(82) Alexander of Powis House and Westerton House

James Alexander (1728-1805) of Allan Park, Stirling, provost of that city and one of the founders of the Stirling Bank, claimed descent from the Alexanders of Menstrie, Earls of Stirling and the family used a similar coat of arms.  He married Euphemia, daughter of James Mayne of St. Ninians and widow of James Henderson of Westerton House, and had two sons.  In 1808, the younger son, Edward Alexander (1768-c.1835) bought Powis House (Clackmannans), which had been the seat of his mother’s family from about 1730 until his grandfather sold it in 1800.  The purchase was financed with substantial loans from the Stirling Bank, which were called in during the banking crisis of the 1820s.  The estate was sold in two parts to Thomas Buchanan; one section in 1833 and the rest in 1839.  Edward Alexander had two sons by his second wife, Catherine Glas.  The elder, Maj-Gen. Sir James Edward Alexander (1803-85) confusingly continued to style himself ‘of Powis’ in the 1840s.  The younger, Maj. John Alexander (1806-58), inherited Westerton House from his uncle, John Henderson, in 1844, and took the surname Henderson.  He proceeded to develop the estate at Bridge of Allan as a celebrated watering place with residential villas; a copy of his conceptual plan can be seen here.  The grounds of Westerton became the venue for the annual highland games of the Strathallan Meeting, and this tradition was continued by his elder brother when he inherited the estate.  After the General’s death in 1885, Westerton passed to his eldest son, Lt-Col. Edward Mayne Alexander (1845-1916), who divided his time between London and Westerton and made further alterations to the house.  After his death the estate seems to have passed to his son, Edward Murray Mayne Alexander OBE (1886-1963), a Writer to the Signet, who sold it before 1919 and lived in Edinburgh and later in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) and Torquay (Devon).

Powis House, Clackmannanshire

Powis House: entrance front

A three-storey, three by three bay hipped-roofed mansion house of 1746-47, built for Edward Mayne, with broad chimneystacks swept up from the east and west gables on ogival haunches, and at the rear an off-centre and later broad canted bow, rising the full height of the house.  

Powis House: rear elevation

The house has harled walls with quoins and window margins, and rather small lintelled windows, coupled in the central bay of the north front about a columned semicircular portico.  At the rear of the entrance hall a scale-and-platt staircase rises under a cupola.  To the north-west stands the square quadrangular stable block of c.1800, now converted to housing.  It incorporates a sharply domed octagonal dovecote.  The house is now (2013) operated as a bed-and-breakfast establishment.

Descent: William Stirling sold 1729 to Edward Mayne (d. 1743), who installed his brother William Mayne (d. 1740); to William’s son, Edward Mayne (d. 1777); who gave 1774 to his son, Capt. James Mayne, who sold 1800 to Sir Robert Abercromby of Airthrey; sold 1806 to Duncan Glassford; sold 1808 to Edward Alexander (grandson of James Mayne) (1768-c.1835), whose mortgage to Stirling Bank was called in 1827; sold 1833 and 1839 to Thomas Buchanan of Tullibody House (1774-1842); to son, John Buchanan (1812-91), who leased in 1851 to James Allan Dalzell; to sons Thomas Alexander Buchanan (b.1842) (who sold his share to his brother) and Francis Charles Buchanan (1852-1933), who occupied the house until 1923 and then leased to Hugh Baird Spens (fl. 1923-39); to son, Ralph Abercromby Edmondstone Buchanan (d. 1948), who leased to Alexander Frederick Murray (fl. 1946-48); to widow, Elsie Kate Buchanan (fl. 1949), who sold 1949 to the tenant; sold 1951 to Margaret Elizabeth (Majel) Davidson (d. 1969), Alison Stewart (d. 1968), Margaret McGillivray, Mabel Winifred Burnard, and Betty Soper (the ‘Powis House ladies’); sold 1989 to John Heggarty...Jane & Colin Kilgour (fl. 2013).

Westerton House, Bridge of Allan, Stirlingshire

Westerton House, from a photograph published in 1905

A simple Classical mansion house built in 1803, perhaps by William Stirling I for John Henderson, to which a three-storey north-west wing (The Mayne Tower) was added in c.1871 and a lower north-east wing in 1912.  There were also alterations by J.M. Dick Peddie & Kinnear in 1894.  

Westerton House, Bridge of Allan

The five-bay south facade, in pale pink ashlar, has no pediment but is fronted by an uncomfortably broad Ionic porch shading a Regency door screen and fanlight.  Hipped roof with two well-placed dormers.  Two canted bays on the west.  The house was restored in the 1950s for Matthew Thom, but sold after his death to a building company which converted it into flats and built executive homes in the grounds. A former T-plan lodge of 1859 (now Morven Cottage) stands on Alexander Drive.  

Descent: James Henderson (d. before 1764); to son, John Henderson (d. 1844); to nephew, Maj. John Alexander (later Henderson) (d. 1858); to brother, Maj-Gen. Sir James Edward Alexander (d. 1885); to son, Lt-Col. Edward Mayne Alexander (1846-1916); sold before 1919 to Edward Pullar... sold 1950s to Matthew Thom; sold 1975 to Ogilvys of Bannockburn, who converted the house into flats.

The Alexanders of Powis and Westerton

Alexander, James (1728-1805).  Son of James Alexander of Stirling, born 20 June 1728. Provost of Stirling, 1772-73; one of the founders of the Stirling Bank.  He married Euphemia (1726-1811), daughter of James Mayne of St. Ninians, Stirling and Powis House, and widow of James Henderson of Westerton (by whom she had two sons, John and William, and two daughters), and had issue: 

(1) Edward Alexander (1768-c.1835) (q.v.).

He lived at Allan Park, Stirling.

He died 4 February 1805, aged 76.

Edward Alexander

Alexander, Edward (1768-c.1835) of Powis House. Younger son of James Alexander (1728-1805) and his wife Euphemia, daughter of James Mayne of St. Ninians, Stirling and Powis House, born 1768.  DL for Clackmannanshire.  He married first, 1801, Jenny, daughter of R. Colquhoun and second, 1803, Catherine, daughter of John Glas and niece of Maj-Gen. Sir Alexander Bryce KCH, and had issue: 

(2.1) Maj-Gen. Sir James Edward Alexander (1803-85) (q.v.); 

(2.2) Maj. John Alexander (later Henderson) (1806-58) (q.v.); 

(2.3) Euphemia Mayne Alexander (1807-23); born 8 December 1807; died unmarried, aged 15;

(2.4) Mary Bryce Alexander (b. 1809); born 8 November 1809; married James Colquhoun and had issue; emigrated to Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario, Canada;

(2.5) Catherine Glas Alexander.

