"' Alexander Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton and 13th Duke of Brandon "'( born 31 March 1978 ) is a Scottish nobleman and the Premier Peer of Scotland.
12.
On 23 Jan . 1681 he was created a peer of Scotland by the title of Lord Nairne, to himself for life, and after his decease to his son-in-law, Lord William Murray, who assumed the surname of Nairne.
13.
It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage ( except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son ), and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the Hamilton ", is now " Douglas-Hamilton ".
14.
The House of Lords passed it, but the bill was lost in the peers of Ireland . ( Peers of Scotland and Ireland did not all have seats in the House of Lords, instead electing a number of representative peers . ) The bill was rejected by the House of Lords at its third reading.
15.
The exception was the " Grand Ball " held by the peers of Scotland to entertain the king : Scott's " Hints " called this a " Highland Ball ", reminded readers that the king had ordered a kilt and set the condition that, unless in uniform, " no Gentleman is to be allowed to appear in any thing but the ancient Highland costume ".
16.
The proposition the House voted on was " that the eldest sons of the Peers of Scotland were capable by the Laws of Scotland at the time of the Union, to elect or be elected as Commissioners for the Shire or Boroughs [ sic, see Burghs ] to the Parliament of Scotland; and therefore by the Treaty of Union are capable to elect, or be elected to represent any Shire or Borough [ sic ] in Scotland, to sit in the House of Commons of Great Britain ".
