William Fairlie (merchant)

He was the third son of John Fairlie and his wife Agnes Mure or Muir.

[1] He came to India in the early 1780s, remaining there until 1812, and was associated with the "Fairlie House" in Calcutta, an agency that traded under a succession of names.

[3] They operated as free merchants, not beholden to the British East India Company.

[5] In a legal case of the 1840s, it was argued that Fairlie had participated in four successive firms based in Calcutta:[6] The last of these was succeeded in 1818 by Fergusson, Clark & Co.[6] From 1793 Fairlie, with Scott and his son, ran for about 20 years a business empire operating in London, New York, India, China and South-East Asia.

Their children included:[1] After Fairlie's death, his widow Margaret began construction on Coodham House, near Symington, South Ayrshire, which she named "Williamfield".