| He had received the honour of knighthood before 1384, the first reference to him on record. He may have been the Sir William Cunningham of Kilmaurs who, in April 1385, aided in defeating and expelling a party of English invaders, stragglers from the Duke of Lancaster's army, who had attacked and partially burned the Abbey of Inclicolm in the Firth of Forth. On 9 May 1385 he joined in his father's grant to his younger brother Thomas, cited above. About the same time his father resigned in his favour the lands of Kilmaurs, Lambroughton, Skelmorlie, and Kilbride in the barony of Cunningham, Polquhairn in Kyle, Ayrshire, and Ranfurley, in the barony of Renfrew, then in the sheriffdom of Lanark, a resignation confirmed by King Robert II at Arneil on 22 May 1385. In November of the same year he was one of those who shared in the 40,000 francs which the King of France sent to Scotland, the amount paid to him being 500 livres Tournois, and he was one of three Scottish commissioners appointed to distribute the money. It was probably he who acted as Sheriff of Ayr in 1386. He was still younger of Kilmaurs on 8 December 1396, when King Robert III granted to him the barony of Redhall in Midlothian, resigned in his favour by Sir Murdoch Stewart, afterwards Duke of Albany. A little later he had a grant of the superiority of the land of Pearston, Warwickhill, Drummore, Oaprington, and Warrix, in Cunningham, Ayrshire. He succeeded his father some time before 8 July 1399, when he had a charter from King Robert III of the Ayrshire and Renfrew lands enumerated above, with the additions of Redhall, Midlothian, Neve, in Forfarshire, and Hassendean in Roxburghshire, all which he resigned in the King's hands at Rothesay. They were regranted to be held to himself and the lawful heirs-male of his body; whom failing, to Thomas, Alexander, and John his brothers in succession and the heirs-male of their bodies; whom failing, to Humphrey Conynghame, Knight, his (Sir William's) cousin, then to Archibald, brother of Humphrey, and the heirs-male of their bodies; whom failing, to Archibald Conynghame, Knight, son and heir of the late Nigel Conynghame, Knight, and the heirs-male of his body; whom failing, to the lawful and nearest heirs of Sir William himself. A clause was added granting to Sir William, by the King's special favour, that this entail should be no impediment to him in assigning the lands or part of them at his pleasure.9 |
| Sir William was in 1399 summoned to Parliament to answer a complaint at the instance of Thomas Boyd, but the sequel is not stated. He is referred to as Sheriff of Ayr in 1406. In 1409, as superior of the half-barony of Hassendean, he granted to John Turnbull the lands of Hassendean Bank which had belonged to and were resigned by James Cunningham, son and heir of Christal Cunningham, cousin of the granter. He was alive on 7 August 1413, when he resigned his lands in favour of his eldest son Robert and other heirs of entail, but apparently died before December 1415.10 |