General Sir William Stewart (1643 – 4 June 1726), was a Scottish-born soldier,
Commander-in-chief of
Queen Anne's Forces in Ireland,
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
County Waterford and a
Privy Councillor. He was a benefactor of
Hanover Square, London
Hanover Square is a green square in Mayfair, Westminster, south west of Oxford Circus where Oxford Street meets Regent Street. Six streets converge on the square which include Harewood Place with links to Oxford Street, Princes Street, Hanover ...
, donating the land and laying the first stone of
St George's, Hanover Square.
Biography
William Stewart (also sometimes spelt ''Steuart'') was the second son of Colonel William Stewart (d.1691),
adjutant to the
Marquess of Montrose
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...
at the
Battle of Philiphaugh
The Battle of Philiphaugh was fought on 13 September 1645 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms near Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. The Royalist army of the Marquis of Montrose was destroyed by the Covenanter army of Sir David Leslie, ...
, by his wife Barbara, the granddaughter of
James Stewart, Earl of Arran
Captain James Stewart, Earl of Arran (died 1595) was created Earl of Arran by the young King James VI, who wrested the title from James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran. He rose to become Lord Chancellor of Scotland and was eventually murdered in ...
and
Lord Chancellor of Scotland
The Lord Chancellor of Scotland, formally the Lord High Chancellor, was a Great Officer of State in the Kingdom of Scotland.
Holders of the office are known from 1123 onwards, but its duties were occasionally performed by an official of lower s ...
. His paternal grandfather, William Stewart of
Burray
Burray () is one of the Orkney Islands in Scotland. It lies to the east of Scapa Flow and is one of a chain of islands linked by the Churchill Barriers.
Geography and geology
Burray lies between Mainland, Orkney and South Ronaldsay, and is ...
lived at Mains,
Wigtownshire
Wigtownshire or the County of Wigtown (, ) is one of the historic counties of Scotland, covering an area in the south-west of the country. Until 1975, Wigtownshire was an administrative county used for local government. Since 1975 the area has f ...
and was the elder brother of
Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Galloway. Steuart himself was a first cousin of John Sinclair (d.1705), 8th
Earl of Caithness
Earl of Caithness is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of Scotland, and it has a very complex history. Its first grant, in the modern sense as to have been counted in strict lists of peerages, is now generally held to have ...
, and a nephew of Lt.-Col. Sir Archibald Stewart (d.1689), the first
Baronet of Burray.
His father had been granted lands in Ireland by
Charles II of England in lieu of arrears of pay due to him as a
Cavalier
The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ) ...
officer during the
English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...
, and it was there that William Steuart grew up. He joined the
English Army and became a
Captain with the
1st Foot Guards before his promotion by
William III of Orange
William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic from ...
to
Lieutenant-Colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...
of the 16th Foot. He was subsequently promoted to
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
of the
9th Regiment following the
Glorious Revolution. Before Stewart took command, the regiment had taken part in aborted attempt to relieve the
besieged city of Derry under another Colonel
John Cunningham who was dismissed by King William for his failure. Stewart's regiment was re-embarked as part of General
Percy Kirke
Lieutenant General Percy Kirke (c. 1646 – 31 October 1691), English soldier, was the son of George Kirke, a court official to Charles I and Charles II.
Career
In 1666 Kirke obtained his first Army commission in Lord Admiral's regiment, and ...
's second relief force for Derry.
He served with distinction for the remainder of the
Williamite War in Ireland
The Williamite War in Ireland (1688–1691; ga, Cogadh an Dá Rí, "war of the two kings"), was a conflict between Jacobite supporters of deposed monarch James II and Williamite supporters of his successor, William III. It is also called th ...
against the
Jacobite Irish Army
The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The A ...
. At the first
Siege of Limerick (1690)
Limerick, a city in western Ireland, was besieged twice in the Williamite War in Ireland in 1689-1691. On the first occasion, in August to September 1690, its Jacobite defenders retreated to the city after their defeat at the Battle of the Bo ...
he was badly wounded in the right hand, permanently disabling him was wounded again at
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
and
Athlone.
He was promoted to
Brigadier-General in 1694 and then to
Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
in 1696. On Christmas Eve, 1700, he fought a duel with Colonel Bellew. Within two yards of his opponent, Steuart, with his left hand, shot Bellew through the hat. In return Bellew threw away his pistol saying that he did not desire to kill Steuart. By 1703 he was promoted to
Lieutenant-General. In 1711, in the absence of the
Duke of Ormonde
The peerage title Earl of Ormond and the related titles Duke of Ormonde and Marquess of Ormonde have a long and complex history. An earldom of Ormond has been created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.
History of Ormonde titles
The earldom ...
,
Queen Anne appointed him
Commander-in-Chief of her forces in Ireland. The same year he was made a full General and
Privy Councillor.
