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| Baird of Saughtonhall, baronets |
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| Baird of Newbyth, baronets |
Sir John Baird (1620-98), kt., Lord Newbyth, succeeded his father in his lands in Aberdeenshire, but found these remote properties too far from Edinburgh to be useful to him, and sold them. A few years later, having become a justice of the Court of Session, he bought an estate in East Lothian at Foord and Whitekirk, which was erected into a barony with the name of 'Newbyth'. He later also acquired the barony of Gilmerton in Midlothian. He was succeeded at his death by his only surviving son, Sir William Baird (1654-1737), 1st bt., who was made a baronet by King Charles II in 1680 after he represented the Scottish Parliament in a delegation to London in a manner which gave satisfaction to the king. In the early 18th century he built a grand new Palladian house on the Newbyth estate which was among the houses illustrated by William Adam for his book Vitruvius Scoticus, although it would seem that Adam himself was not responsible for the design. When he died in 1737, Sir William was succeeded by his elder son, Sir John Baird (1685-1745), 2nd bt., who as a young man had been MP for Midlothian for seven years. He, however, did not long survive his father, and when he died in 1745 his baronetcy became extinct, and the Newbyth estate passed to a grandson of the 1st baronet of Saughtonhall.
Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt., the merchant son of James Baird (c.1588-1655), had invested part of his fortune in buying the estate of Saughtonhall on the outskirts of Edinburgh in about 1660 and was made a baronet in 1696. When he died the following year, he was succeeded in both his baronetcy and his estates by his eldest son, Sir James Baird (1657-1715), 2nd bt., although he also made generous financial provision for his younger sons, several of whom became merchants and bankers of some consequence, and baillies (magistrates) of Edinburgh. The youngest but one, William Baird (1668-1737), who was a merchant in Edinburgh, is easily confused with his cousin and namesake Sir William Baird (1654-1737), 1st bt. of Newbyth, not least because both men died in the same year. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that the son of William Baird (1668-1737) of Edinburgh, yet another William Baird (1697-1765), was the heir to Newbyth in 1745. We shall return to him shortly.
Sir James Baird (1657-1715), 2nd bt., of Saughtonhall, was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Robert Baird (1684-1740), 3rd bt. Sir Robert's eldest son, Sir David Baird (c.1716-45), 4th bt., was an officer in the army, and died unmarried from wounds received at the Battle of Fontenoy, a French victory in the War of the Austrian Succession. The baronetcy and the Saughtonhall estate then passed to Sir David's younger brother, Sir William Baird (1721-71), 5th bt., who was an officer in the Royal Navy. It is far from clear how much use he ever made of the estate, as he maintained his career in the Navy, and the house at Saughtonhall must have seemed very old-fashioned by the mid 18th century. He did, however, marry a local heiress, in the form of Frances Gardiner, whose father, Col. James Gardiner, had been killed when his house at Bankton was caught up in the fighting at the Jacobite victory at Prestonpans in 1746. Sir William Baird's son, Lt-Col. Sir James Gardner Baird (c.1756-1830), 6th bt. was also a career soldier, who leased Saughtonhall to tenants. After he retired from the army in 1796, and when he had a young family, he may have lived in the house himself for a while, but he seems to have preferred renting or buying properties for a few years and then moving on. In 1824 he took on a long-term tenant at Saughtonhall, which became a private lunatic asylum for the rest of the 19th century and was greatly extended. Sir J.G. Baird was succeeded by his grandson, also Sir James Gardiner Baird (1813-96), 7th bt., who was in the army until a riding accident in 1842 obliged him to retire and devote his attention to the local volunteer forces instead. He lived at various addresses in Edinburgh but continued to manage the Saughtonhall estate. By the time of his death the estate was increasingly surrounded by the development of the Edinburgh suburbs, and his son and heir, Sir William James Gardiner Baird (1854-1921), 8th bt. sold much of the land for housing development. The mental hospital in Saughtonhall having closed, in 1907 he sold the house to Edinburgh Corporation. The house and its grounds provided the setting for the highly successful Scottish National Exhibition the following year, but thereafter the house became something of a white elephant, and when it succumbed to dry rot after neglect during the Second World War, the Corporation arranged for it to be burned down as a public spectacle on Guy Fawkes' Night in 1952. The ruins were subsequently demolished and used as hardcore for new streets in the city.
William Baird (1697-1765) inherited the Newbyth estate from his second cousin in 1745, the year his first wife divorced him. He married again in 1747 and produced a large family, all of whom were still minors when he died. His heir, William Baird (1748-69), died unexpectedly only a month or two after coming of age, and his next surviving brother, Robert Baird (c.1752-1828) therefore came unexpectedly into possession of Newbyth. He held the house for nearly sixty years, but unfortunately in 1813 the central block was gutted by fire. He pulled down everything except the stables and built a new house in 1817-19 to the design of Alexander Elliot. Two of his younger brothers, Gen. Sir David Baird (1757-1829), 1st bt. and Maj-Gen. Joseph Baird (d. 1816), both became prominent figures in the army, with the former in particular becoming something of a national hero. Sir David had hoped for a peerage, but when he was made a baronet he arranged a special remainder to his brother Robert and the latter's heirs. For this reason, in 1829 Robert Baird of Newbyth's son, David (c.1795-1852), became Sir David Baird, 2nd bt. His claim to fame was a passion for golf, which led him to be one of the founders, and the first Captain, of North Berwick Golf Club and in 1843 to the honour of being Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews.
In 1852 the Newbyth estate descended to Sir David Baird (1831-1913), 3rd bt., who served in the army for just eight years but in that time rose to the rank of Major and saw action in a number of harrowing conflicts. In 1864 he married one of the two daughters and co-heirs of Charles Stuart, 12th and last Lord Blantyre. When he died in 1900, Lord Blantyre left much of his extensive property to Sir David's younger son, William Arthur Baird (1879-1933), including the Erskine House and Cardonald estates in Renfrewshire, Lennoxlove in East Lothian and Wedderlie House at Gordon (Berwickshire). These extensive holdings greatly exceeded the size of the Newbyth estate which was the sole patrimony of William's elder brother, Sir David Baird (1865-1941), 4th bt, and they allowed William to capture an aristocratic wife, the third daughter of the 4th Marquess Conyngham.
By the end of the First World War, Sir David Baird was finding it a struggle to maintain Newbyth. It was also clear that Sir David would have no sons to succeed him and that the baronetcy would in due course pass to William Arthur Baird or his sons. Accordingly, Sir David executed a family arrangement by which Newbyth was made over to his brother. In the event, he outlived his brother, and when he died in 1941 the baronetcy passed to his nephew, another Sir David Baird (1912-2000), 5th bt. Meanwhile, the fiercely hostile climate of the 20th century was also eating away at the Blantyre inheritance. The expansion of Glasgow led W.A. Baird to sell Erskine House in 1910 and the Cardonald estate in 1926. The proceeds were ploughed into Lennoxlove, where he employed Sir Robert Lorimer to modernise and remodel the house, and where he lived in considerable comfort until his unexpectedly early death. Death duties then took their toll. He divided his property between his two sons, with the elder, Sir David Baird (1912-2000), 5th bt., receiving Newbyth and Wedderlie House, and the younger, Robert Walter Stuart Baird (1914-89) receiving Lennoxlove. All of these properties had, however, been sold by the middle of the 20th century: Wedderlie in 1942 and Newbyth and Lennoxlove in 1946. Three centuries of the Bairds as landed proprietors had come to an abrupt end, and today only the baronetcies of Newbyth and Saughtonhall survive to attest to the former status of the families.
