William Stewart of Caverston and Traquair (died 1605), was a Scottish landowner and Captain of
Dumbarton Castle.
Career
He was a brother of
Sir John Stewart of
Traquair. His lands were at Caverston, or Caberston, sometimes given as "Taberstoun". Caverston was a property of the Traquair Stewarts in
Innerleithen parish with a fortified house. No visible traces of Caberston Tower remain.
Regent Moray gave William Stewart a charter of the lands of "Caverstoun" in January 1568, which notes that the lands in
Peebleshire were formerly held from the
Earl of Bothwell
Earl of Bothwell was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of Scotland. It was first created for Patrick Hepburn in 1488, and was forfeited in 1567. Subsequently, the earldom was re-created for the 4th Earl's nephew and heir of line, F ...
and were part of the
Barony of Crichton.
Stewart was appointed an extraordinary attendant at the court of
James VI of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...
in 1580. An extraordinary postholder was not expected to be present at court at all times, unless required by the Lord Chamberlain, and might not have a fee. He was one of the 25 gentlemen appointed to ride and pass to the fields with James VI in May 1580, with
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 ...
,
Patrick Hume of Polwarth,
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 ...
,
John Carmichael, and
Walter Stewart of Blantyre.
In 1580 Stewart captured
John Cunningham of Drumquhassil in Edinburgh. Drumquhassil had opposed the delivery of Dumbarton Castle to the king's favourite
Esmé Stewart. Drumquhassil surrendered the keeping of Dumbarton to Stewart, with an inventory of the munitions and furnishings. The inventory gives useful information about locations in the castle, including the "chamber between the craigs" that can still be visited today. Stewart and Drumquhassill signed the inventory on 27 August 1580. After this, Stewart was officially the deputy captain of Dumbarton.
Esmé Stewart rewarded Caverston for his loyalty with the tenancy of the lands of Inzertoun in
Dalkeith
Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: ˆt̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...
.
In March 1583 Stewart swore an oath of his continuing loyalty and service to James VI as captain of Dumbarton. In May he was asked to open and inspect a locked chest containing Esmé Stewart's letters at Dumbarton with
Walter Stewart of Blantyre. They were looking for a copy of the Articles of Association, a scheme to return
Mary, Queen of Scots to power in Scotland.
In August 1583, after the fall of the
Gowrie Regime, the English ambassador
Robert Bowes heard that Stewart would also get the role in the royal wardrobe held by James Murray.
In September 1583 he mediated between
James Stewart, Earl of Arran and
Colonel Stewart who were contesting the reward of a forfeited estate, called an "escheat". He joined the
Privy Council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...
in June 1584, and was made Commendator of
Dryburgh Abbey in 1584 and 1585, replacing
David Erskine. This was a position giving a valuable income.
In May 1585 Stewart came to Edinburgh with the king's letter asking the town council for a loan of 1000
merks
The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...
, for soldiers for the English border.
In 1585 the former royal favourite James Stewart, Earl of Arran was said to have embarked on a boat in Ayrshire carrying royal jewellery including "Kingis Eitche" or "
Great H of Scotland
The Great 'H' of Scotland was a jewel belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots comprising a large diamond, a ruby, and a gold chain. It was broken up in 1604 and made into the Mirror of Great Britain for James VI and I.
Mary Queen of Scots
The "H" was ...
". William Stewart of Caverston negotiated the recovery of the royal jewels from the Earl of Arran and his wife
Elizabeth Stewart,
Lady Lovat, about ship on the
Fairlie Roads. Stewart delivered the "Great H" into the "king's own hands".
In 1585 Stewart gave up the keeping of Dumbarton Castle to
Lord John Hamilton.
Rebel follower of the Earl of Bothwell
The lawyer and historian
David Moysie mentions that William Stewart was a follower of
Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell and took part in the
Raid of Holyrood in 1591. He was forfeited with the other raiders in May 1592.
Laird of Traquair
He inherited the lands of Traquair from his older brother John Stewart in 1594, and became known as "William Stewart of Traquair". At the
baptism of Prince Henry at
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 ...
in August 1594 he was of the men appointed to carry the "paill", a red velvet canopy held up with four poles over
Prince Henry during the ceremonies.
In 1597
Anne of Denmark arranged a loan for the dowry of her maidens of honour,
Jean Stewart, who was marrying
Gilbert Kennedy of Bargany and Ardstinchar. She asked William Stewart of Traquair, who was Jean Stewart's brother-in-law, to be a guarantor or cautioner for the loan. Eventually, the Traquair Stewarts became liable for the loan.
William Stewart contributed 8 kids, 15 moor fowls, 2 black cocks, 28 capons and a roe deer to a banquet at
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace or Holyroodhouse, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinbu ...
for Anne of Denmark's brother,
Ulrik, Duke of Holstein on 30 April 1598.
He died on 20 May 1605.
Contemporaries called William Stewart
There were several men called William Stewart active in this period, including:
*
William Stewart of Houston, known as Colonel Stewart.
*
William Stewart, of Dundee, skipper and captain of one of the ships of James VI in Denmark. William Stewart was also skipper of the ''Bruce'' for
George Bruce of Carnock.
*
William Stewart of Monkton
William Stewart of Monkton and Carstairs (died 1588) was a Scottish landowner and courtier.
He was a son of Andrew Stewart, 2nd Lord Ochiltree and Agnes Cunningham. His elder brother was James Stewart, Earl of Arran and his sister Margaret Stewar ...
(d. 1588), Provost of Ayr.
*
William Stewart, valet of the king's chamber.
* William Stewart, a servant of
Regent Morton mentioned in Morton's "Confession".
Robert Bowes' letter of 19 September 1583 to
Francis Walsingham mentions Arran's brother William Stewart of Monkton, Colonel William Stewart, and William Stewart of Caverston.
[William Boyd, ''Calendar of State Papers Scotland, 1581-1583'' (Edinburgh, 1910), p. 616 no. 644.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, William
16th-century Scottish people
Court of James VI and I
Scottish soldiers
1605 deaths