James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil (1730-98), succeeded his father, the 1st Earl, in 1758. Being a member of the Irish peerage he was eligible for a seat in the House of Commons, and he served as MP for Helston in 1768-74. He was also the High Sherriff of Louth in 1757, and Chief Remembrancer of the Court of Exchequer in 1757-98. In 1774 he married Grace, the eldest daughter of Thomas Foley, afterwards 2nd Baron Foley, another of Adam's patrons who commissioned a single, unexecuted, ceiling for his house, in Portland Place in 1762.

During his time in London, Clanbrassil made use of a town house at 9 Stanhope Street. For this house he commissioned Robert Adam to make a design to redecorate the drawing room ceiling in 1769. This was not executed, possibly owing to the considerable debts Clanbrassil had inherited from his father. Little is known of this house as it has since been demolished.

Literature:
A.T. Bolton, The architecture of Robert and James Adam, 1922, Volume II, Index pp. 51, 66; B. Weinreb, and C. Hibbert, The London encyclopaedia, 1983, p. 834; The History of Parliament online: 'Hamilton, James, 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil (1730-98), of Dundalk, co. Louth'

Frances Sands, 2013