Samuel Ferguson on Thomas Hamilton.
James Dodson
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REV. THOMAS HAMILTON.
WE can gather but few details of the life or work of Rev. Thomas Hamilton, and yet in his time he was the centre of many a storm in the famous Glendermott, in the neighbourhood of Derry City. He is believed to have been a native of Bovevagh district, in County Londonderry, and was brought up in connection with the Presbyterian Church, of which he became a licentiate under care of the Derry Presbytery in the year 1764.¹ Two years later we find him supplying the old congregation of First Glendermott, about the time of the death of the Rev. William Hair, minister of the place; and when the vacancy occurred a section of the congregation memorialised the Presbytery of Derry to have moderation in a call for him. But at the same time a more influential portion of the congregation sent a deputation to Presbytery asking a moderation in favour of Rev. James Knox, of Letterkenny. First Glendermott seems to have been completely split over the two candidates. Mr. Hamilton’s friends took the law into their own hands, seized the meeting-house, and retained it for some time against the orders of the Presbytery. They were unable to hold it,
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¹ Minutes of Derry Presbytery of that date.
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however, and the Presbytery made repeated attempts to heal the breach. Mr. Hamilton’s party then sought to be erected into a separate charge, in order to give a call to their favourite. This was refused; and Mr. Hamilton proving disobedient to the directions of the Court, sterner measures were resorted to by the Presbytery in the form of censure. He appeared before the Court and boldly defended his action in the case. Ultimately, finding that he would not accept any of their directions, the Presbytery deprived him of his license to preach, and the various congregations were warned to have nothing to do with him. Mr. Knox, his rival, was called and ordained in the year 1770, and in the same year Mr. Hamilton applied to the Reformed Presbytery, was received by them, and was called and ordained as minister over a Covenanting congregation in Glendermott. Where his ordination was held, or where the house of worship was situated in which he ministered, we cannot find.¹ From communion tokens—of which two or three were in use until lately in Faughan Congregation—bearing date 1770, we know there was a separate Covenanting congregation worshipping somewhere in the valley of the Faughan in 1770. It is reasonable to suppose that a con-
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¹ The late Rev. Professor Chancellor, D.D., was of opinion that the meeting-house was situated in the townland of Killenan.
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siderable proportion of Mr. Hamilton’s charge was originally connected with First Glendermott, and followed him into the Covenanting church. He ministered to this new congregation during two or three years, and then left the neighbourhood, having accepted an appointment to preach where he was required over the whole Church. It is certain he was one of the officiating ministers at Mr. Stavely’s ordination at Conlig in 1772. Mr. Hamilton itinerated over a great part of Ulster, preaching, baptizing, and solemnizing marriages as he was required. His pulpit services do not seem to have been much prized. We have heard that on one occasion a complaint was made to his Presbytery that he had preached the same sermon on three successive Sabbaths, though in different places. His accuser had the fortune or misfortune to be present on the three occasions. Mr. Hamilton started up and inquired what the divisions of the sermon were; but the complainant could not give a satisfactory answer, whereupon Mr. Hamilton coolly remarked that it was evident he would need to hear the discourse a fourth time.
On one of his journeys through County Monaghan he took suddenly ill on the road near Ballybay, and was carried to the house of an acquaintance in the neighbourhood, where he died after a short illness in 1779. So far as we can ascertain, his remains were interred in the corner of the graveyard
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attached to Derryvalley Presbyterian Church. He is said to have left a wife and one child to mourn his loss. During the years of his ministry he must have had his share of disappointment, anxiety, and toil. We doubt not “his record is on high.”