Newbyth House, Whitekirk, East Lothian
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| Newbyth House: front elevation of the 18th century house from Vitruvius Scoticus, 1811. |
The predecessor of the present house was a Palladian building, constructed in the early 18th century for Sir William Baird (d. 1737), 1st bt., and featured in Vitruvius Scoticus, although the house is not there attributed to any architect and was thus presumably not by William Adam, who planned the book and made the engravings (although it was not published until the early 19th century). It consisted of a central block with a seven-bay entrance front and five-bay garden front, linked by quadrant wings to four-bay pavilions. The main block was of two main storeys and an attic above a basement, while the pavilions were of a single storey only above the basement. Inside, the entrance hall was separated from the dining room in the centre of the garden front by a pair of oval staircases set either side of a lobby, which no doubt led up to a first-floor saloon. To the right lay the drawing room and state apartment, with the library, which was the largest room in the house, beyond the quadrant wing in the pavilion. To the left of the hall was Mrs. Baird's apartment and a small parlour, while her husband's rooms and the muniment room lay in the pavilion beyond.
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| Newbyth House: plan and general layout from Vitruvius Scoticus, 1811. |
According to the Gentleman's Magazine, the central block of the house was destroyed by fire on 1 May 1813, although the contents of the ground floor rooms were rescued and the wings (including the library and the muniment room) and the stables escaped the flames; the stables survive to this day. This catastrophe occurred during the ownership of Robert Baird (c.1752-1828), who almost at once commissioned a replacement house from Archibald Elliot, which was designed in 1817 and built in 1818-19. The new house was a nearly square building in battlemented Gothic with octagonal angle-towers.
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| Newbyth House: the east and south fronts from a postcard of c.1910. |
Each front is differently treated. Those to the south and west have a taller centre between thin octagonal turrets. On the west (entrance) front, however, the centre bays are recessed behind Gothic arches to form a porch below and a balcony above. All the windows are hood-moulded and probably all used to have pointed glazing in the top lights. To the south-east is the billiard room wing, added in 1832 for Sir David Baird, 2nd bt., and joined to the main house by a curving flat-arched link with service corridor below. The offices are cunningly concealed in a fold of the ground at this lower level.
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| Newbyth House: a recent photograph of the house. |
In 1972 the house was almost entirely gutted by fire in the course of conversion into flats, as a result of which little survives of the interior decoration. The porch opens into a vestibule with a delicate plaster vault which was restored after the fire. The saloon had slender shafts, paired across the corners, with plaster ribs dividing the upper walls and springing up to the octagonal lantern. It is now an open courtyard with harled walls. One room in the south-east corner has its original woodwork and the balcony bedrooms still have simple Gothic chimneypieces and grates. Other fittings have been imported, e.g. the handrail and balusters of the staircase, which came from a house in Picardy Place, Edinburgh, and the dining room panelling, which came from Clerkington House, Haddington, demolished in 1962.
Descent: sold to Sir John Baird (1620-98), kt., Lord Newbyth; to son, Sir William Baird (1654-1737), 1st bt.; to son, Sir John Baird (1685-1745), 2nd bt.; to second cousin, William Baird (1697-1765); to son, William Baird (1748-69); to brother, Robert Baird (c.1752-1828); to son, Sir David Baird (1795-1852), 2nd bt.; to son, Sir David Baird (1832-1913), 3rd bt.; to son, Sir David Baird (1865-1941), 4th bt.; made over c.1920 to his brother, Maj. William Arthur Baird (1879-1933); to son, Sir David Baird (1912-2000), 6th bt, who sold 1946 to Bill Elliot; sold to Robin Jell, who was converting the house to flats at the time of the fire in 1972.
Saughtonhall, Midlothian
The house began as an early 17th century L-plan tower house, thought to have been built for Thomas Mudie (d. 1651). It consisted of a three-storey and garret block, and the entrance opened directly into a turnpike staircase. The ground storey was vaulted, with the hall on the floor above. By the late 18th century the house was generally let, and after the house became a private lunatic asylum in 1824, it was transformed into an extensive mansion by the addition of two wings with crow stepped gables and gothic towers.
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| Saughtonhall: the house at the end of the 19th century |
It was enlarged at least three times during the 19th century, and also provided with elaborate rose gardens, which were believed to have a calming influence on the patients. The grounds were sold to Edinburgh Corporation in 1900 and developed as Saughton Park. The house followed in 1907, and the following year the house and grounds provided the setting for the highly successful Scottish National Exhibition of 1908. Thereafter, the house was neglected and developed dry rot, and the Corporation, realising it had no use for the house, employed the Royal Engineers and the Fire Brigade to burn it down. Since this was done on Guy Fawkes Night 1952, a public spectacle was presumably intended - the masonry equivalent of a public execution. In a final ignominy, the stone from the building was used to construct new roads in Edinburgh.
Descent: estate built up c.1636-50 by Thomas Mudie (d. 1651); to daughter, Janet, wife of Sir Alexander Maxwell of Calderwood, who sold c.1660 to Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt.; to son, Sir James Baird (1657-1715), 2nd bt.; to son, Sir Robert Baird (1684-1740), 3rd bt.; to son, Sir David Baird (c.1716-45), 4th bt.; to brother, Capt. Sir William Baird (1721-71), 5th bt.; to son, Sir James Gardiner Baird (c.1756-1830), 6th bt., who leased from 1824 to Saughton Hall Asylum; to grandson, Sir James Gardiner Baird (1813-96), 7th bt.; to son, Sir William James Gardiner Baird (1854-1921), 8th bt., who sold 1907 to Edinburgh Corporation, who used the house and grounds for the Scottish National Exhibition in 1908; deliberately destroyed by fire, 1952, and subsequently demolished.
Baird family of Newbyth, baronets
Baird, James (c.1588-1655). Fourth son of Gilbert Baird (d. 1620) of Auchmedden (Aberdeens.) and his wife Lilias, daughter and heiress of Walter Baird of Ordinhivas, born about 1588. Advocate. MP for Edinburgh in Scottish Parliament. Sole Commissary of the Ecclesiastical Court in the reign of King Charles I. A warrant was issued by King Charles for raising him to the peerage as Lord Doveran, but he was a Covenanter and in the turbulent years of the Civil War the patent was never issued. He married, 11 February 1617 at Edinburgh, Beatrix (k/a Bethia), daughter of Sir John Dempster of Pitliver, and had issue:
(1) Sir John Baird (1620-98), kt. (q.v.);
(2) Anna Baird (1624-80), born 28 May 1624; married, 1643, Sir James Ramsay (1618-74), kt., of Whitehill (Midlothian), and had issue three sons and two daughters; died 1680;
(3) Andrew Baird (b. 1625), born 25 November 1625; living in December 1672;
(4) James Baird (b. 1627), born 25 April 1627; presumably died young;
(5) Rachel Baird (b. 1628), born 22 April 1628;
(6) Thomas Baird (1629-89), born 2 August 1629; sheriff depute of Edinburgh; married, 30 December 1662, Janet Smyth (d. 1698) and had issue one daughter; died 27 September 1689;
(7) Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt., of Saughtonhall [for whom see Baird family of Saughtonhall, baronets, below];
(8) Bethia Baird (b. 1631), born 28 November 1631; presumably died young;
(9) Alexander Baird (1632-c.1708), born 28 December 1632; merchant in Edinburgh; died before 6 November 1708;
(10) Euphamie Baird (b. 1635), born 23 March 1635; married, 15 March 1655, Sir Patrick Murray (1626-89) of Deuchar (Midlothian), merchant in France, and had issue;
(11) Bethia Baird (b. 1636), born 2 December 1636;
(12) James Baird (b. 1638), born 12 March 1638.