He purchased his maternal family seat of Powis House (Clackmannanshire) in 1808, but was forced to sell it in 1833 when his loans were called in by the family bank.

He died in about 1835.

Henderson (né Alexander), Maj. John (1806-85) of Westerton House.  Younger son of Edward Alexander (1768-c.1835) of Powis House and his second wife, Catherine, daughter of John Glas, born 1806.  Served in India with 4th Light Dragoons and Rifle Brigade; last Provost of the Fraternity of Chapmen of Stirling and Clackmannan, a company established by King James VI and I for chivalrous sports.  He was unmarried and without issue.

He inherited the Westerton House estate from his half-cousin, John Henderson, in 1844, and developed the hamlet of Bridge of Allan as a watering place.  On his death the estate passed to his elder brother, Sir James Alexander.

He died in 1858, and was buried in Logie Old Churchyard, where he is commemorated by a monument.

Sir J.E. Alexander

Alexander, Maj-Gen. Sir James Edward (1803-85) of Westerton House.  Elder son of Edward Alexander (1768-c.1835) of Powis House and his second wife, Catherine, daughter of John Glas, born 1803.  Educated at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst; joined East India Company service 1821 and transferred to British Army 1825; aide de camp to British envoy to Persia, 1826; in Balkans during Russo-Turkish war, 1828-29; in Portugal during Miguelete War, 1832-34; aide de camp to Sir Benjamin d'Urban during 6th Cape Frontier War, 1835, after which he undertook exploration of the interior and discovered the Orange River; served in Canada as captain with 14th Foot, 1841; Lt-Col. commanding 14th Regt of Foot at Sebastopol, 1855; in New Zealand during Maori war, 1862; retired 1877; he was largely responsible for the preservation and transfer of Cleopatra's Needle to London in 1877.  He was appointed CB and knighted in 1838, and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.  He was a prolific author and published Travels from India to England, by way of Burmah, Persia, and Turkey, Excursions in Western Africa, Sketches in Portugal, Transatlantic Sketches, L'Acadie ; or, Seven Years' Explorations in North America, Canada as it is, and may be, Passages in the Life of a Soldier, Travels through Russia and the Crimea, Incidents of the Maori War, and Bush-fighting in New Zealand; he also edited a Life of the Duke of Wellington, Salmon Fishing in Canada and other works, and made several translations. He married, 1837 (in South Africa), Eveline Marie, daughter of Col. Charles Cornwallis Michell, surveyor general of Cape of Good Hope, and had issue: 

(1) Lt-Col. Edward Mayne Alexander (1845-1916) (q.v.); 

(2) Capt. Ranald Michell Alexander (c.1849-1922) of Ryde (Isle of Wight); born in Montreal (Canada); captain in Royal Perth Rifles (retired,  c.1887-91); member of Royal Victoria Yacht Club; founder of Ryde Gun Club; JP; amateur cartoonist, some of whose drawings were published in Punch and The Illustrated London News; married, 1878, Louisa Eveline, daughter of Gen. John Kynaston Luard and had issue two sons and two daughters; died 28 September 1922; will proved 21 November 1922 (estate £2,233);

(3) Capt. Herbert Rowan Alexander (1853-1917); Captain in 1st battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers (retired, 1887); later an officer of Hampshire Yeomanry Cavalry and Royal Scottish Reserve Regiment; married, 1885, Ann Beardmore and had issue; died Oct-Dec 1917;

(4) Lt-Col. Gerald d'Arragon Alexander (1859-1938) of Townsend House, Winkleigh (Devon); baptised in Dublin, 20 April 1859; educated at Cheltenham College; Major in Royal Artillery (retired as Lt-Col); married, 1893, Beatrice Connell Whipple; died 23 July 1938; will proved 4 October 1938 (estate £1,701);

(5) Helen Alexander, died young.

He inherited a moiety of the Powis House estate from his father c.1835 but sold it in 1839. He inherited the Westerton House estate from his younger brother in 1858, and added the Mayne Tower in 1871.  He also owned property in Cape Province, South Africa.

He died 2 April 1885, aged 81, and was buried in Logie Old Churchyard, where he is commemorated by a monument.

Alexander, Lt-Col. Edward Mayne (1845-1916) of Westerton House.  Eldest son of Maj-Gen. Sir James Edward Alexander (1803-85) and his wife Eveline Marie, daughter of Col. Charles Cornwallis Michell, born at Halifax, Nova Scotia, 13 December 1845.  Educated at Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst; served in 78th Highlanders (Ensign 1866; Lieutenant 1868; Captain 1877; Major 1883); retired as Lt-Col., 1890; served in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1869-71 and during the 1880s as Inspector of Gymnasia in India.  He married, 1884, Kate (d. 1941), daughter of Adam Murray of Lamorbey, Bexley (Kent) and had issue, perhaps among others: 

(1) Edward Murray Mayne (1886-1963) (q.v.); 

(2) Eveline Kate Alexander (b. 1887), born 15 March 1887 at Bareilly, India and baptised 3 May.

He inherited the Westerton House (Stirlings) estate from his father in 1885, and made further alterations to the house in 1894 and 1912.

He died 1 August 1916 and was buried in Logie Old Churchyard, where he is commemorated by a monument; his will was proved in London, 20 February 1917.  His widow died in 1941, aged 86.

