1818 - 1878 (59 years)
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| Name |
William (of Pollok, 9th Baronet) Stirling-Maxwell |
| Suffix |
MP |
| Birth |
8 Mar 1818 |
Kenmure, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
15 Jan 1878 |
Venice, Italy |
| Person ID |
I190000 |
My Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
28 Jul 2021 |
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| Notes |
- Note:
The following biography does not match that of the genealogy recorded here.
In 1865 William Stirling of Keir became Sir William Stirling Maxwell 9th Baronet (1818-1878) after combining the surnames, he was the first of the Stirling Maxwells of Pollok. William Stirling was the only son of Archibald Stirling of Keir. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating BA in 1839, and later an MA in 1843, before embarking on a tour of Europe. He took a particular interest in Spanish art and culture, and it was William who amassed the large collection of Spanish art than adorns the walls of Pollok House. Like Sir James Maxwell, much of the Stirling Maxwell fortune was gained through slave labour.
His grandfather, Archibald Stirling, made his fortune through sugar plantations in Jamaica. His father, also Archibald Stirling, was also planter and slaveowner in Jamaica. After the British Abolition of Slavery Act of 1833, the younger Archibald Stirling was awarded £12,517 in compensation (over £50 million in today's money) for the 690 enslaved people across his estates: Hampden in St. James, Frontier in St. Mary, Kerr or Keir Settlement in Trelawney, and Grange Hill in Westmoreland, all in Jamaica.
He returned to Scotland and married Elizabeth Maxwell (daughter of Sir John Maxwell (7th Baronet) and sister of Sir John Maxwell (8th Baronet of Pollok) – Sir William's aunt and uncle. As well as inheriting Pollok he also inherited the family estates in Scotland (Keir) and the West Indies in 1847.
Sir William served as Conservative MP for Perth 1852-1868 and 1874-1878, Rector of the Universities of St Andrews (1862), Aberdeen (1870) and Edinburgh (1872) and Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. He was nominated a Knight of the Thistle in 1876.
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