Sir Alexander Cuninghame, 2nd Baronet

Cuninghame was born at Corsehill Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. He was the only son of Sir Alexander Cuninghame, 1st Baronet and Mary Stewart (sister of Sir Archibald Stewart, 1st Baronet, of Blackhall).^[1]

His paternal grandparents were Alexander Cuninghame and Anne (née Crawfurd) Cuninghame (sister to Sir John Crawfurd, 1st Baronet, MP for Ayrshire).^[2] Through his paternal line, he was a descendant of the 4th Earl of Glencairn through the Earl's second son, Hon. Andrew Cunningham.^[3] His maternal grandparents were John Stewart (the son of Sir Archibald Stewart of Blackhall)^[a] and Mary Stirling (the daughter of Sir James Stirling and sister to Sir George Stirling, 6th Laird of Keir, Dunblane, Perthshire, and 3rd Laird of Cawder, Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire). Among his maternal family were uncles, James Stewart of Lumlock and Sir Archibald Stewart, 1st Baronet, of Blackhall (who married his father's first cousin, Ann Crawfurd).

Upon the death of his father on 25 March 1685, he succeeded as the 2nd Baronet Cuninghame of Corsehill in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. As he was only a minor when his father died, and "was, ill-advisedly, served heir general to his father, 25 March 1685, and heir special in the Barony of Robertland. By this service not only his estate but what of his wife was given up to his father's creditors, and he had to subsist 'by the effects of his industry.'"^[4] His father had been ruined by guaranteeing the credit of his spendthrift cousin, Sir David Cuninghame, 4th Baronet of Robertland.^[5][2][6]