(633) Binning of Wallyford and Pilmuir

Binning of Pilmuir

Binning of Wallyford

The origins of the Binnings (sometimes Binny or Binney or Bining) are obscure, but in the 17th century the family claimed descent from a peasant called Bunnock who is said to have aided the capture of Linlithgow Castle by the Scots in 1308, during Robert the Bruce's war of independence. The story goes that Bunnock had been employed by the English garrison to gather hay and bring it to the castle, but when he approached with his laden wagon the hay concealed armed men. When he came under the gatehouse, he cut the ropes allowing the portcullis to be raised and lowered, and the armed men leapt out and overpowered the garrison, with the help of others waiting in ambush nearby. The story was first recorded in the poem 'Bruce' by John Barbour in about 1370, but there is very little evidence to connect the 17th century merchant Binnings with the Bunnock of the poem. 

The authentic records of the family seem to begin with Thomas Binning (d. 1606), who was a retainer of Lord Torpichen, and was rewarded for his service with a grant of the house and lands of Carlowriehaugh near Kirkliston (West Lothian). His son, James Binning (d. 1663), became a merchant in Edinburgh, and married twice; his eldest son, another James Binning (d. 1681), became an advocate and seems to have sold Carlowriehaugh, but his issue had died out before 1700. The only child of James's second marriage was Sir William Binning (1637-1711), kt., with whom the genealogy below begins. Like his father, he followed a mercantile career, and was also active in civic politics in Edinburgh. After serving a term as Lord Provost, however, he largely abandoned city affairs and became a government contractor and a farmer of tolls and customs. He bought the Wallyford estate with its recently-built new house in 1675, but it is not clear how much time he spent there, since his main residence always seems to have been in Edinburgh. Since Wallyford was only about seven miles from the city, however, he could have moved frequently between the two.

Like his father, Sir William was twice married, but all his ten children were borne by his first wife. His eldest son, Laurence Binning (1665-1708), died in the lifetime of his father, so it was his next surviving son, William Binning (1669-1734), who inherited Wallyford. He was educated at Edinburgh University and married into the rising Dundas family, but his only surviving child was William Binning (1710-91), who became an advocate and a director of the Bank of Scotland, but who never married. He inherited Wallyford from his father in 1734 but sold it in 1757 and lived subsequently in Edinburgh, and this branch of the family died out on his death.

Sir William Binning's fifth son, Charles Binning (1674-1758), studied law at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and was admitted an advocate in 1698. In the early 18th century he became associated with the 'Squadrone Volante' - a group of families with much power in Scotland who were allied to the Whig government in London. Through this connection, and although he was never a member of parliament, he was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland in Walpole's government in 1721, but when Walpole ditched the 'Squadrone' in 1725 and allied himself instead with the Campbells, he lost office. He nonetheless remained an important figure in the Faculty of Advocates, where his association with the Dundas clan may have given him influence, and at the end of his life he was appointed Vice-Dean of the Faculty (the Dean then being generally absent on business in London and unable to fulfil the duties of his office in Edinburgh). Charles married in 1706 and in 1722 he purchased the Pilmuir estate at Bolton (East Lothian), which stood only a few miles from Wallyford. He and his wife had only one son, but several daughters, and in around 1750 he sold Pilmuir to his son, William Binning (1716-51), in order to provide funds to make provision for his daughters. William died unexpectedly in 1751, leaving as his heir an infant son who was just a few months old, and who in turn died in 1754. The estate thereupon reverted to Charles' three surviving daughters, but it became apparent that William had died leaving large concealed debts, and in 1761 the estate was sold at the instance of his creditors.

Wallyford House, Musselburgh, Midlothian (now East Lothian)

Wallyford House: entrance doorcase
from MacGibbon & Ross

An externally plain but symmetrical three-storey, gabled, stone-built house with projecting wings on the entrance front, apparently built for John Falconer (1636-86), who inherited the estate in 1670, as the classical doorcase in the centre of entrance front was dated 1672. Some previous authors have speculated that the house may have had earlier origins, but while it is possible there was a previous house on the site, there seems nothing in the plan and decoration of the building to suggest that it was not completely rebuilt.