He purchased the lands of Byth (Aberdeens.).
He died in August 1655. His widow died before 1662.
Baird, Sir John (1620-98), kt. Eldest son of James Baird (d. 1655) and his wife Bethia, daughter of Sir John Dempster of Pitliver, baptised in Edinburgh, 10 September 1620. He was bred to the law and was admitted Advocate, 3 June 1647. Like his father he was a Covenanter, but he had been knighted by 1653, and travelled extensively in Europe. At the Restoration he was excluded from the Scottish Act of Indemnity of 1662, paying a fine of £2,400, but he was soon rehabilitated. In 1663 he was appointed deputy to Lord Lyon King of Arms, and in 1664 he was made a Lord of Session as Lord Newbyth, serving until 1681, when he was excluded from a new commission, presumably because of his opposition to the harsh measures being taken against opponents of the Government. He was MP for Aberdeenshire in the Scottish Parliament, 1665 and 1667, and in 1670 he was nominated one of the commissioners to negotiate the then projected treaty of union between Scotland and England. He served as a commissioner of supply for Midlothian in 1685, 1689 and 1690. He clearly welcomed the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and was reinstated as a Lord of Session, 1689-98. He married, c.1647, Margaret (c.1621-1707), daughter of Sir William Hay of Linplum, brother of the 1st Earl of Tweeddale and had issue:
(1) John Baird (b. 1648), born 4 October 1648; died in infancy;
(2) Margaret Baird (b. 1649), born 23 December 1649; died unmarried as the result of a coach accident shortly before she was due to be married (some accounts say, on the way to her wedding) at Yester (East Lothian);
(3) John Baird (1652-85?), born 23 September 1652; probably the writer to the signet of that name who was buried at Edinburgh, 29 November 1685;
(4) Sir William Baird (1654-1737), 1st bt. (q.v.).He inherited Little Fiddes and Byth (Aberdeens.) from his father in 1655, but finding this estate too far from Edinburgh, he sold it. A little later, he purchased the lands of Foord and Whitekirk in East Lothian which were erected into a new barony of Newbyth, and in 1667 he was also granted the barony of Gilmerton (Midlothian).
He died 27 April 1698; will confirmed 5 April 1699 and 5 December 1707. His widow died aged 86 and was buried at Liberton, 29 July 1707.
Baird, Sir William (1654-1737), 1st bt. Only son of Sir John Baird (1620-98), kt., Lord Newbyth, and his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir William Hay of Linplum, born 12 November 1654. Admitted as an Advocate, 31 July 1680. He was sent by the Scottish Parliament as a deputation to King Charles II, who on that occasion created him a baronet in the lifetime of his father, 4 February 1679/80. He married 1st, 3 October 1678 at Liberton, Helen (d. 1701), daughter of Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar, Lord President of the Court of Session, and 2nd, 11 June 1711 at Dysart, Margaret alias Mary (d. 1756), third daughter of Henry Sinclair, 10th Lord Sinclair, and had issue:
(1.1) Sir John Baird (1685-1745), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(1.2) Alexander Baird (1686-1743), born 21 September 1686; married 1st, 12 November 1711, Christian (d. 1713), daughter of Capt. James Wauchope of Niddry and 2nd, Hon. Margaret (d. 1732), only daughter of John Hamilton, 3rd Lord Belhaven & Stenton, but had no issue; died 23 June 1743.
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his father in 1698 and built a new house there in the early 18th century.
He died 17 February, and was buried at Liberton, 22 February 1737. His first wife died 22 April 1701. His widow died 23 October 1756.
Baird, Sir John (1685-1745), 2nd bt. Elder son of Sir William Baird (1654-1737), 1st bt., and his first wife, Helen, daughter of Sir John Gilmour of Craigmillar, born 13 October 1685. Probably the person of this name educated at Glasgow University (admitted 1702; MA 1706). A Whig in politics; MP for Midlothian, 1715-22, in which capacity he secured a sinecure as Commissioner of the Equivalent, 1715-19. He succeeeded his father as 2nd baronet, 17 February 1737. He married, 15 January 1715 at Liberton (Midlothian), Janet (1698-1766), only daughter of the Hon. Sir David Dalrymple of Hailes, 1st bt., but had no issue.
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his father in 1737. At his death, his estate passed to his second cousin, William Baird (1697-1765).
He died at Berwick, 30 September 1745, when his baronetcy became extinct. His widow married 2nd, Gen. the Hon. James St. Clair (d. 1762) of Dysart; she died 8 January 1766.
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Baird, William (1668-1737). Younger son of Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt., of Saughtonhall [for whom see below], and his wife Elizabeth (d. 1676), daughter of Michael Fleming of Ratho Byres, born 20 October 1668. Merchant (retired from business, 1707) and baillie of Edinburgh. He married, 13 February 1696/7, Catherine (1667-1746?), daughter of Sir William Binning, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and had issue including:
(1) William Baird (1697-1765) (q.v.);
(2) Robert Baird (b. 1698), born 2 December 1698; died young;
(3) James Baird (1699-1768), born 30 December 1699; banker in London and paymaster to several regiments; gentleman of the privy chamber to King George III, 1763; married, 1741, Susanna Fogg or Fox, widow; died at Bath 'after a long and painful illness', 27 May 1768;
(4) Patrick alias Peter Baird (b. 1701), born 2 January 1701; trained as a surgeon and went abroad; married and had issue one daughter;
(5) David Baird (1702-64), born 27 March 1702; merchant at Edinburgh; died unmarried in Bath (Somerset), 1764; will confirmed 30 April 1764;
(6) John Baird (b. 1703), born 11 November 1703;
(7) Elizabeth Baird (b. 1704), born 6 December 1704;
(8) Sally Baird (b. & d. 1705); died in infancy, 23 September and was buried at Edinburgh, 24 September 1705;
(9) Robert Baird (1707-08?), born 19 September 1707; probably the child of this name who died 30 July 1708.
He lived in Edinburgh.
He was buried in Liberton church, 26 September 1737; his will was confirmed 15 February 1740. His widow was probably the person of that name buried at Edinburgh, 6 October 1746.
