Throughout history, the eccentricities of the aristocracy have been a source of intrigue and bemusement.
There are plenty of stories of this ilk in Scotland, but few capture
the imagination quite like that of Alexander, 10th Duke of Hamilton.
The chronicles of his life would make an enthralling telly biopic, traversing the world of art and antiquities in Italy, through
corridors of political power in the UK and Russia, before ending with
two broken legs and an Egyptian sarcophagus buried at a leafy
Lanarkshire cemetery.
First, let’s rewind to the beginning of the tale. Hamilton — the eldest
son of Archibald Hamilton, 9th Duke of Hamilton, and Lady Harriet
Stewart, a daughter of the
6th Earl of Galloway — was born at the family’s London residence in 1767.
After completing his formal education at Harrow School and
Christ Church, Oxford, he set off on a Grand Tour through Europe, a
traditional rite of passage for young men of wealth and status in this
era.
It was there that Hamilton’s magpie-like eye for glittering treasures was first honed, seeing him start to amass a sizeable
collection of paintings, decorative objects, exquisite furniture, rare books and manuscripts.
He was particularly fond of items relating to Roman and Russian emperors, as well as important French historical figures, such as
Marie Antoinette and Napoleon, the latter his great hero.
Hamilton embarked upon his first political role as the Whig MP for
Lancaster in 1802. He also became Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, a
title retained until his death in 1852.
After four years in the House of Commons, Hamilton was appointed to the Privy Council and became the British Ambassador
to Russia, based in St Petersburg, in 1806. Throughout his life, he
visited Europe extensively, with Italy an enduring favourite. These
influences lent a strong flavour to the design of Hamilton Mausoleum, commissioned by the 10th Duke as
a tomb and monument to himself around a decade prior to his death.
The original bronze doors, now displayed inside the chapel, were
modelled on Lorenzo Ghiberti’s “Gates of Paradise” at the Florence
Baptistery and depict scenes from the Old Testament.
Today, the 120ft-high domed structure of Hamilton Mausoleum is a
familiar sight for Lanarkshire residents, as well as thousands of
motorists passing by on the M74 each day. Some might say it is a burial
site fit for a king and that wouldn’t be far wrong: Hamilton is
reputed to have believed that, as the descendant of James Hamilton, 2nd
Earl of Arran, he was the true heir to the throne of Scotland.
Another passion project and folie de grandeur was the gargantuan-scale remodelling of his family seat at the now-demolished
Hamilton Palace, turning it into “the largest non-royal residence in Britain” with such extravagance that it earned him
the nickname “El Magnifico”.
Construction on the mausoleum, meanwhile, began in 1842. Hamilton died
six years before it was finished, but he had a plan for that.
Long fascinated by ancient Egyptian artefacts, he arranged for the academic Thomas Pettigrew, an expert on the mummification
process, to embalm him.
Hamilton was a trustee for the British Museum and under that guise had obtained a sarcophagus in Paris some years previously.
The sarcophagus had been made for someone much shorter - a woman from Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty ( 305-30 BCE ) - and to
accommodate its new owner, the interior was required to be further hollowed out. Even so, they reportedly had to break both
Hamilton’s legs to make him fit.
With the mausoleum finally completed in 1858, Hamilton was interred in the sarcophagus on a black marble slab in the main
chapel, with 17 of his ancestors placed in the crypt below.
By 1921, subsidence and flooding caused by coal mining in the area - ironically an industry that the Hamilton family had derived
much of their vast fortune from necessitated that the coffins be moved to a new location.
The treelined, lichen-dappled stone walls that border the Bent Cemetery in Hamilton are beguilingly unassuming.
There’s nothing that marks it out as special, although its famous occupants do include the late entertainer Sir Harry Lauder and
footballer Davie Cooper.
It is here that the 10th Duke and his beloved sarcophagus were reburied and remain to this day. Perhaps not the pomp
he had envisaged for his final resting place, but certainly a pretty and picturesque setting.
Interestingly, Hamilton had also acquired the sarcophagus of Pa-ba-sa,
an Egyptian noble in the reign of Psamtik I ( 664~661 BCE ).
This is now part of the collection on display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow.
Map
and Route Description of Walk
around Chatelherault
Country Park
Map of
Cycle Run
around
Chatelherault
Country Park
CHATELHERAULT COUNTRY PARK CYCLE RUN -
DESCRIPTION:-
Location:
South Lanarkshire
Map: OS Landranger 64 or country park map .
Distance: 5 miles ( 8km )
Time: 1 hour
Terrain: hilly, steps; path Chatelherault Country Park, lying just to the
south of Hamilton, is easily accessible and ideal for getting away from
it all. This mountain bike route follows a trail through attractive
woodland in the
Avon gorge. An unavoidable large flight of steps will exercise your arms.
From the car park cycle past the excellent visitor centre and continue
downstream for 300m before turning left at a sign for the Cadzow Oaks.
Cross the Duke’s Bridge over the Avon Water to soon see the ruins of
Cadzow
Castle before reaching the 500-year-old gnarled oaks. An Iron Age
earthen fort can also be seen here.
Continue above the gorge on the Green Bridge Trail. The gorge is home
to a surprisingly healthy selection of wildlife, which includes otters.
The woods also have populations of badger, roe deer, mink and colourful
jays.
Pedal on to descend and cross the Green Bridge, followed by a long
ascent up a flight of steps. Once completed the return crosses flatter
terrain as the path runs above the gorge and by
Riccarton Golf Course.
Follow the signs back to the visitor centre by the imposing
Chatelherault house. Built more than 250 years ago to a William Adam’s
design for the Duke of Hamilton as his hunting lodge, its
unusual name is derived from the French town of Chatellerault, as the
title Duc de Chatellerault was bestowed on the nobleman.
:: Falls of
Clyde Gallery 
::
Clyde River
Walkway 
