Sir William Augustus Cunynghame of Livingstone, 4th Baronet of Milncraig (1747–1828) was a Scottish politician who sat in the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of th ...

from 1774 to 1790.

Early life

Cunynghame was the only surviving son of Sir David Cunynghame, 3rd Baronet and his wife Lady Mary Montgomerie, daughter of

Alexander Montgomerie, 9th Earl of Eglinton Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, and was born on 19 April 1747. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 6 December 1766. After he succeeded his father in the baronetcy on 10 October 1767, he undertook a

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

. His first wife was Frances Myreton daughter of Sir Robert Myreton, 2nd Baronet whom he married on 21 October 1768. She died on 14 November 1771, and he went abroad for three years to Italy, Paris and Vienna.

Political career

At the 1774 general election Cunynghame was returned as Member of Parliament for

Linlithgowshire West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its shires of Scotland, historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geogra ...

with the agreement of the Hopetoun interest. In June 1779 he was appointed

Clerk of the Green Cloth The Clerk of the Green Cloth was a position in the British Royal Household. The clerk acted as secretary of the Board of Green Cloth, and was therefore responsible for organising royal journeys and assisting in the administration of the Royal ...

and held the post until March 1782. He was returned again as MP for Linlithgowshire in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

and 1784. He made a second marriage to Mary Udney, daughter of Robert Udney of Udney, Aberdeen on 22 June 1785. In parliament and outside he campaigned strongly for Scottish interests. He was defeated in the 1790 general election and did not re-enter Parliament

Later life and legacy

Cunynghame was receiver of the

land tax A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land without regard to buildings, personal property and other improvements. It is also known as a location value tax, a point valuation tax, a site valuation tax, split rate tax, or a site-value r ...

in Scotland from June 1806 to March 1807. He died on 17 January 1828 and was succeeded by his son David. He had two other sons by his first wife and four sons and three daughters by his second wife. He is buried in the western extension of

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

in central

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

References

1747 births 1828 deaths British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Place of birth missing {{Scotland-GreatBritain-MP-stub