John Hamilton (4 February 1715 – 12 February 1796) was a Scottish MP in the British Parliament.
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts created a new unified Kingdom of Great Britain and dissolved the separate English and Scottish parliaments in favour of a single parliament, located in the former home of the English parliament in the Palace of Westminster, near the City of London. This lasted nearly a century, until the Acts of Union 1800 merged the separate British and Irish Parliaments into a single Parliament of the United Kingdom with effect from 1 January 1801.
He was the second son of Sir Robert Dalrymple of Castleton, Haddington and changed his name to Hamilton in 1736 when he inherited the estate of Bargany in south Ayshire, by a decision of the House of Peers, on the death of James Hamilton, 4th Lord Bargany.
He represented Wigtown Burghs 1754-1761 and 1762-1768. He was also MP for Wigtownshire 1761-February 1762. [1]
Wigtownshire, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1801 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1918. It was represented by one Member of Parliament.
Hamilton was a friend of Frederick, Prince of Wales and supported the Grenvilles in politics. He was an energetic man, who enthusiastically promoted negotiated arrangements in 1754 and 1762 which led to the rival Stewart family supporting him as MP for Wigtown Burghs in exchange for Dalrymple support in the Wigtownshire constituency.
Frederick, Prince of Wales, KG, was heir apparent to the British throne from 1727 until his death from a lung injury at the age of 44 in 1751. He was the eldest but estranged son of King George II and Caroline of Ansbach, and the father of King George III.
He died childless in 1796 and the Bargany estate passed to his nephew, Sir Hew Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet of North Berwick, who thereupon also assumed the additional surname of Hamilton.
Sir Hew Dalrymple, 3rd Baronet was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Haddingtonshire 1780-1786.
