Walter Stewart, 1st Lord Blantyre (1555–1617) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

courtier and politician. He was

Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland The office of Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, one of the Great Officers of State, first appears in the reign of David II of Scotland, David II. After the Act of Union 1707 its holder was normally a peerage, peer, like the Great Seal of Sco ...

from 1582 to 1596 and

Treasurer of Scotland The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre- Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland. Lord Treasurer The full title of the post was ''Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation'', ...

from 1596 to 1599.

Early life

He was born , the son of Sir John Stewart of Minto and Margaret Stewart, sister of James Stewart of Cardonald. His family descended from the Stewarts of Minto, a senior branch of the

Clan Stewart Clan Stewart (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Stiùbhart'') is a Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland and Scottish Lowlands, Lowland Scottish clan, clan. The clan is recognised by Court of the Lord Lyon; however, it does not have a Scottish clan chi ...

headed by the

Earl of Galloway Earl of Galloway is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1623 for Alexander Stewart, 1st Lord Garlies, with remainder to his heirs male bearing the name and arms of Stewart. He had already been created Lord Garlies in the Peera ...

. Walter Stewart was educated with

King James VI 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 ...

under

George Buchanan George Buchanan (; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth-century Scotland produced." His ideology of re ...

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

. He seems to have been a good rider, and excelled at mathematics, but did not share the king's wider intellectual interests. In May 1580 twenty five gentlemen were appointed as "pensioners to attend the King's Majesty at all times on his riding and passing to the fields". The riding entourage included Stewart with, Captain James Stewart, Captain Crawford, the Master of Cathcart,

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 ...

, John Carmichael, James Anstruther,

Patrick Hume of Polwarth Sir Patrick Hume, of Polwarth and Redbraes (about 1550– 20 May 1609) was a Scottish landowner, courtier and makar ( court poet). Origins Born about 1550, he was the eldest son and heir of Sir Patrick Hume (died 20 May 1599), of Polwarth and ...

, and John Stewart of Baldynneis. Stewart became a gentleman in the king's chamber.

Career at court

Between 1587 and 1593 Walter Stewart held the barony of Glasgow, in place of the young

Duke of Lennox The title Duke of Lennox has been created several times in the peerage of Scotland, for Clan Stewart of Darnley. The dukedom, named for the district of Lennox in Dumbarton Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (histo ...

, and so he appointed the magistrates and Provost of Glasgow. Stewart was knight of

Cardonald Cardonald (; ,
) is an outlying suburb of the Scotlan ...

, Prior of

Blantyre Blantyre is Malawi's centre of finance and commerce, and its second largest city, with a population of 800,264 . It is sometimes referred to as the commercial and industrial capital of Malawi as opposed to the political capital, Lilongwe. It is ...

, Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland from 1582 to 1596, an Extraordinary Lord of Session from 1593, an

Octavian Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in ...

from 1596, and Treasurer of Scotland from 1596 to 1599. James VI sent John Carmichael and Blantyre to arrest Elizabeth's Irish rebel

Brian O'Rourke Sir Brian O'Rourke (; c. 1540 – 1591) was first king and then lord of West Bréifne in the west of Ireland from 1566 until his execution in 1591. He reigned during the later stages of the Tudor conquest of Ireland and his rule was marked by ...

and take him to England on 3 April 1591. This caused a riot in Glasgow, because the arrest was thought likely to damage the Irish trade, and Blantyre and Carmichael were cursed as "Queen Elizabeth's knights" and the king for taking "English

angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

", the annuity or subsidy received from

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

. Carmichael and Blantyre hoped Elizabeth might spare O'Rourke so the inhabitants of Glasgow would be reconciled to them, but he was executed. In July 1593 he was appointed to a council to manage the estates and finances of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...

