Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn
Encyclopedia
Alexander Cunningham, 1st Earl of Glencairn, 1st Lord Kilmaurs (1426 – June 11, 1488) was a Scottish nobleman.
He was firstly created a Lord of Parliament
in 1450, with the title Lord Kilmaurs.
King James III of Scotland
created Lord Kilmaurs Earl of Glencairn
on May 28, 1488, by Letters Patent
under the Great Seal
.
Fighting on his king's side, he was slain at the Battle of Sauchieburn
on 11 June 1488.
The Earl married Margaret, daughter of Sir Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes
, and sister of Sir Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord Hailes. They had four sons. The second son, William, was ancestor of the Cunninghams of Craigends, Robertland,Bedlan, Auchenharvey, and Auchenyards.
By the Act Rescissory, passed in the first parliament of James IV
, October 17, 1488, all creations of new dignities granted by that monarch's father since the preceding February 2 were annulled, and, in consequence, Robert Cunningham, 2nd Lord Kilmaurs, eldest son of this Earl of Glencairn, was deprived of the title and dignity of Earl. This was, however, overturned by the 1503 Act Revocatory.
He was firstly created a Lord of Parliament
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland, ranking below a viscount...
in 1450, with the title Lord Kilmaurs.
King James III of Scotland
James III of Scotland
James III was King of Scots from 1460 to 1488. James was an unpopular and ineffective monarch owing to an unwillingness to administer justice fairly, a policy of pursuing alliance with the Kingdom of England, and a disastrous relationship with nearly all his extended family.His reputation as the...
created Lord Kilmaurs Earl of Glencairn
Earl of Glencairn
The title of Earl of Glencairn was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1488 for the first Lord Kilmaurs .On the death of the fifteenth earl in 1796, there existing no original Letters Patent of the creation nor a given remainder in the various confirmations in title of previous earls the title...
on May 28, 1488, by Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
under the Great Seal
Great Seal of Scotland
The Great Seal of Scotland allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each document individually. Wax is melted in a metal mould or matrix and impressed into a wax figure that is attached by cord or ribbon to documents that the monarch wishes to make official...
.
Fighting on his king's side, he was slain at the Battle of Sauchieburn
Battle of Sauchieburn
The Battle of Sauchieburn was fought on June 11, 1488, at the side of Sauchie Burn, a stream about two miles south of Stirling, Scotland. The battle was fought between as many as 30,000 troops of King James III of Scotland and some 18,000 troops raised by a group of dissident Scottish nobles...
on 11 June 1488.
The Earl married Margaret, daughter of Sir Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes
Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes
Adam Hepburn, Master of Hailes was Sheriff of Berwickshire in April 1467, and had a charter of confirmation of Dunsyre in the sheriffdom of Lanarkshire, dated 13 October 1475, being thereafter designated 'of Dunsyre'....
, and sister of Sir Patrick Hepburn, 1st Lord Hailes. They had four sons. The second son, William, was ancestor of the Cunninghams of Craigends, Robertland,Bedlan, Auchenharvey, and Auchenyards.
By the Act Rescissory, passed in the first parliament of James IV
James IV of Scotland
James IV was King of Scots from 11 June 1488 to his death. He is generally regarded as the most successful of the Stewart monarchs of Scotland, but his reign ended with the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field, where he became the last monarch from not only Scotland, but also from all...
, October 17, 1488, all creations of new dignities granted by that monarch's father since the preceding February 2 were annulled, and, in consequence, Robert Cunningham, 2nd Lord Kilmaurs, eldest son of this Earl of Glencairn, was deprived of the title and dignity of Earl. This was, however, overturned by the 1503 Act Revocatory.