Baird, William (1697-1765). Son of William Baird (1668-1737) and his wife Catherine, daughter of Sir William Binning, Lord Provost of Edinburgh, born 29 December 1697. He married 1st, 1740 (div. 1745), Sarah, daughter of Malcolm Murray of Marchfield (by whom he had two children, who both died before their divorce), and 2nd, 4 May 1747 at Norham (Northbld), Alicia alias Alison (1720-87?), fourth daughter of Robert Johnston of Hilltown (Berwicks) and had issue:
(2.1) William Baird (1748-69), born 7 April 1748; died suddenly at Bristol, 18 June 1769;
(2.2) Mary Baird (b. 1749), born 1 April 1749; married, 2 February 1770 at Newbyth, John Erskine (1742-1812) of Dun, and had issue two sons and three daughters;
(2.3) Catherine Baird (b. 1750), born 29 November 1750; married James Renny and had issue one son and six daughters; living in 1823;
(2.4) Robert Baird (c.1752-1828) (q.v.);
(2.5) Janet Baird (b. c.1753);
(2.6) Col. John Baird (1754-1819); an officer in the 53rd Foot (Maj., 1794) and later Colonel of the Aberdeen militia; lived at Byth (Aberdeens.), but died at the home of his brother David at Ferntower, 4 August and was buried at Liberton (Midlothian), 9 August 1819;
(2.7) James Baird (b. 1755);
(2.8) Alicia Baird (1756-1811); married, 26 September 1776, Capt. John Wauchope of Niddrie;
(2.9) Gen. Sir David Baird (1757-1829), 1st bt. (q.v.);
(2.10) Maj-Gen. Joseph Baird (d. 1816); an officer in the army (Lt., 1782; Capt., 1792; Maj., 1794; Lt-Col., 1799; Col., 1809; Maj-Gen, 1812); married, 27 February 1802, Hon. Esther Charlotte (d. 1850), daughter of William Tonson, 1st Baron Riversdale, and had issue; died at the Cape of Good Hope, 4 April 1816; will proved in the PCC, 20 November 1816;
(2.11) Susan Baird (d. 1822); married, 6 October 1806 at Clifton (Glos), Lt-Col. Henry Andrew Cerjat and had issue; died 30 April and was buried at Clifton, 3 May 1822;
(2.12) Anne Baird (d. 1803); married, 17 January 1790 at Aberdeen, as his first wife, George Gordon (1761-1823) of Esslemont and Hallhead; died 1803;
(2.13) Sidney (f.) Baird (d. 1822); died unmarried at Newbyth, 8 December 1822; will proved in the PCC, 12 March 1823 and confirmed in Scotland, 11 November 1823;
(2.14) Charlotte Baird (c.1765-95), born about 1765; married, 18 June 1782 at Gilmerton, Rt. Hon. George Gordon (1764-91), Lord Haddo, and had issue six sons and one daughter; died 8 October and was buried at Methlick (Aberdeens.), 7 November 1795.
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his second cousin, Sir John Baird (1686-1745), 2nd bt., in 1745.
He died 5 January 1765. His widow died c.1787.
Baird, Robert (c.1752-1828). Eldest surviving son of William Baird (1697-1765) and his wife Alicia, fourth daughter of Robert Johnston of Hilltown (Berwicks), born about 1752. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1769; Lt., 1774; Capt., 1778; retired 1781). He was described in 1788 as 'a sportsman, under obligations to Henry Dundas' and sat as MP for the Haddington Burghs, 1796-1802; he vacated his seat for Lord Lauderdale's brother and although he was interested in standing elsewhere was never elected. He married 1st, 20 November 1778 at Hutton (Berwicks.), his cousin Hester (d. 1789), daughter of Wynne Johnston of Hilltown and 2nd, 16 August 1791 at Hutton, Hersey Christina Maria (1772-1829), second daughter of David Gavin of Langton (Berwicks), and had issue:
(2.1) John Baird (c.1793-1806), born about 1793; a midshipman in the Royal Navy; died on active service from a head wound at Algiers, September 1806;
(2.2) Sir David Baird (c.1795-1852), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(2.3) Capt. Wynne Baird (1795-1834), born 2 December and baptised at Whitekirk, 21 December 1795; an officer in the Royal Navy (Lt., 1816; Cmdr., 1824; Capt.); married, 12 November 1824 at Lausanne (Switzerland), Madelina Susan (d. 1827), daughter of Lt-Col. Henry Andrew Cerjat and had issue one son (from whom descends the heir presumptive to the barony of Newbyth) and one daughter; lived latterly at Bellerive near Lausanne; died suddenly in London, 16 April 1834; administration of goods (with will annexed) granted in PCC, 8 January and 17 June 1835;
(2.4) Elizabeth Baird (c.1799-1866), born about 1799; married, 9 November 1816, Lt-Col. William Wauchope (d. 1825) of Niddrie and had issue one son and one daughter; died 27 April 1866; will proved 4 May 1866 (effects under £5,000);
(2.5) James Maitland Baird (1802-42), born 14 March 1802; lived at Trinity, Edinburgh; will proved in the PCC, 2 November 1842;
(2.6) A son (b. & d. 1804), born and died 13 January 1804;
(2.7) Christina Maria Hersey Baird (c.1812-67); married, 25 July 1833 at Ferntower (Perths.), William Henry Drummond (1810-86), 7th Viscount Strathallan and had issue three sons and four daughters; died 14 February 1867.
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his father in 1765.
He died 10 June 1828; his will was confirmed 29 October 1828. His first wife died 6 July 1789; her will was confirmed 21 May 1790. His widow died in July 1829.
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| Gen/ Sir David Baird, 1st bt. |
After leaving the army and marrying, he settled at his wife's house, Ferntower, near Crieff (Perths.), where the couple made improvements.
He died at Ferntower, 18 August 1829 and is commemorated by an obelisk on the estate erected by his widow; his will was proved in the PCC, 13 April 1880. His widow died 28 May 1847; her will was confirmed 4 December 1847. |
| Sir David Baird (c.1795-1852), 2nd bt. |
(1) Margaret Baird (1823-1903), born 17 May 1823; married, 26 November 1851, her cousin, Lord Gilbert Kennedy (1822-1901), son of Archibald Kennedy, Earl of Cassillis and brother of the 2nd Marquess of Ailsa, and had issue two sons and one daughter; died 24 March 1903; will proved 18 May 1903 (estate £3,483);
(2) Christian Maria Hersey Elizabeth Baird (1824-1908), born 5 September 1824; died unmarried, 4 June 1908; will proved 27 June and sealed in Edinburgh, 18 July 1908 (estate £14,474);
(3) Alice Anne Baird (1826-1908), born 9 September and baptised at Isleworth, 1 November 1826; married, May/June 1866 at St Peter, Eaton Sq., London, Rev. the Hon. Arthur Charles Baillie-Hamilton (1838-1910), vicar of Ridgmont (Beds), and had issue one daughter; died 16 Jan 1908;
(4) Robert Wynne Baird (1828-45), born 30 January 1828; educated at Grange Academy, Sunderland; drowned while sea bathing at Sunderland and trying to rescue his brother, 15 October 1845;
(5) Archibald Baird (1829-45), born 14 April 1829; educated at Grange Academy, Sunderland; accidentally drowned while sea bathing at Sunderland, 15 October 1845;
(6) Sir David Baird (1831-1913), 3rd bt. (q.v.);
(7) Adm. Sir John Erskine Kennedy Baird (1832-1908), kt., born 16 September and baptised 27 September 1832; an officer in the Royal Navy from 1845-97 (Lt., 1854; Cmdr., 1857; Capt., 1864; Rear-Adm., 1879; Adm., 1892); naval ADC to HM Queen Victoria, 1878; appointed KCB, 16 May 1890; married, 6 March 1905, Constance Barbara (who m2, 15 December 1925, Lord Charles Kennedy (1875-1956), later 5th Marquess of Ailsa, second son of Archibald Kennedy, 3rd Marquess of Ailsa, and died 3 November 1931), eldest daughter of Edward Clarke of Avishays Park (Somerset), but had no issue; died 8 December 1908; will proved 2 February 1909 (estate £4,035);
(8) Maj. Arthur William (aka William Arthur) Baird (1834-74), born 31 October 1834; an officer in the Army (Ensign, 1854; Lt., 1855; Capt., 1857; Br. Maj.); wounded in the Ashanti campaign in Ghana and died at sea of his wounds, 5 March 1874; administration of goods granted 12 May 1874 (effects under £9,000);
(9) Frederick Baird (1838-84), born 7 February 1838; an officer in the army (Ensign, 1859; Lt., 1863; retired 1875) and the militia Artillery (Capt., 1876; Maj., 1882); died unmarried, 28 May 1884; administration of goods granted 5 July 1884 (effects £8,825);
(10) Jonathan Peel Baird (1844-1915), born 9 January 1844; a clerk in the Civil Service from 1861-64 and later a land agent in Hampshire; married, 7 November 1867 at Hampton Wick (Middx), Emily Diana Frances (1846-1926), only daughter of Col. Sir George Ashley Maude KCB, and had issue two sons and seven daughters; died 22 April 1915; will proved 30 July 1915 (estate £2,274).