The ground floor contained the service accommodation and a corridor leading to a handsome square staircase at the west end and thence to the principal rooms on the first floor. The staircase had a solid stone newel finished with attached moulded shafts at either end. The large room at the western end of the first floor was probably the dining room, with a withdrawing room next to it; certainly these were the most important apartments, as they were panelled and had ornamented plaster ceilings. The house was laid out so that these principal rooms had a southern aspect, and a wide corridor or gallery on their north side provided easy communication between the different rooms. 

Wallyford House: plan of principal floor, from MacGibbon & Ross

On the second floor were bedrooms and a large gallery with a boarded ceiling that extended into the roofspace and had sloping sides, as at Pinkie House nearby, although the gallery at Wallyford never received the decorative painting found at Pinkie.

Wallyford House: the ruins from the south-west, shortly before demolition in 1948.

The house was still 'in complete repair' and 'fit for the accommodation of a large and genteel family' when it was advertised to let in 1781 and 1793, but in the 19th century the house ceased to be occupied as a single dwelling, and was used as a store for the Aitchison family's distillery, and later to house 27 families of coal miners brought into the district as additional labour. At the time when it was destroyed by fire in 1884 it was empty apart from a small section which was used as a private school. The absence of water in the locality prevented the fire being contained, and the house seems to have been reduced to bare walls, but happily the plan and some information about the interior had been recorded shortly before the fire by MacGibbon & Ross. The ruins were demolished in 1948 to make way for the construction of a housing estate.

Descent: Sir John Falconer (1612-70), kt.; to son, John Falconer (1636-86), who built the house but sold 1675 to Sir William Binning (1637-1711), kt.; to son, William Binning (1669-c.1734); to son, William Binning (1710-91), who sold 1757 to James Finlay (d. 1782); to son, Robert Finlay (d. 1808); sold c.1811 to [forename unknown] Wilson; sold to Maj. William Aitchison (d. 1846); to Col. Aitchison of Drummore, who sold, by 1856, to Francis Charteris-Wemyss-Douglas (1795-1883), 9th Earl of Wemyss & 5th Earl of March. 

Pilmuir House, Bolton, East Lothian

A small but characterful harled laird's house of 1624, consisting of a single range of two storeys with a dormered attic, and in the centre a square staircase tower with a crowstepped gable that rose a storey higher than the rest of the house. A fat stair-turret which bulges so far out as to need the support of a squinch in the angle was attached to its north-east corner. The harling is now a striking but not traditional burnt orange colour. 

Pilmuir House: the north front in 1975. Image: Crown Copyright.

The ground floor of the stair tower has a moulded doorway with a datestone over it and the initials W.C. and A.B. for William Cairns and Agnes Brown, his wife, who were the builders. In the early 18th century, a new front door was formed on the principal floor in the centre of the south front, and the windows were given their thick glazing bars. Internally, the house had the kitchen and service accommodation on the ground floor, the living rooms on the first floor, and the bedrooms in the attics. The drawing room at the west end of the main floor retains an early 17th century plaster ceiling with moulded ribs and applied moulded decoration, but all the main rooms were given pine panelling in the 18th century. The top floor of the tower is occupied by a room with a coved ceiling.

Pilmuir House: south front in 1975. Image: Crown Copyright.

The house now has a formal, symmetrical approach through a walled courtyard which was presumably created in the 18th century when the south entrance was formed. There are bee-boles in the garden wall and a large 17th century doocot 100 metres south-east of the house.

Descent: built for William Cairns (d. 1653); to son; to cousin, William Borthwick (1641-89) of Johnstounburn... sold c.1722 to Charles Binning (1674-1758); sold to son, William Binning (1716-51); to son, Charles Binning (1751-54) and then to the latter's aunts, Elizabeth (1708-82), wife of Andrew Buchanan of Drumpellier, Catherine (1711-69), wife of David Inglis; and Isabella (d. 1806); sold 1761 to Adam Fairholm; sold 1770 to James Maitland, 7th Earl of Lauderdale; sold c.1777... sold c.1927 to Sir Henry Wade (1876-1955); to Sir Henry Wade's Pilmuir Trust; at the time of writing let to Mr & Mrs Christopher Cruden.