Alexander, Edward Murray Mayne (1886-1963).  Only son of Lt-Col. Edward Mayne Alexander (1845-1916) and his wife Kate, daughter of Adam Murray of Lamorbey, Bexley (Kent), born 19 January and baptised 21 February 1886.  Served WW1 in Seaforth Highlanders (Lt., 1914; Capt, 1914; wounded 1916 and 1918, when he lost a leg); Writer to the Signet; temporary Curator at the British Museum in the 1950s; appointed OBE 1956. He married first, 1914, Florence Eleanor Wilson Bell (d. 1933) and second, 1943, Phyllis Irene Hazel (1896-1978), daughter of Alfred Canning Williams and formerly wife of James Westwood Henderson (d. 1953), and had issue, perhaps among others: 

(1.1) Capt. James Edward Mayne ("Sandy") Alexander (1916-43); born 3 September 1916; Captain in Indian Engineers; married, 14 June 1941 in Gulmarg, Kashmir, India, (Joan) Diana (who married 2nd, 1 January 1949, Martin Stuart Brett), daughter of Sir Blyth Wace of The Orchard, South Harting (Sussex); killed in action at Bhawanipur, Bengal, India, 23 October 1943; buried in Calcutta Cemetery;
(1.2) Alastair Antony Alexander (b. 1923); born 24 September 1923.

He sold the Westerton House (Stirlings) estate after his father's death in 1916 and lived subsequently at Tunbridge Wells (Kent) and Torquay (Devon).

He died 23 March 1963 at Torquay, and his will was confirmed, 13 February 1964.  His first wife died 5 February 1933 and her will was proved 28 March 1933.  His widow died in 1978.

Sources

Burke's Landed Gentry, 1850, 1898; National Probate Calendars; W. Drysdale, Old faces, old places and old stories of Stirling, 1898, vol. 2, pp. 150-153; R. Menzies Fergusson, Logie: a parish history, vol. 2, 1905, pp. 92-101; J. Gifford & F.A. Walker, The buildings of Scotland: Stirling and Central Scotland, 2002, pp. 286-87, 639.

Location of archives

Alexander, Sir James Edward (1803-85), kt.: correspondence and papers, 1831-62 (Royal Geographical Society, London); notes on British North American boundary dispute, 1842 (Library & Archives Canada MG24 H24).
Alexander, Edward Murray Mayne (1886-1963): archaeological notebooks, typescripts and drawings (Torquay Museum 63)

Coat of arms

Quarterly, 1st and 4th, per pale argent and sable a chevron and in base a crescent, all counterchanged; 2nd and 3rd, or, a galley sable between three crosses crosslet fitchee gules. 

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 19 October 2013 and was edited 28 April 2016.

(81) Alexander of Milford House

The Rev. Dr. Andrew Alexander (d. 1641) who inherited lands at Eridy (Donegal) from his father [see post on the Alexanders of Enagh and Caw House], was the father of Capt. Andrew Alexander (fl. 1689) of Ballyclose, Newtownlimavady (Derry), who was one of those attainted for treason by the Irish Parliament at the behest of King James II in 1689.  He married twice and had a single son by each marriage.  The elder, Jacob Alexander, was the ancestor of the Alexanders of Ahilly; the younger, John Alexander  I (d. 1747), inherited the family property at Ballyclose, and had in turn three sons: John II (1689-1766), from whom the Alexanders of Milford House descend; Nathaniel (1689-1761), ancestor of the Earls of Caledon (q.v.); and William (d. 1778), ancestor of the Cable-Alexander baronets.

John Alexander II (1689-1766) had a son, John Alexander III (1736-1821) who lived at a house called Ardmoulin in Belfast (Down) adjacent to a flour mill which he also owned.  His son, John Alexander IV (1764-1843) built a large flour mill (Milford Mill) at Ballygowan beside the River Barrow near Carlow in 1790, and sometime afterwards, the nearby Milford House.  Although they built up an estate of around 2,000 acres, they remained active millowners and entrepreneurs over the generations.  

An early photograph of the picturesque setting of Milford Mill

In the mid 19th century Milford Mills was the largest flour mill in Ireland and despite the abolition of the Corn Laws in 1846 which damaged the economics of the enterprise, and a major fire in 1862 which burned out one of the main buildings of the mill, the site remained a focus of industrial employment into the 20th century.  Part of the site was still in use as a tannery when a further major fire took place in 1965.  Today only one of the three main mill buildings survives, a crenellated shell beside the river.

A section of the 1st edition Ordnance Survey of Ireland map showing the relative location of the house and mills

John Alexander IV had several sons who joined him in the mill business, but his eldest son, John Alexander V (1802-85) inherited Milford House and became MP for Carlow Borough 1853-59.  His son, Major John Alexander VI (1850-1944), was an officer in the 1st Dragoon Guards, and installed one of the earliest hydroelectric dynamos at Milford Mills, which supplied the town of Carlow with electricity in the 1890s.  His son, Major John Alexander VII (1898-1961) was the father of John Alexander VIII (1927-2017), who died recently.

Milford House, Carlow

A 19th century watercolour of Milford House. Image: Major Calloway

A dignified five by two bay, two-storey house of c. 1820, with a granite Ionic portico and single-storey wing to left side.  The garden side has a four-bay front.  The parapeted flat roof dates from c.1955 when the house was partly remodelled internally, but the interior preserves some original joinery and plasterwork, as well as family furniture and pictures.  There are some replacement chimneypieces of c. 1955. The house was advertised for sale in 2018.

Milford House before the remodelling of 1955.

Descent: John Alexander (1764-1843); to son, John Alexander (1802-85); to son, John Alexander (1850-1944); to son, John Alexander (1898-1961); to son, John Alexander (1927-2017).

The Alexanders of Milford

Alexander, John (d. 1747), of Gunsland.  Only son of Capt. Alexander Alexander (b. c.1640) and his second wife.  He married Anne, daughter of John White of Cady Hill (Derry) and had issue:
(1) John Alexander (1689-1766) (q.v.);
(2) Nathaniel Alexander (1689-1761), alderman of Londonderry; married Elizabeth, second daughter of William McClintock of Dunmore (Donegal) and had issue five sons and six daughters; from whom descended the Alexanders, Earls of Caledon;
(3) William Alexander (d. 1778); married Mary Porter of Vicardale (Monaghan) and had issue; ancestor of the Cable-Alexander baronets of Dublin (who will be treated in a future post);
(4) Martha Alexander; married Alexander Kellie.
He inherited his father's estates in Donegal and Derry and in 1717 bought the Gunsland estate in Donegal.
He died 12 March 1747.