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his father in 1828.
He died on 8 January 1852 from injuries received a week earlier, when his horse kicked him and broke his leg in the hunting field. His widow died 2 November 1877; administration of her goods was granted 16 January 1878.
 |
| Sir David Baird, 3rd bt., in 1863. Image: NPG |
(1) Sir David Baird (1865-1941), 4th bt. (q.v.);
(2) Evelyn Baird (1871-1947), born 1871; appointed OBE (1918); married, 19 February 1903, Maj. the Hon. Ronald Thomas Graham Murray (1875-1934), only son and heir apparent of Andrew Graham Murray (1849-1942), 1st Viscount Dunedin, whom he predeceased; died 3 January 1947; will proved 11 March 1947 (estate £54,238);
(3) Hilda Baird (1875-1946), born 22 April 1875; married, 7 July 1908, Curtis Walter Lampson CBE (1875-1952), elder son of Norman George Lampson DL and had issue one son and one daughter; died 4 August 1946 and was buried at Christ Church, Shamley Green (Surrey); will proved 23 June 1947 (estate £59,578);
(4) William Arthur Baird (1879-1933) (q.v.);
(5) Mabel Baird (1880-1945), born 15 May 1880; died unmarried, 14 September 1945, and was buried at Christ Church, Shamley Green (Surrey);
(6) Cecilia Baird (1881-91), born 18 May 1881; died young, 24 April 1891.
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his father in 1852.
He died 13 October 1913; his will was confirmed 11 February 1914 (estate £12,125) and was sealed in London, 21 February 1914. His widow died 19 April 1927; her will was proved 14 June 1927 (estate £37,265).
Baird, Sir David (1865-1941), 4th bt. Elder son of Sir David Baird (1831-1913), 3rd bt. and his wife, the Hon. Ellen, second daughter and co-heir of Charles Stuart, 12th Lord Blantyre, born 6 May 1865. Educated at Eton. An officer in the army, 1887-1902, 1914-18 (Lt., 1886; Capt., 1893); ADC to Governor of Malta, 1890 and to GOC Scottish Command. Appointed MVO, 1909. He was an administrator of the Seafield estates and DL and JP for East Lothian. He married, 5 September 1901 at Sutton Courtenay (Berks), Lilian Gertrude (1862-1941), daughter of Maj-Gen. James Davidson and widow of Maj. Ernest Maxwell Willshire, and had issue:
(1) Jean Marjorie Baird (1902-61), baptised at St Saviour, Chelsea (Middx), 6 August 1902; lived in London; died unmarried, 16 December 1961; administration of her goods granted 28 June 1962 (estate £1,363).
He inherited the Newbyth estate from his father in 1913 and made it over by a family arrangement to his brother, William Arthur Baird, in about 1920.
He died 6 January 1941; his will was confirmed and sealed in Llandudno, 11 August 1941. His widow died 20 April 1941; her will was proved 1 October 1941 (estate £2,976).
Baird, William Arthur
(1879-1933). Younger son of Sir David
Baird (1832-1913), 3rd bt. and his wife, the Hon. Ellen, second daughter and
co-heir of Charles Stuart, 12th Lord Blantyre, born 20 March 1879. An
officer in the Lothians & Border Horse Yeomanry (2nd Lt., 1901; Lt., 1904;
Capt., after 1910 ; Maj., 1914). JP and DL (from 1918) for East Lothian and JP
(from 1904) for Renfrewshire; member of East Lothian County Council; President
of West Renfrew Unionist Association and later of East Lothian Unionist
Association. In 1903 he paid for the building of a chain ferry across the River
Clyde at Erskine. Chairman of the Caledonian Insurance Co., 1927-33. He
laid out a golf course in Erskine Park in 1901 and established a golf club
there in 1904; he also established Cardonald Bowling Club in 1914 and became
President of the East Lothian Antiquarian Society. He was an active member of
the East Lothian Agricultural Society, and a regular exhibitor at its shows. In
1927 he had the honour of entertaining HM King George V and Queen Mary at
Lennoxlove. He married, 28 January 1908 at All Saints, Ennismore Gardens,
London SW, Lady Hersey Constance Evelyn Conyngham (1887-1962), third daughter
of Henry Francis Conyngham, 4th Marquess Conyngham, and had issue:
(1)
Evelyn Frances Baird (1908-57), born 26 October 1908; she was unmarried and
without issue; last seen alive on 21 February 1957 and found drowned in Gifford
Water, Bolton (East Lothian), 27 February 1957;
(2)
Margaret Stuart Baird (1910-97), born 17 September 1910; married, 2 August 1938
at Holy Trinity, Sloane St., London, Marcus Humphrey Ure Spurway (1908-89) of
Munraw, Garvald (East Lothian), and had issue three sons and two daughters;
died 21 August 1997;
(3)
Sir David Charles Baird (1912-2000), 5th bt. (q.v.);
(4)
Robert Walter Stuart Baird (1914-89), born
5 March 1914; inherited Lennoxlove from his father in 1933 and came of age in
1939, but sold the estate to the Duke of Hamilton in 1946; served in World War
II with Lothian & Border Yeomanry (2nd Lt.; prisoner of war, 1940); married
1st, 21 April 1938 at Christ Church, Down St., London (div. 1960), Maxine
Christine, only child of Rupert Darrell of New York (USA) and had issue one son
(the present baronet) and 2nd, 1960, Maria Florine Viscart, by whom he had
issue one daughter (who lives in Switzerland); died 1989;
(5)
Hersey Ellen Baird (1916-2001), born 5 October 1916; served in Second World War
with ATS; married, 29 September 1939 at Holy Trinity, Haddington (div. 1959),
Maj. Lachlan Cecil Gordon-Duff, younger son of Capt. Lachlan Gordon-Duff of
Drummuir and Park (Banffs) and had issue two sons; died 7 March 2001.