Binning family of Wallyford

Binning, Sir William (1637-1711), kt. Only son of James Binning (d. 1663) of Carlowriehaugh and Edinburgh, merchant, and his second wife Euphemia (d. 1670), daughter of [forename unknown] Baillie of Jerviston, born 11 March 1637. Apprenticed to his cousin, Alexander Brand of Edinburgh, merchant, 1655. He was admitted a burgess and guild brother of Edinburgh, 1664, and became a leading and successful merchant in the city, operating chiefly as a linen manufacturer but also as a financier and government contractor; in 1679 he supplied timber joists to the value of over £2,000 for the rebuilding of Holyroodhouse. During the two Dutch wars he joined forces with Sir Robert Baird of Saughton and Sir Robert Barclay of Perceton to fit out privateers. He was a member of the Town Council, 1666-79, and served as Treasurer, 1668-71, Bailie, 1671-72, and Lord Provost, 1675-77. He obtained a grant of arms in 1675 and was knighted while Lord Provost, in January 1677. His later years were marked by several notable instances of bribery and corruption, which, as Inglis puts it, "were a scandal even in a generation not squeamish about public morality". From 1693 he farmed the Scottish customs and excise for five years in partnership with Sir Robert Dickson and Sir Thomas Kennedy, at £20,300 per annum. He was a Commissioner of Supply for Midlothian in 1678, 1685, 1689, 1690 and 1696, and for both Midlothian and East Lothian in 1704, and was a JP for Midlothian in 1708. He was a seat-holder in the Tron Kirk, Edinburgh. He married 1st, 26 December 1662 at Edinburgh, Elspeth alias Elizabeth (1639-98), daughter of Laurence Scott of Bavelaw, and 2nd, 13 April 1701 at Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh, Mary, second daughter and co-heir of George Livingston of Saltcoats and widow of James or Alexander Menzies of Culterallers, and had issue:

(1.1) Euphame Binning (f.) (1664-65), baptised at Edinburgh, 10 January 1664; died in infancy, November 1665;

(1.2) Laurence Binning (1665-1708), baptised at Edinburgh, 19 November 1665; educated at Edinburgh University (MA 1686); farmer of the Edinburgh excise duty on ale, 1706-08; married, 24 September 1697 at Edinburgh, Margaret, daughter of Sir David Home (1643-1707) of Corserig, a Lord of Session, and had issue two daughters; died of a high fever, 17 May 1708, in the lifetime of his father;

(1.3) Catherine Binning (1667-1746?), baptised at Edinburgh, 24 February 1667; married, 13 February 1697, William Baird (1668-1737), sixth son of Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt., of Saughtonhall (Midl.), and had issue seven sons and two daughters; probably the person of that name buried at Edinburgh, 6 October 1746;

(1.4) twin, James Binning (1669-89), baptised at Edinburgh, 30 July 1669; died unmarried and was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 31 October 1689;

(1.5) twin, William Binning (1669-c.1734) (q.v.);

(1.6) Hugh Binning (b. 1670), baptised at Edinburgh, 28 October 1670; died young;

(1.7) Elizabeth Binning (b. 1672), born 1 October 1672; probably died young;

(1.8) Charles Binning (1674-1758) [for whom see below, Binning family of Pilmuir]; 

(1.9) Richard Binning (1676-96), baptised at Edinburgh, 13 July 1676; died unmarried and was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 12 June 1696;

(1.10) John Binning (b. 1677), baptised at Edinburgh, 25 December 1677; probably died young.

He purchased the Wallyford estate in March 1675. He lived chiefly at his town house in Parliament Close, Edinburgh, which burned down in 1700, and then moved to a house in Canongate, which also burned down in 1708. After his death, his widow succeeded to the estate of her brother George Livingstone of Saltcoats near Gullane in East Lothian.

He died 8 January 1711 and was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh. His first wife was buried at Greyfriars, Edinburgh, 6 December 1698. His widow's date of death is unknown.

