Arthur William Cairns, 2nd Earl Cairns
Encyclopedia
Arthur William Cairns was the Second Earl Cairns
, succeeding to the title on the death of his father the first Earl Cairns on April 2 1885.
, 1st Earl Cairns
, a British
statesman who served as Lord Chancellor
of the United Kingdom
during the first two ministries of Benjamin Disraeli, and Mary Harriet MacNeile. Arthur Cairns was educated at Wellington College
in Berkshire
. Between 1875 and 1876 he attended Eton College
, going on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge
.
On 20 November 1884 Cairns was successfully sued for £10,000 for breach of promise
of marriage by Emily Mary Finney (an actress with the stage name of May Fortescue
). He had seen her on stage in Gilbert and Sullivan
's opera Iolanthe
and the two struck up a relationship. He proposed marriage, and she accepted, leaving the Savoy Theatre
at the end of August 1883. Although his family accepted Fortescue, according to The New York Times
, Cairn's friends could not accept his engagement to an actress, and he broke off the engagement in January 1884, leaving the country to travel in Asia. Fortescue, assisted by W. S. Gilbert
's solicitors, sued him for breach of promise, receiving £10,000 in damages.
Cairns became Private Secretary to the President of the Board of Trade
. He succeeded to the titles of 2nd Baron Cairns of Garmoyle, Co. Antrim
, 2nd Viscount Garmoyle, Co. Antrim and 2nd Viscount Garmoyle, Co. Antrim on the death of his father on 2 April 1885.
, daughter of Alexander Augustus Berens and Louisa Winifred Stewart, on 19 December 1887 at St. Mary's Church
, Bryanston Square
, Marylebone
, London.
Cairns died of pneumonia
on 14 January 1890, aged 28, at 18 Queen Street, Mayfair, London. He was buried at Bournemouth
in Hampshire
. He died intestate, and his estate was administered in April 1890 at £5,135. Having a daughter, Lady Louise Rosemary Kathleen Virginia Cairns MBE
(10 March 1889 - 17 May 1962) (married Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal
in 1909), his titles passed to his younger brother, Herbert John Cairns, 3rd Earl Cairns
.
Earl Cairns
Earl Cairns is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1878 for the prominent lawyer and Conservative politician Hugh Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns. He was Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880...
, succeeding to the title on the death of his father the first Earl Cairns on April 2 1885.
Early life
Born in London in 1861, he was the second but eldest surviving son of Hugh MacCalmont CairnsHugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns
Hugh McCalmont Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns PC, QC was a British statesman who served as Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom during the first two ministries of Benjamin Disraeli. He was one of the most prominent Conservative statesmen in the House of Lords during this period of Victorian politics...
, 1st Earl Cairns
Earl Cairns
Earl Cairns is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1878 for the prominent lawyer and Conservative politician Hugh Cairns, 1st Baron Cairns. He was Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom in 1868 and from 1874 to 1880...
, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
statesman who served as Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the first two ministries of Benjamin Disraeli, and Mary Harriet MacNeile. Arthur Cairns was educated at Wellington College
Wellington College, Berkshire
-Former pupils:Notable former pupils include historian P. J. Marshall, architect Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, impressionist Rory Bremner, Adolphus Cambridge, 1st Marquess of Cambridge, author Sebastian Faulks, language school pioneer John Haycraft, political journalist Robin Oakley, actor Sir Christopher...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. Between 1875 and 1876 he attended Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, going on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
.
On 20 November 1884 Cairns was successfully sued for £10,000 for breach of promise
Breach of promise
Breach of promise is a former common law tort.From at least medieval times until the early 20th century, a man's promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract...
of marriage by Emily Mary Finney (an actress with the stage name of May Fortescue
May Fortescue
May Fortescue was a singer and actor-manager of the Victorian era and a protégée of playwright W. S. Gilbert. She was a member of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1881 to 1883, when she left the company due to an engagement to a nobleman, young Arthur William Cairns, Lord Garmoyle...
). He had seen her on stage in Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's opera Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
and the two struck up a relationship. He proposed marriage, and she accepted, leaving the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
at the end of August 1883. Although his family accepted Fortescue, according to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Cairn's friends could not accept his engagement to an actress, and he broke off the engagement in January 1884, leaving the country to travel in Asia. Fortescue, assisted by W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...
's solicitors, sued him for breach of promise, receiving £10,000 in damages.
Cairns became Private Secretary to the President of the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. He succeeded to the titles of 2nd Baron Cairns of Garmoyle, Co. Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, 2nd Viscount Garmoyle, Co. Antrim and 2nd Viscount Garmoyle, Co. Antrim on the death of his father on 2 April 1885.
Marriage and early death
He married Olivia Elizabeth Berens OBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, daughter of Alexander Augustus Berens and Louisa Winifred Stewart, on 19 December 1887 at St. Mary's Church
St Mary's, Bryanston Square
St Mary's, Bryanston Square, is a Church of England church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in Bryanston Square, London, just a five minute walk from any of Marylebone, Baker Street or Edgware Road tube stations...
, Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square
Bryanston Square is a square in Marylebone, Westminster, London, England. Named after its owner Henry William Portman's home village of Bryanston in Dorset, it was built as part of the Portman Estate between 1810 and 1815, along with Montagu Square a little to the east and Wyndham Place to its...
, Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London.
Cairns died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
on 14 January 1890, aged 28, at 18 Queen Street, Mayfair, London. He was buried at Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. He died intestate, and his estate was administered in April 1890 at £5,135. Having a daughter, Lady Louise Rosemary Kathleen Virginia Cairns MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(10 March 1889 - 17 May 1962) (married Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal
Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal
Wyndham Raymond Portal, 1st Viscount Portal PC GCMG DSO MVO was a British politician.The eldest son of Sir William Wyndam Portal, 2nd Baronet, and Florence Elizabeth Mary Glyn CBE, daughter of Hon...
in 1909), his titles passed to his younger brother, Herbert John Cairns, 3rd Earl Cairns
Herbert Cairns, 3rd Earl Cairns
Herbert John Cairns was the 3rd Earl Cairns, succeeding to the title on the death of his older brother Arthur William Cairns, the 2nd Earl, in 1890....
.
External links
- Arthur Cairns on The Peerage website
- Arthur Cairns on Index to Royal Genealogical Data
- http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/people/mr-arthur-cairnsArthur Cairns on HansardHansardHansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.-Origins:...
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