Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 24.djvu/172

  Thomas Birch, A.M., F.R.S., new edit., 1813; Collins's Peerage; Burnet's Hist. of his own Time; The Marlborough Despatches; Millner's Journals of Battles and Sieges under Marlborough; Sir A. Alison's Military Life of Marlborough; Coxe's Life of Marlborough; Lediard's Life of Marlborough; Anderson's Scottish Nation; R. Cannon's Records of 1st and 7th Regiments of Foot; Luttrell's Brief Relation; Macaulay's Hist.; Story's Wars in Ireland, 1689–92; War Office Records. This article owes much to notes kindly supplied by Charles Dalton, esq.] 

HAMILTON, GEORGE (1783–1830), biblical scholar and divine, born at Armagh in 1783, while his father was dean, was the fourth son of Hugh Hamilton, D.D. [q. v.], bishop of Ossory, and Isabella, eldest daughter of Hans Widman Wood of Rossmead, co. Westmeath. Having entered Trinity College, Dublin, on 10 June 1799, under the tutorship of the Rev. Bartholomew Lloyd, he graduated B.A. 1804 and M.A. 1821. He married, first, Sophia, daughter of George Kiernan of Dublin, by whom he had issue; and secondly, Frances, daughter of Rear-admiral Sir Chichester Fortescue, Ulster king-of-arms, who survived him. In 1809 he was presented to the rectory of Killermogh in the diocese of Ossory, which benefice he held as long as he lived. He was a conscientious parish priest and an early and zealous promoter of religious societies in connection with the church of Ireland. He died 10 Aug. 1830, and was buried in the churchyard of Killermogh, where there is a brief inscription to his memory.

Besides some separate sermons and papers in religious periodicals, Hamilton published: 1. ‘A General Introduction to the Study of the Hebrew Scriptures, with a Critical History of the Greek and Latin Versions, of the Samaritan Pentateuch, and of the Chaldee Paraphrases,’ Dublin, 1813. 2. ‘A Letter to the Rev. Peter Roe, M.A., November 1813, with Papers on Apostolick Practice and Ecclesiastical Establishments’ (printed in ‘The Evil of Separation from the Church of England considered,’ 2nd edit. London, 1817). 3. ‘Observations upon Mr. O'Callaghan's pamphlet against Bible Societies,’ Kilkenny, 1818. 4. ‘Codex Criticus of the Hebrew Bible, being an attempt to form a Standard Text of the Old Testament,’ London, 1821. 5. ‘Observations on a passage in the Medea of Seneca, and on the Argument against the Evidence of Prophecy drawn from it by Deistical Writers’ (read before the Royal Irish Academy, 22 Jan. 1821, and printed in their ‘Transactions,’ vol. xiv.) 6. ‘Observations on the Rev. Hart Symons's late publication, entitled “A Light to the House of Israel,”’ London, 1821. 7. ‘A Letter to Rabbi Herschell, showing that the Resurrection is as credible a fact as the Exodus, and that the tract called “Toldoth,” giving the Jewish account of the Resurrection, is no more worthy of credit than Tacitus's “History of the Jews”’ (printed in or before 1824). 8. ‘Tracts upon some leading Errors of the Church of Rome,’ London, 1824. 9. ‘The Claims of the Church of Rome to be the appointed Interpreter as well as the Depositary of the Word of God considered, in a correspondence between the Rev. George Hamilton and the Rev. N. Shearman,’ Dublin, 1825. 10. ‘Observations on the Present State of the Roman Catholic English Bible, addressed to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin [Dr. Murray],’ Dublin, 1825. 11. ‘A Second Letter to the Most Rev. Dr. Murray, on the Present State of the English Roman Catholic Bible,’ Dublin, 1826. 12. ‘The Scripture Authority of the Christian Sabbath vindicated against Roman Catholics and Separatists’ (anonymous), Dublin, 1828.

[Todd's Cat. of Dublin Graduates, p. 247; Burke's Landed Gentry, 3rd edit. p. 513; Christian Examiner (September 1830), x. 721; Blacker's Contributions towards a proposed Bibliotheca Hibernica, No. vii., in the Irish Ecclesiastical Gazette (May 1876), xviii. 153; Roe's Thoughts on the Death of the Rev. George Hamilton (reprinted in Madden's Memoir of the Rev. Peter Roe, pp. 451–61); Cæsar Otway's Scenes in the Rotunda, Dublin; McGhee's Life and Death of the Kiernan Family.] 

HAMILTON, GEORGE ALEXANDER (1802–1871), politician, was born at Tyrellas, co. Down, on 29 Aug. 1802. He was elder son of the Rev. George Hamilton of Hampton Hall, co. Dublin, who died in March 1833, by Anna, daughter of Thomas Pepper of Ballygarth Castle, co. Meath. His grandfather, George Hamilton (d. 1793), who was a baron of the exchequer from 1777 to 1793, was a nephew of Hugh Hamilton, bishop of Ossory [q. v.] He was sent to Rugby School in 1814, and matriculated from Trinity College, Oxford, 15 Dec. 1818, took his B.A. degree in 1821, and was created D.C.L. 9 June 1853. Soon after leaving the university he settled on his paternal estate and began to take a part in the public political meetings in Dublin. At the general election in 1826 he became a candidate for the representation of that city, but after a severe and expensive contest lasting fourteen days was defeated by a small majority. In 1830 and 1832 he again unsuccessfully contested the seat for Dublin. At the close of another election for Dublin in January 1835 the numbers were: O'Connell 2,678, Ruthven 2,630, Hamilton 2,461, West 2,455. A petition was, however, presented;