William Cunningham, 8th Earl of Glencairn (1575–1630) was a Scottish politician. The son of James Cunningham, 7th Earl of Glencairn by his spouse Margaret (d. January 1610), daughter of Sir

Colin Campbell of Glenorchy Colin Campbell of Glenorchy (1499–1583) was a Scottish courtier and landowner. Life Colin Campbell was the son of Colin Campbell (d. 1523), reckoned 3rd laird of Glenorchy, and Margaret Stewart (d. 1524), daughter of John Stewart, 2nd Earl of ...

and Katherine Ruthven. His sisters included Lady Ann Cunningham and

Margaret Cunningham (autobiographer) Lady Margaret Cunningham (1580s – September 1623, in Malsly) was a Scottish Memoir, memoirist and correspondent, the daughter of James Cunningham, 7th Earl of Glencairn (1552–1630) and his first wife Margaret, daughter of Colin Campbell of Gl ...

. William succeeded his father in 1630 but enjoyed the earldom only for a short time, dying himself in October that year.

Finlaystone House Finlaystone House is a mansion and estate in the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire. It lies near the southern bank of the Firth of Clyde, beside the village of Langbank, in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Finla ...

and estate in

Inverclyde Inverclyde (, , , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire, which ...

was the seat of the

Earl of Glencairn Earl of Glencairn was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. King James III of Scotland, James III created the title in 1488 by royal charter for Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn, Alexander Cunningham, 1st Lord Kilmaurs. He held the e ...

and chief of clan Cunningham from 1405 to 1796.

Marriage and family

He married Janet Kerr, daughter of

Mark Kerr, 1st Earl of Lothian Mark Kerr (or Ker), 1st Earl of Lothian (15538 April 1609) was a Scottish nobleman and politician. He became the first Earl of Lothian in 1606. Family background He was a member of the "famous border family" of Ker of Cessford. He was the son ...

, by his wife Margaret Maxwell, daughter of John Maxwell,

Lord Herries of Terregles Lord Herries of Terregles (pronounced "''Heh''-reez of Ter-regulls'") is a hereditary title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1490 for Herbert Herries with remainder to his heirs general. On the death of his grandson, William, 3rd ...

. They had three sons and five daughters, including: *

William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn William Cunningham, 9th Earl of Glencairn () (1610–1664), was a Scottish nobleman, Lord Chancellor of Scotland, and a cavalier. He was also the chief of Clan Cunningham. The eldest son of William Cunningham, 8th Earl of Glencairn, on 21 July ...

* Colonel Robert Cunningham, who was an usher to King Charles II * Alexander Cunningham * Elizabeth Cunningham, who married Sir Ludovic Stewart of Minto * Margaret Cunningham (d. 1678), who married (1) on 31 December 1639 David Bethune, 8th of Creich, (d. 1660), and (2) John Chisholm of Cromlix * Jean Cunningham * Lilias Cunningham * Marion Cunningham, who married (1) as his second wife James Ogilvy, 1st

Earl of Findlater Earl of Seafield is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1701 for James Ogilvie, who in 1711 succeeded his father as 4th Earl of Findlater. The earldoms of Findlater and Seafield continued to be united until 1811, when the earl ...

, and (2) as his second wife Alexander Fraser, Master of Saltoun, son of Alexander, 11th

Lord Saltoun Lord Saltoun, of Abernethy, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1445 for Sir Lawrence Abernethy. The title remained in the Abernethy family until the death in 1669 of his descendant the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded ...

. Their son became William Fraser, 12th Lord Saltoun * Anne Cunningham

References

* Anderson, William, ''The Scottish Nation'', Edinburgh, 1867, vol.v, p. 312. 1575 births 1630 deaths Nobility from Inverclyde Earl of Glencairn {{Scotland-earl-stub