EARLS Or AT HO LE, LORDS OF LORE AND INNETIMEA TH. —Sir James Stewart, fifth son of sir John of Bonkyl, killed with his brothers Alexander and John at Halidon hill, had a grant from Robert Bruce of the lands of Pierston and others in 'Ayrshire, and was father of sir Robert Stewart of Shanbothy and Innerrneath. This sir Robert had two sons, John and Robert, who married the two co-heiresses of the princely house of Ds Ergadia, lord of Lorn, who were also co-heirs of the line of Robert Bruce. The younger son, Robert of Durrisdeer, was ancestor of a line of Stewarts of Rossyth and Craigie hall, to whom Oliver Cromwell's mother is said, on no very certain grounds, to have belonged, and which probably came to an end about 1830. The elder son, sir John, A•tose wife was the elder and principal co-heiress, bad live sons. The eldest., Robert, became lord of Lorn; the third, sir James, known as he black knight of Lorn, was hus band of James L's widow; and his eldest son, brother uterine of James II., was cre ated earl of Athole, with remainder to the heirs-male of his body. His great-grandson, John Stewart, fourth earl of Athole, was much involved in the political events of Mary's and James VI.'s time An adherent of the old faith, and at first a stanch supporter of the queen, he nevertheless assisted in her seizure, and took a lead in the association formed in 1567 for the defense of James VI. He headed the confederacy which took.up arms against the regent Morton, and induced James to call a parliament. In 1577 he
became chancellor of Scotland, and died suddenly under suspicion of poison from Mor ton. His son, the fifth earl of Athole, Lad no male issue, hut daughters, of whom the eldest was married to the earl of Tullibardine; and at his death, the earldom fell to the crown, and was conferred on the elder branch of the house of Innermeath, to which we now revert.
Robert, lord of Lorn, eldest brother of the black knight, had two sons. The elder of these, John. second lord of Lorn, had three daughters, co-heiresses, who respectively married the earl of Argyll, Campbell of Glenorchy, and Campbell of Guar. the lordship of Lorn passing to the Argyll family; he had also a natural son, ancestor of the Stewarts of Appin. The second son of Robert, lord of Lorn, was Walter, lord Innermeath, whose descendant and representative, Rohn, sixth lord Innermeath, obtained the earldom of Athole on the death of the above-mentioned fifth earl; with a remainder to the heirs male of his body, which came than end on the death, in 1625, of his only son, who had succeeded him in the earldom. The earldom of Athole was then conferred by Charles I. on the earl of Tullibardine, grandson through his mother of the fifth earl of Athole, from whom the existing ducal house of Athole is descended. From Alexander, fourth sou of sir John Stuart of Innermeath. descend the family of Stewart of Graudtully, on whom a baronetcy was conferred in 1683.