Sir William Stewart of Houston (c. 1540 – c. 1605) was a Scottish soldier, politician and diplomat. He is often known as "Colonel Stewart", or the Commendator of Pittenweem.

Life

He began his career as a soldier in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, where he became a colonel and entered into communications with

Lord Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

on the progress of affairs. In 1582 he was in Scotland, and

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 ...

made him captain of his guard. He visited the English court in the king's interest in 1583 with John Colville and

George Young (diplomat) George Young (fl. 1584–1615) was a Scottish churchman, courtier, member of the Privy Council of Scotland, diplomat, and secretary depute. Career George Young was appointed Archdeacon of St Andrews by James VI of Scotland on 12 October 1584. In ...

. Later that year, Stewart helped to free James from

William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 4th Lord of Ruthven (c. 1541May 1584) was a Scottish peer known for devising the Raid of Ruthven. Life and career William Ruthven was born in 1541 in Ruthven Castle, in Perthshire, Scotland, the son of Patr ...

, and to bring back his cousin

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 ...

to power; these acts largely restored the young King James's position, after the

Raid of Ruthven The Raid of Ruthven was a political conspiracy in Scotland which took place on 22 August 1582. It was composed of several Presbyterian nobles, led by William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, who abducted King James VI of Scotland. The nobles intende ...

. On 4 September 1583 at

Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish Kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, providing an escape from political and religious turmoil. Today it is under the stewardship of ...

James VI ordered that Colonel Stewart be given some of the jewels that had belonged to his mother

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scot ...

, including a gold cross previously given to his favourite,

Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, 1st Earl of Lennox, 6th Seigneur d'Aubigny, (26 May 1583) of the Château d'Aubigny at Aubigny-sur-Nère in the ancient province of Berry, France, was a Roman Catholic French nobleman of Scottish ancestry ...

. He was made a

privy councillor 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 ...

and assisted Arran in governing Scotland. In April 1584 he captured Gowrie at

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

. In 1585 he and Arran lost their power, and Stewart went to Denmark and France on secret errands for the king.

Norway and Denmark

Colonel Stewart became prominent in the king's marriage negotiations with Denmark, joining an embassy with Peter Young. In February 1588 an informant wrote to

Francis Walsingham Sir Francis Walsingham ( – 6 April 1590) was principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I of England from 20 December 1573 until his death and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Born to a well-connected family of gentry, Wals ...

that Stewart had returned from Denmark with news of agreement that James VI should marry the younger daughter

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 ...

, according to the wishes of her mother

Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow Sophie of Mecklenburg-Güstrow (''Sophia''; 4 September 1557 – 14 October 1631) was Queen of Denmark and Norway by marriage to Frederick II of Denmark. She was the mother of King Christian IV of Denmark and Anne of Denmark. She was Regent of Schl ...

, because she "thinks her most meet for him." He travelled to Norway in 1589 where the Danish fleet carrying Anne of Denmark rested, and brought back her letters of 3 October to James VI. He then returned to Norway. In December 1590 he sailed to Scotland with instructions for the ruling council from James VI, including orders for ships for the king's return, the reception ceremony for the queen and repairs to

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 ...

. He arrived at

Kronborg Kronborg is a castle and stronghold in the town of Helsingør, Denmark. Immortalized as Elsinore in William Shakespeare's play ''Hamlet'', Kronborg is one of the most important Renaissance castles in Northern Europe and was inscribed on the UNES ...

on 4 April with a letter to James VI from Queen Elizabeth. On 7 April 1590 he wrote from

Helsingør Helsingør ( , ; sv, Helsingör), classically known in English as Elsinore ( ), is a city in eastern Denmark. Helsingør Municipality had a population of 62,686 on 1 January 2018. Helsingør and Helsingborg in Sweden together form the northern ...

to the English diplomat in Edinburgh, Robert Bowes. James VI had a valet in Denmark who was also called " William Stewart" and this was also the name of one of the captains of his fleet. He commanded the ships which conveyed James and his bride, Anne, from Denmark in April 1590. In June 1590

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 ...

sent John Skene and Stewart as ambassadors to Denmark and Germany. The mission was to intended to cement a peaceful league in Europe. They met the mother of

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( , from Low German ''Brunswiek'' , Braunschweig dialect: ''Bronswiek'') is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the Nor ...

