William Hamilton (diplomat)

William Hamilton (diplomat)

Sir William Hamilton, KB (13 December 1730 – 6 April 1803) was a Scottish diplomat, antiquarian, archaeologist and vulcanologist.

Hamilton was the fourth son of Lord Archibald Hamilton, governor of Jamaica. He was commissioned into the 3rd Foot Guards in 1747 and was promoted Lieutenant in 1753. He left the Army after his marriage to Catherine Barlow, daughter of MP Hugh Barlow, on 25 January 1758. Catherine died on 25 August 1782. The couple had no children.

[
James Gillray caricatured both Hamilton's antiquarian pursuits and the affair between his wife and Nelson.] Hamilton was Britain's ambassador to the court of Naples from 1764 - 1800. During this time he studied local volcanic activity and earthquakes, and wrote a book on the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. He collected Greek vases and other antiquities, selling part of his collection to the British Museum in 1772. A small part of his second collection went down with HMS "Colossus" while being transported to Britain in 1798. The surviving part of the second collection was catalogued for sale at auction at Christie's when at the eleventh hour Thomas Hope stepped in and purchased the remains of Hamilton's second collection of mostly South Italian vases. His other books include "Antiquités étrusques, grecques et romaines" (1766–67) and "Observations on Mount Vesuvius" (1772).

In 1786, a stunning young lady was sent to Sir William by his nephew, Charles Greville, in exchange for him settling Greville's debts. Like most of the men who wandered into her orbit, Sir William was smitten with Emma Lyon, who performed dances inspired by classical elements for himself and his guests, including Goethe, while wearing no undergarments. However, he made no advances until she was ready to accept him. They married on 6 September 1791 at St Marylebone Church, London. He was 60; she was 26. She later became the lover of Horatio Nelson, a man Sir William admired greatly, and whose liaison he reportedly encouraged.


=Ho

Hamilton's life was fictionalized by Susan Sontag in her novel "".

In the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm there is an island in a lake atop which is a model of Mount Vesuvius. The Duke would stage fireworks that seemed to issue from an erupting volcano to entertain his guests. At the foot of the mountain on the island is a building intended to suggest William Hamilton's home at Pompeii. It is a highly unusual tribute to a great scholar.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • William Hamilton — (and shortened forms) may refer to:Europeans*William Hamilton (Lord Chancellor), (d. 1307) Lord Chancellor of England *William Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Hamilton (1616–1651), Scottish nobleman *Sir William Hamilton, 1st Baronet (1627 – c. 1680)… …   Wikipedia

  • William Hamilton — William Douglas Hamilton …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • William Hamilton (Begriffsklärung) — William Hamilton ist der Name folgender Personen: William Hamilton (1730–1803), schottischer Diplomat und Archäologe William Hamilton, 2. Herzog von Hamilton (1616–1651), schottischer Adliger William Hamilton (Philosoph) (1788–1856), schottischer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sir William Hamilton — William Douglas Hamilton William Douglas Hamilton Sir William Douglas Hamilton (* 13. Dezember 1730 in Henley on T …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hamilton (Familienname) — Hamilton ist ein englischer Familienname. Herkunft und Bedeutung Der Name ist vom Ortsnamen Hamilton abgeleitet, also ein Herkunftsname. Bekannte Namensträger Inhaltsverzeichnis A B C D E F G H I J K L M …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hamilton (Adelsfamilie) — Tartan der Familie Hamilton Die Familie Hamilton ist eine der bedeutendsten schottischen Adelsfamilien mit vermutlich englischen Ursprüngen. Sie kann zurückverfolgt werden bis zu Walter FitzGilbert, genannt Hamilton, der 1296 Ländereien in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hamilton (Adelsgeschlecht) — Tartan der Familie Hamilton Die Familie Hamilton ist eine der bedeutendsten schottischen Adelsfamilien mit vermutlich englischen Ursprüngen. Sie kann zurückverfolgt werden bis zu Walter FitzGilbert, genannt Hamilton, der 1296 Ländereien in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Hamilton (people) — Scots and Irish Nobility= *Duke of Hamilton :Surname Douglas Hamilton . For Dukes of Hamilton and of Brandon, Marquesses of Hamilton and Clydesdale, Earls of Arran, Lanark and Cambridge, Lords Hamilton, Aven, Innerdale, Polmont, Machansyre and… …   Wikipedia

  • Sir Hamilton — can refer to: *Bill Hamilton (engineer), New Zealander who developed the modern jetboat. *Sir Charles Hamilton, 3rd Baronet, British army officer. *Edward Walter Hamilton, political diarist. *Frederick Hamilton, 17th century soldier and planter.… …   Wikipedia

  • William Boyd (writer) — William Boyd, CBE (born 7 March, 1952 in Accra, Ghana) is a contemporary Scottish novelist and screenwriter. BiographyOf Scottish descent, Boyd was born in Accra, Ghana on 7 March 1952 and spent much of his early life there and in Nigeria where… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”