Alexander, John (1689-1766) of Ballyclose, Newtownlimavady (Derry).  Eldest son of John Alexander (d. 1747) and his wife Anne, daughter of John White of Cady Hill (Derry), born 1689.  He married Sarah, daughter of Alexander MacCauley of Co. Antrim and had issue including:

(1) John Alexander (1736-1821) (q.v.).

He died in 1766.

Alexander, John (1736-1821) of Ardmoulin (Down).  Eldest son of John Alexander (1689-1766) and his wife Sarah, daughter of Alexander MacCauley of Co. Antrim, born 26 January 1736. Flour mill owner in Belfast. He married, 29 May 1760, Anne, daughter of George Portis, and had issue:

(1) John Alexander (1764-1843) (q.v.).

He died 23 December 1821, aged 85.

Alexander, John (1764-1843) of Milford House.  Only son of John Alexander (1736-1821) and his wife Anne, daughter of George Portis, born 27 February 1764.  Flour mill owner at Milford (Carlow).  He married, 8 September 1801, Christian (d. 1864), daughter of Lorenzo Nickson Izod of Wilton and Chapelizod, and had issue:

(1) John Alexander (1802-85) (q.v.);

(2) Lorenzo William Alexander (1810-67) of Straw Hill (Carlow), born 22 October 1810; married, 25 June 1857, Harriet, daughter of Col. Henry Bruen MP of Oak Park (Carlow) and had issue two sons (one of whom became a coffee planter in Kenya and died there) and one daughter; died 21 September 1867;
(3) George Alexander (1814-93) of Erindale (Carlow), born 17 February 1814; educated at Middle Temple, London; barrister; JP for Co. Carlow; married, 28 February 1861, Susan Henn (d. 1895), daughter of Stephen Collins QC of Dublin and had issue four sons and one daughter; 
(4) James Alexander (1818-92), born 8 March 1818; married, 12 July 1855, Lucia Margaret (d. 1893), daughter of Sir William St. Lawrence Clarke-Travers, 2nd bt., but died without issue; 
(5) Rev. Charles Leslie Alexander (1820-88), born 28 April 1820; rector of Stanton-by-Bridge (Derbys), married, 26 January 1882, Hon. Emily Caroline Fremantle (d. 1929), daughter of 1st Baron Cottesloe but died without issue; died 13 May 1888;
(6) General Henry Alexander (b. 1822); born 17 August 1822;
(7) Anne Alexander (d. 1862), married, 6 October 1828, John Cranstoun; died without issue, 10 April 1862;
(8) Lucia Alexander (d. 1877); died 7 October 1877;
(9) Fanny Alexander (d. 1894), married, 19 October 1847, Rev. Charles Henry Travers (d. 1884), rector of Englefield (Berks), son of Capt. Thomas Otho Travers of Leemount (Cork) but died without issue, 20 May 1894.

He purchased the Milford estate of about 2000 acres and built Milford Mills, 1790 and Milford House, c.1820.

He died 16 August 1843, aged 79.  His widow died in 1864.

Alexander, John (1802-85) of Milford House. Eldest son of John Alexander (1764-1843) and his wife Christian, daughter of Lorenzo Nickson Izod of Wilton and Chapelizod, born 26 July 1802.  Educated at Trinity College, Dublin (MA).  Flour mill owner at Milford (Carlow); MP for Carlow Borough 1853-59; High Sheriff of Carlow, 1824.  He married, 18 October 1848, Esther, daughter of Matthew Brinckley of Parsonstown (Meath) and had issue:

(1) John Alexander (1850-1944) (q.v.);

(2) William Cranstoun Alexander (1851-1934), born 5 November 1851; married, 8 February 1879, his cousin, Edith Caroline, daughter of Col. William Henry Longfield of Ashgrove (Cork); died 26 November 1934;
(3) Lorenzo Alexander (1853-1942), born 28 August 1853; lived at New Denver and later Victoria, British Columbia (Canada); married, 28 December 1899, Charlotte Catherine Louisa, daughter of Arthur John Campbell Gwatkin and had issue one son and one daughter; died 27 June 1942;
(4) Brig-Gen. Charles Henry Alexander RA (1856-1946), born 2 June 1856; officer in Royal Artillery; married, 17 March 1891, Isabel Annie, daughter of Gen. Sir Campbell Claye Ross KCB of Lothian House, Ryde (IoW) and had issue one son; 
(5) George Alexander (1858-1930), born 20 June 1858; educated at Trinity College, Dublin, Middle Temple, London (admitted 1880) and Kings Inn, Dublin; barrister; he acquired property in Alberta and British Columbia (Canada), installed the first water system in Calgary in 1891 and had other enterprises, which he visited in summer; before his death he disposed of most of his Canadian assets; married, 2 January 1891, Louisa (d. 1941) daughter of Kennett Bayley of Inchicove (Dublin) and had issue one daughter and adopted another daughter, Anne; died 2 November 1930;
(6) Harriet Lucia Alexander, married, 8 July 1875, Lt-Col. Edward George Moore Donnithorne DL JP (d. 1906) of Colne Lodge, Twickenham (Middx) and had issue.

He inherited the Milford House estate from his father in 1843.

He died in October 1885, aged 83.

Alexander, Maj. John (1850-1944) of Milford House.  Eldest son of John Alexander (1802-85) and his wife Esther, daughter of Matthew Brinckley of Parsonstown (Meath), born 23 September 1850.  Major, 1st Dragoon Guards; JP; High Sheriff of Carlow, 1891.  He married, 22 April 1896, Ethel (d. 1916), daughter of Kennett Bayley of Sevenoaks (Kent) and Inchicove (Dublin) and had issue:

(1) Jane Alexander (b. 1897), married Archibald Hamilton Busteed Moeran (1901-34) and had issue one son;

(2) John Alexander (1898-1961) (q.v.);

(3) Kennett Alexander (b. 1900) of Fonthill House, Raheendoran (Carlow); born 23 March 1900
(4) William Alexander (1901-60), born 13 May 1901; married, October 1936, Josephine Henderson and had issue one daughter; died 22 May 1960, aged 59;
(5) George Alexander (b. 1907), educated at Uppingham School; racehorse breeder and trainer in Kenya, married, 1947, Anne [surname unknown] (d. 1955) and had issue one daughter; 
He inherited the Milford House estate from his father in 1885.

He died 17 June 1944, aged 93.

