Arms of Alexander Cumming, 1st Baronet of Culter (d

Sir Alexander Cumming, 1st Baronet (c.1670–1725) of Culter, Aberdeen, was a Scottish landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1709 to 1722. Cumming was the eldest son of Alexander Cumming of Culter and his wife Helen Allardice, daughter of James Allardice of Allardice, Kincardine. He married, in about 1690, Elizabeth Swinton, daughter of Sir Alexander Swinton, Lord Mersington, known as the fanatical judge, and entered the faculty of advocates in 1691. He went to study in Holland. He was created a Baronet in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia on 28 February 1695. He qualified at Leyden on 30 December 1695, aged 25 and returned to Scotland and attracted prominent clients to his practice. He was Commissioner of Justiciary for the Highlands in 1701 and 1703 and captain of foot in the Earl of Mar’s regiment from 1702 to 1704. From 1705 to 1711 he was conservator of Scottish privileges in the Low Countries. His wife Elizabeth died in 1709 and he married as his second wife Elizabeth Dennis, daughter of William Dennis of Pucklechurch, Gloucestershire on 10 September 1710 Cumming was elected Member of Parliament for

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

at a by-election on 18 January 1709. Initially he voted with the Administration on the naturalization of the Palatines, but as an Episcopalian moved to the Tories, and voted against the impeachment of Dr Sachaverell. He was elected again at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

and took part in attacks on the old ministry, being included in the list of ‘worthy patriots’ who had helped to detect their mismanagement. On a Scottish matter, he voted in February 1711 against Mungo Graham over the disputed Kinross-shire election, and became a member of an informal ‘steering committee’ of Scottish episcopalian MPs. He was returned again in

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ref ...

and

1715 Events For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...

. He did not stand in 1722. Cumming died on 7 February 1725, in debt as a result of the

South Sea Bubble South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

. By his first wife he had a son and two daughters, and by his second wife a son (James Cumming of Breda) and five daughters. His son Alexander by his first wife succeeded him in the baronetcy.

External links

Geograph - Culter House

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumming, Sir Alexander, 1st Baronet 1670s births 1725 deaths British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia