0:00:05 > 0:00:08In the opening stages of World War II,
0:00:08 > 0:00:13a German Messerschmitt crashed on a desolate moor just outside Glasgow.
0:00:13 > 0:00:20The pilot was none other than Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Incredibly Hess
0:00:21 > 0:00:24had been trying to fly to the home of one of Scotland's
0:00:24 > 0:00:29best known and most powerful families, the Hamiltons.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33But the question of why Hess was so keen to contact the Duke of Hamilton
0:00:33 > 0:00:38has been the subject of countless conspiracy theories ever since,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and remains a mystery, even today.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46But this was just one of many remarkable episodes
0:00:46 > 0:00:49in the fascinating story of the Hamilton family.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58In this series I'm going on a personal journey to reveal
0:00:58 > 0:01:01the extraordinary stories behind the great Clan names of history
0:01:01 > 0:01:07and perhaps one of Scotland's most important families is the Hamiltons,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11who have always had designs on power.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27The town of Hamilton just outside Glasgow
0:01:27 > 0:01:32was named in honour of one of Scotland's greatest families.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Today there is little here to remind us of the huge impact
0:01:36 > 0:01:39that the Hamiltons had on this part of Scotland,
0:01:39 > 0:01:43but one landmark does remain that gives us an insight
0:01:43 > 0:01:46into the wealth and power once wielded by this family.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54Just off the M74 outside Glasgow it's very easy to miss altogether
0:01:54 > 0:01:57but the Hamilton Mausoleum is a truly remarkable building,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01and perhaps one of the grandest temples to the dead anywhere,
0:02:01 > 0:02:04outside ancient Egypt.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08With it's imposing rotunda and two huge stone lions
0:02:08 > 0:02:13guarding the mortal remains of Scotland's premier family.
0:02:16 > 0:02:22CHORAL SINGING
0:02:22 > 0:02:26It's just as spectacular inside as it is outside.
0:02:26 > 0:02:32This extravagant and impressive structure was commissioned in 1842
0:02:32 > 0:02:37to celebrate the power and wealth of the Hamilton dynasty.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42Now one of the most curious and bizarre aspects of this building,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44is the echo.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55It has one of the longest echoes of any building, anywhere.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02With it's intricately-tiled floor and beautifully-carved stone
0:03:02 > 0:03:07this incredible monument symbolises the significance of the Hamiltons,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10a family that have had a huge impact on Scotland.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19It was in the 15th century that the Hamiltons struck it lucky.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23In 1474 James, the 1st Lord Hamilton
0:03:23 > 0:03:26married the sister of the King...
0:03:26 > 0:03:29it put them within grasp of the Scottish throne
0:03:29 > 0:03:32but it wouldn't be until two generations later
0:03:32 > 0:03:35when James Hamilton the 2nd Earl of Arran
0:03:35 > 0:03:38headed up the family that their chance for real power came along.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44It was the arrival of one of Scotland's most famous monarchs
0:03:44 > 0:03:46that would present them with their opportunity.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52Mary, Queen of Scots was born here, at Linlithgow Palace in 1542
0:03:52 > 0:03:59but her father James V died before he had a chance to see his baby daughter and only heir.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03With no adult monarch to rule, the country needed a regent
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and the man who stepped into this role
0:04:06 > 0:04:08was James Hamilton, the 2nd Earl of Arran.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13He was now in control of Scotland's destiny.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21As Regent, Arran effectively ruled Scotland, but thanks to his family's royal connections
0:04:21 > 0:04:25he was also next in line to the throne.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30If anything should happen to the infant, Mary, Arran would become King.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40There was a very high rate of child mortality in the 16th century,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43and the likelihood of Mary, Queen of Scots dying, as an infant,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46must have seemed to him, very high
0:04:46 > 0:04:49so he was in a pretty promising position as far as he was concerned.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Arran was based here, at Kinneil House in West Lothian,
0:04:55 > 0:05:01and for some 35 years he stood, just one frustrating step away from away from the throne.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Fortune did not shine on the Hamiltons however,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and Arran, never became King.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13The Hamiltons came very close to the throne but never actually grasped it,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17but their connection to royal power, the closeness to the throne
0:05:17 > 0:05:20gives them great power in Scotland
0:05:20 > 0:05:22and so the decisions that they make
0:05:22 > 0:05:24ended up having great consequences for Scotland.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27But these were turbulent times
0:05:27 > 0:05:30and loyalties had to be chosen carefully.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34The Hamiltons' allegiance to the throne would bring hardship
0:05:34 > 0:05:37to the family over the next 100 years.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44As the country was plunged into civil war,
0:05:44 > 0:05:46the Hamiltons remained faithful to the Crown
0:05:46 > 0:05:49but they would pay a high price for their loyalty.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53The 1st and 2nd Dukes of Hamilton sacrificed their lives
0:05:53 > 0:05:56defending the Crown in this bloody conflict
0:05:56 > 0:06:01leaving the Hamilton family severely weakened.