Alexander, Maj. John (1898-1961) of Milford House.  Eldest son of John Alexander (1850-1944) and his wife Ethel, daughter of Kennett Bayley of Sevenoaks (Kent) and Inchicove (Dublin), born 9 July 1898.  Major in the Army.  He married, 1926, Olive Mary (k/a Pug) (1902-80), daughter of Maj. William Charles Hall, and had issue:

(1) John Alexander (1927-2017), of Milford House; born 19 September 1927; married Chloe Verschoyle-Greene, daughter of Walter Islay Hamilton Verschoyle-Campbell of Tassagart, Saggart (Dublin) and former wife of John Denis Greene; died 19 July 2017 and was buried at Cloydagh;

(2) Brian Alexander of Brannockstown, Naas (Kildare), m. Sheila Lewis.

He inherited the Milford House estate from his father in 1944. Following the death of his son in 2017 the house was put up for sale in 2018.

He died 15 October 1961, aged 63.

Sources

Burke’s Irish Family Records, 1976; BBC, Great British Railway Journeys goes to Ireland, episode broadcast 6 February 2013; M. Bence-Jones, A guide to Irish country houses, 1988.

Location of archives

Believed to be in the possession of the family.

Coat of arms

None recorded.

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 16 October 2013 and updated 13 September 2016, 31 October 2017 and 26 May 2018. I am grateful to Bill Yeo for information about the family's Canadian connections and to Shay Kinsella for much information about the estate.

(80) Alexander of Menstrie, Earls of Stirling

Arms granted to William Alexander,
1st Earl of Stirling

The Alexanders of Menstrie claimed to be descended from a scion of the Lords of the Isles, Alexander Macdonald, who settled at Menstrie in the late 15th century, and whose descendants took his forename as their surname.  More certainly, Thomas Alexander was ‘of Menstrie’ in 1505/6 when he was one of arbiters in a dispute between the abbot of Cambuskenneth and Sir David Bruce.  Rogers, in his account of the family, traces a continuous but not entirely convincing descent from this Thomas to William Alexander (d. c.1574), who built Menstrie Castle, and then on to Sir William Alexander (c.1570-1640), 1st bt. and 1st Earl of Stirling, the playwright and poet. This descent is followed below, with the addition of as much supporting evidence as can be found.

William had a meteoric rise to rank and royal favour under James I and Charles I, but never achieved the income required to support the dignity of an earldom.  His early life is fairly obscure; he was probably educated in Stirling and later at the universities of Glasgow and Leiden, although he never took a degree.  He accompanied the 7th Earl of Argyll on a grand tour which apparently included visits to France and Italy, but he was back in Scotland by 1600, and published his first plays and poems in 1603-04.  He was presumably introduced to the Scottish court by Argyll before it emigrated to England in 1603, and in Paraensis, of 1604, he sets out good advice from a courtier to a prince.  Although he seems not to have travelled with the King to England he had been appointed a gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Prince Henry by 1607 and was knighted in 1608 or 1609.  On Prince Henry’s death in 1612 he was appointed gentleman usher to Prince Charles, and in 1614, Master of Requests for Scotland.  He was admitted to the Privy Council in 1615, and was part of King James’ entourage on his triumphant visit to Scotland in 1617.  In the 1620s he conceived a scheme for creating a new colony of New Scotland between Newfoundland and New England.  He secured a royal grant of this land and the right to create 100 new baronets ‘of Nova Scotia’, each of whom was to have 30,000 acres of land in the new colony on payment of 1,000 marks, but the number of takers was limited and many of those who did participate took no steps to actually settle the colony.  In 1629, when war with France ended, the fatal flaw in the scheme became apparent: the French had laid prior claim to the area and refused to pay King Charles I the dowry for Henrietta Maria unless New Scotland was ceded to France, which it was in March 1632; the loss cost Alexander many thousands of pounds.  In 1626 Alexander was appointed one of two Secretaries of State for Scotland and in 1627 he was made Keeper of the Signet, which brought him lucrative fees for sealing documents.  He was an important figure in planning King Charles’ coronation visit to Scotland (first proposed in 1627 and more seriously in 1630, but not actually carried out until 1633), and in 1629 secured for his second son, Alexander, the post of Master of Works in Scotland, which he held jointly until 1634.  In anticipation of the royal visit, Alexander fashionably remodelled a town house in Stirling (now Argyll’s Lodging), perhaps to the designs of his son.

In 1630 Sir William Alexander was raised to the peerage as Viscount Stirling and in 1633, as part of the Coronation honours, he was advanced to be Earl of Stirling and Viscount Canada.  In order to support the dignity of these honours he bought estates in central Scotland (Argyll’s Lodging and Tullibody in 1629; Tillicoultry in 1634) with borrowed money which he was unable to repay, despite a series of failed money-making ventures in which he received royal support and encouragement.  As the king’s personal rule broke down in the late 1630s he lost prominence at court and he was further weakened by the death of his two eldest sons in 1637 and 1638.  He died in February 1640, leaving debts of £136,000.

The 1st Earl was succeeded by his infant grandson, William, who died three months later, leaving his uncle, Henry Alexander, 3rd Earl of Stirling (d. c.1647) as head of the family.  Henry married the daughter of an London merchant, Sir Peter Vanlore, and lived in England.  He declined to accept the estates bequeathed by his father or to take responsibility for his debts, and the 1st Earl’s estates were sold by his creditors: Tillicoultry in 1644 to Sir Alexander Rollo of Duncrub; Menstrie and Tullibody in 1648 to Robert Meldrum.  Argyll’s Lodging had been settled on the 3rd Earl’s younger brother Charles for life and he retained it until his death in 1664, but he also died in debt and it was sold in 1666 or 1668 to the 9th Earl of Argyll.

