Alexander Haldane Oswald

Alexander Oswald (12 December 1811 – 6 September 1868) was a Scottish Conservative Party politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayrshire from 1843 to 1852.

"Scotstoun" - another country house that Oswald inherited from his uncle.[1]

Early life

He was born in Govan, Scotland to Richard Alexander Oswald, merchant of Moore Park, Glasgow[2] and Elizabeth Anderson,[3] the eldest of five children. He represented the family of Haldane of that Ilk through Agnes Haldane (his paternal great grandmother) who was the mother of Mrs. Alexander Oswald (Margaret Dundas) of Shield Hall. Having proved his representation and received Arms and Supporters accordingly, he adopted the middle name of Haldane.[2]

Career

Oswald was a Conservative candidate[4] and sworn as a Member of Parliament for Ayrshire on 8 August 1843.[5]

He remained as an M.P. until 7 July 1852.[6]

On 18 June 1845, he appeared at Marylebone Magistrates Court having allegedly assaulted a police officer while "much the worse for drink". He was found guilty and fined £3 which he immediately paid.[7]

He was re-elected, unopposed on 5 August 1847.[8]

His first recorded debate in the House of Commons was on 24 July 1846 (Ways and Means – Sugar Duties – Adjourned) and his final recorded debate was on 25 June 1852 (Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill).[9] During his time as an M.P. he had a total of 39 recorded contributions.[9]

Oswald died on 6 September 1868[10] at the family estate in Auchincruive, Ayrshire.

Family life

On 15 August 1844 at St. Helen's, Isle of Wight, Hampshire, Oswald married Louisa Elizabeth Frederica Craven, widow of Sir Frederick George Johnstone,[11] (grandson and heir of Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet),[12] and mother of Sir Frederick Johnstone, 8th Baronet and George Charles Keppel Johnstone.[12] Together Alexander and Louisa had two daughters and two sons. Their daughter Edith Mary married John Yorke, 7th Earl of Hardwicke.[13]

Oswald succeeded to the Oswald family estate in Auchincruive when his paternal uncle James Oswald died in 1853.[2][14] Before this, he had been living with his wife and young family in Eaton Place, London.[15] By 1861, he was widowed and living with his three teenage children in Green Street, Westminster.[16]

References

1. Smith, John Guthrie; et al. (1878). The old country houses of the old Glasgow gentry.
2. Smith, John Guthrie & Mitchell, John Oswald "The Old Country Houses of the Old Glasgow Gentry" (James MacLehose & Sons, Glasgow, 1878) pp. passim
3. Birth Register at Scotlands People on-line database (subscription required) accessed 26 November 2011
4. "The Times", Friday, 28 Jul 1843; pg. 4; Issue 18360; col E in online database (subscription required) accessed 26 November 2011
5. Hansard (1803-2005)
6. Hansard (1803-2005)
7. "The Times", Wednesday, 18 Jun 1845; pg. 8; Issue 18953; col E in on-line database (subscription required) accessed 26 November 2011
8. "The Times" Saturday, 7 Aug 1847; pg. 3; Issue 19622; col A in on-line database (subscription required) accessed 26 November 2011
9. Hansard (1803-2005)
10. "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1861-1941" Record for Alexander Haldane Oswald in Ancestry on-line database (subscription required) accessed 27 November 2011
11. "England and Wales Marriages 1538-1940" in online database (subscription required) accessed 26 November 2011
12. "Salisbury and Winchester Journal, 18 September 1820" in online database (subscription required) accessed 01 June 2014
13. Walford's County Families of the United Kingdom. 1913. p. 538.
14. "Public Sculpture of Glasgow" McKenzie, Raymond & Nisbet, Gary (Liverpool University Press, 2002)
15. 1851 Census in Ancestry on-line database (subscription required) accessed 27 November 2011
16. 1861 Census in Ancestry on-line database (subscription required) accessed on 27 November 2011

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Alexander Haldane Oswald