- George Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney
Field Marshal George Douglas-Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney KT (
February 9 ,1666 -January 29 ,1737 ) was a Britishsoldier and Scottish nobleman. He was the firstBritish Army officer to be promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.The son of the Duke and Duchess of Hamilton, he fought for William of Orange in Ireland and the Low Countries. He was raised to the peerage in 1695, and continued to serve with distinction in the
War of the Spanish Succession . After these campaigns he retired from active service, taking on governorships and sitting as a representative peer in theHouse of Lords .Early life
Lord George Douglas-Hamilton was born at
Hamilton Palace , the fifth son ofAnne Hamilton, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton and William Douglas, Earl of Selkirk.Military career
He was first trained by his uncles, Lord Dumbarton,
Lord James Douglas , and Lord Angus, in military service in the1st Regiment of Foot (then known as "His Majesty's Royal Regiment of Foot").Ireland and the Low Countries
In 1689, after entering military service, he became a
lieutenant colonel , and a few months later a brevettedcolonel . He and his regiment served at the battles of the Boyne and Aughrim in the Irish War. He then moved to command of theRoyal Fusiliers and fought at the Battle of Steinkeerke. He moved back to the 1st Foot, participated in various battles of the Irish rebellion, and eventually fought at the battle of Landen and theSiege of Namur , both of which were fought during theWar of the League of Augsburg . At Namur, however, Hamilton received a serious wound, and was eventually promoted to the rank ofbrigadier .In 1695, Hamilton married
Elizabeth Villiers sister toEdward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey , and the following year, he was raised to the Scottish peerage asEarl of Orkney , Viscount Kirkwall and Baron Dechmont.War of the Spanish Succession
He became a
major general and fought in theWar of the Spanish Succession underJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough . A few years later in 1704, Orkney was promoted tolieutenant general . At theBattle of Blenheim , Orkney lead the final assault on the village of Blenheim, receiving the surrender of its French defenders. Later, in June 1705, he marched his column from theMoselle to relieve the besieged city of Liège. At theBattle of Ramillies , he led the pursuit of the defeated French, and he played a major role at theBattle of Oudenarde .In 1708, he captured two major fortifications at
Tournai . At the desperateBattle of Malplaquet , Lord Orkney'sbattalion s led the charge toward the French entrenchments, suffering serious losses. He remained with his army nearFlanders , until the end of the war. During that time, he received a promotion togeneral . After the peace treatise, he received the honorary title of Colonel Commandant of his old unit, the 1st Foot.Later life
For the next few decades, he held civilian and military positions of importance. He was installed as
Governor of Edinburgh Castle , made aLord of the Bedchamber to George I, and wasGovernor of Virginia in 1714, but appears never to have visited the colony. He served as a ScottishRepresentative Peer in six parliaments from 1707 to 1736, and wasLord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire . In 1735 he commissioned the building of a temple at hisBuckinghamshire home,Cliveden House , by the architectGiacomo Leoni . He was promoted to the rank ofField Marshal in 1736. This was the first promotion to the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. Hamilton died a year later in his accommodation onAlbemarle Street ,London .Issue
By Elizabeth Villiers, daughter of Sir Edward Villiers and Lady Frances Howard, Lord Orkney had three daughters, the eldest of which inherited his estate and title: [ [http://www.thepeerage.com/p2004.htm#i20032 Lady Henrietta Douglas] , "thepeerage.com"]
*Lady Anne,"suo jure" Countess of Orkney, marriedWilliam O'Brien, 4th Earl of Inchiquin
*Lady Frances, marriedThomas Lumley-Saunderson, 3rd Earl of Scarbrough
*Lady Henrietta, marriedJohn Boyle, 5th Earl of Cork References
Notes
ources
*Balfour Paul, Sir James "The Scots Peerage IX Vols." Edinburgh, 1907
* [http://regiments.org/biography/fieldmarshals/ukFMlist.htm List of British Field Marshals]
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