Binning, William (1669-1734). Third, but eldest surviving, son of Sir William Binning (1637-1711) of Wallyford and his first wife, Elspeth alias Elizabeth, daughter of Laurence Scott of Bavelaw, baptised at Edinburgh, 30 July 1669. Educated at Edinburgh University (MA 1688). He married, 1709 (contract 25 March) at Abercorn (West Lothian), Isabella (1677-1724), daughter of John Dundas of Duddingston (Midl.), and had issue:

(1) William Binning (1710-91) (q.v.);

(2) Elizabeth Binning (b. 1712), born 26 June 1712; died without issue;

(3) Ann Binning (1715-86), born 18 January 1715; died unmarried at Duddingston, 20/29 January 1786;

(4) John Binning (b. 1716), born 5 June 1716; died without issue;

(5) Laurence Binning (b. 1717), born 19 December 1717; died without issue.

He inherited Wallyford from his father in 1711.

He died 16 July 1734. His wife died 21 February 1724.

Binning, William (1710-91). Eldest son of William Binning (1669-1734) and his wife Isabella, daughter of John Dundas of Duddingston (Midl.), born 27 August and baptised at Inveresk (Midl.), 28 August 1710. He was admitted an advocate, 24 December 1740. He was for many years a director of the Bank of Scotland, and one of the founder managers of the Society for the Relief of the Honest and Industrious Poor, founded in 1773. He was unmarried and without issue.

He inherited Wallyford from his father in 1735 (served heir 3 January 1735), but sold the estate to James Finlay in 1757.

He died unmarried at Edinburgh, 2 February 1791; he left his entire estate (some £13,700) to his kinsman, Dr Alexander Munro, on the condition that he assumed the name and arms of Binning and invested the legacy in lands; in consequence of which Munro-Binning purchased the 500 acre Wester Softlaw estate near Kelso (Roxb.) in 1794.

Binning family of Pilmuir

Binning, Charles (1674-1758). Fifth son of Sir William Binning (1637-1711) of Wallyford and his first wife, Elspeth alias Elizabeth, daughter of Laurence Scott of Bavelaw, born 4 November and baptised at Edinburgh, 12 November 1674. He evidently studied at the University of Utrecht under the distinguished academic lawyer, Cornelis van Eck, and was admitted an advocate, 4 February 1698. He was appointed Solicitor General for Scotland in Walpole's government (though he never had a seat in parliament), 1721-25 and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, 1755-58. Evidently a man of wide interests and activities, he was a member of the Hon. Society of Improvers in Agriculture, and of the Copartnery of Freeman Burgesses for establishing a fishing company; and a director of the Bank of Scotland. The Faculty of Advocates appointed him one of the managers of the Charity Workhouse, and he was an original trustee of George Watson's Hospital from 1724. He married, 28 July 1706 at Edinburgh, Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomery (1645-1728) of Broomlands (Ayrs.), and had issue:

(1) Elizabeth Binning (1708-82), born 10 January 1708; married, 1 July 1744 at Edinburgh, as his second wife, Andrew Buchanan (1691-1759) of Drumpellier, merchant and provost of Glasgow, 1740-41, but had no issue; died at Edinburgh, 6 November 1782; her will was confirmed 10 December 1782;

(2) Jean Binning (1709-10), born at Edinburgh, 11 October 1709; died in infancy, 1 June 1710;

(3) Catherine Binning (1711-69), born at Edinburgh, 9 May 1711; married, 4 June 1738 at Edinburgh, David Inglis (1702-67), merchant and treasurer of the Bank of Scotland 1757-67, and had issue one son (who died young) and two daughters; died at Edinburgh, 14 December 1769;

(4) Barbara Binning (1712-13). born at Edinburgh, 13 June 1712; died in infancy, 9 February 1713;

(5) William Binning (1716-51) (q.v.); 

(6) Margaret Binning (1717-24), born at Edinburgh, 12 December 1717; died young, 21 February, and was buried at Edinburgh, 23 February 1724;

(7) Isabella Binning (c.1719-1806), probably born about 1719; died unmarried, 28 July, and was buried at Edinburgh, 31 July 1806.

He purchased the Pilmuir House estate in 1722, but lived chiefly at his town house in Edinburgh. At some point around 1750 he sold the Pilmuir estate to his son in order to make financial provision for his daughters.

He died at Broomlands, 14/15 September 1758. His wife's date of death is unknown.

