STEWART, Tux FAMILY OF. The origin of the Stewarts, long obscured by myth, was rediscovered in the beginning of the present century by the indefatigable antiquary, George Chalmers. Alan, son of a Flahald. a Norman, accompanied the conqueror into England, and obtained by his gift the lands and castle of Oswestry in Shropshire. His eldest son, William, remaining in England, became the ancestor of the Fitzalans, earls of Arundel, from whom the duke of Norfolk inherits that earldom through an heiress. The second son, Walter, passing into Scotland in the service of David I., had large territorial possessions conferred on him by that monarch, along with the dignity of steward of Scotland, which became hereditary in his family, and was assumed by his descendants as a surname; some branches of the house, when spelling began to be con sidered, modifying the orthography to Steuart, or the French form Stuart. The fess thequy adopted as the arms of the fathily is (mblematical of the chequer of the steward's board. The connectiOn between the Stewarts and Fitzalanswns shown by Mr. Chalmers to have been well known and acknowledged as late as 1336, when Richard Filzalan, earl of Arundel, sold the stewardship of Scotland to his sovereign, Edward III. and Edward Babel, rs king of Scotland, ratified the transaction; the sale being a political fiction, founded on a supposed forfeiture of the Scottish branch of the family, by which the hereditary office reverted to the English branch.
The lands conferred on Walter the steward by David I. included the barony, or what is now the county of Renfrew, which became the chief patrimfty of the family, as well as Innerwick, Hassendean, and other large estates in Teviotdale and Lauderdale. For seven generations the stewardship continued to descend without a break-from father to spn. Walter, the third, and grandson of the first steward, held, in addition, the office of justiciary of Scotland. and was one of the two ambassadors to conduct Marie de Couci, second wife of king Alexander II., to her adopted country. His third son, Walter, called Balloch. by his marriage with the younger daughter of Maurice, earl of Xenteith—the lady's elder sister having been banished and her rights forfeited—got the earldom of Menteith, and was ancestor of a line of earls and countesses of Menteith, of whom the countess Margaret carried the earldom to her husband, Robert, duke of Albany, son of king Robert II. Alexander, fourth steward, was regent of Scotland in Alexander III.'s minority; he commanded at the battle of Largs in 1263, when the Scotch army obtained a signal victory over Haco of Norway; and invading the isle of Man, annexed it to the Scottish crown. From his second son, sir John Stewart, who married the heiress of Bonkyl. sprang various important branches of the family, including the, Stewarts of Darnley, Lennox, and Aubigne. James, the fifth steward, was one of the six regents of Scotland after the death of Alexander III. Walter, the sixth steward occupies
a conspicuous place among Bruce's companions-in-arms. When but a youth, he did con siderable service as one of the principal leaders at Bannockburn, and, four years later,' increased the promise of his fame by his successful defense of Berwick against Edward in person. His marriage with Marjory, daughter of Robert Bruce, eventually brought the crown of Scotland to his family. Ile died at the age of 83, much lamented throughout Scotland. His son by Marjory Bruce, Robert. seventh high steward, was regent from 1338-41, and afterward during the captivity of his uncle, David II., from 1346-57; and in the midst of events which threatened a total overthrow to the liberties of Scotland, he exerted himself with zeal and energy in their defense, and was the main instrument in defeating the intrigues of David II. and Edward III. to place an English prince on the throne. On the death of David II. in 1371 he ascended the throne .as Robert II., and died in 1390. He was twice married; first to Elizabeth, daughter of sir William Mure of Rowallan, and afterward to Euphemia, countess of Moray, daughter of Hugh, earl of Ross, and had issue by both unions. In consequence of Elizabeth More being related to him within the prohibited degrees, he obtained a dispensation for the marriage from pope Clement VI. in 1347, in which those children who had already been born, as well as those to be born of that connection, were legitimated; and the suc cession to the crown was further regulated by parliament. In later times, when the true history of these proceedings was lost or mystified, the descendants of Robert IL's first marriage came to be branded with the suspicion of illegitimacy, while those of the second marriage were in the habit of boasting of their preferable claim to the throne; and the dispensation setting the question at rest was only discovered in the Vatican in 1799 by Andrew Stuart of Castlemilk. Of the children by the first marriage, the third son, Robert, duke of Albany, and his issue are separately noticed below. The fourth son, sir Alexander Stewart, who got the earldom of Buchan on the forfeiture of the Coniyns, ruled over the northern part, of Scotland with little less than regal authority, and his savage and ferocious character obtained for him the appellation of the Wolf of Badenoch." Ile had no lawful issue, but several natural sous, one of whom stormed the castle of Kildrummy, the residence of the countess of Mar, forcibly wedded that lady, and possessed himself of the earldom; and others were progenitors of the branches of the family known as the Athole Stewarts, of whom the principal were the Stewarts of Garth. For the subsequent history of the royal family, see articles ROBERT II. and III.; JAMES I., II., III., IV., V.; MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS; JAMES I. (of England); CHARLES I. and II. ; JAMES IL ; WILLIAM AND MARY; and ANNE.