The 3rd Earl died between November 1645 and June 1649 and was succeeded by his only son Henry Alexander, 4th Earl of Stirling (c.1639-90).  In the 1660s he and his sister, Lady Mary Alexander, both married children of Robert Lee of Binfield (Berks) and an old house at Binfield appears to have been the family’s main place of residence thereafter, although his son, Henry Alexander, 5th Earl of Stirling (1664-1739), also had a house at Englefield Green (Surrey), built in 1715 (perhaps the house now called The Old House).  The house at Binfield, which reputedly stood ‘near the eighth milestone on the way to Windsor’, was demolished before 1813.  The 5th Earl lived very privately.  When in 1733 he was brought to court by Sir Robert Walpole, the Caledonian Mercury noted that it was his first appearance there since 1691.  The occasion was apparently the award of a pension of £200 a year, but why this was done is not clear; the Earl of Egmont described him as ‘very covetous and rich in money’, but the circumstances of his life do not suggest any great wealth. The 5th Earl and all his younger brothers having died childless, his property was left to his first cousin, William Trumbull (d. 1760) of Easthampstead Park (Berks) and his nephews, and the Earldom of Stirling became dormant.  Two attempts have since been made to claim it: one by the American general, William Alexander (1726-83), who may have been entitled but whose claim was unproven, and who used the title of 8th Earl of Stirling from 1759 until his death; and by Alexander Humphrys-Alexander (1783-1859), who claim of 1825 was proved fraudulent.

Menstrie Castle, Clackmannanshire

Accounts of Menstrie Castle and Tullibody House have already been given in the post on the Abercromby family of Tullibody and Airthrie, Barons Abercromby.  Nothing is known of the Tillicoultry House which the 1st Earl owned, which was rebuilt by the Earl of Mar for Robert Stewart, Lord Tillicoultry, in the early 18th century and again in the early 19th century.

Argyll's Lodging, Stirling, Stirlingshire

Argyll's Lodging, Stirling.  Image: M.J. Richardson.  Licenced under this Creative Commons licence.

A 17th century tower house built between the town and castle of Stirling, and regarded as Scotland’s greatest surviving town house.  It has a more complex building history than might appear: a modest mid 16th century house was progressively expanded by Adam Erskine, who made it a tower house c.1600; the 1st Earl of Stirling, c.1630 and the 9th Earl of Argyll, c.1670.  The two latest phases of work were probably inspired by the expectation of royal visits to Scotland and there is some excellent surviving interior decoration from the 1670s.  

Argyll's Lodging: the entrance wall of the High Dining Room on the first floor of the Lodging with original decoration from 1675.  Image: Kim Traynor.  Licenced under this Creative Commons Licence

The house is built round three sides of a courtyard which is closed on the west by a wall and gateway.  The oldest part of the house is the north-east corner (mid 16th cent.); the rest of the north range represents the second phase; the main east range and part of the south range Lord Stirling’s work, perhaps designed by his son, Sir Anthony Alexander, who was Master of the Royal Works 1629-37, and the rest of the south range Lord Argyll’s work.  He seems to have connected up the end of Lord Stirling’s house with a pre-existing block to the south-west, which was partly demolished c.1862.  The house was used as a military hospital and later depot from about 1800 until 1964; it then became a youth hostel for thirty years, and in 1996-97 was restored as a museum.

Descent: John Traill sold 1559 to a servant of Adam Erskine.... Adam Erskine (fl. 1562-1608); sold? 1604 to kinsman Sir James Erskine of Craig...  sold 1629 to Sir William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling (c.1576-1640); to son, Hon. Charles Alexander (d. 1664), when Stirling Burgh Council foreclosed and sold 1666/8 to Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll (c.1625-85)...John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll (c.1693-1770) who sold 1764 to Robert Campbell and James Wright, who sold to War Office as a military hospital...

The Alexanders of Menstrie, Earls of Stirling

Alexander, Thomas (fl. 1505).  Acted as an arbitrator in a dispute between the abbot of Cambuskenneth and Sir David Bruce in 1505/6. He married and had issue including:

(1) Andrew Alexander (fl. early 16th cent.) (q.v.).

He was recorded as 'of Menstrie' in 1505.

His date of death is unknown.

Alexander, Andrew (d. c.1527).  Only recorded son of Thomas Alexander (fl. c.1505). He married Katherine Graham and had issue including:

(1) Alexander Alexander (d. c.1555) (q.v.);
(2) Rev. Andrew Alexander (fl. 1529).

He inherited some lands at Menstrie from his father and had a charter of the estate from the Earl of Argyll in 1526.

He died about 1527.

Alexander, Alexander (d. c.1555).  Only recorded son of Andrew Alexander (d. c.1527). He married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert (or Thomas) Douglas of Lochleven and had issue: 

(1) Andrew Alexander (d. c.1555) (q.v.);

(2) William Alexander (d. 1574) of Clow; married Janet Marshall and had issue;
(3) Marion Alexander (d. 1595); married Alexander Murray of Woodend (Perths) and had issue two sons and one daughter; died January 1595;
(4) Isobel Alexander; married James Muschet of Burnbank (Stirlings) and had issue.

He inherited Menstrie from his father.

He died c.1555 (not 1545 as recorded in Burke's Dormant and Extinct Peerage).

Alexander, Andrew (d. c.1555).  Elder son of Alexander Alexander (d. c.1555) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert (or Thomas) Douglas of Lochleven.  He married and had issue:
(1) Alexander Alexander (d. c.1564) (q.v.);
(2) John Alexander (fl. 1572).
He inherited Menstrie from his father in about 1555, but died a few months later.
He died c.1555.

Alexander, Alexander (d. c.1564).  Elder son of Andrew Alexander (d. c.1555); born about 1515.  He married Elizabeth Forbes and had issue:
(1) William Alexander (d. 1574) (q.v.);
(2) James Alexander (fl. 1584), tutor of Menstrie; married and had issue;
(3) John Alexander (d. 1595) of Pitgogar, Muckhart (Perths); married Margaret Dempsterton and had issue;
(4) Elizabeth Alexander (d. 1607); married John Leishman of Stirling (d. before 1590) and had issue; died February 1607;
(5) Marion Alexander; married 10 August 1589 Duncan Paterson of Stirling, Dean of Guild of Stirling in 1592;
(6) Janet Alexander (fl. 1590), married David Forrester of Logie and had issue.
He inherited Menstrie from his father in about 1555.
He died between 14 February 1564 and 6 January 1565.