He inherited Lord Blantyre's estates (Erskine House and Cardonald
(Renfrews.), Lennoxlove (E. Lothian) and Wedderlie House, Gordon (Berwicks.)) in 1900, and he was gifted Newbyth House by his brother
c.1920. He lived at first at Erskine House, but in 1910 sold this to the
Aikman family; it became a hospital in the First World War. He then moved to
Lennoxlove (East Lothian), which he commissioned Sir Robert Lorimer to remodel
in 1912 and where Rudyard Kipling described him as 'living... in a world of
priceless china, fans, and old world reliques of the Stewarts and Duchess of
Lennox', and he also used Wedderlie. The Cardonald estate was sold to Glasgow
Corporation in 1926.
He
died following an operation for peritonitis, 6 June, and was buried at
Whitekirk (Berwicks), 9 June 1933; his will was confirmed 22 November 1933
(estate £315,444) and sealed in London, 10 January 1934. His widow died 6
August 1962.
Baird, Sir David Charles (1912-2000), 5th bt. Elder son of William Arthur Baird (1879-1933) of Lennoxlove and Wedderlie, and his wife Lady Hersey Constance Evelyn, third daughter of Henry Francis Conyngham, 4th Marquess Conyngham, born 6 July 1912. Educated at Eton and Cambridge. He succeeded his uncle as 5th baronet, 6 January 1941. He was unmarried and without issue.
He inherited his father's property at
Newbyth and Wedderlie, but sold Wedderlie to Capt. Thomas Eliot in 1942, and
Newbyth in 1946. He lived latterly at Borgue (Kirkcudbrights.) and Dalbeattie
(Dumfries.)
He died 15 November 2000, when the baronetcy passed to his
nephew, Sir Charles William Stuart Baird (b. 1939), who lives in Australia.
Baird family of Saughtonhall, baronets
Baird, Sir Robert (1630-97), 1st bt. Second son of James Baird (d. 1655) [for whom see Baird of Newbyth, above] and his wife Bethia, daughter of Sir John Dempster of Pitliver, baptised at Edinburgh, 4 October 1630. 'A merchant of great reputation in Edinburgh'. He was created a baronet, 28 February 1695/6. He married, 18 January 1655 at Edinburgh, Elizabeth (d. 1676), daughter of Malcolm alias Michael Fleming of Ratho Byres, and had issue:
(1) Bethiah Baird (1656-1731), baptised at Edinburgh, 3 February 1656; married, 22 March 1676 at Edinburgh, Sir Robert Barclay (1658-1717), 2nd bt. of Pierston, son of Sir Robert Barclay, 1st bt., and had issue four sons and three daughters; buried at Glasgow, 21 January 1731;
(2) Sir James Baird (1657-1715), 2nd bt. (q.v.);
(3) Elizabeth Baird (b. 1659), baptised at Edinburgh, 1 May 1659; probably died young;
(4) Margaret Baird (1661-1745), baptised at Edinburgh, 21 March 1661; married, 20 April 1676 at Edinburgh, Sir Patrick Home (c.1650-1723), 1st bt., of Lumsden, and had issue one son and two daughters; died 12 February 1745;
(5) Robert Baird (1662-99), baptised at Edinburgh, 11 May 1662; an officer in Dutch service, who became the first Governor of Surinam; died unmarried and was buried at Edinburgh, July 1699; will confirmed, 21 June 1699;
(6) John Baird (b. 1663), baptised at Edinburgh, 2 August 1663; merchant at Danzig; died unmarried;
(7) Archibald Baird (1665-1724?), baptised at Edinburgh, 21 May 1665; perhaps the man of this name buried at Edinburgh, 22 November 1724;
(8) Mary Baird (b. 1666), baptised at Edinburgh, 24 August 1666; married Robert Watson of Muirhouse (Midlothian);
(9) Andrew Baird (b. 1668), baptised at Edinburgh, 24 April 1668; an officer in Dutch service, who died unmarried in the East Indies;
(10) William Baird (1669-1737) [for whom see above, under Baird of Newbyth, bts.];
(11) Alexander Baird (b. 1672), baptised at Edinburgh, 16 May 1672; emigrated to New York (USA); married and had issue;
(12) Elizabeth Baird (b. 1673), baptised at Edinburgh, 28 November 1673; married, 16 March 1698 at Edinburgh, as his second wife, Sir David Cunyngham (c.1648-1708), 1st bt., advocate and MP, and had issue one son;
(13) Agnes Baird (b. 1675), baptised at Edinburgh, 16 September 1675; died unmarried.
He purchased Saughtonhall in about 1660.
He died in February 1697 and was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 2 March 1697. His wife was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 18 October 1676.
Baird, Sir James (1657-1715), 2nd bt. Eldest son of Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt., and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Michael Fleming of Ratho Byres, baptised at Edinburgh, 7 April 1657. He married 1st, c.1680, Margaret (d. 1694), daughter of John Hamilton of Mountain Hall (Midlothian), and 2nd, c.1695, his cousin Elizabeth (d. 1729), daughter of Sir John Gibson of Addiston (Midlothian), and had issue:
(1.1) Elizabeth (k/a Bethia) Baird (b. 1681), baptised at Edinburgh, 1 September 1681; married, 1st, c.1709, James Watson (1684-1716) of Saughton House (Midlothian) and had issue two sons; married 2nd, [forename unknown] Carr of Cockpen (Midlothian);
(1.2) Margaret Baird (b. 1682), baptised at Edinburgh, 6 October 1682; presumably died in infancy;
(1.3) Sir Robert Baird (1684-1740), 3rd bt. (q.v.);
(1.4) Margaret Baird (1685-1713), baptised at Edinburgh, 20 November 1685; died unmarried, 15 October 1713 and was buried at Edinburgh the following day;
(1.5) Agnes Baird (b. 1687), born 3 May 1687; married, 24 December 1706, John Lowis (1681-1751) of Merchistoun Castle; living in 1718;
(1.6) Andrew Baird (c.1691-1743), born about 1691; lived in Edinburgh; died aged 52 and was buried at South Leith, 14 December 1743;
(1.7) James Baird (b. & d. 1694), baptised at Edinburgh, 20 February 1694; died in infancy and was buried at Edinburgh, 6 December 1694;
(2.1) Alexander Baird (b. 1695), born 31 October 1695;
(2.2) Capt. Patrick Baird (d. 1761); an officer in the Royal Navy (Lt., 1738; Capt., 1747); died at sea on his way back to England; buried 31 August 1761;
(2.3) Elizabeth Baird (1698-1702), baptised at Edinburgh, 6 December 1698; died 26 May and was buried at Edinburgh, 27 May 1702;
(2.4) James Baird (b. & d. 1700), baptised at Edinburgh, 6 September 1700; died in infancy and was buried at Edinburgh, 19 November 1700;
(2.5) Elizabeth Baird (1702-29), baptised at Edinburgh, 4 November 1702; died unmarried ad was buried at Edinburgh, 21 February 1729.
He inherted Saughtonhall from his father in 1697.