, then went on to meet

William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel William IV of Hesse-Kassel (24 June 153225 August 1592), also called ''William the Wise'', was the first Landgrave of the Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day. Life Lan ...

Rotenburg an der Fulda Rotenburg an der Fulda (officially ''Rotenburg a.d. Fulda'') is a town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in northeastern Hesse, Germany lying, as the name says, on the river Fulda (river), Fulda. Geography Location The town lies south of the S ...

and

Christian I, Elector of Saxony Christian I of Saxony (29 October 1560 in Dresden – 25 September 1591 in Dresden) was Elector of Saxony from 1586 to 1591. He belonged to the Albertine line of the House of Wettin. He was the sixth but second surviving son of Elector Augu ...

at Dresden. In April 1591 the English ambassador Robert Bowes joked with Stewart over the lack of written responses the king had received.

Bothwell's rebellions

Stewart was imprisoned in

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age, although the nature of the early settlement is unclear. ...

in January 1592. It was suspected that he had helped the rebel

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 ...

try to capture James VI at

. His wife Erika was also banished from court, for stirring up controversy between the Chancellor, John Maitland of

Thirlestane Thirlestane Castle is a castle set in extensive parklands near Lauder in the Borders of Scotland. The site is aptly named Castle Hill, as it stands upon raised ground. However, the raised land is within Lauderdale, the valley of the Leader Wate ...

and James VI and Anne of Denmark. He was at court at

in June 1592, and was arrested on suspicion of planning to help the rebel Earl of Bothwell capture the king. He was imprisoned at

Burleigh Castle The remains of Burleigh Castle are located just outside the village of Milnathort, 1.5 miles north of Kinross, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. The castle dates from the 15th and 16th centuries, and now sits beside the A911 road, opposite a 19th ...

. In July 1592 he was questioned by the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

, John Maitland of

, the

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

, Richard Cockburn, John Carmichael, and John Skene, about his dealings with Bothwell. Stewart admitted that he had been in

playing cards with the imprisoned Earl of Bothwell shortly before Bothwell escaped on 21 June 1591, and denied that he had secret communications with Bothwell. To gain favour and divert suspicions, Stewart and Sir James Sandilands accused

Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie Alexander Lindsay, 1st Lord Spynie (died 5 June 1607) was a Scottish nobleman. His death is the subject of the ballad ''Lord Spynie''. Early life Lindsay was the fourth son of David Lindsay, 10th Earl of Crawford, by his wife Margaret Beaton, d ...

of entertaining the rebel Earl of Bothwell at

Aberdour Castle Aberdour Castle is in the village of Easter Aberdour, Fife, Scotland. Parts of the castle date from around 1200, making Aberdour one of the two oldest datable standing castles in Scotland, along with Castle Sween in Argyll, which was built a ...

in 1592 but he denied this.

Later life

Twice he went on missions to the Netherlands. In 1594 he was knighted and was given lands at

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

John Wemyss of Logie John Wemyss younger of Logie, (1569-1596), was a Scottish courtier, spy, and subject of the ballad "The Laird o Logie", beheaded for plotting to blow up a fortification at Veere in the Netherlands Life John Wemyss was a brother or son, the famil ...

heard in September 1595 that he had been in

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label=Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin ...

and

, where

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian monar ...

had travelled to meet his future wife,

Anne Catherine of Brandenburg Anne Catherine of Brandenburg (26 June 1575 – 8 April 1612) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1597 to 1612 as the first spouse of King Christian IV of Denmark. Life Anne Catherine was born in Halle (Saale) and raised in Wolmirstedt. Her par ...

. He was sent on an embassy to Denmark in May 1598, escorting Ulrik, Duke of Holstein who had been travelling in England and Scotland, and returned in July. In February 1600 he encountered the

Earl of Gowrie Earl of Gowrie is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of Scotland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, both times for members of the Ruthven family. It takes its name from Gowrie, a historical region and ancient ...

in a long gallery or passage in

. He had arrested the earl's father in 1584. The earl made to move out of Stewart's way then reconsidered. Stewart noted this and complained to the king as an offence to his long service and dignity, warning that Gowrie was a threat to the court. Gowrie was told about this, and said "Aquila non captat muscus", meaning the eagle does not catch flies, that Stewart was beneath his attention. He died before 1606.

