Sir Robert Baird, 1st Baronet facts for kids
Sir Robert Baird (1630-1697) was an important Scottish businessman and landowner. He invested in new settlements in America, especially in a place called Carolina.
.jpg)
Contents
Robert Baird's Family and Early Life
Robert Baird was the son of James Baird, a lawyer. His family came from Auchmedden, a place near Fraserburgh in Scotland.
Robert Baird's Business and Public Life
Robert Baird became a successful merchant in Edinburgh. Around 1665, he bought a large estate called Saughtonhall near Edinburgh. Today, the old house is gone, but the land is a public park called Saughton Park.
In 1674, Robert Baird became a "Dean of Guild" in Edinburgh. This was an important job on the city council. He helped manage a place called the Correction House, where people worked spinning and preparing wool.
Baird also invested in other businesses. He was a partner in the Leith Sugar House, which was a sugar factory built in 1677. He also owned part of a ship called the Bruce of Pittenweem.
In 1685, Robert Baird was part of a group that helped get supplies for the army. They asked a famous architect, James Smith, to build special storage buildings for food at Stirling Castle, Dumbarton Castle, and Edinburgh Castle.
Robert Baird was given a special title, "Baronet of Nova Scotia," in 1695. He passed away in March 1697 and was buried in Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh.
The Shipwreck of the Hope
In 1669, Robert Baird was involved in a plan to send settlers to New York. He partnered with an architect named William Bruce and others. They planned to use two ships, the Hope and the James of Leith. Sadly, the Hope was wrecked near Cairnbulg, Scotland, on October 9, 1669.
Investing in Carolina and New Settlements
Robert Baird was a key investor and partner in the Carolina Society, a group that aimed to set up new settlements in Carolina (part of what is now the United States). In 1682, he was the "cash-keeper" for this project, managing the money. People who wanted to invest could send him money to get land in Carolina.
Baird helped provide money for settlers, many of whom came from southwest Scotland. He also paid Patrick Crawford, a sailor, to go to Carolina and create maps of the coast and the area around the Ashley River. The Carolina Society also rented a ship, the James of Irvine, for the expedition leader, John Crawford. The people involved in this project hoped to create a new colony where their religious beliefs, called Presbytery, could be established.
This plan faced problems because some of the investors, like John Cochrane and Patrick Hume, were suspected of being involved in a political plot in Scotland.
In 1683, Patrick Crawford asked Baird for payment for his work mapping the "best river in Carolina." Robert Baird was also a "Bailie," a position on the Edinburgh city council. Because of his role in the Carolina Company, some people worried that the council might be linked to the political plot.
In 1684, a Scottish settlement called "Stuarts Town" was started in Carolina, possibly near what is now Beaufort, South Carolina. The settlers there worked with the Yamasee people to protect themselves from nearby Spanish colonies. However, Spanish forces eventually defeated the settlement in August 1686.
Robert Baird's Family and Children
Robert Baird married Elizabeth Fleming, who passed away in 1676. They had several children:
- Sir James Baird (died 1715)
- John Baird, who became a merchant in Gdansk
- Alexander Baird, who moved to New York
- Robert Baird, who became the Governor of Dutch Surinam
- Bathia Baird, who married Robert Barclay
- Margaret Baird, who married Patrick Hume
- Mary Baird, who married Robert Watson
- Elizabeth Baird, who married David Cunningham
|
