Archbishop William Stuart by Francis Chantrey 02

William Stuart PC (15 March 1755 – 6 May 1822) was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

who served as the Bishop of St David's in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

from 1794 to 1800 and then

Archbishop of Armagh In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from 1800 until his death.

Family life

Stuart was the son of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

of Great Britain 1762–1763) and

Mary Wortley-Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English aristocrat, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Mary married Edward Wortley Montagu, who later served a ...

.Most Rev. Hon. William Stuart
''Peerage.com''. Retrieved on 19 March 2010. There is a painting in the Tate Gallery in London of him aged 12 stealing eggs and chicks from a bird's nest. He was educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...

. On 3 May 1796, William married Sophia Penn, daughter of Thomas Penn, and had three children: *Mary Juliana Stuart (died 11 July 1866) married

Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of Ranfurly Thomas Knox, 2nd Earl of Ranfurly (19 April 1786 – 21 March 1858), styled Viscount Northland between 1831 and 1840, was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician. Background Ranfurly was the eldest son of Thomas Knox, 1st Earl of Ranfurly, and the Hon ...

. * Sir William Stuart (born 31 October 1798–died 7 July 1874) married firstly Henrietta Mariah Sarah, daughter of Admiral

Sir Charles Pole, 1st Baronet Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Morice Pole, 1st Baronet GCB (18 January 1757 – 6 September 1830) was a Royal Navy officer, colonial governor and banker. As a junior officer he saw action at the siege of Pondicherry in India during the Ame ...

, and married secondly Georgiana, daughter of General Frederick Nathaniel Walker. *Henry Stuart (born 1804–died 26 October 1854,

Kempston Kempston is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census. Kempston is part of Bedford's built-up area and is situated directly south-west of Bedford proper. The River ...

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 wa ...

Episcopal ministry

In 1793 he was appointed Canon of the fourth stall at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, a position he held until 1800. He was consecrated Bishop of St David's on 12 January 1794. Six years later, he was nominated

on 30 October 1800 and appointed by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

on 22 November 1800.Fryde, ibid., p. 380.

Death

He died in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 6 May 1822, aged 67, as a result of having accidentally taken an improper medicine. He was buried at his family's seat,

Luton Hoo Luton Hoo is an English country house and Estate (land), estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Old English language, Saxon word wikt:hoo#Etym ...

. In St Patrick's Anglican Cathedral in Armagh there is a full-length marble figure of the Archbishop in the attitude of prayer, sculpted by

Sir Francis Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...

."Funary Monuments & Memorials in St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh" Curl, J.S. pp42-50: Whitstable; Historical Publications; 2013 Beneath it is the following

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

inscription: :''M. S. / Reverendissimi in Christo patris / GULIELMI STUART, S T P. / per annos xxii hujusce Ecclesiæ / Archiepiscopi. / Hoc monumentum / Clerici Armachani / pio functi munere / posuerunt. / Obiit anno salutis MDCCCXXII / Ætat. Suæ Ixviii.'' :In sacred memory of the most reverend father in Christ, William Stuart STP, for 22 years archbishop of this church. The clergy of Armagh, making a pious offering, placed this monument. He died in the year of grace 1822, in the 68th year of his age.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, William 1755 births 1822 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Bishops of St Davids Anglican archbishops of Armagh Children of prime ministers of the United Kingdom Canons of Windsor 18th-century Welsh Anglican bishops 19th-century Anglican archbishops Younger sons of earls Younger sons of barons

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

Members of the Privy Council of Ireland British expatriate archbishops