0:06:01 > 0:06:08Their lands were grabbed and hefty fines imposed on them when Cromwell and his army defeated the King.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12It was a devastating blow for the Hamiltons.
0:06:13 > 0:06:20When Cromwell invaded Scotland he seized all the Hamilton lands,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22the result was that the Hamilton fortunes
0:06:22 > 0:06:27reached the lowest possible ebb, they were left with nothing, really.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30By the 1650s it seemed as if fate
0:06:30 > 0:06:33were conspiring against the Hamilton family
0:06:33 > 0:06:37but their fortunes were about to change.
0:06:37 > 0:06:44The new heir to the Hamilton name was determined to regain the family's premier position.
0:06:44 > 0:06:49The enormous debts they'd accumulated were quickly brought under control
0:06:49 > 0:06:52and plans were drawn up to transform the family seat
0:06:52 > 0:06:56from an unremarkable nobleman's home to a regal residence.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01Now the Hamilton behind all of this was devoted to family service,
0:07:01 > 0:07:07a loyal Scot, a staunch Protestant and...a woman.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14I've come to the Hamiltons' current home, to Lennoxlove in East Lothian,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17to meet historian Rosalind Marshall,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21and find out more about this remarkable character.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26This I suppose, is Anne, the 3rd Duchess.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28It is indeed, yes.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31She's not exactly a beauty but I suppose you could say
0:07:31 > 0:07:33she has a face full of character.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34Yes, she was no beauty
0:07:34 > 0:07:37but she certainly had a strong and determined character.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40Partly inherited, I suppose,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45but also much of it was due to the experiences she had
0:07:45 > 0:07:47in her childhood and in her teenage years.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50So she's a young woman inheriting this title,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53but the name Hamilton has been seriously dented has it not?
0:07:53 > 0:07:55It has indeed and,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57it was at this point that Anne, aged 19,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00became Duchess in her own right.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06It became her great ambition in life to get back all the family inheritance.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14When Anne had inherited the title, the Hamilton estates were in disarray.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18She had to sell personal positions such as jewellery and silver
0:08:18 > 0:08:23in order to pay the fines that the family were saddled with
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and Anne made sure that when the Monarchy was restored,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30the family's loyalty to the Crown was remembered
0:08:30 > 0:08:32and, more importantly, rewarded.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36But what really makes a difference is the Restoration in 1660,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Charles II comes back to the throne and he is supportive of Anne
0:08:40 > 0:08:43because of what her father and uncle had done for his father and himself.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48So he pays back a huge debt and he helps her to regain her lands.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50She restores
0:08:50 > 0:08:52the fortunes of her estates,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54builds up the viability of the estates,
0:08:54 > 0:08:56helps commercialise the estates,
0:08:56 > 0:09:00she becomes, almost ahead of her time, a model progressive landowner.
0:09:02 > 0:09:08The Hamiltons were back and needed a family seat worthy of their status.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Duchess Anne began work on her grand design.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15She set about totally rebuilding Hamilton Palace,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20on a scale that compared with the finest royal palaces in Europe.
0:09:20 > 0:09:27She devised a plan whereby she would employ people to alter it completely
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and to rebuild it in a much more up-to-date style.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35So she's, a very businesslike woman, level-headed, sober, sensible.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40Very sensible and, um, full of sayings,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42down-to-earth sort of remarks she would make.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46One of her favourite sayings was, "a given-up battle is never won"
0:09:46 > 0:09:50and, er, I think that shows a lot about her nature.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55Duchess Anne's transformation of Hamilton Palace was a triumph.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04She'd created a spectacular mansion house which announced to the world
0:10:04 > 0:10:07the wealth and power of the Hamiltons.