Alexander, William (d. 1574).  Eldest son of Alexander Alexander (d. c.1564) and his wife Elizabeth Forbes.  He married Elizabeth, daughter of Alan Coutts or Couttie and had issue including: 

(1) Alexander Alexander (d. 158o/81);
(2) Archibald Alexander (d. 1621); merchant of Stirling; Dean of Guild of Stirling, 1599; married 1589, Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Alexander and had issue one son and one daughter; died 13 September 1621;
(3) Andrew Alexander (fl. 1625), married and had issue;
(4) Janet Alexander, married John Burne and had issue;
(5) Elizabeth Alexander (d. 1622); married Alexander Barclay, notary of Stirling and had issue one son; died March 1622.

He inherited Menstrie from his father in about 1564, and built the present Menstrie Castle.

He died before 11 June 1574.

Alexander, Alexander (d. 1580/1).  Eldest son of William Alexander (d. 1574) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Alan Coutts or Couttie.  He married c.1567, Marion, daughter of Gilbert Graham of Gartavertane and had issue: 

(1) Sir William Alexander (c.1577-1640), 1st bt. and 1st Earl of Stirling (q.v.); 

(2) Janet Alexander, married Walter Cowan of Stirling and had issue; 

(3) Christian Alexander, married 25 September1592 Walter Neisch of Dubbiehead, bailie of Stirling (d. 1606) and had issue; died about 1618.
(4) A daughter;
(5) A daughter.

He inherited Menstrie Castle from his father in 1574.

He died 10 February 1580/81.

1st Earl of Stirling

Alexander, Sir William (c.1577-1640), 1st bt. and 1st Earl of Stirling.  Only son of Alexander Alexander (d. 1581) and his wife Marion, daughter of Gilbert Graham of Gartavertane, born about 1577.  Educated at Stirling and the Universities of Glasgow and Leiden; undertook Grand Tour to France and Italy with 7th Earl of Argyll; returned to Scotland by 1600 and published plays and poems; introduced to the Scottish court by Argyll before it emigrated to England in 1603; appointed a gentleman of the Privy Chamber to Prince Henry by 1607 and was knighted in 1608 or 1609; appointed gentleman usher to Prince Charles, 1612 and Master of Requests for Scotland, 1614; admitted to the Privy Council in 1615, and was part of King James’ entourage on his triumphant visit to Scotland in 1617; granted Nova Scotia and the right to create 100 baronets to settle it, 1621; created a baronet, 1625, Lord Alexander of Tullibody and Viscount Stirling, 1630, and Viscount Canada and Earl of Stirling, 1633; Secretary of State in Scotland 1626-40; Master of Minerals and Metals in Scotland (jointly with his son, John), 1635; involved in various ineffective schemes to make money but never had the means to support the rank he acquired.  He married, 1601, Janet (fl. 1649), daughter of Sir William Erskine and had issue: 

(1) Sir William Alexander (c.1604-38), Lord Alexander (q.v.); 

(2) Hon. Sir Anthony Alexander (d. 1637), educated at Glasgow University; licenced to travel abroad, 1626-29; Master of Works in Scotland, 1629-37 (jointly with James Murray until the latter's death in 1634); knighted, 1635; married Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Henry Wardlaw, bt. of Pitreavie but had no issue by her; he does, however, seem to have had an illegitimate daughter (Isobel, born 3 February 1638) by Catherine Tait; he, however, had died 17 September 1637; 

(3) Henry Alexander (d. 1647), 3rd Earl of Stirling (q.v.); 

(4) Hon. John Alexander of Gartmore (d. 1641/2), Master of Minerals and Metals in Scotland (jointly with his father), 1635; Master of the Mint in Scotland, 1635-41; married Agnes (d. c.1636), daughter of Robert Graham of Gartmore and had issue one daughter; 

(5) Hon. Charles Alexander (d. 1664), married, before 1645, Anna Drurie and had issue two sons; 

(6) Lt-Col. Hon. James Alexander (d. 1671), married first, 16 August1656, Margaret (d. 1662), daughter of Capt. Hon. David Scrimgeour and second, c.1668, Grizel, daughter of Hon. James Hay and had issue one daughter; 

(7) Lady Jean Alexander (d. 1670), married first, 1623, Hugh Montgomery, 2nd Viscount of the Ards (d. 1642) and second, Maj-Gen. Robert Munro, son of Obsdale Munro of Foulis; 

(8) Lady Margaret Alexander, married 1620 Sir William Murray (d. 1646), 1st bt., of Dunearn; 

(9) Hon. Robert Alexander (d. by 1638); 

(10) Hon. Ludovic Alexander, died young; 

(11) Lady Elizabeth Alexander (d. 1642); died unmarried, December 1642. 

He inherited Menstrie Castle (Clacks) from his father in 1581, and purchased Argyll's Lodging, Stirling and Tullibody House in 1629 and Tillicoultry House in 1634.

He died 12 February 1640, aged about 64.  He left debts of £136,000.

Alexander, Sir William (c.1604-38), Lord Alexander.  Eldest son of William Alexander (c.1577-1640), 1st Earl of Stirling, and his wife Janet, daughter of Sir William Erskine, born about 1604. Educated at Glasgow University (admitted 1618); commissioner (with Sir John Scot of Scotstarvet) to act for his father in Scotland in the business of the Nova Scotia plantation, 1626; knighted in Whitehall, 1626/7; Burgess of Glasgow 1627 and of Edinburgh 1636; sailed for Nova Scotia and planted a colony at Fort Royal, 1628 but returned the same year; journeyed to Canada again 1629 and returned 1630; Councillor for New England 1634, Privy Councillor in Scotland, 1635, an Extra Lord of Session 1635, received a large grant of lands in New England, to be called the County of Canada, including Long Island, to be called the Isle of Stirling 1635; styled Master of Stirling 1630-33 and Lord Alexander from 1633.  He married, c.1629, Margaret (c.1611-60), daughter of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas, and had issue: 

(1) William Alexander (c.1632-40), 2nd Earl of Stirling; inherited the estates of his grandfather in February 1640 but died young, May 1640, aged about 8;

(2) Catherine Alexander (c.1633-c.1670), married 28 April 1657, Walter Sandilands, 6th Lord Torpichen (1629-96) and had issue; died before 11 April 1671;

(3) Jean Alexander; 

(4) Margaret Alexander, m. 1670 as his second wife, Sir Robert Sinclair, 1st bt. of Longformacus (d. 1678) and had issue three daughters; 

(5) Lucy Alexander (c.1620-c.1645), married Edward (1605-45), son of Sir Sapcote Harrington, kt.; died before March 1645.

