Walter Stewart, 1st Lord Blantyre (died 8 March 1617) was a Scottish politician, administrator, and judge.

Life

He was the son of Sir John Stewart of

Minto Minto may refer to: Places Antarctica *Mount Minto (Antarctica) Australia *Minto, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Minto railway station * Minto County, Western Australia * Parish of Minto, New South Wales Canada * Minto City, British Col ...

and Margaret Stewart sister of

James Stewart of Cardonald James Stewart of Cardonald (1512-1584) was a Scottish landowner and soldier. His lands were at Cardonald, near Glasgow, and his principal home, the Place of Cardonald or Cardonald Castle on the banks of the River Cart has been demolished. There ...

Educated with

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

under

George Buchanan George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...

, he was a gentleman in the king's chamber, Knight of

Cardonald Cardonald ( sco, Cardonal, gd, Cair Dhòmhnaill
) is ...

, Prior of

Blantyre Blantyre () is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with an enumerated 800,264 inhabitants . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, L ...

Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peer, like the Keeper of the Great Seal. The office has rem ...

from 1582 to 1596, an

Extraordinary Lord of Session Extraordinary Lords of Session were lay members of the Court of Session in Scotland from 1532 to 1762, and were part of the historical judiciary of Scotland. When the Court of Session was founded in 1532, it consisted of the Lord President, 14 ...

from 1593, an

Octavian Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...

from 1596, and

Treasurer of Scotland The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Act of Union 1707, Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland. Lord Treasurer The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the Ne ...

from 1596 to 1599. In May 1580 twenty five gentlemen were appointed as "pensioners to attend the King's Majesty at all times on his riding and passing to the fields". The riding entourage included Stewart with, Captain James Stewart, Captain Crawford, the Master of Cathcart,

Roger Aston Sir Roger Aston (died 23 May 1612) of Cranford, Middlesex, was an English courtier and favourite of James VI of Scotland. Biography Aston was the illegitimate son of Thomas Aston (died 1553), Thomas Aston (died 1553). Scottish sources spell his n ...

, John Carmichael,

James Anstruther Sir James Anstruther of Anstruther (died 1606), was a Scottish landowner and courtier. He was a son of John Anstruther and Margaret Clephane, daughter of George Clephane of Carslogie. His second wife was Margaret Learmonth, daughter of James Lea ...

Patrick Hume of Polwarth Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth and Redbraes (c.1550– June 1609) was a Scottish courtier and makar (court poet). Family background He was the eldest son of Sir Patrick Hume of Polwarth & Redbrayes (d. May 1599) and his spouse Agnes, daughter of ...

, and

John Stewart of Baldynneis John Stewart of Baldynneis (c. 1545–c. 1605) was a writer and courtier at the Scottish Court. he was one of the Castalian Band grouped around James VI. He was the son of Elizabeth Beaton, a former mistress of James V, and John Stewart, 4th Lo ...

. Between 1587 and 1593 Walter Stewart held the barony of Glasgow, in place of the young

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton, was first created in 1581, and had formerly been the Earldom of Lenn ...

, and so he appointed the magistrates and

Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. Elected by the city councillors, the Lord Provost serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. The office is equi ...

. James VI sent John Carmichael and Blantyre to arrest Elizabeth's Irish rebel

Brian O'Rourke Sir Brian O'Rourke ( ga, Sir Brian na Múrtha Ó Ruairc; c. 1540 – 1591) was first king and then lord of West Breifne in Ireland from 1566 until his execution in 1591. He reigned during the later stages of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and hi ...

and take him to England on 3 April 1591. This caused a riot in Glasgow, because the arrest was thought likely to damage the Irish trade, and Blantyre and Carmichael were cursed as "Queen Elizabeth's knights" and the king for taking "English

angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

", the annuity or subsidy received from Queen Elizabeth. Carmichael and Blantyre hoped Elizabeth might spare O'Rourke so the inhabitants of Glasgow would be reconciled to them, but he was executed. In July 1593 he was appointed to a council to manage the estates and finances of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

. After the

Kinmont Willie William Armstrong of Kinmont or Kinmont Willie was a Scottish border reiver and outlaw active in the Anglo- Scottish Border country in the last decades of the 16th century. He lived at the Tower of Sark, close to the border between Scotland a ...