He died 29 May 1715 and was buried at Edinburgh. His first wife was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 8 March 1694. His widow was buried at Edinburgh, 26 April 1729.
Baird, Sir Robert (1684-1740), 3rd bt. Son of Sir James Baird (1657-1715), 2nd bt., and his first wife, Margaret, daughter of John Hamilton of Mountain Hall, born 24 September 1684 at Edinburgh. He married 1st, c.1715, Janet (d. 1733), daughter of Robert Baikie of Tankerness (Orkney) and 2nd, Helen Hope (d. 1741), and had issue:
(1.1) Sir David Baird (c.1716-45), 4th bt., an officer in the 1st Royals (Lt.); succeeded his father as 4th bt., 8 September 1742; died unmarried, 1 July 1745 from wounds received at the Battle of Fontenoy;
(1.2) Robert Baird (1718-40); born 21 January 1718 and baptised at St Cuthbert, Edinburgh, 23 January 1718 and again at Corstophine (Midlothian), 4 October 1724; married, 23 July 1737, Judith (d. 1783), daughter of Sir George Nicolson, kt.; died in the lifetime of his father, August 1740;
(1.3) James Baird (b. 1719), born 7 January and baptised at St Cuthbert, Edinburgh, 9 January 1719; probably died young;
(1.4) Margaret Baird (b. 1719), born 23 November 1719 and baptised at Corstophine, 4 October 1724; married James (b. 1728), son of Col. James Gardiner of Bankton;
(1.5) Capt. Sir William Baird (1721-71), 5th bt. (q.v.);
(1.6) John Baird (b. 1723), born 5 January 1723; probably died in infancy;
(1.7) John Baird (b, 1724), born 28 August 1724.
He inherited Saughtonhall from his father in 1715. After his death it passed in turn to his two surviving sons.
He died 7 September 1740 and was buried at St Cuthbert, Edinburgh, 11 September 1740. His first wife died 11 June 1733. His widow was buried at Canongate, about March 1741; her will was confirmed 4 December 1741.
Baird, Capt. Sir William (1721-71), 5th bt. Second son of Sir Robert Baird (1684-1742), 3rd bt., and his first wife, Janet, daughter of Robert Baikie of Tankerness (Orkney), born 27 February 1721 and baptised at Corstophine (Midlothian), 4 October 1724. An officer in the Royal Navy (joined navy before 1749; Lt., 1757; Capt., 1759); . He succeeded his elder brother as 5th bt., 1 July 1745. He married, about January 1749/50, Frances (c.1730-1811), daughter of Col. James Gardiner of Bankton (who was killed at the Battle of Prestonpans), and had issue:
(1) Frances Baird (1751-1835), born 2 May 1751 and baptised at Newbattle; married Thomas Dickson of Prospect House, Southampton (Hants), and had issue; died 17 February 1835;
(2) Robert Baird (b. 1752), born 2 September and baptised at Carluke, 14 September 1752; died in the lifetime of his father;
(3) Jean Baird (b. 1753), born 14 October and baptised at Newbattle, 18 October 1753; perhaps died young;
(4) Sir James Gardiner Baird (c.1756-1830), 6th bt. (q.v.);
(5) Elizabeth Leslie Baird (b. 1766), born 5 September, and baptised at St Cuthbert, Edinburgh, 15 September 1766; married in Nine Kirks parish, Edinburgh, 26 October 1781 (div. 1785), Capt. James Christie of 88th Foot, son of Maj-Gen. Christie, Governor General of the Leeward Islands; tried and convicted for adultery with Joseph Baker, 1783; date of death unknown.
He inherited Saughtonhall from his elder brother in 1745.
He died at Saughtonhall, 17 August 1771. His widow married 2nd, 23 December 1772 at St Mary, Whitechapel (Middx), John Donaldson of London, and died 7 December 1811.
 |
| Sir John Gardiner Baird by John Syme (detail). |
(1.1) Margaret Mary Baird (1781-1817), born 6 January 1781; died unmarried at Inveresk House (Midlothian), 21 September 1817;
(1.2) William Baird (1784-1823) (q.v.);
(1.3) James Wynne Baird (b. 1786), baptised at Hutton (Berwicks), November 1786;
(1.4) Henrietta Cecilia Warrender Baird (c.1790-1826), born about 1790; married 15 September 1815 at Inveresk, Lt-Col. John Wauchope (c.1780-1837) of Edmonstone, Edinburgh, and had issue one son and three daughters; died 1826;
(1.5) Louisa Johnstone Baird (b. 1793), born 6 March and baptised at Haddington (E. Lothian), 12 March 1793; probably died young;
(1.6) Alicia Sophia Baird (1797-1821), born at Saughtonhall, 19 March and baptised at Haddington, 4 April 1797; died unmarried, 12 April 1821;
(1.7) Richard Frederick Baird (1799-1819), born 13 February and baptised at Saltoun (E. Lothian), 15 March 1799; died at Bermuda, 15 June 1819.
He inherited Saughtonhall from his father in 1771, but it leased it. In 1824 it became a lunatic asylum. He lived at different times at Inveresk House (perhaps rented), Spring Garden, Musselburgh (which he appears to have owned and let from 1824) and Hilton Lodge, Haddington.
He died at Hilton Lodge, Haddington, 23 June 1830 and was buried at St Cuthbert, Edinburgh. His first wife died 30 June 1817. His second wife died 14 January 1826. His widow died at Distillery Park, Haddington, 11 September 1855; her will was confirmed, 24 October 1857 (effects £294).
Baird, William (1784-1823). Eldest son of Lt-Col. Sir James Gardiner Baird (d. 1830), 6th bt., and his first wife, Henrietta, third daughter of Wynne Johnston of Hilltown, born 20 July and baptised at Dunbar (E. Lothian), 31 July 1784. An officer in the 2nd Dragoons (Cornet, by 1799; Lt., 1800; Capt.). He married, 28 March 1809, his first cousin, Lucy (1784-1825), eldest daughter of Thomas Dickson of Prospect House, Southampton (Hants), and had issue including:
(1) Henrietta Jemima Baird (1810-89), born 14 January 1810; married, 5 February 1836 at All Saints, Southampton (Hants), John Hookins (c.1798-1869) of Devizes (Wilts) and later of Bathampton (Somerset), solicitor, but had no issue; died 7 February 1889; will proved 27 April 1889 (estate £35,210);
(2) Mary Alicia Baird (1811-29), born 18 April and baptised at All Saints, Southampton, 26 June 1811; died unmarried at Southampton, 10 February 1829;
(3) Sir James Gardiner Baird (1813-96), 7th bt. (q.v.);
(4) David Baird (1815-30), born at Southampton, 22 April 1815 and baptised at Portobello, Edinburgh, April 1817; educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth, where he died young, 23 January 1830;
(5) Mackenzie William Baird (b. 1816), born 8 December 1816 and baptised at Portobello, Edinburgh, April 1817; probably died without issue;
(6) Frances Baird (1819-32), born 26 April 1819; died young, 14 April, and was buried at Southampton, 21 April 1832.
He died in the lifetime of his father, and was buried in France, 23 May 1823. His widow died 1 March 1825; her will was proved 7 May 1825.
