architectural features such as its dumb-bell and wide-mouthed gun loops have led historians to estimate that it was built sometime between 1475 and 1550. This would mean that construction was most likely instructed by Sir James Hamilton of Finnart. Due to its location, close to the clan’s main seat, and its military features, Cadzow was almost certainly intended as a place of last resort; somewhere for the family to hide out if they encountered insurmountable threat at their main residence.

It is thought that contemporary Dukes of Hamilton probably tried to ‘romanticise’ the castle in the 1700s and 1800s, as the walls on its north side were artificially raised, and clay was used to waterproof the structures.

Sadly, nowadays, it stands in a ruined state. However, it is maintained by Historic Environment Scotland, and the exterior can be viewed by visitors.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about just a few iconic Hamilton sites! Don’t forget to visit the clan pages on our website at ScotlandShop.com to discover more about the Hamiltons and please do let us know if you decide to visit any of the places we’ve explored today!