Author Topic: James Stuart CB of Gracehill  (Read 20481 times)

Offline Benody1921

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #198 on: Monday 19 October 20 00:32 BST (UK) »
I’m looking more at William Stewart of the 9th Regiment of Foot. From all the different websites I’ve read it seems like he took over the regiment from John Cunningham. If it’s the same man, he was married twice and had no children. He was the guardian of his brother James’s children. One of those was a William Stewart of Waterford. He only left that William a shilling for being ungrateful. I read elsewhere that a William Stewart had fought on the opposite side of his own brother. I wonder if it’s the same William Stewart and that’s why he was only left a shilling. It’s so hard to piece it all together especially with a name like William Stewart.
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Offline Gilby

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #199 on: Tuesday 20 October 20 21:04 BST (UK) »
That definitely sounds worth pursuing!  There’s bound to be some truth to the origin story, but the details may have got mangled.

William Stewart of the 9th Regiment was MP for County Waterford so there is an entry in the History of the Irish Parliament.  It starts:

STEWART (alias STEUART), Rt Hon. William
MP for Co. Waterford 1703-13-14
b. 1652; d. 4 June 1726, buried in Westminster Abbey

HONOURS: PC 1696, sworn ante Apr. 1711, also 6 Aug. 1714.

FAMILY/BACKGROUND: ?Son of William Stewart.

MARRIED: [8 Oct. 1701] Catherine (d. insane), Viscountess Grandison, dau. Of Sir John FitzGerald, wid. Of Brig. The Hon. Edward FitzGerald, heir apparent of 4th Viscount Grandison; (2) [Jan. 1726] Elizabeth, dau. Of Dir Rowland Alston, Bt, of Odell, Bedfordshire (she m. (2) Henry Rower of Surrey).

CHILDREN: d.s.p.


It goes on to give detail of his career and land holdings etc.  Apparently he had property in Counties Meath, Longford, Carlow, Donegal [possibly], and in London. 

One of the references is Notes and Queries (1925) H. B. Swanzy "Militia of County Cavan" ... that may be worth trying to find.

Offline Gilby

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #200 on: Tuesday 20 October 20 21:12 BST (UK) »
I looked up Young’s Fighters of Derry which mentions the Col. William Stuart.  It quotes from Camac’s History of Derrykeighan and then goes on to say:

…According to family tradition (for which I am indebted to the late Mrs. William Stuart of Ballymena),
937. HENRY STUART, a nephew of the General [William], then in his teens, held a commission in his uncle’s regiment, being present at the siege of Derry, where, it is stated, he was allowed to take a trial shot with one of the big guns on the ramparts, and blew the head off a French engineer officer who was emplacing a gun on the other side of the river.  So impoverished was General Stuart by the raising and equipping of the regiment, for which he received no payment, that the estate had to be sold after the campaign, being incorporated with the Farnham property.  His grandson, the Rev. Irwin Stuart, for many years curate of Derry Keighan, was in 1773 appointed incumbent of Ardclinis.  From him descend the well-known family of Ballyhivistock.


Offline Gilby

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #201 on: Tuesday 20 October 20 21:44 BST (UK) »
The will of William Stewart (or “Gulielmi Steuart”) is in the Canterbury wills available on Ancestry or the National Archives.  Here’s an abstract:

“I William Stewart if the parish of St. George Hannover Square”
Property in “the Counties of West Meath, Longford and Catherlough [Carlow] or else where in the Kingdom of Ireland or in the Kingdom of Great Britain”.
Wife Elizabeth.
Sister Elizabeth Dobson widow.
Niece Elizabeth now wife of “Benjamin Gregory Clerke”.
Niece Mrs Jane Nugent.
Niece Eleanor Wilder [?] widow.
Niece Mary now wife of ____ Ryley.
Niece Rose now wife of ____.
Brother John Stewart Esq.
Nephew Colonel John Stewart … property near Laughlin Bridge in Co Carlow.
Nephew Charles Stewart Esq who already has a considerable fortune of his own.
Nathaniel Cuneton [??] Gentleman.
Faithful servant James Tedderirk [??] … “I have lately become Godfather to his daughter”.
Old servant John Besserk [??].
Mary Wade.
“Whereas I have bestowed repeated favours & kindnesses upon my nephew Brigadeer General William Stewart who has nevertheless behaved himself in the most undutiful and ungrateful manner towards me I do therefore give and bequeath to the said Brigadeer one shilling only”.
School for 20 boys in the parish of Saint George Hanover Square.
“In consideration of the dutiful behaviour and great services of my nephew James Stewart for several yeares past in the managmt of my affairs I have determined to make him a Coexecutor of this my will with my dear wife and also an equal devisee and legatee with her in this my will of the residuum of my estate”.
Dated 31st May 1726.
Witnesses: Christo Arnold, Peter Webb, Dan Reading.



