HAMILTON, James 2nd Lord Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran ^{1 2}

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James married Elizabeth HOME, daughter of Alexander HOME 2nd Lord Home and Nichola KER, by 28 April 1490(charter) in Divorced 1504.¹ The marriage ended in divorce. (Elizabeth HOME was born about 1485 and died in 1544 ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

"The first Earl of Arran was only twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Home, daughter of Alexander, second Lord Home ; she is distinctly called his spouse in a Crown charter of date 28 April 1490, to James, Lord Hamilton, and Elizabeth Home of the lands of Kinneil, to be held in conjunct fee, and to the heirs lawfully born betwixt them. It is usually said that the Earl's first wife was Beatrix Drummond, daughter of John, first Lord Drummond. His relations with her will be noticed later, but there are two independent and contemporary testimonies to the fact that Elizabeth Home was the Earl's first wife." (page 358)

"Sometime before November 1504 the Earl of Arran raised an action against his wife, stating that though they were married and had lived as man and wife, he was not bound to adhere to her or show her a husband's affection, because a marriage had formerly been solemnised between her and the above-named Thomas Hay. The latter was dead before the divorce was pronounced, but it was proved by the depositions of witnesses that he had appeared before a notary to object, and had asserted that Elizabeth Home was his lawful wife, and therefore could not rightly be joined in marriage to Hamilton. The date when this assertion was made is not given, but there is evidence that Thomas Hay, whether he had been abroad or not, was in Scotland on 20 June 1491, a year after his alleged wife's marriage to Hamilton. If he took proceedings then, it is strange that the divorce was not pronounced until 1504. Further, the sentence of divorce, though pronounced in that year, was repeated in similar terms on 11 March 1509-10, which corroborates a statement made by Sir George Douglas in 1542 that the Governor's father lived with his first wife twenty years, a period represented by the years between 1490 and 1510. It is thus evident that the divorce of 1504 was considered doubtful by contemporaries, and that the parties separated finally only after the renewal of the sentence." (pages 359 and 360)

from Scots Peerage (vol 4) ¹

James next married Mary BOYD. (Mary BOYD was born about 1476.)

James had a relationship with Beatrix DRUMMOND, daughter of John DRUMMOND Lord Drummond and Elizabeth LINDSAY.¹ (Beatrix DRUMMOND was born about 1480.)

  Marriage Notes:

"Margaret, married, before 22 August 1515, to Andrew Stewart, Lord Avondale, is usually claimed as a daughter of the first Earl of Arran by his alleged first wife, Beatrix Drummond, daughter of John, first Lord Drummond. If so, she was certainly illegitimate, as appears from a Crown charter on 11 May 1496, while Elizabeth Home was still Lord Hamilton's wife, granting the baronies of Hamilton, and specially Machanshire, Curmannock, and Drumsargard, to Beatrix Drummond and the male children born between her and Lord Hamilton, a distinction being made between them and his lawful issue. Her father was a witness to the charter. On 3 July 1498, as Lady of Machanshire, Beatrix raised an action against Lord Hamilton for wrongfully uplifting the rents of her liferent lands, but by consent of parties the matter was delayed for decision by the King, on his return from the Isles, and no more is heard of the case."

from Scots Peerage (vol 4) ¹

James had a relationship with.¹

James next married Janet BETON (BETHUNE), daughter of Sir David BETON (BETHUNE) of Creich, Lord High Treasurer and Daughter DUDDINGSTON, by 23 November 1516.¹ (Janet BETON (BETHUNE) was born about 1488 and died about 1522 ¹.)

  Marriage Notes:

"The Earl married, secondly, Janet Beaton, said to be a daughter of Sir David Beaton of Creich, widow of Sir Robert Livingstone of Easter Wemyss and Drumry, who was killed at Flodden. Their banns of marriage were published on 2, 9, and 11 November 1516, and they were married between that date and 23 November, when they had a joint charter of the lands of Kinneil. Janet Beaton died about 1522, and by her the Earl had issue two sons and a daughter"

from Scots Peerage (vol 4) ¹