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9 unusual facts about William Alexander


1607 in literature

William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling – The Monarchic Tragedies, second edition; adds The Alexandrean and Julius Caesar to his previously-published closet dramas Croesus and Darius

American peers

William Alexander, who was later an American major-general in the American Revolutionary War, was a pretender to the dormant title Earl of Stirling, and was even once permitted to participate in an election of Scottish representative peers, however his claim to the title was later rejected by the House of Lords.

Closet drama

Fulke Greville, Sir William Alexander, and Mary Sidney wrote closet dramas in the age of Shakespeare and Jonson.

Lord Sterling

William Alexander, Lord Stirling, American Revolutionary War general who claimed the title of Earl of Stirling

Sterling, Massachusetts

The town derives its name from General William "Lord Stirling" Alexander, a Scottish expatriate, who served valiantly under Gen. George Washington in the New York and other campaigns.

Thomas Mayhew

--This originally said Earl of Sterling, but William Alexander, 1st Earl of Stirling died in 1640.--> To resolve a conflicting ownership claim, he also paid off Sir Ferdinando Gorges, thereby acquiring a clear title.

In 1641, Thomas secured Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, the Elizabeth Islands, and other islands as a proprietary colony from Sir Ferdinando Gorges and the Earl of Sterling.

Valley Forge National Historical Park

Quarters of other Continental Army generals are also in the park, including those of Huntington, Varnum, Lord Stirling, Lafayette, and Knox.

William Alexander, Lord Stirling

He dabbled in mining and agriculture and lived a life filled with the trappings befitting a Scottish Lord.


Earl of Stirling

The titles became dormant upon the death of the fifth Earl in 1739, although one William Alexander of New York, known to history as Major General Lord Stirling of the Continental Army, years before the American Revolutionary War pursued a claim to succeed to the dormant earldom.

Hangover House

Hangover House (also known as the Halliburton House) was designed and built by William Alexander for his friend the travel writer Richard Halliburton.

James Seddon

Born in Falmouth, Stafford County, Virginia, Seddon was a descendant of William Alexander, Earl of Stirling.

Saint Andrew's Society

Past presidents of the venerable society include Philip Livingston, William Alexander (the "Earl of Stirling"), Andrew Carnegie and Ward Melville.


see also

Alastair Burnet

Sir James William Alexander Burnet, known as Sir Alastair Burnet (12 July 1928 – 20 July 2012), was a British journalist and broadcaster, best known for his work in news and current affairs programmes, including a long career with ITN as chief presenter of the flagship News at Ten for eighteen years; Sir Robin Day described Burnet as "the booster rocket that put ITN into orbit".

Blount Building

It was built by Charles Hill Turner in 1906-1907 for local attorney William Alexander Blount on the site of the three-story Blount-Watson Building, which had burned on Halloween night in 1905.

Charles Crombie

Crombie was born in Brisbane, Queensland, on 16 March 1914 to David William Alexander Crombie, a grazing farmer, and his Indian-born British wife Phoebe Janet (née Arbuthnot), the daughter of Lieutenant General Sir Charles Arbuthnot.

Harrie Wood

Wood was born at Kensington in London to public servant William Alexander Wood and Margaret Eleanor Hall.

Rancho Rio de los Americanos

William Alexander Leidesdorff, U.S. Vice Consul at the Port of San Francisco, hired a farm manager and financed construction of four adobe dwellings on the site at today's River Bend Park, near Bradshaw Road and Folsom Blvd, in the city of Rancho Cordova.

Silverwood Dairy

Albert's brother, William Alexander Silverwood, moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1907.

W. A. B. Douglas

William Alexander Binny "Alec" Douglas (born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia 4 June 1929) is a Canadian naval historian, who was Director, Directorate of History, National Defence Headquarters (Canada), 1973–1993, then Director General History, 1993–1994.

W. A. Campbell Stewart

Professor (William Alexander) Campbell Stewart (17 December 1915–23 April 1997) was a Professor of Education and Vice-Chancellor of Keele University.

William A. Smith

Amor De Cosmos (William Alexander Smith, 1825–1897), Canadian journalist and politician

William Alexander Mouat

William Alexander Mouat was baptised on 9 April 1821 in Eastcheap, in the City of London.

William Crowne

These included Thomas Elliot (a groom of the bedchamber to Charles II), Sir Lewis Kirke and others (who had taken Acadia in the expedition against Quebec in 1632), and heirs of Sir William Alexander (the original grantee, from whom Charles de la Tour's father had obtained the grant).

William Sorell

Sorell was born probably in the West Indies, the eldest son of Lieutenant-general William Alexander Sorell and his wife Jane.