Lord Belhaven and Stenton

Lordship of Belhaven & Stenton
Creation date	15 December 1647
Monarch	King Charles I
Peerage	Peerage of Scotland
First holder	John Hamilton
Present holder	Robert Hamilton, 13th Lord
Heir apparent	Frederick Carmichael Arthur Hamilton, Master of Belhaven
Remainder to	the 1st Baron's heirs male of the body lawfully begotten, failing which to his heirs male whatsoever; from 10 Feb 1675 also with remainder to John Hamilton of Presmennan and the heirs male of his body, whom failing to the nearest heirs male of John Hamilton of Presmennan whatsoever

Lord Belhaven and Stenton, of the County of Haddington, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1647 for Sir John Hamilton, 2nd Baronet, with remainder to his heirs male.

This branch of the prominent Hamilton family descends from John Hamilton (d. c. 1550), the illegitimate son of James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton, by Janet Calderwood, and half-brother of James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran (from whom the Dukes of Hamilton descend; for earlier history of the Hamilton family see this title). In 1512 John's birth was legitimized. His grandson, James Hamilton, notably served as Sheriff of Perthshire. In 1634 he was created a baronet, of Broomhill, in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. He was succeeded by his son, the aforementioned second Baronet, who was elevated to the peerage in 1647. The following year he was a member of the Scottish army in England that attempted to rescue King Charles I, and fought at the Battle of Preston.

As Lord Belhaven and Stenton had no male heirs, he surrendered the lordship to the Crown in 1675 and received a new patent with remainder to his kinsman John Hamilton of Pressmannan, the husband of his granddaughter Margaret, and in failure of that line to his heirs whatsoever. On his death in 1679 the baronetcy became extinct while he was succeeded in the lordship according to the new patent by John Hamilton of Pressmannan, the second Lord. He was the great-great-great-grandson of John Hamilton, brother of Claud Hamilton, grandfather of the first Lord. On his death the title passed to his son, the third Lord. He sat in the House of Lords as a Scottish Representative Peer from 1715 to 1721. The latter year he was appointed Governor of Barbados but drowned on the journey out. By Anne, daughter of Andrew Bruce, Merchant of Edinburgh he had four sons (1st. John, 2nd. Andrew, 3rd. James, 4th, Robert and a daughter Margaret). His eldest son John Hamilton succeeded to his father's title, becoming 4th Baron Belhaven and Stenton, and died unmarried on 28 August 1764. His next brother Andrew having died unmarried in 1736, the title was inherited by the 3rd son James Hamilton, who became 5th Baron of Belhaven and Stenton. On James's death in 1777, the line of the second Lord failed since Robert Hamilton, the youngest of the 3rd Baron's sons, had died in 1743.

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