Sir Alexander Cairnes, 1st Baronet (1665 – 30 October 1732) was an Irish politician and banker.
Background
He was the oldest son of
John Cairnes of Donoghmore, co. Donegal, and his wife Jane Miller, daughter of James Miller, MD.
[Cokayne, George Edward (1906) ]
Complete Baronetage
'. Volume V. Exeter: W. Pollard & Co. . p. 7 His younger brother was
William Cairnes.
During his military service, he became friend with
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough.
[
]
Career
Cairnes served in the British Army and took part in the Battle of Blenheim
The Battle of Blenheim (german: Zweite Schlacht bei Höchstädt, link=no; french: Bataille de Höchstädt, link=no; nl, Slag bij Blenheim, link=no) fought on , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied v ...
.baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
, of Monaghan, in Ireland by Queen Anne of Great Britain
Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 8 March 1702 until 1 May 1707. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, the kingdoms of England and Scotland united as a single sovereign state known as ...
on 6 May 1708, with a special remainder to his youngest brother Henry.[ Subsequently, he was returned for County Monaghan until 1727, when he stood also for Monaghan Borough.][ He was elected for both constituencies, however, chose the latter and sat for it as Member of Parliament until his death in 1733.][
]Thomas Sheridan Thomas Sheridan may refer to:
*Thomas Sheridan (divine) (1687–1738), Anglican divine
*Thomas Sheridan (actor) (1719–1788), Irish actor and teacher of elocution
*Thomas Sheridan (soldier) (1775–1817/18)
*Thomas B. Sheridan (born 1931), America ...
thought him "an eminent Banker", but Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...
dismissed him as "a scrupulous puppy" and "a shuffling scoundrel".[
]
Family
On 17 February 1697/98, he married Elizabeth Gould, daughter of John Gould and sister of Sir Nathaniel Gould, at St Peter le Poer
St Peter le Poer was a parish church on the west side of Broad Street in the City of London. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt in 1540, and again in 1792 to a design by Jesse Gibson with a circular nave. It was demolished in 1907.
Early histor ...
in London, and had by her a daughter and a son, Mary and William Henry.[
Elizabeth died at Monaghan before 4 June 1731, when the administration of her estate was granted to her husband. Cairnes died at ]Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
on 30 October 1732 and his son having predeceased him, was succeeded in the baronetcy according to the special remainder by his brother.[ His daughter was fostered and educated by ]Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough
Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...
.[
Mary Cairnes (died 28 August 1790) married ]Baron Blayney
Lord Blayney, Baron of Monaghan, in the County of Monaghan, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1621 for the soldier Sir Edward Blayney. He was succeeded by his son, the second Baron. He was killed at the Battle of Benburb i ...
, and at the time of Cairnes's death, she was a childless widow. She subsequently remarried, in 1734, to Col. John Murray, who was Member of Parliament for County Monaghan in the early 1740s. Murray died on 29 June 1743 leaving his wife with several daughters. One of the daughters, Elizabeth, married Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore
General Robert Cuninghame, 1st Baron Rossmore, PC (Ire) (18 April 1726 – 6 August 1801) was an Irish British Army officer and politician.
Military career
Cuninghame was the son of Colonel David Cuninghame and his wife Margaret Callander of C ...
, and another, Harriet, was the mother of Warner Westenra, 2nd Baron Rossmore
Warner William Westenra, 2nd Baron Rossmore (14 October 1765 – 10 August 1842), was an Anglo-Irish landowner and politician.
Background and education
Westenra was the son of Henry Westenra, Member of Parliament for County Monaghan, by Harrie ...
, who succeeded to his maternal aunt's husband's barony by special remainder
In property law of the United Kingdom and the United States and other common law countries, a remainder is a future interest given to a person (who is referred to as the transferee or remainderman) that is capable of becoming possessory upon the n ...
.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairnes, Alexander
1665 births
1732 deaths
Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain
Irish bankers
Irish MPs 1703–1713
Irish MPs 1713–1714
Irish MPs 1715–1727
Irish MPs 1727–1760
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Monaghan constituencies