Account of the families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill

OF HAMILTON OF BROOMHILL. 17
loch, in favours of the above Gavin, now Commendator, as air male to
the said Archibald his brother, dated the 3d March 1559. I haue al-
ready told that Archibald's eldest daughter, Margaret, married James
Somervell, younger of Cambusnethan, with ishue; so his other daughter,
Jean, married Robert Baillie of Cultness, after of Park, also with ishue.
The oldest paper I haue yet seen of Raploch's is 3d of September 1492,
a mutual agreement betwixt William Hamilton of Raploch, and William
Hamilton, son to James Hamilton of Priorhill, whereby the said lands
are disponed to Raploch ; but I haue yet a new account of that familie.
Gavin, the above Commendator, was a man of very good parts, a no-
table courtier, of a fyne address, and reallie well known in politicks, as
may be seen by the several histories of those tymes. Archbishop Spots-
wood hath him made Abbot of Kilwinning, anno 1539, and Dr Jamieson,*
in his MS., hath him, anno 1551, not only Abbot of Kilwinning, but
made, when about thirty years of age, Administrator to the learned Pre-
late, John Hamilton, Archbishop of Saint Andrews, natural son to James,
the First Earle of Arran, in temporalibus et spiritualibus of the Diocese
of Saint Andrews, with a pension ; because coadjutor cumfutura succes-
sione, anno 1558. He is one of the number appoynted to meet for the
Queen Regent with the Lords of the Congregation in defence of the
Romish religion. In parliament 1560 he is elected one of the Lords of
the Articles, as being not very popishly affected. Anno 1563, he is a
special commissioner, appoynted by the General Assembly to revise the
Book of Disciftline, and although he, with the Earles of Murray, Glen-
cairne, Rothes, and others, fled befor Queen Mary and King Henry's
armie to England, anno 1565 ; yet as a good subject and trustie servant,
he is, anno 1568, chosen by Queen Mary one of her commissioners to
treat with those of Queen Elizabeth's, anent her detention in England.
In the parliament held by Mathers, Earl of Lennox, 14th May 1570, he
and his aboue son Gavin were foi'faulted ; but by the parliament held at
Lithgow, 10th December, anno 1585, by King James the Sixt in person,
they are again restored. The cause of the Commendator's forfaultry
• Presumed to be " Mr John Jameson, son to John Jameson, a merchant in Aberdeen. He was Doc-
tor in Theology. He wrote several Collections anent the Scoitish History. He dyed very young, and
much lamented." Catalogue of Scottish Writers, Edinburgh, 1833, 8vo.
C