Sir William James Montgomery-Cuninghame, 9th Baronet (20 May 1834 – 11 November 1897) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer from

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician and

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient.

Early life

Montgomery-Cuninghame was born in

Ayr Ayr ( ; ; , meaning "confluence of the River Àir"), is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. A former royal burgh, today it is the administrative centre of South Ayrshire Council, and the historic county town of Ayrshire. With ...

Sir Thomas Montgomery-Cuninghame, 8th Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Thomas Montgomery-Cuninghame, 8th Baronet ( – 30 August 1870) was a Scottish British Army officer. Early life Montgomery-Cuninghame was born in London in . He was the second son of Sir James Montgomery-Cuninghame, 6th Ba ...

of Corsehill and Charlotte Niven Doig Hutcheson, the eldest of seven children. His paternal grandparents were

Sir James Montgomery-Cuninghame, 6th Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as part of ...

and Janet Cuming (a daughter of

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

banker Thomas Cuming, Esq., of Earnside, Nairnshire and Hatton, Cheshire). His mother was the only child of Hugh Hutcheson of Southfield,

Renfrewshire Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...

. Between April 1849 and 1851 he was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

Career

Montgomery-Cuninghame had a long and distinguished military career, which began in 1853 when, on 11 March 1853, he became

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the 1st Regiment (by purchase). By 29 April 1853 he had become a second lieutenant in the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

Crimean War

In October 1853, the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

broke out and he was present at the battles of Alma, Balaclava, Inkerman and the siege and fall of Sebastapol."Harrow School Register 1801–1893", published 1894 i
online database
(subscription required), accessed 18 June 2014 He served in the Crimean War as a lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own). On 20 November 1854 at Sebastopol, the Crimea, he, with another lieutenant (Claud Thomas Bourchier) was with a party detailed to drive the Russians from some rifle pits. Advancing on the pits after dark, they launched a surprise attack and drove the Russian riflemen from their cover, but, in the fierce fighting which ensued, the officer in command of the party was killed. The two lieutenants, however, maintained their advantage, withstood all attacks from the enemy during the night and held the position until relieved next day. For their actions they were subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross. He was mentioned in Lord Raglan's despatches and "his bravery elicited the admiration of General Canrobert, who instantly published an order expressive of his approbation." Montgomery-Cuninghame was one of the earliest recipients of the Victoria Cross. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Green Jackets Museum, Winchester, England. During the Crimean conflict, he was also awarded the

Order of the Medjidie Order of the Medjidie (, August 29, 1852 – 1922) was a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the order was awarded in five classes, with the Firs ...

5th Class and the

Turkish Crimea Medal The Turkish Crimean War Medal () is a campaign medal issued by Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire to allied military personnel involved in the Crimean War of 1854–56. It was only awarded to those who survived the war and not to next of ...

Later military career

After the end of the Crimean War, on 22 November 1856, Montgomery-Cuninghame held the rank of captain and became an instructor of musketry at the Rifle Brigade He was still serving in the military when on 14 August 1867, he was promoted to major half pay by purchase Nine months later, on 22 May 1868, he was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Inns of Court Rifle Volunteer Corps In 1877, he was a major with the Ayr and Wigtown Militia. On 9 August 1884, Major Montgomery Cuninghame was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant colonel in the 4th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. On 17 October 1888 he was granted the rank of colonel in the Volunteer Force and placed in command of The Clyde Brigade. He also held the appointment of brigadier general of the Clyde Brigade and then of the Glasgow Brigade of the

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...

.''Dundee Courier'' 12 November 1897 i
online database
(subscription required), accessed 18 June 2014 In July 1897, he was expected to accompany the Volunteer Glasgow Infantry Brigade (which he had commanded since its inception) to Aldershot, where they were to perform duties akin to regular battalions stationed there. This was the first time in the history of the volunteer movement this was to occur. However, during the negotiations for this historic event, he resigned due to ill health.

Political career

On 28 August 1871 Montgomery-Cuninghame was commissioned as Deputy Lieutenant of Ayrshire. He sat as Conservative Member of Parliament for

Ayr Burghs Ayr Burghs was a district of burghs constituency of the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliamen ...

from 31 January 1874 to 31 March 1880. He was a Justice of the Peace for the counties of Lanark and Wigtown.

Personal life

On 22 April 1869 at Little Dalby, Leicestershire, he married Elizabeth Hartopp, a daughter of Edward Bourchier Hartopp, MP for

North Leicestershire North Leicestershire, formally the "Northern Division of Leicestershire", was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) by the bloc vote system ...

, and Honoria Gent (a daughter of Maj.-Gen. William Gent), in 1869. Together, they had nine children, two sons and seven daughters, including: * Edith Honoria Montgomery-Cuninghame (1870–1949), who married diplomat Sir John Tilley. * Lilian Margaret Montgomery-Cuninghame (1871–1871), who died young. * Marjory Eva Charlotte Montgomery-Cuninghame (1873–1952) * Elizabeth Montgomery-Cuninghame (1874–1874), who died young. * Violet Jessie Montgomery-Cuninghame (1876–1947) * Sir Thomas Andrew Alexander Montgomery-Cuninghame, 10th Baronet (1877–1945), who married Alice Frances Denison Des Voeux, daughter of Sir George William Des Voeux, in 1904. They divorced in 1925 and he married Nancy Macaulay Foggo, daughter of W. Stewart Foggo, in 1925. * Edward William Montgomery-Cuninghame (1878–1935), a Lt.-Col. in the Royal Artillery; he married Mary Stewart, daughter of James Stewart, in 1909. * Letitia Margaret Montgomery-Cuninghame (1880–1880), who died young. * Bridget Anne Montgomery-Cuninghame (1886–1960), who married Capt. Henry Gilbert Smith-Rewse.Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish geneal ...

, 2003, vol. 1, p. 995. Montgomery-Cuninghame became the 9th Baronet of Corsehill on the death of his father on 30 August 1870. He died on 11 November 1897, aged 63 at Gunton Old Hall, Lowestoft, Suffolk after a period of ill health. He was buried in Kirkmichael Churchyard, Ayr with his wife, where a window commemorates him.Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)

References

External links

*
Location of grave and VC medal
''(Strathclyde)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery-Cuninghame, Sir William, 9th Baronet 1834 births 1897 deaths People from Maybole Nobility from South Ayrshire People educated at Harrow School Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia British Army personnel of the Crimean War Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Rifle Brigade officers Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Scottish constituencies UK MPs 1874–1880 Royal Scots Fusiliers officers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Scottish Tory MPs (pre-1912) Montgomery-Cuninghame family