Genealogical collections concerning the sir-name of Baird, and the families of Auchmedden, Newbyth, and Sauchton Hall in particular

APPENDIX. 105
V.
THE BAIRDS NOW OF AUCHMEDDEN, &c.
No " Collections " of the name of Baird would be complete without a notice
of the great ironmasters of the name, known as the Bairds of Gartsherrie, more
especially as one of them having purchased the estate of Auchmedden in 1854,
his brother, who succeeded him, is now de facto " Baird of Auchmedden I" They
are, as a family, the most striking instance of successful commercial enterprise in
this country. The following sketch, kindly contributed by a gentleman who takes
a warm interest in the family, may be depended upon as accurate : —
" Auchmedden is now in possession of a member of the Baird family. It was
purchased in 1854 by Robert Baird, Esq., one of the family so well known as the
Bairds of Gartsherrie, although they are not proprietors of that estate, but have
only their extensive ironworks there. On the death of Mr. Robert Baird, in 1856,
Auchmedden became the property of his brother, James Baird, Esq., then M.P.
for the Falkirk Burghs, by whom it is now possessed This family of Baird is
deserving of more than a passing notice, not only because one of them is now
proprietor of Auchmedden, but because they have added importance to the name
by their distinguished enterprise, and by the large territorial possessions which the
different members of the family have acquired in Scotland. They have been for
many centuries settled in Lanarkshire, and the tradition of the family is that they
are descended from the Bairds of Cambusnethan. The father of the great iron-
masters was Mr. Alexander Baird, who acquired the estate of Lockwood, in
Lanarkshire, in 1825. He was born in 1765, and died in 1833. By his wife,
Jean Moffat, he left a family of eight sons and two daughters.
" 1. William Baird, M.P. for the Falkirk Burghs from 1841 to 1846, born
in 1796. He acquired the estate of Elie, in Fife, and died in 1864, leaving a
large family.
"2. John Baird, born 1798. He succeeded to the estate of Ury, in
Kincardineshire, on the death of his brother Alexander.
"3. Alexander Baird, born 1799. He purchased the estate of Ury, and
died in 1862 without issue.
" 4. James Baird, M.P. for the Falkirk Burghs from 1851 to 1857, b. 1802.