. In December, he was appointed to a committee to audit the account of money spent by the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

, John Maitland of Thirlestane, on the royal voyages. The funds in question came from the English subsidy and the dowry of

. Stewart wrote letters jointly with Alexander Hay asking lairds to send for provisions for Henry's baptism in August 1594. After the Kinmont Willie affair, on 8 July 1596 Blantyre wrote to David Foulis, the Scottish ambassador in London, that he should return if Elizabeth's attitude did not improve. He also discussed the case of a counterfeit coiner. Blantyre was responsible for the prisoner, a son of

Sorley Boy MacDonnell Somhairle Buíodh MacDonnell (Scottish Gaelic: ''Somhairle Buidhe Mac Domhnaill''), known as Sorley Boy MacDonnell, whose last name was also given as MacDonald (c. 1505 – 1590), was a Gaelic chief, the son of Alexander Carragh MacDonnell, ...

, and his wife and servants from August 1596. They were moved from

Dumbarton Castle Dumbarton Castle (, ; ) 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 Dumbarton Rock was forme ...

to a house in Dumbarton town, then to Blantyre's own

Cardonald Cardonald (; ,
) is an outlying suburb of the Scotlan ...

Castle, and then lodged in Glasgow. Blantyre fell off his horse and broke his leg in Edinburgh in February 1597, and while he recovered Lord Ochiltree was treasurer.

wrote in April 1597 that his health was weakening and it was feared that he was bewitched. In 1599 he was imprisoned and compelled to resign by James VI, influenced by a group of courtiers in king's bedchamber. In July 1602 Blantyre joined a committee of "4 Stewarts" to arbitrate between the Marquess of Huntly and the

Earl of Moray The title Earl of Moray, or Mormaer of Moray (pronounced "Murry"), was originally held by the rulers of the Province of Moray, which existed from the 10th century with varying degrees of independence from the Kingdom of Alba to the south. Until ...

. The other Stewarts were Lord Ochiltree, Alexander Stewart of Garlies, and the Tutor of

Rosyth Rosyth () is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth. Scotland's first Garden city movement, Garden City, Rosyth is part of the Greater Dunfermline Area and is located 3 miles south of Dunfermline city cen ...

. He was a commissioner for union with England in 1604. He was created Lord Blantyre, in the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union 1707, Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scots and the ...

in 1606.

Family

Walter Stewart married Nicola Somerville, daughter of Sir James Somerville of Cambusnethan and Katherine Murray, in December 1582. Their children included; * Sir James Stewart, Master of Blantyre (died 1609), married

Dorothy Hastings Dorothy Hastings (1579 – after 1613) was a courtier to Elizabeth I of England and Anne of Denmark Dorothy Hastings was born in 1579, the daughter of George Hastings, 4th Earl of Huntingdon and Dorothy Port, daughter and co-heiress of Sir John ...

, but was killed on 8 November 1609 at Islington, in a duel with Sir George Wharton, who also died. Peter Cunningham, ''Extracts from the Revels at Court'' (London, 1842), p. xxxiv. * William Stewart, 2nd Lord Blantyre (died 1638) * Hon. Walter Stewart (died ), married (father of Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox) * Anne Stewart, who had a daughter Margaret Hamilton with

James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton and 4th Earl of Arran (1589 – 2 March 1625), styled Lord Aven from 1599 to 1604, was a Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish politician. He was the son of John Hamilton, 1st Marquess of Hamilton and Margaret Ly ...

. He was half-brother to Matthew Stewart of Minto, four times

Lord Provost of Glasgow The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Glasgow is the convener of the Glasgow City Council. The Lord Provost serves both as the chair of the city council and as a figurehead for the entire city, and is elected by the city councillors from among i ...

References

Notes

Sources

* 1617 deaths Lords of Parliament (pre-1707) 16th-century Scottish politicians 17th-century Scottish politicians 16th-century Scottish people 17th-century Scottish peers Peers of Scotland created by James VI Lord high treasurers of Scotland Comptrollers of Scotland Extraordinary Lords of Session Court of James VI and I Year of birth unknown Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1612 Clan Stewart

Walter Walter may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walter (name), including a list of people and fictional and mythical characters with the given name or surname * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–19 ...

Octavians {{Lord-of-Parliament-stub