Alexander Stewart (1699–1781) was an Irish landowner who grew rich by inheriting a fortune from Robert Cowan, a former governor of

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. His son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

became the 1st

Marquess of Londonderry Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of County Londonderry, Londonderry ( ), is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. History The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry ...

Birth and origins

Alexander was born in 1699 or 1700 at Ballylawn Castle, near

Manorcunningham Manorcunningham, or Manor (, meaning "the manor of Fort Cownyngham") is a small village and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located 7 kilometers from Letterkenny on the main road to Derry. It is known locally and throughout Donegal as ...

in County Donegal. He was the second son of William Stewart and his wife. His father had his lands consolidated by Charles I under the name of Stewart's Court, raised a

Williamite A Williamite was a follower of King William III of England (r. 1689–1702) who deposed King James II and VII in the Glorious Revolution. William, the Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, replaced James with the support of English Whigs. One ...

troop of horse in the run-up to the

Siege of Derry The siege of Derry in 1689 was the first major event in the Williamite War in Ireland. The siege was preceded by a first attempt against the town by Jacobite forces on 7 December 1688 that was foiled when 13 apprentices shut the gates ...

and was therefore known as Colonel William Stewart. Alexander's grandfather is not known by name, but Alexander was a great-grandson of Charles Stewart, whose father John was given land at Ballylawn in County Donegal in the plantation of Ulster, built Ballylawn Castle on that land, and held fishing rights in Lough Swilly. John Stewart is likely to have been a younger son of the Stewarts of Garlies in Galloway, Scotland.80
/> Alexander's mother, whose first name is unknown, was a daughter of William Stewart of Fort Stewart, near

Ramelton Ramelton (; ), also Rathmelton, is a town and townland in County Donegal, Ireland. , its population was 1,266. History Ramelton is situated at the mouth of the River Lennon, 11 km north of Letterkenny and 4 km south of Milford, on the ...

, County Donegal. The Stewart family background was Scots-Irish and Presbyterian. He appears below as the younger of two brothers: #Thomas (died 1740), inherited Ballylawn and pursued a military career but died childless in 1740 #Alexander (1699–1781)

Early life

Alexander, as a younger son, went into commerce with an apprenticeship at

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

and became a successful merchant in the Baltic trade. He also became an elder in the First Presbyterian Church in Rosemary Street, Belfast. During his residence in Belfast he became a convinced Whig, in line with the general reformist sentiment of the Presbyterian town.

Marriage and children

Alexander Stewart married on 30 June 1737 in Dublin a cousin, Mary Cowan, daughter of John Cowan, alderman of Londonderry and his wife Anne Stewart, daughter of Alexander Stewart of Ballylawn, and sister of the former Governor of Bombay, Robert Cowan, who had died on 21 February 1737 in London. Alexander and Mary had seven children: #Anne (1738–1781) #

(1739–1821), became the 1st

#William (1741–1742) #Francis (born 1742) #John (1744–1762) #

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(1746–1831), married Mary Moore, the 3rd daughter of the 1st Marquess of Drogheda #Mary (born 1747), died young

Brother's death and succession

In 1740 his elder brother, Thomas, died and Alexander inherited the Ballylawn estate.

Cowan inheritance

He then acquired the rights to Robert Cowan's substantial estate. Being now rich, Stewart retired from business in 1743, and used the money from the Cowan inheritance to become a substantial landowner in

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

by buying estates at

Comber Comber ( , , locally ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies south of Newtownards, at the northern end of Strangford Lough. It is situated in the townland of Town Parks, the civil parish of Comber and the historic barony of Cast ...

and

Newtownards Newtownards is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtownard ...

in 1744.

Mount Stewart

Around 1750 Alexander Stewart rebuilt a house called Mount Pleasant on his estate near Newtownards and renamed it

Mount Stewart Mount Stewart is a 19th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the Irish s ...

. In 1780 Stewart commissioned the

Temple of the Winds ''Temple of the Winds'' is the fourth book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series ''The Sword of Truth.'' Plot introduction Jagang, Emperor of the Imperial Order, has invoked a bound fork prophecy binding Richard and Kahlan to a fate of pain, b ...

at Mount Stewart from

James "Athenian" Stuart James "Athenian" Stuart (1713 – 2 February 1788) was a Scottish archaeologist, architect and artist, best known for his central role in pioneering Neoclassicism. Life Early life Stuart was born in 1713 in Creed Lane, Ludgate Street, London ...

. This is an octagonal neo-classical building that was completed by his son Robert after his death. Mount Stewart08

In 1755 he was left the property of

William Bruce (1702–1755) William Bruce may refer to: * Sir William Bruce (architect) (c. 1630–1710), Scottish architect * William Bruce, 8th Earl of Kincardine (died 1740), Scottish nobleman * William Bruce (cricketer) (1864–1925), Australian cricketer * William Bruce ...

, a Dublin bookseller from

Killyleagh Killyleagh (; ) is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the A22 road between Belfast and Downpatrick, on the western side of Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,483 people in the 2001 Census. It is best ...

, which he divided between Bruce's relations.

In politics

In 1759 the member of the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...

for the city of Londonderry, William Scott, was raised to the bench. Initially William Hamilton was elected to succeed him, but the election was declared void. Alexander Stewart was returned in his place in April 1760, but he was also declared not duly elected. Eventually Hamilton represented the constituency from May 1760 until his death later that year.

Death and timeline

Stewart died on 2 April 1781 and was succeeded by his eldest son Robert. The Stewart family papers are preserved in the

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a division within the Engaged Communities Group of the Department for Communities (DfC). The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is disti ...

Notes, citations, and sources

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * – (Snippet view) * – The 31st Edition gives Stewarts as ancestors whereas the 99th Edition gives Tempests and Vanes. * – Scotland and Ireland * – (for timeline) * – Short biographies in the biographical notes * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Alexander 1690s births 1781 deaths People from County Londonderry