Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, 5th Baronet
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Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart, 5th Baronet ( Stewart-Nicholson; 10 February 1766 – 3 August 1825).
Lord Lieutenant of Renfrewshire The Lord-Lieutenant of Renfrewshire is the representative of the British Crown covering a lieutenancy area of the county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The Lord Lieutenant deals with many of the ceremonial functions as ...
between 1822 and 1825.


Early life

He was the son of Houston Stewart-Nicholson (d. 1812) and grandson of Sir Michael Stewart, 3rd Baronet.


Career

Michael Stewart Nicholson of Carnock, succeeded to the lands of Blackhall and Ardgowan on the death of his uncle Sir John Shaw Stewart, in 1812. He was invested in these lands in 1813 and dropped the name of Nicholson and became Sir Michael Shaw Stewart of Ardgowan, 5th Baronet. He served as an officer of the Yeomanry of Renfrewshire, a high office-bearer in the Grand Masonic Lodge of Scotland, and as a keen horseman, Sir Michael was a member of the Royal Caledonian Hunt. He was elected president of the Hunt for the year of 1822 On 24 August 1822, during the
Visit of King George IV to Scotland George IV's visit to Scotland in 1822 was the first visit of a reigning monarch to Scotland in nearly two centuries, the last being by Charles II of England, Charles II for Scottish coronation of Charles II, his Scottish coronation in 1651. Gove ...
, Sir Michael, dressed in his Yeomanry Uniform attended the banquet at Parliament House provided by the Lord Provost, Magistrates and Town Council of the City of Edinburgh. The previous day he had paraded with the Yeomanry on Portobello Sands for the King's display. Fellow notable members of the Yeomanry on parade and attending the dinner included
Sir Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...
and
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 ...
. Sir Michael's eldest daughter Margaret, also attended aged 20, recorded as wearing "a most elegant dress" of white net, richly embroidered with pearls, and trimmed with a profusion of blond lace, a Manteau of the richest white gros-de-Naples, garniture en-blond and pearls to correspond. A headdress of feathers, pearls, and diamonds. On 27 August in the library at
Melville Castle Melville Castle is a three-storey Gothic mansion situated less than a mile (>2 km) west-south-west of Dalkeith, Midlothian, near the North Esk. History An earlier tower house on the site was demolished when the present structure, desig ...
, Sir Michael with other members of the Caledonian Hunt presented the King with an elegantly bound book containing a list of names and the rules of the Caledonian Hunt. Sir Michael contributed to many charities at home, such as the payment of land rental for the Greenock Infirmary; the education of many poor children in
Inverkip Inverkip (; ) is a village and parish in the Inverclyde council area and historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland, southwest of Greenock and north of Largs on the A78 trunk road. The village takes its name from ...
over a number of years, providing them with books paper, pens and pencils as well as paying most of the Schoolmasters salary. His most important scheme of all was to commission the building of a reservoir to provide the water for
Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...
and neighbouring districts. With friends, he set up Shaws Water Joint Stock Company, which was ratified by Parliament in 1825. The engineer responsible for the building of the reservoir was Robert Thom, and the artificial lake, completed in 1827, became
Loch Thom Loch Thom is a reservoir which since 1827 has provided a water supply to the town of Greenock in Inverclyde, Scotland. It is named after the civil engineer Robert Thom who designed the scheme which created the reservoir and delivered water v ...
. Living only to see the start of his dream he died on 3 August 1825.


Personal life

In 1787 as Michael Nicholson of Carnock, he had married his cousin Catherine Maxwell, youngest daughter of Sir William Maxwell of Springkell and Margaret Stewart, Michael's aunt. The marriage produced 6 sons and three daughters. The Edinburgh Post Office Directory of 1821 shows him at 14 Queen Street, Edinburgh.https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/82831010 page 320 He also owned the "Roxburgh" slave plantation in Tobago. Sir Michael died on 3 August 1825.


See also

*
Shaw Stewart baronets The Stewart, later Shaw-Stewart Baronetcy, of Greenock and Blackhall in the County of Renfrew, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 27 March 1667 for Archibald Stewart. In Scotland, the name is styled Shaw Stewart. This ...


References


External links


Sir Michael Shaw-Stewart (1766–1825), 5th Bt of Ardgowan (after Henry Raeburn)
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{{s-end 1766 births 1825 deaths Nobility from Inverclyde Baronets in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia Lord-lieutenants of Renfrewshire
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Scottish slave owners