Binning, William (1716-51). Only son of Charles Binning (1674-1758) and his wife Margaret, daughter of Hugh Montgomery of Broomlands (Ayrs.), born at Edinburgh, 27 August 1716. He was admitted an advocate, 12 December 1739. He married, March 1750, Elizabeth (d. 1772?), daughter of Archibald Stuart WS (d. 1767) of Torrence, and had issue:

(1) Charles Binning (1751-54), born 29 March 1751; died young, 1754.

He purchased the Pilmuir estate from his father. After his death the property passed to his infant son and, on this child's death in 1754, to his three surviving sisters. It later emerged that he had contracted large debts unknown to his family and the estate was sold in 1761 at the instance of his creditors.

He died at Kelso (Roxb.) in the lifetime of his father, 30 August, and was buried at Edinburgh, 4 September 1751. His widow lived latterly at Edinburgh, and was probably the 'Mrs Elizabeth Binning' buried there, 3 February 1772.

Principal sources

G. MacGregor, Red Book of Scotland, 2nd edn., 2018, vol. 1, p. 538-41; D. MacGibbon & T. Ross, The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland, 1887, vol 4, p. 64; J.A. Inglis, The Munros of Auchenbowie and cognate families, 1911, pp. 139-57; J.A. Inglis, 'Edinburgh during the Provostship of Sir William Binning', The Scottish Historical Review, 1915, pp. 369-87; M. Coventry, The castles of Scotland, 4th edn., 2006, pp. 525, 621; M. Coventry, Castles of the clans, 2008, p. 40; J. Geddes, I. Gow, A. MacKechnie, C. Tabraham & C. McWilliam, The buildings of Scotland: Lothian, 2nd edn., 2024, p. 732.

Location of archives

No significant accumulation is known to survive.

Coat of arms

Binning of Wallyford: Argent, on a bend engrailed sable a wagon or, within a bordure of the second.

Binning of Pilmuir: Argent, on a bend engrailed azure a wagon of the first, within a bordure ermine.

Can your help?

• Can anyone provide additional images of Wallyford House, especially any view of the north (entrance) front before the fire of 1884?
• Can anyone provide fuller ownership information about Pilmuir House between 1777 and 1927?
• Can anyone provide portraits of the people whose names appear in bold above, for whom no image is currently shown?
• If anyone can offer further information or corrections to any part of this article I should be most grateful. I am always particularly pleased to hear from the descendants of families associated with a property who can supply information from their own research or personal knowledge for inclusion.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 27 April 2026.

(329) Baird of Newbyth and Saughtonhall, baronets

Baird of Saughtonhall, baronets

Baird of Newbyth, baronets

The families which are the subject of this account are both descended from the Bairds of Auchmeddan, to whom reference has been made in a previous article. Andrew Baird (d. 1543) was seised of Auchmeddan by 1534, and bequeathed the estate to his son George Baird (d. 1593), who in turn left it to his son, George Baird (d. 1620). Auchmeddan remained the property of his descendants until William Baird (1701-75) was obliged to sell it the Earl of Aberdeen in 1750, after which their house (probably never more than a small tower-house) was pulled down. The families with which this account is concerned are descended from James Baird (c.1588-1655), a younger son of George Baird (d. 1620), who purchased lands at Byth (Aberdeens.) but became an advocate in Edinburgh and a member of the Scottish Parliament. He was appointed by King Charles I as sole commissary of the Ecclesiastical Court in Scotland, and a warrant is said to have been issued for raising him to the peerage as Lord Doveran, but this was never executed, perhaps because Baird joined the Covenanters in the years before the Civil War. Among his large family were three sons who achieved eminence. The eldest, Sir John Baird (1620-98), kt., was an advocate and MP, like his father, and became a Lord of Session as Lord Newbyth. The second, Thomas Baird (1629-89), was sheriff-depute of Edinburgh; and the third, Sir Robert Baird (1630-97), 1st bt., became an eminent and wealthy merchant.

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

Gen/ Sir David Baird, 1st bt.