George I George I or 1 may refer to:
People
* Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631)
* George I of Constantinople (d. 686)
* George I of Antioch (d. 790)
* George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9)
* George I of Georgia (d. 1027)
* Yuri Dolgor ...
later removed him from his colonelcy of the 9th Foot, suspecting him of 'favouring the Chevalier'. He lived at
Hanover Square, London
Hanover Square is a green square in Mayfair, Westminster, south west of Oxford Circus where Oxford Street meets Regent Street. Six streets converge on the square which include Harewood Place with links to Oxford Street, Princes Street, Hanover ...
and was a member of Parliament for
County Waterford from 1703 to 1715. He owned considerable amounts of land in Ireland that after his death was distributed between his nephews and nieces, the children of his deceased brother, James.
General Steuart died 4 June 1726, and is buried with his first wife in the vault of the
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
at
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
. In his will he left £5,000 to endow a school for the poor boys of his parish,
St. George's, in London. He also donated the land on which
St George's, Hanover Square was built, laying the first stone in 1721. The auctioneer Christopher Cock sold the house and its contents in Hanover Square, on 14 April 1730.
Family
General Stewart was married twice: His first wife, The Rt. Hon. and Lady
Katherine FitzGerald, Viscountess Grandison
Katherine FitzGerald, suo jure Viscountess Grandison (1660–1725), was a wealthy Irish heiress, being the only child of Sir John FitzGerald of Dromana, County Waterford. She inherited the Dromana estate in 1664 upon the death of her father. She ...
, was the widow of Brigadier-General Hon.
Edward Villiers (d.1693), the eldest son of George Villiers, 4th
Viscount Grandison
Viscount Grandison, of Limerick, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for Sir Oliver St John, the Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was the descendant and namesake of Oliver St John, whose elder brother Sir John St John was the ...
. She was the daughter and heiress of Sir John Fitzgerald of Dromana House (
Villierstown),
Co. Waterford, by his wife Katherine, second daughter of John Power (1599–1661), 5th
Baron La Poer
Baron La Poer, de la Poer, or Le Pour, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by the Marquess of Waterford. Its creation is the sole instance in the law of the Kingdom of Ireland recognising a peerage by writ.
Origin of the title
James Power ...
, and her guardians included
Charles II of England. She died in December 1725. One month later Stewart married Eliza, daughter of Sir Rowland Alston (1654–1697), 2nd Bart., of
Odell Castle,
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, by his wife Temperance, daughter and heiress of
Thomas Crew, 2nd Baron Crew
Thomas Crew, 2nd Baron Crew (1624 – 30 November 1697) of Steane, Northamptonshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1679, when he inherited the peerage Baron Crew.
Life
Crew ...
. Neither wife bore him children.
After various charitable donations the bulk of the remainder of his will was divided between his brother and sister and the children of his elder brother, Captain James Steuart (d.1689), to whom he had acted as guardian. His nephews were: (1) Colonel John Steuart (d.1762) of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, married Bridget Pocklington and inherited the General's land at Leighlinbridge,
Co. Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
, where his son, William (who married Anne, daughter of
Sir Richard Butler, 5th Baronet
Sir Richard Butler, 5th Baronet (1699 – 25 November 1771) was an Irish politician and baronet.
Early life
He was the eldest son of James Butler and Frances ( Abney) Parker Butler. His mother was the widow of Sir John Parker, who lived at ...
), built Steuart/Stewart's Lodge in 1752; (2) Major Charles Stewart, who had a 'very considerable fortune of his own' bought
Bailieborough Castle
Bailieborough Castle was located in Bailieborough, County Cavan, Ireland. It was built in an enclosed demesne by 1629. Also known as Castle House, Lisgar House, or simply 'The Castle', the country house was located just to the south-west of Cas ...
in 1724; and (3)
James Steuart,
Admiral of the Fleet, who was the executor of the General's will. Their fourth and eldest brother, (4) Brigadier-General The Hon. William Steuart (d.1736) of Ballylane,
Co. Waterford, whose monument stands in
Bath Abbey, was cut off with only a
shilling.
References
Bibliography
* Childs, John. ''The British Army of William III, 1689-1702''. Manchester University Press, 1987.
External links
Villiers-Stuart Papers at the Public Records Office of Northern IrelandThe Steuart and Villiers familiesThe Steuart family from the Longford LibrarySteuarts Lodge, Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steuart, William
1643 births
1726 deaths
British duellists
Grenadier Guards officers
English army officers
British Army generals
Burials at Westminster Abbey
Commanders-in-Chief, Ireland
Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Waterford constituencies
Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland
Members of the Privy Council of Ireland
Irish MPs 1703–1713
Irish MPs 1713–1714
Royal Norfolk Regiment officers