0:10:09 > 0:10:13I think the third Duchess is the dominant Hamilton character.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18She achieves not only stability but lays the foundation of their wealth.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24She had created a legacy for future generations
0:10:24 > 0:10:28and somehow found the time to give birth to 13 children.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31The eldest of these was James, Earl of Arran,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35who stood to become the head of Scotland's premier family,
0:10:35 > 0:10:42but as James reached adulthood it became clear that he was not the heir that Anne had hoped for.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49His number one issue is he's profligate,
0:10:49 > 0:10:50he loves to live the good life
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and he spends money without thinking about where it comes from.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59She became completely puzzled and disillusioned by his behaviour.
0:11:00 > 0:11:05He drank too much, he chased women, he had various illegitimate children.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08He ran up enormous debts.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17Ever since he was a young man James had contrived to spend most of his time away from Hamilton.
0:11:17 > 0:11:23He'd married a wealthy English heiress and was very reluctant to come home to Scotland.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25He likes to live at the Royal Court,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29he spent years in the courts of Charles II, James VII
0:11:29 > 0:11:33and he even spent time in Louis XIV's court in France.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38He'd rather be in England or in Paris than be in Hamilton.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41It may have been a tough call in the late 17th century
0:11:41 > 0:11:44to choose between London, Paris or Hamilton but there you go.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51The Duchess clearly had serious doubts about James's ability
0:11:51 > 0:11:55but the family needed a political representative
0:11:55 > 0:11:59and as her eldest son and heir, this was James's right by birth.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05In 1698, his mother resigned her titles and finally,
0:12:05 > 0:12:10at the age of 40, James was named the 4th Duke of Hamilton.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15As the new Duke, James would not only hold in his hands
0:12:15 > 0:12:21the future of the Hamilton family, but the future of Scotland itself.
0:12:21 > 0:12:27In the early 18th century, the Scottish Parliament was still run by the country's aristocracy.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31But it was with reluctance that James returned to Edinburgh
0:12:31 > 0:12:34to take up his place in the Scottish Government of the day.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40Almost immediately he found himself slap bang in the middle of a major political crisis.
0:12:40 > 0:12:45Scotland was bankrupt and faced losing its independence.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50When Hamilton comes back to Scotland,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53it is in the middle of political turmoil
0:12:53 > 0:12:57and the English are forcing the Scots by 1705 to choose between a union,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00or separation with the prospect of a military invasion.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It seemed that union with England was inevitable.
0:13:05 > 0:13:13Not surprisingly there was enormous opposition to this idea in Scotland and there were riots in Edinburgh.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17The writer, Daniel Defoe who'd been sent as an English spy,
0:13:17 > 0:13:23commented that, 'A Scot's rabble is the worst of its kind'.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31The rabble found a surprising champion in the 4th Duke of Hamilton.
0:13:31 > 0:13:37As Scotland's premier Duke, James automatically became the head of the opposition party
0:13:37 > 0:13:41who were committed to stopping union with England going ahead
0:13:41 > 0:13:48and Hamilton thoroughly enjoyed the hero worship that his anti-union stance brought him.
0:13:48 > 0:13:55The crowds turn out in support of Hamilton and they cheer him to and from Parliament House,
0:13:55 > 0:13:59people write poems, they publish poems in praise of him.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03He is very much celebrated as the patriotic leader of the opposition.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09But Scotland's new champion of independence was about to astound everyone.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Despite the fact that he'd publicly asserted he was against the union,
0:14:13 > 0:14:20when it came to the crunch it became clear that James was a Hamilton first and a Scot second.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32On the night of the 1st September 1705 the Duke rose
0:14:32 > 0:14:36to make his most memorable speech in the debate over the Act of Union.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40For those listening he literally took their breath away.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Instead of railing against the Act,
0:14:42 > 0:14:47his words signalled the end of an independent Scottish Parliament.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Crucial to the debate was how the Commissioners,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54who would negotiate the union on behalf of Scotland, would be chosen.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Contrary to the wishes of his supporters,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01James proposed that Queen Anne should choose the Commissioners.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06In one fell swoop he had handed England a huge advantage.