affair, on 8 July 1596 Blantyre wrote to David Foulis, the Scottish ambassador in London, that he should return if Elizabeth's attitude did not improve. He also discussed the case of a counterfeit coiner. Blantyre was responsible for the prisoner Angus McDonald McConneil, a son of

Sorley Boy MacDonnell Sorley Boy MacDonnell (Scottish Gaelic: ''Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill''), also spelt as MacDonald (c. 1505 – 1590), Scoto-Irish chief, was the son of Alexander Carragh MacDonnell, 5th of Dunnyveg, of Dunyvaig Castle, lord of Islay and ...

, and his wife and servants from August 1596. They were moved from

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle ( gd, Dùn Breatainn, ; ) has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a volcanic plug of basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton. History Dumba ...

to a house in Dumbarton town, then to Blantyre's own

Cardonald Cardonald ( sco, Cardonal, gd, Cair Dhòmhnaill
) is ...

Castle, and then lodged in Glasgow. Blantyre fell off his horse and broke his leg in Edinburgh in February 1597, and while he recovered

Lord Ochiltree Lord Ochiltree (or Ochiltrie) of Lord Stuart of Ochiltree was a title in the Peerage of Scotland. In 1542 Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Avondale (see the Earl Castle Stewart for earlier history of the family) exchanged the lordship of Avondale with S ...

was treasurer.

wrote in April 1597 that his health was weakening and it was feared that he was bewitched. In 1599 he was imprisoned and compelled to resign by James VI, influenced by a group of courtiers in king's bedchamber. In July 1602 Blantyre joined a committee of "4 Stewarts" to arbitrate between the

Marquess of Huntly Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing ...

and the

Earl of Moray The title Earl of Moray, Mormaer of Moray or King of Moray was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until 1130 th ...

. The other Stewarts were Lord Ochiltree, Alexander Stewart of Garlies, and the Tutor of

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...

. He was a commissioner for union with England in 1604. He was created Lord Blantyre, in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, ...

in 1606, and succeeded by William Stewart.

Family

Walter Stewart married Nicola Somerville, daughter of Sir James Somerville of Cambusnethan and Katherine Murray, in December 1582. Their children included; * William Stewart, 2nd Lord Blantyre * Walter Stewart, a physician * Sir James Stewart (d. 1609), married

Dorothy Hastings Dorothy Hastings (1579 – after 1613) was a courtier to Elizabeth I of England and Anne of Denmark Dorothy Hastings was born in 1579, the daughter of George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon and Dorothy Port, daughter and co-heiress of Sir John P ...

, but was killed on 8 November 1609 at Islington, in a duel with

Sir George Wharton Sir George Wharton, 1st Baronet (4 April 1617 – 12 August 1681) was an English Royalist soldier and astrologer. He was also known for his poetry. Life He was the son of a blacksmith in Westmorland. He went to Oxford to study, though not admitte ...

, who also died.''HMC Manuscripts of the Duke of Portland'', vol. 9 (London, 1923), pp. viii, 119, 154. * Anne Stewart, who had a daughter Margaret Hamilton with

James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and 4th Earl of Arran KG PC (1589 – 2 March 1625), styled Lord Aven from 1599 to 1604, was a Scottish politician. He was the son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton and Margaret Lyon. Career Ha ...

. He was half-brother to

Matthew Stewart of Minto Matthew Stewart of Minto (c.1545 – c.1612) was a prominent Scottish merchant who was four times Lord Provost of Glasgow. Life He was the son of John Stewart of Minto, Lord Provost of Glasgow from 1565 to 1573, and his first wife Joanna Hepburn. ...

, four times

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. Elected by the city councillors, the Lord Provost serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city. The office is equiv ...

References

Notes

Sources

* Balfour Paul, Sir James, ''Scots Peerage'' IX vols. Edinburgh 1904 1617 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) 16th-century Scottish politicians 17th-century Scottish politicians 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish peers Peers of Scotland created by James VI Lord High Treasurers of Scotland Comptrollers of Scotland Extraordinary Lords of Session Court of James VI and I Year of birth unknown Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1612

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