The eldest son and heir of William Cunningham, 6th Earl of Glencairn by his spouse Janet, daughter of Sir John Gordon of Lochinvar, James was engaged in the notorious Raid of Ruthven in 1582.
The disputes amongst the Scots nobility regarding precedence reached such a height in the reign of James VI that a Royal Commission was appointed by that monarch in 1606 to regulate the matter, and the different peers were invited to produce their Letters Patents, or other evidence, in support of the relative antiquity of their titles.
[2] By early 1618 the EIC and the Muscovy Company joined forces in an attempt to revoke Cunningham's charter and gained the King's assurance that he would cancel it if it proved prejudicial to them.
[4] In addition to his political roles, James Cunningham's involvement in the Scottish East India Company reflects his broader ambitions in international trade.
Their children included: The earl married secondly, Agnes, daughter of Sir James Hay of Fingask, and widow of George Preston of that Ilk and Craigmillar (died 1609), by whom there was no issue.