0:15:06 > 0:15:12Here, outside the new Scottish Parliament I'm meeting historian Derek Patrick,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17to find out what drove the Duke of Hamilton to make this dramatic u-turn.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22I suppose in a modern context Hamilton's actions seemed pretty bizarre,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24it's like Alex Salmond backing independence,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27yet doing everything in his power to block it.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28It's very bizarre,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Hamilton waits until late in the day to make his move.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33By that time he's given assurances
0:15:33 > 0:15:36to some of his supporters there would be no vote that day,
0:15:36 > 0:15:41This issue of whether the Queen or Parliament should name the Commissioners wouldn't be debated,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44there would be no vote, so imagine their surprise when he stands up
0:15:44 > 0:15:47and says the Queen should name the Commissioners.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52I mean you can imagine their fury, their anger, their concerns and their disenchantment with this.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Now this seems like an act of betrayal.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58From his party's point of view this is betrayal.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Even those close to him didn't expect him to do this.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07Hamilton really bottled it, this is a complete own goal,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10that means that the Queen in English ministry nominate,
0:16:10 > 0:16:15basically, flunkies or second raters to come down and negotiate the union.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16What's really going on here?
0:16:16 > 0:16:21Here's a man who, ostensibly is trying to support Scottish independence,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24yet does everything in his power to undermine his own party.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Hamilton stands to lose a lot, his wife brings extensive estates
0:16:28 > 0:16:31in Lancashire and in Cheshire and they're very, very lucrative.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Hamilton's aware that if he stands to lose a few of these estates,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38relations between the two nations would deteriorate further
0:16:38 > 0:16:41and he's always short of cash, he enjoys the high life.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43So he's not a conviction politician?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45No, he looks after his own interests.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Hamilton's actions sounded the death knell
0:16:51 > 0:16:54for any hopes that union with England could be averted
0:16:54 > 0:16:57and put Scotland in a very weak position.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02He didn't come out in favour of the anti-union party,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04much to the disappointment of those
0:17:04 > 0:17:06who'd been his supporters,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08we can say quite bluntly, he was a hypocrite.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13He is putting family interests, ultimately, ahead of those patriotic interests.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17His goal is not to stop the union but to get into office.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25With the Act of Union ratified and Scotland now firmly part of Great Britain,
0:17:25 > 0:17:31James was rewarded with an English peerage and returned to spending much of his time in London.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36In 1712 he was given another honour.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40The post of Ambassador to Louis XIV's Court,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43but James would never make it to Paris.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48In November, just before he was due to leave the country for France,
0:17:48 > 0:17:54Hamilton was challenged to a duel by a notorious London cad, Lord Mohun.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02The two men had clashed in a dispute over a title.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05The quarrel was meant to be settled in the courts
0:18:05 > 0:18:11but after years of litigation, it was still unresolved and Mohun called Hamilton out.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12Hamilton was foolish enough
0:18:12 > 0:18:16to enter a duel, Hamilton allowed himself to be provoked into it.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20He is a guy who doesn't think through his own position fully
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and is allowed to be drawn into situations,
0:18:23 > 0:18:28in this case a duel with a noted thug, a man of particular dishonour.
0:18:28 > 0:18:34Early in the morning of the 15th November 1712, Hamilton and Mohun,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39together with their seconds met here, in Hyde Park to fight a duel.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Mohun had a reputation as a fearsome opponent.
0:18:43 > 0:18:50Hamilton, on the other hand, was 54, overweight and prone to gout.
0:18:50 > 0:18:57Despite the odds being stacked heavily against him, Hamilton managed to mortally-wound Mohun.