He acquired lands in Nova Scotia for settlement in 1635.

He died in the lifetime of his father, 18 May 1638, aged about 34, and was buried in Stirling church. His widow died in January 1660, aged 49, and was buried in the Douglas vault in St. Bride's Church, Douglas.

Alexander, Henry (d. 1647), 3rd Earl of Stirling.  Third son of William Alexander (c.1576-1640), 1st Earl of Stirling, and his wife Janet, daughter of Sir William Erskine. Educated at Glasgow University (admitted 1625/6); granted a patent (with three others) for export of goods from Scotland to Africa, 1634; admitted a burgess of Stirling and Edinburgh, 1636; succeeded his elder brother in 1637 as Master of Works in Scotland; Agent for the Convention of Royal Burghs; he was a Royalist and was fined as a delinquent in 1645 (£1000, increased to £2000); succeeded his nephew in the earldom, 1640.  He married, 10 December 1637 at Greenwich, Mary, youngest daughter and co-heir of Sir Peter Vanlore bt. of Tilehurst (Berks) and had issue: 

(1) Henry Alexander (c.1633-91), 4th Earl of Stirling (q.v.); 

(2) Lady Mary Alexander (d. 1682), married Robert Lee of Binfield but died without issue; 

(3) Lady Jane Alexander (d. 1707), died unmarried between 14 January and 1 March 1707.

He inherited the titles of his father in 1640 but none of the Scottish estates, to which he declined to be admitted as this would have involved taking on his father's debts; they were sold for the benefit of his father's creditors.

He died between 1645 and 1649.  His widow married 2nd, before 13 March 1654, Lt-Col. John Blount, second son of Sir Walter Blount, 1st bt. of Sodington (Worcs), and died before 27 June 1660.

Alexander, Henry (c.1633-91), 4th Earl of Stirling.  Only son of Henry Alexander (d. 1647), 3rd Earl of Stirling, and his wife Mary, daughter of Sir Peter Vanlore, bt. of Tilehurst (Berks), born about 1633.  MP for Berkshire, 1678; succeeded his father in the earldom c.1645-49.  He married first, 4 January 1664, Judith (c.1645-81), daughter of Robert Lee of Binfield, and second, 20 November 1683, Priscilla (1626-91), daughter of Sir Hugh Windham, bt. of Pilsden Court (Somerset) and widow of Sir Robert Reynolds of Elvetham (Hants), and had issue: 

(1.1) Henry Alexander (1664-1739), 5th Earl of Stirling (q.v.); 

(1.2) Hon. William Alexander (1665-66); born 28 December 1665; died 7 March 1665/6;

(1.3) Hon. William Alexander of Turvell (1667-99), baptised 6 June 1667; educated at Eton; married Mary , daughter of - D'Oyly and widow of Christopher Smith, but died without issue, 24 October 1699; 

(1.4) Lady Mary Alexander (1669-1721), married Capt. John Phillips and had issue; buried 27 March 1721;

(1.5) Lady Elizabeth Alexander (1672-73); 

(1.6) Hon. Robert Alexander (1673-1710), baptised 9 September 1673; educated at St. Edmund Hall, Oxford (matriculated 1693), but died without issue, October 1710; 

(1.7) Lady Jane Alexander (1675-1729), married Dr. Ralph Stubbs but died without issue; 

(1.8) Hon. Peter Alexander (1677-78); baptised 10 May 1677;

(1.9) Hon. Peter Alexander (1679-1729), baptised 23 March 1679; Clerk of the Signet; died unmarried and without issue, November 1729; buried in St Anne's, Westminster;

(1.10) Lady Judith Alexander (1681-1743), married October 1706, Sir William Trumbull of Easthampstead Park (Berks) (d. 1716) and had issue.

He lived at Binfield (Berks) on a property he acquired in right of his wife.

He died 5 February and was buried at Binfield (Berks), 11 February 1690/1, where there is a monument to his memory.  His first wife died 15 December 1681 and his widow before 24 November 1691.

Alexander, Henry (1664-1739), 5th Earl of Stirling.  Eldest son of Henry Alexander (c.1633-91), 4th Earl of Stirling and his first wife, Judith, daughter of Robert Lee of Binfield (Berks), born 7 November 1664 and baptised 14 November 1664 at Binfield.  Educated at Eton (from 1678); succeeded his father in the earldom, 1691; lived in retirement, although he frequently voted in elections for Scottish representative peers; granted a pension of £200 a year in 1733; on his death the peerage became dormant.  He married, about 5 May 1690 at Battersea, Elizabeth (1667-94), only surviving daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Hoby, 1st bt. of Bisham (Berks) and widow of John Hoby MP, but had no issue.

He inherited his parents' house at Binfield (Berks) but lived at Englefield Green (Surrey), in a house built in 1715 (perhaps that now called The Old House).

He died 4 December 1739, aged 75, and was buried at Binfield.  His property was distributed between his cousin, William Trumbull, and his nephews.  At his death the earldom became dormant.

Sources

G. E. Cockayne, Complete Peerage; Burke’s Dormant and Extinct Peerage; Oxford DNB entry on 1st Earl of Stirling; Rev. C. Rogers, Memorials of the Earl of Stirling and the house of Alexander, 1877; Architectural History, 1988, p. 111; Sir H.M. Colvin, A biographical dictionary of British architects, 4th edn., 2008, pp. 65-66.

Location of archives

Alexander family, Earls of Stirling: Berkshire estate and family papers, 18th cent. (Berkshire RO D/ED; D/EZ 91)
Alexander, Sir William (c.1577-1640), 1st Earl of Stirling: family papers 1549-1639, letter book, 1615-35 and correspondence 1612-31 (National Library of Scotland, Adv. MSS 34.2.12-15, MS 2061)

Coat of arms

Quarterly, 1st and 4th, per pale argent and sable a chevron and in base a crescent, all counterchanged; 2nd and 3rd, or, a lymphad sable sails furled and flags flying between three crosses crosslet fitchee gules (for MacDonald). 

Revision and acknowledgements

This post was first published 12 October 2013, and was updated 25 October 2023. I am grateful to Alex Watson for additional information.