Family and children

Stewart married in 1582, Erica or Erika (1540-1587), Countess of

Batenburg Batenburg is a city in the municipality of Wijchen, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located on the Meuse, about 15 km west of Nijmegen. It is well known for the remains of a medieval fort in the center of the town. Batenburg receive ...

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

and Manderscheid, the widow of Willem van Bronckhorst-Batenburg (1529-1573). They were given lands at the Mains of

Tantallon Castle Tantallon Castle is a ruined mid-14th-century fortress, located east of North Berwick, in East Lothian, Scotland. It sits atop a promontory opposite the Bass Rock, looking out onto the Firth of Forth. The last medieval curtain wall castle to ...

, forfeited by the Earl of Angus, in November 1584. On 7 June 1590 he married Isobel Hepburn, Lady Pitferran, at

Holyroodhouse 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 Edinburgh ...

. Anne of Denmark was godmother to his only son, Frederick (1591-1625). Their daughter Anna was baptised in June 1595. Lady Pitferran gave information leading to the arrest of

in 1592. William Stewart was created a peer as

Lord Pittenweem The title of Lord Pittenweem is a Scottish title of nobility. It was created by James VI as a barony in 1609 for Frederick Stewart, son of William Stewart, Commendator of Pittenweem. Fredrick Stewart assigned the title and lands of the Lordship an ...

in 1609, and died in December 1625.

Others of this name

William Stewart of Houston is often confused with other contemporaries of the same name, including: * William Stewart of Banchrie and Grandtully (1567-1646), a courtier * William Stewart of Monkton (d. 1588), a brother of James Stewart, Earl of Arran, who was killed in a fight in Edinburgh in July 1588 *

William Stewart (courtier) William Stewart (floruit 1585–1600) was a Scottish courtier. In 1591 William Stewart was described as a valet in the chamber of James VI. The other valets in 1591 were William Murray, John Gibb, and John Stewart of Rosland. He may have been t ...

, a valet of James VI *

William Stewart of Caverston William Stewart of Caverston and Traquair (died 1605), was a Scottish landowner and Captain of Dumbarton Castle. Career He was a brother of John Stewart of Traquair, Sir John Stewart of Traquair House, Traquair. His lands were at Caverston, or Ca ...

and later Laird of

Traquair Traquair ( gd, Cille Bhrìghde) is a small village and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in the Scottish Borders; Counties of Scotland, until 1975 it was in the county of Peeblesshire. The village is situated on the B709 road south of Inn ...

, Captain of

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 Dum ...

* William Stewart, skipper of the ''Bruce of Leith'' for

George Bruce of Carnock Sir George Bruce of Carnock (c. 1550 – 1625) was a Scottish merchant, ship-owner, and mining engineer. Family George Bruce was a son of Edward Bruce of Blairhall and Alison Reid, a sister of Robert Reid (bishop), Robert Reid, Bishop of Or ...

* William Stewart, a servant of

Regent Morton James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton (c. 1516 – 2 June 1581, aged 65) was the last of the four regents of Scotland during the minority of King James VI. He was in some ways the most successful of the four, since he won the civil war that had b ...

mentioned in Morton's "Confession".

John Graham Dalyell Sir John Graham Dalyell (August 1775 – 7 June 1851) was a Scottish advocate, antiquary and naturalist Life The second son of Sir Robert Dalyell, fourth baronet, who died in 1791, by Elizabeth, only daughter of Nicol Graham of Gartmore, Perthshi ...

''Journal of the Transactions in Scotland, by Richard Bannatyne'' (Edinburgh, 1806), p. 513
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, William 1540 births 1605 deaths Scottish soldiers Scottish politicians Scottish diplomats Ambassadors of Scotland to Denmark Members of the Privy Council of Scotland Court of James VI and I Lords High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland 16th-century Scottish people