Offline Benody1921

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #202 on: Tuesday 20 October 20 22:47 BST (UK) »
I wonder if this is useful:
Theaker Wilder (c.1717 c.1778) was the first Regius Professor of Greek and Senior Register at Trinity College, Dublin and became famous for being Oliver Goldsmith's tutor. Born c.1717, Theaker Wilder was the youngest son of Mathew Wilder (d.1719), of Castle Wilder, High Sheriff of Co. Longford, by his wife Ellinor (d.1729), daughter of Captain James Steuart (d.1689), who was killed at the Siege of Londonderry, the elder brother of General William Steuart. Wilder was a nephew of James Steuart (1678-1757), Admiral of the Fleet and Brigadier-General The Hon. William Steuart (d.1737) M.P., of Ballylane, Co. Waterford, who married Hon. Mary Villiers, the aunt of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. Wilder was tutored at home by Dr. Elwood before entering Trinity College, Dublin as a pensioner (ordinary student) on July 8, 1734. He was awarded a scholarship in 1736, a B.A. degree in 1738, became a Fellow in 1744 and was awarded an M.A. degree in 1748. He received a D.Div. degree in 1753. He was appointed Donegal Lecturer in 1759 and the first Regius Professor of Greek in 1761. He was succeeded in this post by John Stokes in 1764. In about 1746 he married 'Mrs Letitia Wilder' (about 1724 - ), who was probably a Grove of Castle Grove (built in 1695), Ramelton, Co. Donegal. They were the parents of five children: Matthew Wilder (d.1792), inherited Castle Wilder, and in 1772 married Eleanor, daughter of Hugh Carmichael B.L., of Dublin, sister of Lieut.-Gen. Hugh Lyle Carmichael, Governor of Demerara. James Wilder (1764-1788) married Sarah, the daughter of his first cousin The Rev. James Drought (1738-1820), Senior Fellow of Trinity College, Dublin, whose mother was Theaker's sister. Henry, Oliver...More: http: //booksllc.net/?id=1480063
Stuart (India, Antrim, Armagh)
Whiting (Bedfordshire)
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Offline Gilby

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #203 on: Thursday 22 October 20 21:20 BST (UK) »
Yes, that certainly helps!

Betham will abstract:
Ellinor Wilder of Castlewilder, Co Longford, widow
6 Jan 1736 --- 27 Nov 1729
Uncle Honble General William Stewart Esq
Daus Catherine and Sarah
Son Stuart Wilder clerk
Sons Charles, John and Theaker
Brother Charles Stuart Esq
Son William
Brother Honble Brigadier William Stewart

Offline Gilby

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #204 on: Thursday 22 October 20 21:21 BST (UK) »
From Crossle abstract of Elizabeth Dobson’s prerogative will (FindMyPast):

Elizabeth Dobson of Mullingare, widow of Thomas Dobson of same, clerk.
Grandson Stewart Dingley.
Son-in-law Laurence Tallon, of Mullingar, merchant, money “which was part of the substance of my first husband, Mr. James Dingley”.
Daughter Ann Tallon alias Dingley.
Daughter Elizabeth Dingley (executor and residual legatee).
Two daughters of my son William Dingley, deceased, namely Anne Dingley and Sarah Dingley.
“Whereas by the last will of my brother the Hon. General Wm Stewart, I was left £1000 with power to dispose of same”.
Granddaughters Ann Dingley, Sarah Dingley and Elizabeth Tallon “being Protestants and not otherwise”.

Dated 12th March 1732/3, witnessed by:
Edward Thompson, vicar
Hellen Thompson
Martha Nugent
Eliza Meehan

Granted 4th May 1733 to Elizabeth Dingley.


Offline Benody1921

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #205 on: Thursday 22 October 20 21:57 BST (UK) »
The two William Steuarts make it kind of tricky to follow, especially since they were both Brigadier-Generals.

From what I can tell, the older Brigadier-General was the son of Colonel William Stewart, son of William Stewart of Mains. BG Stewart had brothers John and James. James had several children and then died; BG Stewart became the guardian.

But then where does Irwin Stewart come in? His father was possibly Henry Stewart but who was Henry’s father? One of BG Stewarts brothers? But then wouldn’t Henry Stewart be mentioned in his Will?
Stuart (India, Antrim, Armagh)
Whiting (Bedfordshire)
Dunn/Taylor (Worcestershire)
Pearson (Worcestershire)
Hill/Rhodes (Worcestershire)
Gough (Warwickshire)
Perry (Devon, Worcestershire)
Maynard (Essex, Yorkshire)
Jennings (Devon)
Coldicott (Warwickshire, Gloucestershire)

Offline Gilby

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Re: James Stuart CB of Gracehill
« Reply #206 on: Thursday 22 October 20 22:37 BST (UK) »
Yes, one Brigadier General William Steuart died in c1726 and the other in c1736 (his will is in the Canterbury wills too).

I’ve seen it mentioned that the elder Brigadier General was the son of a Colonel William Stewart, but I’d not found any sources about him yet (e.g. a will).  Have you? 

I went back to Amy Isabel Young’s Three Hundred Years in Innishowen and got the impression she had been over all this ground already, and she ruled out no less than three Brigadier General Stewarts.  Amy’s parents were William and Barbara Stuart of Ballymena – the latter was almost certainly the “Mrs. William Stuart” named as source of the family tradition recorded in Young’s Fighter’s of Derry.  (Bearing in mind William Young lived in Ballymena too.)

By the way, this is a Stuart family album which is quite interesting:
https://lennonwylie.co.uk/LostAlbums_Stuart_Stewart.htm

You can see Amy could hardly have failed to develop an interest in genealogy!