David Nairne (August 1655 – 1740), also known as Sir David Nairne, Baronet, was a Scottish

Jacobite Jacobite means follower of Jacob or James. Jacobite may refer to: Religion * Jacobites, followers of Saint Jacob Baradaeus (died 578). Churches in the Jacobite tradition and sometimes called Jacobite include: ** Syriac Orthodox Church, sometimes ...

who served at the courts of the exiled Stuart kings

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

and James Francis Edward Stuart in France.

Biography

Nairne was the son of Sir Thomas Nairne, of Sandfurd and Margaret Barclay. Nairne followed James II into exile following the Jacobite defeat in the War of the Two Kings and became his servant at

Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a former royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the ''département'' of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the ''musée d'Archéologie nationale'' (Nati ...

. From 1689 to 1713 he served as Under Secretary of State at various intervals, becoming a central figure in the administration of Jacobite politics. He enjoyed a close relationship with James and conducted Jacobite correspondence, decided on Jacobite policies and negotiated with the friendly courts of Versailles, Lunéville and Rome. Nairne became one of James' closest advisors. After James II's death in 1701, he remained an important figure in the court of James's son, the Old Pretender. From 1706 to 1713 he was Clerk of the King's Council and was Secretary of the Closet for the King's private letters and dispatches between 1713 and 1733. He was made a baronet in the Jacobite peerage on 7 February 1719. The survival of his papers and correspondence provide a comprehensive account of the exiled Jacobite court in France.Edward Corp
'James II and David Nairne: The Exiled King and his First Biographer'
''The English Historical Review'', Vol. 129, No. 541 (DECEMBER 2014), p.1383–1411. In June 1735 his daughter, Marie Nairne, married the Jacobite

Andrew Michael Ramsay Andrew Michael Ramsay (9 July 16866 May 1743), commonly called the Chevalier Ramsay, was a Scottish-born writer who lived most of his adult life in France. He was a Baronet in the Jacobite Peerage. Ramsay was born in Ayr, Scotland, the son o ...

. Nairne died in France, likely in early 1740.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nairne, David 1740 deaths 17th-century Scottish people 18th-century Scottish people Baronets in the Jacobite peerage Scottish diplomats Scottish Jacobites Scottish expatriates in France 1655 births