James Hamilton of Finnart
At the end of March 1518 he returned to France with replies concerning the murder of Antoine d'Arces, sieur de la Bastie and his father's actions against the culprits.
[6] In 1520 Hamilton played a part in provoking the "Clear the Causeway" fight with the Earl of Angus in Edinburgh's High Street.
[7] George Buchanan wrote that in revenge for the murder of Lennox a groom from the earl's stable stabbed Hamilton at the Pend of Holyroodhouse.
When his father died in 1529, he became guardian of his half-brother the nine or ten-year-old James, 2nd Earl of Arran, and was for a time the most influential of the Hamilton dynasty, and one of the most powerful men in Scotland.
In November 1528 he was described by an English diplomat Thomas Magnus with disapproval as one of the young king's counsellors, as "Sir James Hamylton, whoe did sley the Erle of Lenneux."
[12] In 1536, Hamilton supplied James V with equipment for hunting horses, hounds and hawks, and the King ordered Patrick, Lord Gray, who was indebted to the crown, to pay him 850 Scottish merks.
In 1537, the treasurer allowed Finnart the composition fee for the Wardship of the heir of Patrick Butter of Gormo against £133-6s-8d he had spent at Linlithgow and Blackness Castle.
[23] The silverwork from the chapel was taken to Edinburgh and engraved by John Mosman with the arms of the king's infant eldest son, James, Duke of Rothesay.
[24] James V redeemed two silver flagons from Mungo Tennant, a merchant who had lent Finnart money which he used to pay for hauling timber to the building work at Stirling Castle.
[29] Finnart was supposed to have prevented James V meeting Henry VIII of England and possibly marrying Princess Mary and then hindering the King's French marriage plans by leading his ships off-course in August 1536.
[30] At the time, the English ambassador William Howard heard that Finnart was working to arrange the King's marriage to his mistress, Margaret Erskine.
[31] An anti-Hamilton narrative account written in 1570 shortly after James Hamilton of Bothwellhaugh had assassinated Regent Moray, gives an insight into Finnart's execution and his possible motivations.
[33] The reasons for Finnart's execution remain unclear and some recent writers, such as Jamie Cameron doubt that his role and significance was as pivotal as the author of the 'Exhortation' suggests.
"[35] Finnart married Margaret Livingston of Easter Wemyss some time before 1529,[1] and had issue: A Somerville family history states that James V attended the wedding of Agnes at Craignethan, perhaps on 8 April 1536, but the modern historian Jamie Cameron doubted this tradition.
