Editing Duke of Abercorn (section)

==History==
In acknowledgement of his loyalty, [[James VI of Scotland]] (James I of England), conferred on the Hon. Claud Hamilton, third son of [[James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Arran]], the title '''Lord Paisley'''. His son James Hamilton was created '''Lord Abercorn''' on 5 April 1603, then on 10 July 1606 he was made '''Earl of Abercorn''' and '''Lord of Paisley, Hamilton, Mountcastell and Kilpatrick'''.

His successor, the 2nd Earl of Abercorn, was additionally created [[Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane]], in the [[Peerage of Ireland]], on 8 May 1617. He resigned this dignity to his younger brother in 1633; the brother's heirs inherited the Earldom and other titles in 1680, in the person of [[Claud Hamilton, 4th Earl of Abercorn]]. He was attainted in [[Ireland]] in 1691, and the Barony of [[Strabane]] forfeited, but his brother [[Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Abercorn]], obtained a reversal of the attainder and recovered in 1692.<ref name="burke"/>

The 6th earl was at his accession an Irish [[baronet]], "of Dunalong in the County of Tyrone, and of Nenagh in the County of Tipperary" (1660). He was additionally created '''Baron Mountcastle''' and '''Viscount Strabane''', in the Peerage of Ireland, on 2 September 1701. The 7th earl became the first of the Earls of Abercorn to be invested a [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Counsellor]], having been appointed to both the English and Irish Privy Councils. The 8th earl was created '''Viscount Hamilton''', of Hamilton, in the [[Peerage of Great Britain]] on 24 August 1786. He was succeeded by his nephew, who was created '''Marquess of Abercorn''' in the Peerage of Great Britain on 15 October 1790, after having sat in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] as [[Member of parliament|MP]] for [[East Looe (UK Parliament constituency)|East Looe]] and for [[St Germans (UK Parliament constituency)|St Germans]]. He was made a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Order of the Garter]] in 1805.<ref name="burke"/>

The 2nd Marquess, who had been given the Garter in 1844, served as [[Lord Lieutenant of Ireland]] from 1866 to 1868 (and again from 1874 to 1876); and on 10 August 1868, during his first term, he was created '''Marquess of Hamilton''', of Strabane, and '''Duke of Abercorn''' (in the Peerage of Ireland). His successor, the 2nd Duke, continued the family tradition by being awarded the Garter in 1892; the 3rd Duke served as MP for [[Londonderry (UK Parliament constituency)|Londonderry]] and as [[Governor of Northern Ireland]], along with being created a [[Order of St Patrick|Knight of St Patrick]] and given the Garter. Currently, the holder of the Dukedom is [[James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn]], also a Knight of the Garter.

Of the subsidiary titles above, '''Marquess of Hamilton''' is the courtesy title of the [[heir apparent]], and '''Viscount Strabane''' that of his heir-apparent.<ref name="burke"/>

The Dukes of Abercorn also claim the French title of ''[[Duc de Châtellerault]]'', as heirs-male of the 2nd [[Earl of Arran (Scotland)|Earl of Arran]], who was granted the title in 1548 by [[Henry II of France]]. Additionally, since the death of [[William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton]], in 1651, the Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Abercorn have been the rightful claimants to the peerage dignities of Earl of Arran (of the 1503 creation) and [[James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton|Lord Hamilton]] (of the 1445 creation), both in the [[Peerage of Scotland]], as the most senior heirs-male of [[James Hamilton, Duke of Châtellerault]], and this title is reflected in their coat of arms, with an inescutcheon of three fleurs-de-lys and a French ducal crown.<ref name="burke"/><ref>{{cite book|last1=McAndrew|first1=Bruce A.|title=Scotland's Historic Heraldry|date=2006|publisher=Boydell Press|isbn=9781843832614|page=510|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hm5mAAAAMAAJ|access-date=22 September 2017|language=en}}</ref>

[[Diana, Princess of Wales]], was a great-granddaughter of the 3rd Duke of Abercorn.

The family seat is [[Baronscourt]] (usually known locally as Baronscourt Castle), a [[Neoclassical architecture|neo-Classical]] country house on the Barons Court Estate near [[Newtownstewart]], Omagh, a village near [[Strabane]], [[County Tyrone]], Northern Ireland. The traditional burial place of the Dukes of Abercorn and their families is the cemetery at Baronscourt Parish Church.<ref name="burke"/><ref>[http://fredrickhervey4thearlofbristol.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/baronscourt-parish-church.html Baronscourt Parish Church]</ref>