Sir James Pringle, 4th Baronet (1726–1809), was a British soldier and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1761 to 1779. Pringle was the son of Sir Robert Pringle, 3rd Baronet of Stichill and his wife Catherine Pringle, daughter. of James Pringle of Torwoodlee, Selkirk and was baptized on 6 November 1726. In 1744, he joined the army in the

Royal Scots Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Ma ...

as a 2nd Lieutenant and was a lieutenant in 1747 and captain in 1759. He served in Flanders during the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

and at Minden in 1759. He was a, major in 1759 and lieutenant-colonel in 1762. In 1761 Pringle was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Berwickshire Berwickshire (; ) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area in south-eastern Scotland, on the English border. The county takes its name from Berwick-upon-Tweed, its original county town, which was part of Scotland at the ...

. In 1765 he became lieutenant-colonel of the 59th Foot. He married Elizabeth MacLeod, daughter of

Norman MacLeod of MacLeod Norman MacLeod of MacLeod (18 July 1812 – 5 February 1895) was the 25th Chief of Clan MacLeod. Biography Norman MacLeod of MacLeod was born on 18 July 1812 at Dunvegan, Skye. He was the son of John Norman MacLeod of MacLeod (1788–1835) ...

on 11 September 1767. He was returned again for Berwickshire in the 1768 general election. In 1770 he retired from the army and in 1774 was appointed Master of the King’s works in Scotland, He was re-elected MP for Berwickshire in the 1774 general election. In April 1778 Pringle accepted a commission as lieutenant-colonel in the 'Southern regiment of Fencible Men' (the

Duke of Buccleuch Duke of Buccleuch ( ), formerly also spelt Duke of Buccleugh, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland created twice on 20 April 1663, first for James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, and second ''suo jure'' for his wife Anne Scott, 4th Countess of ...

’s Fencibles). He vacated his seat in 1779 in favour of Sir John Paterson, son-in-law of Lord Marchmont. In Parliament he was accounted a silent and undistinguished Member. He succeeded his father in the

baronetcy 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 ...

on 14 December 1779 and from then on he dedicated his time to the managing of his estates. In 1797 he served with the Roxburgh yeomanry. Sir James was a member of The

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland, is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a pers ...

from 1778. He was a Brigadier in the Royal Company and was elected President of Council in 1783. He remained in office until his death in 1809. The Royal Company has Sir James Pringle's portrait, with him wearing his Badge of a Baronet of Nova Scotia, painted by David Martin in 1795.Sir James Pringle, 4th Bart (1726-1809) by David Martin (1737-1797) Oil – 93″ x 58½” (1795). https://www.kbgsrca.co.uk/collection/the-collection/ Pringle died on 7 April 1809.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pringle, Sir James, 5th Baronet 1726 births 1809 deaths British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 Royal Scots Fusiliers officers Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies