William (Cunningham) Ninth Earl of Glencairn (1610 - 1664)

Born 1610 in Belton, East Lothian, Scotland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 30 May 1664 at about age 54 in Belton, East Lothian, Scotland

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Biography

William (Cunningham) Ninth Earl of Glencairn is Notable.

William (Cunningham) Ninth Earl of Glencairn is a member of Clan Cunningham.

William's father is William Cunningham the 8th Earl of Gelencairn with his mother being Janet Kerr. ^[1]

Ratification

William Cunningham was the oldest son of William Cunningham the 8th Earl of Glencairn, on July 21, 1637 he obtained a ratification from King Charles 1st. This was accomplished under the Royal Sign Manual as part of the original Glencairn Letters Patent of 1488."

Treasury Commissioner Appointment

"He was sworn a member of the Privy Council of Scotland and in 1641 was appointed a Commissioner of the Treasury."

Loyalty Acknowledgment from the King

Supporting the Royalist cause; in 1643 he joined with the Duke of Hamilton and the Earls of Lanark and Roxburgh, in opposing the sending of a Scottish army into England to assist the English Parliamentary Army.

For this loyalty he received a (now published) personal letter from the King."

Jealousies of his colleagues, especially of Lord Balcarres, and a quarrel with Lorne led to the desertion of the latter and other chiefs with all their men. Consequently in January only 4,320 men could be mustered. Those men were armed with mainly cudgels and those with guns did not have ammunition (ib. ii. 4).

In 1654 Middleton took the supreme command and Glencairn served under him in a subordinate post. That February, near Dunkeld the English general Morgan badly beat him and Kenmure. (Thurloe, ii. 95).

19 Jan 1648 William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn brought action in the Court of Session and obtained a new Decreet in his favour in the point of precedence against the four earls who had claimed to rank before him; he also obtained a reduction of the Decreet obtained by the Earl of Eglinton in 1617. (Morrison)

Lord Justice General Appointment, Rescission and Restoration

He was appointed Lord Justice General by parliament in 1646. He knew of and is said to have "entered heartily into" the attempted rescue of Charles I in 1648, and was subsequently deprived by parliament of this post on February 15, 1649, under the Act of Classes. The parliament, now being dominant, at the instance of the Public Prosecutor, then passed a Decreet, on March 2, 1650, annulling the original Glencairn Letters Patent of 1488. (This was rescinded at the Restoration}.

Royal Commander Commission

Glencairn then led an insurrection in the Highlands in 1653 (See: Royalist rising of 1651 to 1654) in favour of King Charles II, when General Monk had possession of Scotland. In January 1654 he was commissioned by Charles II to command the Royal forces in all of Scotland, numbering some 3,500 men, but he later handed his command to General Middleton.

William left Finlayston in August to journey to Loch Earn. It was here that he was met by other chiefs, including Atholl, along with Clan MacDonald. They made progress against Monck by marching through Strathspey but then they hit the lowlands and thus failed in attempts against the Ruthven Castle. (Thurloe, Hist. Mem. i. 495).

Duel with Lieutenant-General Sir George Munro

Following dinner William and Lieutenant-General Sir George Munro, 1st of Newmore engaged in a duel with both pistols & swords two miles to the south of Dornoch. The duel started out on horseback with pistols then ended on foot with the sword play. Munro had poured scorn on the quality of their forces and Glencairn had defended them, challenging Munro, who lost but was only wounded. Middleton initially placed the Earl under arrest, but the Earl left the army a fortnight later."^[2][3][4][5]

Betrayal, Arrest and forfeiture of Estates

William was reported by Broghill to Thurloe as ‘trinketing in England as well as at home’ (ib. iv. 49). But it was the betrayal by his trusted agent, Major Borthwick, that caused Monck to issue orders in Decemeber of 1655 for his arrest and imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle. If not for Cromwell's ‘grace and pardon,’ William would most assuredly have lost his life. However, James Sharp interceded on his behalf. In 1656 his forfeiture of estates was discharged by capitulation (Cal. State Papers, Dom. Ser. p. 242).

Appointment to Sheriff Principal of Ayrshire Lord Chancellor

Upon the Restoration Glencairn waited upon King Charles II at London, when he was again sworn a Privy Councillor and appointed Sheriff Principal of Ayrshire. On January 19, 1661, he was constituted Lord Chancellor of Scotland for life, upon the resignation of the Earl of Loudon.^[6]

University of Glasgow Chancellor

"Glencairn was Chancellor of the University of Glasgow from 1660, and was one of the principal advisers of the re-establishment of Episcopacy in Scotland. He was not, however, opposed to Presbyterianism, and the subsequent bitter disputes between the two religious factions greatly distressed him and affected his health."^[7]

Summary

William was a consistent supporter of Charles 1st, the 9th Earl was obliged to forfeit his title to the Scottish Parliament, but in time when he realized the possibility of Scotland being drawn into the feud between Charles and his Parliament in London, William's support for the monarch quickly diminished. His title was restored and following the execution of Charles 1st, the 9th Earl fought with the Highland clans against General Monk when Cromwell invaded Scotland. Following a personal duel and skirmishes in the ranks he withdrew his forces/ thereafter engaging Monk's columns at Dumbarton where overwhelming odds forced him to surrender on honorable terms. He returned home but was thrown into prison on suspicion of plotting/ but following the Restoration, Charles 2nd rewarded him with the appointment of Privy Councilor. A few years later he was elevated to Lord Chancellor but further political intrigues reduced his powers to almost nothing and he died a disillusioned man.

Death and Burial

The Earl died at Belton, East Lothian, on May 30, 1663, aged 54 years. He was buried, with great pomp, in the south-east aisle of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh on the 28th July following.

Research Notes

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Sources

1. ↑ Paul, James Balfour. "The Scots Peerage : founded on Wood's ed. of Sir Robert Douglas's Peerage of Scotland; containing an historical and genealogical account of the nobility of that kingdom", Edinburgh: David Douglas, 1907, Vol. IV, Archive.org, p. 246
2. ↑ Firth, p.99
3. ↑ Dow, F.D. Cromwellian Scotland, p.295
4. ↑ Baker, Page 27
5. ↑ (Baillie, iii. 255).
6. ↑ Firth, p.99.
7. ↑ http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH2024&type=P

• Morrision, William Maxwell. Decisions of the Court of Session, from it's first Institution to the Present Time. 1. Edinburgh: Bell and Bradfute, 1801.
• Dow, F.D. Cromwellian Scotland 1651-1660 (Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers Ltd., 1979)
• Baker, Helen. The Glencairn Uprising, 1653-54 . 2005. eBook. <http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/fass/projects/newsbooks/Glencairn.pdf>
• Anderson, William, The Scottish Nation, Edinburgh, 1867
• Firth, C.H. Scotland and the Protectorate: Letters and Papers Relating to the Military Government of Scotland from January 1654 to June 1659 Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1899)
• Douglas, Peerage of Scotland

See also:

• Wikipedia: William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn

• Wikidata: Item Q7613353, en:Wikipedia

• The Peeerage: William Cuninghame, 9th Earl of Glencairn

• Clan Cunningham USA