0:18:57 > 0:19:04But, as he lay dying Mohun lashed out and severed a major artery in Hamilton's arm.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08Within minutes, both men were dead.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15The outcome of the duel, although he technically wins it, he dies, so he wins but loses,
0:19:15 > 0:19:17which is the sort of theme for his whole life, it seems.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29The Hamiltons continue to display a taste for the extravagant.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34In 1734 they commissioned the celebrated Scottish architect,
0:19:34 > 0:19:40William Adam to build this lodge and stables just a mile from the palace.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Chatelherault became the base for the family's hunting expeditions.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47But the Hamilton empire in Lanarkshire
0:19:47 > 0:19:50was set to become grander still.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54In 1819 when the 10th Duke inherited the title,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57he felt the urge to demonstrate the power
0:19:57 > 0:20:01and prestige of the family in a very ostentatious way.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Alexander, the 10th Duke was a very flamboyant character.
0:20:06 > 0:20:12He set about making the already magnificent Hamilton Palace even more opulent.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17He was tremendously proud of his own family and his own position
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and this connection with the royal family.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25He really wanted to make this the most grandiose house in Scotland
0:20:25 > 0:20:29so that people could see exactly how important the Hamiltons were.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34But the Duke's grand design didn't come cheap.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Alexander wanted Hamilton Palace to have the equivalent of a royal collection.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43This was a task he threw himself into with great enthusiasm,
0:20:43 > 0:20:48travelling the world seeking out rare and exotic pieces of art.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53It's said that during his lifetime he spent the equivalent of hundreds of millions of pounds
0:20:53 > 0:21:00amassing an incredible collection of paintings, sculpture and furniture.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05The Duke's collection contained a number of now world-famous paintings
0:21:05 > 0:21:08but he had one particular obsession.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09Napoleon.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12He even went to the extent of commissioning
0:21:12 > 0:21:16what has become one of the most iconic portraits of the Emperor,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20when Britain was still at war with France.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24I wouldn't be surprised if his obsession with Napoleon was in a way
0:21:24 > 0:21:28a reflection of his own view of himself and world,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31they were both flamboyant characters
0:21:31 > 0:21:34who were projecting their personalities.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35Perhaps he felt an affinity.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Alexander's art collection at Hamilton Palace would have dwarfed
0:21:42 > 0:21:45the likes of the famous Burrell collection.
0:21:45 > 0:21:52Sadly it is now spread to the four winds, auctioned off to pay family debts.
0:21:52 > 0:22:00But even more tragic was the fate that befell the building that had housed his magnificent collection.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04This is the site of Hamilton Palace.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09Now, for us today it's hard to believe the fate of this once vast and imposing building,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14but the Hamiltons were once heavily involved in the mining industry.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19Unfortunately they undermined the foundations of the Palace itself
0:22:19 > 0:22:23and in the early 1900s it began to subside badly
0:22:23 > 0:22:27and in 1921 it had to be completely demolished.
0:22:27 > 0:22:34So today, the once grand house of the Hamiltons has become this sports centre and a retail park.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47And so, all that remains here is the spectacular mausoleum
0:22:47 > 0:22:52which the 10th Duke commissioned to celebrate the passing of his Hamilton ancestors
0:22:52 > 0:22:58but flamboyant to the end, there was one honour that was reserved for HIM alone.
0:22:58 > 0:23:05The Duke, bought himself an Egyptian sarcophagus to use as his coffin.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Sadly however his best-laid plans went somewhat array.
0:23:10 > 0:23:15The Duke may have had a Napoleon complex but he was not a small man,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17in fact he was rather tall
0:23:17 > 0:23:21and the Sarcophagus that he bought had been made
0:23:21 > 0:23:25for a much smaller, more petite Egyptian princess.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34The story goes that when the undertakers came to place the Duke inside,
0:23:34 > 0:23:35he didn't fit.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39They had to chip away at the inside of the sarcophagus
0:23:39 > 0:23:41to create more space
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and it's claimed that they even had to break his legs
0:23:44 > 0:23:48to be able to finally squeeze the tall Duke inside.
0:23:50 > 0:23:56Alexander had left an impressive monument to the Hamiltons' power
0:23:56 > 0:23:59but as Scotland entered the 20th century,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02the influence of it's noble families was diminishing.
0:24:03 > 0:24:09In 1940 Douglas Douglas-Hamilton became the 14th Duke.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11A talented sportsman and aviator,
0:24:11 > 0:24:16the Duke was the chief pilot on the first flight over Mount Everest.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20But it would be another notorious flight during World War II
0:24:20 > 0:24:24that would propel the 14th Duke into the headlines.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32By 1941 Nazi Germany occupied much of mainland Europe.
