 He was the son of Andrew Nairne and Isabella H. Macartney and married Nareiza da Costa Ricci, the daughter of Baron Anselmo da Costa Ricci, at St Mark's Notting Hill on 15 December 1894.He joined the Bank of England as a cashier in 1893.In the 1901 Census his occupation is indicated as Deputy Chief Cashier of the Bank of England.