Thomas Hamilton

Thomas Hamilton (1789 - December 7, 1842), Scottish writer, was the younger brother of the philosopher, Sir William Hamilton, Bart.

He was educated at Glasgow University, where he made a close friend of Michael Scott, the author of Tom Cringle's Log. He entered the army in 1810, and served throughout the Peninsular and American campaigns, but continued to cultivate his literary tastes. On the conclusion of peace he withdrew, with the rank of captain, from active service.

He contributed both prose and verse to Blackwood's Magazine, in which appeared his vigorous and popular military novel, Cyril Thornton (1827). His Annals of the Peninsular Campaign, published originally in 1829, and republished in 1849 with additions by Frederick Hardman, is written with great clearness and impartiality. His only, other work, Men and Manners in America, published originally in 1833, is somewhat coloured by British prejudice, and by the author's aristocratic dislike of a democracy. Hamilton died at Pisa on the 7th of December 1842.

This entry was originally from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

Thomas Hamilton, spree killer

Thomas Hamilton (1952-1996), Scottish spree killer at Dunblane, Scotland was 43 years old when he committed the Dunblane massacre, the spree killing of 16 small children and a teacher in a primary school, and subsequently committing suicide. He had been a Scout leader in 1973 when 20, but was asked to leave because of complaints about his behaviour at camp. He tried many times to get back into the organisation.

People who knew him alleged he was obsessed with small boys (not the age group in which he did the killings, but older) and embittered by rejection. Throughout the years he ran a variety of boys' clubs. His behaviour had come to the attention of the police and at one point he had been refused the use for one of his clubs of the premises of the Dunblane primary school where he carried out his killings.

Hamilton possessed the firearms legally.