Alexander Cairncross (archbishop)
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Alexander Cairncross (b. 1637-d. 1701), archbishop of Glasgow, was descended from the ancient family of Cairncross of Cowmull. For some time he followed the trade of a dyer in the Canongate of Edinburgh. Subsequently he became parson of Dumfries, where he remained till 1684, when by the recommendation of the Duke of Queensberry he was promoted to the see of Brechin, from which he was in a few months promoted to that of Glasgow. Having incurred the displeasure of the lord chancellor, the Earl of Perth, he was in January 1687 removed from the see, but after the revolution he obtained the notice of the new powers, and in 1693 was made Bishop of Raphoe in Ireland, where he continued till his death, May 14, 1701. By will he left a great deal of money to the poor of the parish of Raphoe, and the tenth part of his personal estate to the episcopal clergy of the kingdom of Scotland. He was buried in the cathedral of Raphoe.
[edit] Sources
- The article incorporates text from the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 1886
- Registrum Episcopatus Brechinensis (Bannatyne Club, 1856), p. 141 (App.) 79
- Keith's Scottish Bishops (Russell), 168, 268–9
- Ware's Works (Harris), i. 277.
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Robert Douglas |
Bishop of Brechin 1684 |
Succeeded by James Drummond |
| Preceded by Arthur Rose |
Archbishop of Glasgow 1684–1687 |
Succeeded by John Paterson |
