Page:The Complete Peerage Ed 1 Vol 7.djvu/250

 248 STIRLING. to. Sarah, da. of Philip LIVINGSTON, oi Livingston, manor in the United States. He d. s.p.m.C) 12 Jan. 1793, at Albany, U.S.A., aged 57. Another claim need only be very briefly noticed, iuasmuch as it was founded on forgery. This was that in 1825 of Alexander Humphry b- Alexander, Jarmerly Alexauder Humphry e, who alleged (but by no means proved) that his mother, Hannah, wife of William Humphrys, da. of John Alexander, was great grand- daughter of the Hon. John Alexander, the 4th s. of the 1st Earl. The alleged descent of the dignity, thus set forth, was as under. VI. 1739. G. Joh.v Alexander, a Presbyterian Minister, only s of John A., of Templepatrick, co. Antrim id. 19 April 1712', who was Said to be only s. (by a second wife) of the Hon. John A., 4th s. of the 1st Earl, which John last named (usually said to have d. s.p.m.) is stated to have M. twice, to have settled in Ireland in 1(140' and to have d. there 1605. He (i.e., the firstuumed John) is alleged to have been entitled to the Earldom of Stirling, &c. [8.1, on the death of the 5th Karl in Dec. 1739, tho' neither he nor any of Ids children assumed that title. He d. 3 Nov. 1743, at Dublin, aged 57. VII. 1743- 7. John Alexander, in Holy Orders, 1st s. and h., b. 26 Jan. 1736, in Dublin, d. unin., 29 Dec. 1765. M.I. at llirmiiighaui. VIII. 11G3. S. Benjamin Alexander, br. and h., 4. 11 March 1737, in Dublin, d. num. IS April 176S, and was bur. (as " Dr. Alexander "J in Uunhill fields. By his death, it was stated, all the male issue of the 1st Earl became extinct and the right to the title devolved, under an alleged charter dated 1639 (hereafter noticed) as below. IX. 17GS. 0. Mary, 1st sister and heir of line of the abovenauied Benjamin, b. 1 Oct. 1733, in Dublin, d. uum. 28 April 1794. X. 1704. 10. Hannah, only surv. Hister and heir, b. 8 Jan. 1741, in Dublin, m. 26 Sep. 1769, at St. Martin's, Birmingham, William Humfhbts, Merchant, who d. at Verdun, in France, 1 May 1S07, aged 65. She d. 12 Sep. 1814, aged 72, and was bur. (as ''Hannah Humphrys") at Worcester. M.I. XI. I8I4. 11. Alexander Hdmphrys-Alexandf.r, formerly Ai.exandbk Hdmihrts, s. and h., *. 21 June 1783. He called himself " EARL OF STIRLING," &c. [S.], and made claim in 1S25 to that Earldom as below stated, his eldest son (one of five children living in 1829) " Alexander- William- Francis " being (consequently) called "Viscount Ganada." His claim to the title was under (an alleged) charter of " Nuvoilumus," dat. 7 Dec. 1639, whereby, failing heirs male of the body of the grantee, the peerage was to go to the eldest heir female (without division) of the lust of such heirs male of their bodies respectively. This the claimant (according to his pedigree) was, tho' he was not heir general of the body of the first Lord, the daughters of whose first sou had left descendants. His vote in the election for Scotch Peers was, nevertheless, received in 1825, 1830, and 1833. On the 3rd May 1839, however, the excerpt" (for the original doubtless never existed) of the charter containing tho special rem. was prouounced to have been forged, tho' it was " not proven " that the prisoner was guilty of such forgery.( b ) (») He left two daughters (1) Mary, m. Robert Watts, and (2) Catherine, IN. Colonel William Duer. Of him Lecky writes [//isf.,vol. iv, p. 36]. "The gentleman, who called himself Earl of Stirling and who had attained the position of Brigadier General in the American service, had entered it overwhelmed witb debt, but by availing himself of the conditio:! of the currency he is stated to have paid off debts amounting to nearly i'80,000 with i.'l,0C0 of gol.l and silver." (t>) See "Stirling Peerage claim," by W. Turnbull, Advocate F.S.A., 1839. , who, in the note to page 8 of the introduction, alludes to the well known T. C. Bunks