Monday 23rd August 1819
Monday August 23d after breakfast we surveyed the interior of Hamilton Palace which is large & ancient the rooms are covered with a superb collection of old Pictures; two miles beyond Hamilton stand the magnificent remains of Bothwell Castle built on a rock at the bottom of which runs the River Clyde overshadowed with beautiful trees on the opposite side are the ruins of the Priory which communicated to the castle by a subterranean passage under the river nothing can exceed the beauty of the scene the aforesaid mansion stands on a beautiful lawn near the magnificent ruins the pleasure grounds which are very extensive & laid out in a most beautiful
manner combine to render the place quite enchanting. At 12 o’clock we left it & returned to Glasgow where we busily employed for starting for the Highlands tomorrow.
OBSERVATIONS & COMMENTS:
Hamilton Palace Interior: The contents that Lucy would have seen today was dissipated in a sale of 1882. The demise of Hamilton Palace was the result of various factors: large and ostentatious houses had fallen from fashion; the cost of upkeep was prohibitive; and nearby coal mines resulted in dangerous subsidence as the coal beneath was removed. The decline began in 1882 when William, the twelfth Duke, sold off art to raise funds.
Illustration from Illustrated History of Furniture, From the Earliest to the Present Time from 1893 by Litchfield, Frederick, (1850-1930). Source files: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12254
The Illustration, above, is from Illustrated History of Furniture, From the Earliest to the Present Time from 1893 by Fredrick Litchfield, (1850-1930). This Louis XIV armoire, sold in 1882, is now in the Louvre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Palace#/media/File:Boule_Armoire_(Hamilton_Palace).jpg
After the thirteenth Duke lent his home for use as a naval hospital during World War I, the state of the palace was one of severe neglect necessitating vast sums for restoration. It was returned from military use in 1919, but by this time the Duke preferred the smaller and more homely Dungavel. At this time the magazine Country Life featured a number of articles on the palace and a quantity of photographs were taken to accompany the series. As such they represent an invaluable record of the house before the massive sale of contents and fittings, and its demolition in 1921.
The Virtual Hamilton Palace Trust was formed to recreate the Palace in a virtual world and bring back together the unique collections of paintings, furniture and objets d'art which have since been dispersed to become the treasures of museums around the world and to set these in their historical and cultural contexts through a series of research projects and the publication of related archive materials. http://hamilton.rcahms.gov.uk/treasures.html
From this database we can have some idea of some of the pictures Lucy would have admired today.
Napoleon’s portrait by Jacques-Louis David was a private commission from Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, an admirer of Napoleon, in 1811 and completed in 1812. It was on show at Hamilton Palace. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries
The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries by Jacques-Louis David . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries
Likewise, the portrait by Joshua Reynolds of Alexander Hamilton at age 15, would also have been on show. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:10thDukeOfHamilton.jpg
Alexander Hamilton at age 15, in a painting by Joshua Reynolds. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:10thDukeOfHamilton.jpg
Rubens’s Daniel in the Lions' Den, which is now in The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., would have been one of the most impressive pictures in the collection that Lucy would have seen.
Daniel in the Lions' Den by Peter_Paul_Rubens. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_in_the_Lions'_Den_(painting)#/media/File:Daniel_in_the_Lion's_Den_c1615_Peter_Paul_Rubens.jpg
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Blantyre Priory was established in the 13th century for the Augustinian canons. There's little to see of the Priory but you can still make out walls and stairs and individual rooms. Several images are available online at https://scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/record/hes/44890/blantyre-priory/rcahms See also https://www.trover.com/d/1fhA0-blantyre-priory-blantyre-scotland and http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200165/local_and_family_history/600/blantyre_and_david_livingstone
Can you help us?
Old Regency Prints, Pictures an Coaching maps: Do you have access to any prints or pictures showing what town and country would have looked like when Lucy travelled through? Any illustrations of what she would have seen in 1819 will enliven our research.
New Pictures: Do you have any modern pictures of the streets, buildings, gardens and views that would enable us to see the changes that two centuries have wrought?