ABSTRACT
William Rowan Hamilton was born in Dublin at midnight on 3-4 August 1805. His father, Archibald Hamilton, was often away in England pursuing legal business. He had not had a University education and it is thought that Hamilton’s genius came from his mother, Sarah Hutton. Because of his absences, Archibald was not able to teach William, but this may have been an advantage for the boy. Instead he was taught by his uncle, the Rev James Hamilton, with whom William lived in Trim for many years. James was a fine teacher, and, by the age of five, William had already learned Latin, Greek and Hebrew.