Baird, Gen. Sir David (1757-1829), 1st bt. Younger son of William Baird (1697-1765) and his wife Alicia, fourth daughter of Robert Johnston of Hilltown (Berwicks), born 26 December 1757. As a boy, he was considered 'too volatile to attend closely to study', but received some education at Lewis Lochée's military academy in Chelsea before joining his regiment. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1772; Capt., 1777; Maj., 1787; Lt-Col., 1790; Maj-Gen., 1798; Gen., 1814). He had a long and very varied career, seeing action on three continents. He was in India, 1780-87 and 1791-1801, and it was here that he made his reputation and became something of a national hero by heading the storming party at the taking of Seringapatam, 4 May 1799. He was later commander-in-chief of the capture of the Cape of Good Hope; and also served in Egypt, at the Battle of Copenhagen, and in the Peninsula Wars (where he lost an arm in the retreat to Corunna); he was made Commander in Chief in Ireland, 1820-22 and sworn of the Irish Privy Council, 1821. He was Hon. Col. of 24th Foot, 1807-29. He was knighted, 19 June 1804, and created a baronet, 13 April 1809, with special remainder to his elder brother and his heirs. He was further appointed a Knight of the Bath, 21 April 1809 and made a GCB on the reorganisation of the Order in 1815, but his hopes of advancement to a peerage were disappointed. He held the Ottoman Order of the Crescent. The Duke of Wellington, who twice replaced him in commands in India, leading to a mutual antipathy, described him as 'a gallant, hard-headed, lion-hearted officer, but he had no talent, no tact'. His widow paid for the writing of a biography of him, and for David Wilkie's celebrated painting General Sir David Baird Discovering the Body of the Sultan Tippoo Sahib. He married, 4 August 1810, Anne Preston Menzies Campbell (d. 1847), of Fernton and Cochlane, elder daughter and heiress of Maj. Patrick Preston, yr. of Valleyfield, but had no issue.

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. 

Baird, Sir David (c.1795-1852), 2nd bt. Eldest son of Robert Baird (c.1752-1828) and his second wife, Hersey Christina Maria, daughter of David Gavin of Langton (Berwicks), born about 1795. An officer in the army (Capt.). He succeeded his uncle, Gen. Sir David Baird, as 2nd baronet, 18 August 1829, by special remainder. He was a Whig in politics, and stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in East Lothian at the general election of 1847. He was first Captain of North Berwick Golf Club in 1832 and Captain of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews in 1843. He married, 10 August 1821, Lady Anne (c.1796-1877), eldest daughter of Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis and 1st Marquess of Ailsa, and had issue:
(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

Baird, Sir David (1831-1913), 3rd bt. Third, but eldest surviving, son of Sir David Baird (1795-1852), 2nd bt., and his wife Lady Anne, eldest daughter of Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis and 1st Marquess of Ailsa, born 24 January 1831. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1850; Lt., 1854; Capt., 1857; retired as Maj., 1858), who served in the Kaffir War, 1851-52 and on the staff of Sir Colin Campbell (later Lord Clyde) in the Crimea and the Indian Mutiny. He married, 15 June 1864, the Hon. Ellen Stuart (1846-1927), second daughter and co-heir of Charles Stuart, 12th Lord Blantyre, and had issue:
(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 (1668-1737) [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).

Baird, Lt-Col. Sir James Gardiner (c.1756-1830), 6th bt. Only son of Capt. Sir William Baird (1721-71), 5th bt., and his wife Frances, daughter of Col. James Gardiner of Bankton, born about 1756. He succeeded his father as 6th baronet, 17 August 1771. An officer in the army (Ensign, 1772; Lt., 1776; Capt., 1777; Lt-Col., 1796; retired 1796) who served in the American War of Independence and in Flanders; and later of the East Lothian Yeomanry Cavalry (Lt-Col. from its formation in 1797).  A Scottish jig was written in his honour before 1788 and his portrait was painted by John Syme. A Commissioner of Supply for Midlothian by 1801. He was a freemason and served as senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 1810-13. He married 1st, 17 January 1780 at Edinburgh, Henrietta (d. 1817), third daughter of Wynne Johnston of Hilltown;  2nd, 15 July 1818, Mary (d. 1826), daughter of Robert Watt and widow of James Symington; and 3rd, 1827, Wortley Cornelia Anne (d. 1855), daughter of William Moir of New Grove and brother of Capt. James Moir (d. 1830) who was executed for murder, and had issue including:
(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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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..