0:24:32 > 0:24:38In May of that year a German aircraft carrying a leading Nazi
0:24:38 > 0:24:41crashed just outside Glasgow.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Incredibly the incident would draw the Hamilton family
0:24:44 > 0:24:48into one of the most controversial episodes in their history.
0:24:51 > 0:24:57When Hitler's deputy fuhrer, Rudolf Hess flew into Scotland in 1941
0:24:57 > 0:25:01in the hope of negotiating a peace treaty with the allies,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04the man he hoped would help him in this enterprise
0:25:04 > 0:25:07was none other than the 14th Duke of Hamilton.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10But Hess's arrival in Scotland embroiled the Hamiltons
0:25:10 > 0:25:14in a scandal that would be difficult to shake off.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Hess had supposedly been heading for the home of the Hamiltons
0:25:18 > 0:25:23and when he was captured it's claimed he asked to be taken to see the Duke.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28I'm meeting writer Carl MacDougall to find out more about this intriguing episode.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Carl, why did Hess chose Hamilton?
0:25:31 > 0:25:34It's one of the perennial questions surrounding the whole Hess business.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37What we do know is that the Nazis
0:25:37 > 0:25:39liked to ally themselves to the aristocracy,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41it made them feel better about themselves,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44gave them a certain credence and credibility
0:25:44 > 0:25:49and the Hamiltons WERE the premier, ARE the premier family in Scotland,
0:25:49 > 0:25:54so, perhaps that why Hess thought that it'd be a good idea to contact the Duke.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59What connections had the Hamiltons had with Germany and the Nazis up to this point?
0:25:59 > 0:26:06The Duke of Hamilton had been a guest at the 1936 Olympic Games and while he was there
0:26:06 > 0:26:12the Duke of Hamilton met Hitler, he later met Goering who gave him a tour of the Luftwaffe.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18Perhaps that's why Hess figured that it would be a good idea to come to Scotland.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Hess's plan was to fly secretly to Scotland
0:26:22 > 0:26:25and make contact with the Duke of Hamilton
0:26:25 > 0:26:28who, he hoped, would take him to Churchill.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34Instead however, Hess was captured as soon as his parachute landed
0:26:34 > 0:26:36and spent the rest of the war in prison.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42But the revelation that Hess had been seeking the help of the Duke of Hamilton caused a huge scandal.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47Now all this stuff, in a sense, these connections with Nazi Germany,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51must have reflected quite badly on the Hamilton family, surely?
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Oh, it certainly did and on the Duke of Hamilton personally,
0:26:55 > 0:27:00but 12 days after Hess had landed the then Secretary of State for Aviation
0:27:00 > 0:27:03made a statement in the House of Commons that ended by saying,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06"Throughout the whole business, the Duke of Hamilton
0:27:06 > 0:27:09"behaved properly and with great dignity"
0:27:09 > 0:27:11so in effect he was exonerated.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17The Hamilton family may have been totally cleared of any wrongdoing,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21but nearly 70 years on conspiracy theories
0:27:21 > 0:27:27still abound about why Hess tried to contact the 14th Duke.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32In 2016 however, the secret Government papers about
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Hess's failed mission will be released from embargo.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Finally there will be a chance to find out what really happened
0:27:39 > 0:27:43when Hess came to Scotland to meet with the Hamiltons.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48When that box is eventually opened and these papers are revealed,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52I think we will learn A truth but whether it will be THE truth
0:27:52 > 0:27:56that will satisfy everybody, that's a totally different question.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02In the end, the Hamiltons remain something of an enigma,
0:28:02 > 0:28:08often it seems the family came first, and Scotland second but there can be no question
0:28:08 > 0:28:13that they played a huge role in shaping the country we know today.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17Their grand designs on power may not always have gone according to plan
0:28:17 > 0:28:21but it seems to me the most striking thing about this family
0:28:21 > 0:28:26is their overriding instinct for survival, an attitude best summed up
0:28:26 > 0:28:28in the words of in that most determined of ladies,
0:28:28 > 0:28:34Duchess Anne Hamilton, "A given-up battle is never won".
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk