John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute PC, FRS (30 June 1744 – 16 November 1814), styled Lord Mount Stuart until 1792 and known as the Earl of Bute between 1792 and 1794, was a British nobleman, coalfield owner, diplomat and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

from 1766 to 1776.

Early life

Stuart was born at

Mount Stuart House Mount Stuart House, on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, Scotland, is a country house built in the Gothic Revival style and the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bute. It was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess in ...

on the

Isle of Bute The Isle of Bute (; or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault. Formerly a constituent island of the larger County of ...

, the son of prime minister

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute (; 25 May 1713 – 10 March 1792), styled Lord Mount Stuart between 1713 and 1723, was a British Tory statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1762 to 1763 under George III. He became the ...

, and his wife

Mary Wortley Montagu Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (née Pierrepont; 15 May 168921 August 1762) was an English people, English Aristocracy (class), aristocrat, medical pioneer, writer, and poet. Born in 1689, Lady Mary spent her early life in England. In 1712, Lady Ma ...

. He was educated at

Harrow School Harrow School () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English boarding school for boys) in Harrow on the Hill, Greater London, England. The school was founded in 1572 by John Lyon (school founder), John Lyon, a local landowner an ...

and

Winchester College Winchester College is an English Public school (United Kingdom), public school (a long-established fee-charging boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) with some provision for day school, day attendees, in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It wa ...

. He went to the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

, where he had private tuition from James Bladen. The degree of D.C.L., awarded to him by the university in 1793, was honorary. Around 1757 Stuart began to be tutored by the philosopher

Adam Ferguson Adam Ferguson, (Scottish Gaelic: ''Adhamh MacFhearghais''), also known as Ferguson of Raith (1 July N.S. /20 June O.S. 1723 – 22 February 1816), was a Scottish philosopher and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment. Ferguson was sympath ...

Political career

Lord Mount Stuart was returned as

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

Member of Parliament for

Bossiney Bossiney (, meaning ''Kyni's dwelling'') is a village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is north-east of the larger village of Tintagel which it adjoins: further north-east are the Rocky Valley and Trethevy. Until 1832 the village, ...

at a by-election in 1766. He was returned in the general elections of

1768 Events January–March * January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London. * February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Re ...

and

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

. On 2 November 1775, he announced in the House of Commons his intention to introduce a bill to establish a militia in Scotland, and during the next few months

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson, '' Life of Samuel ...

assisted in seeking support for the bill in Scotland. In March 1776 the bill was debated, but ultimately failed to pass. He left the House of Commons in 1776 when he was elevated to the

Peerage of Great Britain The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant peerages created in the Kingdom of Great Britain between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the Peerage of Scotland, but was itself repla ...

in his own right as Baron Cardiff, of

Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle () is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top of a 3rd-century Roma ...

in the

County of Glamorgan Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the south of Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying bo ...

. Though this title was also used, he continued to be known by his courtesy title of Lord Mount Stuart. (He ranked higher in the

order of precedence An order of precedence is a sequential hierarchy of importance applied to individuals, groups, or organizations. For individuals, it is most often used for diplomats in attendance at very formal occasions. It can also be used in the context of ...

as the heir to an earldom than he did as a substantive baron.) He served as

Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of Glamorgan. After 1729, all Lords Lieutenant were also Custos Rotulorum of Glamorgan. The post was abolished on 31 March 1974. Lord Lieutenants of Glamorgan to 1974 * Henry Herbert, 2nd E ...

from 1772 to 1793 and, from 1794 to his death, taking command of the

Glamorgan Militia The Glamorganshire Militia, later the Royal Glamorgan Light Infantry, was an auxiliary regiment reorganised in the county of Glamorganshire in South Wales during the 18th Century from earlier precursor units. Primarily intended for home defence ...

as Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant when it was embodied on 26 March 1778. In 1779, Lord Mount Stuart was sworn of the Privy Council and was sent as an envoy to the court of Turin. He was ambassador to Spain in 1783. He held the sinecure of

Auditor of the imprests Auditor of the Imprests was a profitable office of the Exchequer, responsible for auditing the accounts of officers of the English crown to whom money was issued for government expenditure, from 1559 to 1785. Foundation Prior to 1559 this duty wa ...

from 1781 until the abolition of the office in 1785, upon which he was paid £7000 compensation. He was the first

Lord Lieutenant of Buteshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Buteshire. The post was established in 1794 and abolished in 1975, being replaced by the Lord Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute and the Lord Lieutenant of Ayrshire and Arran. *John Stuar ...

from 1794 until his death. Lord Mount Stuart succeeded his father in the earldom in 1792. In 1794 he was created Viscount Mountjoy, in the Isle of Wight, Earl of Windsor and Marquess of Bute. (The Mountjoy and Windsor titles recognised the Barony of Mountjoy and Viscountcy of Windsor previously held by his father-in-law, the 2nd Viscount Windsor, which had both become extinct on Lord Windsor's death in 1758.) Lord Bute was inducted as a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

on 12 December 1799.

Family

Lord Mount Stuart married an heiress, the Honourable Charlotte Hickman-Windsor (1746–1800), daughter of Herbert Hickman-Windsor, 2nd Viscount Windsor, on 12 November 1766. They had seven sons and two daughters. Those included: *

John Stuart, Lord Mount Stuart {{Infobox office holder , honorific_prefix = The Right Honorable , name = Lord Mount Stuart , title = , image = John, Lord Mountstuart MP (1767 - 1794 )by Thomas Lawrence.jpg , caption = John ...

(25 September 1767 – 22 January 1794), whose son succeeded as 2nd Marquess * Lord Evelyn Stuart (1773–1842), a colonel in the army *Lady Charlotte Stuart (c. 1775 – 5 September 1847), married Sir William Homan, 1st Baronet *Lord Henry Stuart (7 June 1777 – 19 August 1809), father of

Henry Villiers-Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Decies Henry Villiers-Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Decies PC (8 June 1803 – 23 January 1874), was a British politician. Background and education Born Henry Crichton-Stuart, in London, he was the eldest son of Lord Henry Crichton-Stuart, third son o ...

*Captain Lord William Stuart (18 November 1778 – 28 July 1814) *Rear-Admiral

Lord George Stuart Lord George Stuart, CB (1 Mar 1780 – 19 February 1841 at Balls Park, Hertfordshire) was a Rear-Admiral of the Blue in the Royal Navy. Origin He was from a side-branch of the Stuart family, descended from the Scottish King Robert II. He was ...

(1 March 1780 – 19 February 1841) Charlotte died on 28 January 1800. He then married Frances Coutts, daughter of

Thomas Coutts Thomas Coutts (7 September 1735 – 24 February 1822) was a British banker. He was a founder of the banking house Coutts & Co. Early life Coutts was the fourth son of Jean (née Steuart) Coutts and John Coutts (1699–1751), whose business i ...

, on 17 September 1800. They had two children: *Lady Frances Stuart (d. 29 March 1859) -

Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby Dudley Ryder, 2nd Earl of Harrowby (19 May 179819 November 1882), styled Viscount Sandon between 1809 and 1847, was a British politician. He held office under Lord Palmerston as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1855 and as Lord Privy Se ...

* Lord Dudley Coutts Stuart (11 January 1803 – 17 November 1854) His second wife outlived him, and died on 12 November 1832. In 1799 he (or his immediate family benefit trust) was estimated the second-wealthiest small family unit in Britain owning £4.2M (), notably as to coal-bearing and agricultural land.

Footnotes

References

*Paola Bianchi, ''Nella specola dell'ambasciatore. Torino agli occhi di John Stuart, lord Mountstuart e marchese di Bute (1779–1783)'', in ''Architettura e città negli Stati sabaudi'', a cura di E. Piccoli e F. De Pieri, Macerata, Quodlibet, 2012, pp. 135–160

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bute, John Stuart, 1st Marquess of 1744 births 1814 deaths People educated at Winchester College Alumni of the University of Oxford British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 Children of prime ministers of Great Britain Diplomatic peers Peers of Great Britain created by George III Fellows of the Royal Society Lord-lieutenants of Buteshire Lord-lieutenants of Glamorgan Glamorgan Militia officers Mount Stuart, John Stuart, Lord Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Mount Stuart, John Stuart, Lord 1 Ambassadors of Great Britain to Spain People educated at Harrow School