William Hamilton (Irish minister)

Rev William Hamilton FRSE MRIA FSAS (1755-1797) was an Irish minister, geologist, meteorologist and antiquarian, killed by a mob due to his pro-British views. His book Letters Concerning the North Coast of Antrim was pivotal in the vulcanist understanding of the history of the planet and was translated into several languages.

He founded the group, the Palaeolosophers, which together with the Neosophers, later merged to create the Royal Irish Academy.

He was born on 16 December 1755 in Derry in Ireland, the son of John Hamilton, a merchant. He studied at the University of Dublin graduating BA in 1776. In 1779 he was granted an MA and also made a Fellow of the University.

In 1788 (apparently during a visit to Scotland) he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His proposers were John Walker, Adam Smith and James Hutton.

In 1790 he was appointed Rector of Clondavaddog (sometimes called Faust) near Lough Swilly in County Donegal. In this role he acted as both clergyman and local magistrate, and in the latter represented the views of the English authorities, and caused increasing friction with his parishioners. This came to a head in 1797. In February his parsonage was attacked and he sought (and received) an armed military guard from the county. On 2 March he took a boat trip on Lough Slough and bad weather caused him to divert to the small hamlet of Sharon. Here he took shelter in the house of Dr Waller, a friend. However the locals learned of this and took advantage, Dr Waller’s house not being guarded as the minister’s. The mob outside threatened to burn the house down. When Dr Waller’s wife was shot and killed whilst looking down on the crowd from an upper window, the servants could stand it no more. They forcibly ejected Rev Hamilton out of the house, where he was instantly murdered by the angry mob. The servants hid behind the locked door and on opening it in the early hours of 3 March found the corpse of the unfortunate minister still lying there.

The action was an important precursor to the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and typified the anti-establishment feeling within the Irish community. Whilst Hamilton was wholly Irish, his pro-British stance was no longer being tolerated.

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