Historical and genealogical memoirs of the House of Hamilton

52
HISTORICAL AND GENEALOGICAL MEMOIRS
JAMES, LORD HAMILTON.
JAMES, LORD
HAMILTON.
Reg. Mag. Sig. Rot.
53, 50.
July 3, 1-W5.
Hailes's Annals,
rol. iii. fol. 378.
Pinkerton's History,
i. 395.
Acts of Parliament,
published by the com-
mand of his Majesty,
vol. ii. p. 59.
He had a charter, dated 18th April 1426, " to James de Hamilton, son
and heir-apparent of James de Hamilton, Dominus de Hamilton, of the
lands of Dalserf, in the barony of Machane, which had escheated to the
crown, on account of the said James de Hamilton de Cadyow having con-
veyed these lands to his brother David de Hamilton, by a charter under
his seal, and made him be personally infeft in the same, without the con-
sent of the King, or the Governor, in absence of the King at the time."
He was created a Lord of Parliament by royal charter, granting " to
James, Lord of HamUton, the lands and baronies of Cadyow and Machane,
the superiority of the lands of Hamilton Farm and the lands of Crossbas-
ket, in the sheriffdom of Lanark j the barony of Kinniel, in the sheriffdom
of Linlithgow, resigned by him into our hands ; all which we create into
one free lordship, to be denominated in future the Lordship of Hamilton.
And the manor-house of the said James, now called the Orchard, situated
in the barony of Cadyow, shall in future be the principal messuage of the
Lordship, and shall be styled Hamilton. And we create and nominate
the said James a hereditary Lord of our Parliament, the said James and
his heirs performing to us, our heirs and successors, Kings of Scotland,
the services due and wont."* This charter was not only granted by the
King, but had also the solemn consent and approbation of Parliament.
He was one of the commissioners, with the Bishop of Dnnkeld, the
Abbot of Melrose, and Sir Alexander Livingston, Justiciar of Scotland,
appointed, in 1449, to meet on the Borders and renew the truce with
England.
It being the prevailing fashion, about this period, amongst the great
landed proprietors, for forming collegiate establishments, Lord Hamilton
applied to Pope Sextus V. for authority to erect the parish church of Ha-
milton, (formerly called Cadyow,) into a collegiate church, and to add to
* This charter, in the original, is inserted at full length in the Appendix.