Sir John Anstruther, 1st Baronet facts for kids
Sir John Anstruther, 1st Baronet (born around 1678 – died 27 September 1753) was an important Scottish politician. He served in the Parliament of Scotland from 1702 to 1707. After Scotland and England joined, he also served in the British House of Commons from 1708 to 1741.
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Early Life and Family
Sir John Anstruther was the only son of Sir William Anstruther. His father was also a Member of Parliament in Scotland. Sir William was known as Lord Anstruther and was a judge in Scotland.
Sir John became a Baronet on 6 January 1700. A Baronet is a special title, like a knight, that can be passed down in a family. This title was given under the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. When his father passed away in 1711, Sir John inherited Elie House in Elie, Fife, Scotland.
His Time in Parliament
Sir John Anstruther was a Burgh Commissioner for Anstruther Easter in the Parliament of Scotland. He served there from 1702 to 1707. During this time, his political views sometimes changed. He generally did not support the Union of Scotland and England at first. However, he later agreed with a group called the Squadrone.
After the Union
After Scotland and England officially joined to form Great Britain, Sir John was not chosen to represent Scotland in the new House of Commons right away. But in the 1708 general election, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Anstruther Burghs.
He faced some challenges in later elections:
- In the 1710 election, he was first elected but then lost his seat after a complaint.
- He was elected again in 1713.
- For the 1715 election, he was elected as MP for Fife instead.
- He was elected without anyone running against him in the elections of 1722, 1727, and 1734.
- He did not run for election in 1741.
Royal Appointment
In 1727, King George II gave Sir John an important job. He was made the "Sole Master of Works, Inspector and Director-General of all royal buildings in Scotland". This meant he was in charge of fixing and changing all the royal palaces and castles in Scotland.
Personal Life
Sir John Anstruther married Lady Margaret Carmichael in 1717. Lady Margaret was the daughter of James Carmichael, who was the 2nd Earl of Hyndford. They had two sons and one daughter. His oldest son, also named John, took over his title after him.
Sir John also had a large collection of books. Books from his library can be recognized by a special design, called a bookplate, that he had engraved inside them.