Baird, Sir James Gardiner (1813-96), 7th bt. Son of William Baird (d. 1823) and his wife Lucy, eldest daughter of Thomas Dickson of Prospect House, Southampton (Hants), born 20 August 1813. He succeeded his grandfather as 7th baronet, 23 June 1830. An officer in the 10th Hussars (Cornet, 1831; Lt., 1833; Capt., 1839; retired 1842), from which he was obliged to retire as a result of an injury sustained during a steeplechase. He then transferred his attention to the volunteer movement, and served with the Royal Midlothian Yeomanry Cavalry (Capt., 1847) and the 1st Midlothian Artillery Volunteers (Major commanding, 1859; Lt. Col., 1860; retired 1883 and was appointed Hon. Col., 1883-96); ADC to HM The Queen, 1881-96; a member of the Royal Company of Archers, 1858-96 (Lt.-Gen.). JP and DL (from 1848) for Midlothian. In religion he was brought up in the Episcopal Church but in about 1875 he transferred his loyalty to the Church of Scotland; he was Chairman of the St Cuthbert's Parochial Board, 1859-c.1890, and much concerned with efforts for poor relief in Edinburgh, and for the welfare of old soldiers. In politics he was a staunch Conservative. He married, 13 March 1845 at Newton (Midlothian), Henrietta Mary (1817-96), eldest daughter of John Wauchope of Edmonstone, Edinburgh, and had issue:
(1) Harriet Cecilia Mary Baird (1848-84), born 3 April and baptised 14 May 1848; died unmarried, 15 April 1884;
(2) Sir James Gardiner Baird (1854-1921), 8th bt. (q.v.);
(3) John James Gardiner Baird (1856-72), born 10 March 1856; educated at Harrow, where he died young, 18 May 1872.
He inherited the freehold of Saughtonhall from his grandfather in 1830, but continued to lease it as an asylum throughout his life. He lived at 11 Rutland Sq., Edinburgh and later Dun House, Edinburgh (which he leased in 1848) and at Wester Lea, Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
He died 6 January 1896 and was buried at Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh; his will was confirmed 3 March 1896 (estate £11,640). His widow died 3 November 1896 and was buried at Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh; administration of her goods was granted 3 March 1897 (estate £24,784).
Baird, Sir William James Gardiner (1854-1921), 8th bt. Only surviving son of Sir James Gardiner Baird (1813-96), 7th bt., and his wife Henrietta Mary, eldest daughter of John Wauchope of Edmonstone, Edinburgh, born at Errol Park, 23 February and baptised at Errol, 20 June 1854. An officer in the 7th Hussars (Lt., 1874; retired 1881) and East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry (later Lothians & Berwickshire Imperial Yeomanry (Capt., 1883; Maj., 1893; Lt-Col., 1899 and Hon. Col.). JP for Midlothian and East Lothian and a Commissioner of Supply for Midlothian. He succeeded his father as 8th baronet, 6 January 1896. He married, 3 April 1879, Hon. Arabella Rose Evelyn (1855-1916), eldest daughter of Sir William Wallace Hozier, 1st Baron Newlands, and had issue:
(1) Frances Harriet Baird (1880-1955), born 5 June 1880; married, 22 November 1910 at St Saviour, Walton St., Bristol, John Eduff Blagrave Swinton (1864-1931), 32nd of that ilk, of Swinton Bank (Peebles), but had no issue; died in Sydney (Australia), 4 June 1955; will proved 24 September 1955 (estate £59,328);
(2) Mary Rose Baird (b. & d. 1882), born 18 February 1882; died in infancy, 29 May 1882 and was buried in Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh;
(3) Sir James Hozier Gardiner Baird (1883-1966), 9th bt., born 25 November 1883; educated at Eton; an officer in the 4th Battalion, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (Capt., 1906); emigrated to Canada before the First World War, but returned to serve in the First World War with 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment (Capt.; mentioned in despatches, wounded; MC 1915) succeeded his father as 9th baronet, 19 April 1921; rented Glenlair House (Kirkcudbrights.) from 1927 until it was destroyed by fire in 1929 and later lived at Waterfall, Bantry (Co. Cork); married 1st, 8 June 1921, Peggy Blanche Celia (d. 1922), daughter of John Louis Denton of Massachusetts (USA) and 2nd, 24 March 1923, Joan Violet, youngest daughter of Thomas Barker of Matlock (Derbys), but had no issue; died 3 August 1966; will proved 6 March 1967 (estate in England £40,006);
(4) William Frank Gardiner Baird (1885-1914), born 18 April 1885; educated at Eton and Sandhurst; an officer in the army (Capt., 1914), serving with the Bedfordshire Regiment, the 7th Dragoon Guards and the Scots Guards; married, 24 November 1910, Violet Mary (d. 1947), fifth daughter of Richard Benyon Croft of Fanhams Hall, Ware (Herts), and had issue two sons and one daughter; died in hospital at Boulogne (France) of wounds received in action, 5 November 1914.
He inherited Saughtonhall from his father in 1896, but sold the park in 1900 and the house in 1907 to Edinburgh corporation, and developed much of the remaining ground for housing, some being sold to the City Council for public housing. He lived at Glendalough, North Berwick (East Lothian).
He died 19 April 1921, when the baronetcy passed to his elder son; it is now held by a grandson of his younger son. He was buried in Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh; his will was confirmed 8 August 1921 (estate £47,329). His wife died 18 June 1916 and was buried at Grange Cemetery, Edinburgh; her will was confirmed 18 November 1916 (estate £2,295).
Sources
Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 2003, pp. 224-26; J. Simpson (ed), Vitruvius Scoticus, reprint of 1811 edn, 1980, pls. 137-138; C. McWilliam, The buildings of Scotland: Lothian, 1978, pp. 350-51; J. Gifford, C. McWilliam & D. Walker, The buildings of Scotland: Edinburgh, 1984, p. 508; H.M. Colvin, A biographical dictionary of British architects, 1600-1840, 4th edn., 2008, pp. 191, 351; S. Baker, The country houses, castles and mansions of East Lothian, 2009, p. 57; Oxford Dictionary of National Biography entries for Sir John Baird, Lord Newbyth, and for Gen. Sir David Baird, 1st bt.
Location of archives
Baird of Newbyth, baronets: deeds and estate papers, 18th-19th cents. [National Records of Scotland, GD 236]; letters and papers, 1754-80 [National Library of Scotland, MS.1231-33]
Baird of Saughtonhall, baronets: deeds and estate papers, 1500-19th cent. [National Records of Scotland, GD 237/4, GD 238]; letters and papers, 1668-98 [National Library of Scotland, MS.1234]
Coat of arms
Baird of Newbyth, bts.: Gules, in chief within an increscent an estoile of eight points argent, in base a boar passant or; on a canton ermine, a sword erect proper, pommel and hilt gold.
Baird of Saughtonhall, bts.: Gules, a sanglier passant or, on a canton ermine a sword palewise proper.
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- Can anyone provide additional genealogical information about the people featured in this post, or portraits of members of the family whose names are given in bold?
Revision and acknowledgements
This post was first published 7 May 2018 and was updated 22 July 2019 and 21 September 2022. I am grateful to Leslie Eden for additional information and to Andrew Baird for the picture of Sir David Baird, 2nd bt..
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Please leave a comment if you have any additional information or corrections to offer, or if you are able to help with additional images of the people or buildings in this post.