Sir William Johnstone, 2nd Baronet
Sir William Johnstone, 2nd Baronet (died 8 October 1727) of Sciennes and Westerhall was a Scottish landowner and politician who sat in the Parliament of Scotland from 1698 to 1707 and in the British House of Commons between 1707 and 1722.
Johnstone was the second son of Sir James Johnstone of Westerhall, a member of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland. His mother Margaret was the daughter of John Bannatyne of Corehouse in Lanarkshire. His elder brother was Sir John Johnstone, 1st Baronet MP, to whose baronetcy and Westerhall estate he succeeded on 30 September 1711.[1]
Johnstone was a political ally of his distant relation the Earl of Annandale. In the Parliament of Scotland he was a member from 1698 to 1707 for the burgh of Annan, of which Annandale was the patron. He initially supported the Union with England, and when Annandale shifted towards opposing it, Johnstone intermittently joined him.[2]
In the House of Commons of Great Britain, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1708 to 1722.[2] He was the MP for Dumfries Burghs from 1708 to 1710, and from May to August 1713. From 1713 to 1715 he was, very unusually, MP for both Dumfries Burghs and Dumfriesshire.[2] From 1715 to 1722 he was MP for Dumfriesshire alone.[3]
Johnstone married Henrietta, the daughter and coheiress of James Johnston of Sciennes, Edinburgh before 1698 and had 2 sons. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son James, who was MP for Dumfries Burghs from 1743 to 1754.[2]
References
- ↑ Cokayne, George E. Complete baronetage. W. Pollard & co. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 Wilkinson, David (2002). D. Hayton; E. Cruickshanks; S. Handley, eds. "JOHNSTONE, William (d. 1727), of Sciennes (Sheenes), Edinburgh, and Westerhall (Westraw), Dumfries". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690-1715. Boydell and Brewer. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ↑ "JOHNSTONE, William (d. 1727), of Sciennes (Sheenes), Edinburgh, and Westerhall (Westraw), Dumfries". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 11 October 2018.
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Dumfries Burghs 1708–1710 |
Succeeded by John Hutton |
| Preceded by John Hutton |
Member of Parliament for Dumfries Burghs May 1713 – 1715 |
Succeeded by Alexander Fergusson |
| Preceded by James Murray |
Member of Parliament for Dumfriesshire 1713–1722 |
Succeeded by Charles Erskine |
| Baronetage of Nova Scotia | ||
| Preceded by John Johnstone |
Baronet (of Westerhall) 1711–1727 |
Succeeded by James Johnstone |