Notes |
- James Beag Stewart led a life worth writing about, and the story of his life is featured in the book, A Legend of Montrose, by Sir Walter Scott. Scott's character, Alan Macauley is based on the life of James Beag Stewart.
The son of Alexander Stewart and Margaret Drummond, who was allegedly born by the side of a small loch in the mountains in 1589, was named James Beag Stewart. ("Beag" is a Gaelic nickname which means "small.") Contrary to his nickname of "little", this James Beag Stewart apparently grew to be a large, powerful, and angry man. It is said that he could cause a man's fingernails to bleed just by shaking his hand. He was likely named "beag" to differeniate him from his same-named uncle.
Duncan Stewart (1739) says:
"Major James Stewart, designed Fiar of Ardvorlich in a disposition of the lands of Annat in 1621, anno 1617, as by his contract appears, married Katharine Murray, eldest lawful daughter to Robert Murray of Buchanty, of the family of Abercairny. (Sir William Murray of Abercairny consenting to the marriage) by whom he had, 1 Hary, who died of his wounds received at Tippermuir without issue, 2 Robert who succeeded him, and Barbara, married to John Mecgruber of Meggar. He had likewise a natural son, John. The Major married secondly, Janet Buchanan, relict of Walter Buchanan, ancestor to Arnprior and Auchleshy, without issue. Footnote: The Major James Stewart of Ardvorlich was the unlucky [illegible] of the slaughter of Lord Kilpont in Montrose's Camp, the day after the Battle of Tippermuir in September 1644. An account of which may be had from the remission granted him by the Comm...[illegible] December following and from the Act of Parliament [illegible] the month of March after that, a copy of which, taken from the original, is to be seen in the appendix or second volume."
Lifelong Vendetta Against the MacGregors
James spent his entire life exacting revenge on the MacGregors for the murder of his uncle John Drummond of Drummonderinoch, taking full advantage of the liberties accorded by the proscription of Clan Gregor.
James' Dream Saves Ardvorlich
When dozing, he had a dream that told him that something was wrong and happening at Ardvorlich. Awakened, he rushed there and found a party of MacDonalds driving his cattle from the barns, and about to set fire to his house. A poor wee lassie was trying to fight off the raiders with little success. Stewart drew his weapon; a gun called “Gunna Breachd” and fired killing the man attacking the maid. Then, accompanied by other Stewarts, he counter-attacked the MacDonalds and drove them off. They left behind seven dead who were dragged to the lochside and buried near the mouth of the Ardvorlich Burn. These were discovered later by some workmen who were digging the foundations of a boathouse and who came across their skeletons. Later a stone was placed there which states “Near this spot were interred the bodies of 7 McDonalds killed when attempting to harry Ardvorlich Anno Domini 1620.” -- Peter McNaughton (https://www.highlandstrathearn.com/table-of-contents/clan-warfare-local-clans/the-stewarts-of-ardvorlich)
Clearing of Glen Finglas
Sometime around the turn of the 17th century, a group of MacGregors forcibly occupied Glen Finglas in Callander parish, just south of Glen Buckie. They were said to have been the cause of great mischief there. These lands belonged at that time to the Earl of Moray and he wanted the MacGregors removed. The Earl's deputy forester was Duncan Stewart, 5th of Glenbuckie, who had a natural son, John Dubh Beag Stewart. The Earl commission John Dubh Beag Stewart and James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich (as clan chief) to raise a force of men and forcibly remove the MacGregor's from Glen Finglas. James readily agreed to this task as yet another opportunity to exact his revenge on the MacGregors.
Sometime around the year 1620, the Stewarts successfully evicted the MacGregors from Glen Finglas and captured the chief of the MacGregors. For their efforts, James Beag Stewart was granted the lands of Glen Finglas. He divided these lands among the major cadet branches of the Stewarts of Balquhidder and gave one-quarter to the family of the Stewarts of Glenbuckie, one-quarter to the family of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran, one-eighth to the Stewarts of Annat and kept the remaining three-eights for himself. (This story is told in fuller detail on our Stewarts of Glen Finglas page.) It appears that James gave the Ardvorlich portion of Glen Finglas to his younger brother, Duncan Oag Stewart to occupy.
After the clearing of Glen Finglas, James is cited in the following two bonds:
1622 Bond by Alexander Stewart in Ardworlich [Ardvorlich], James Stewart, his eldest son, Alexander Stewart in Portnellane [Portnellan]; Andrew Stewart of Blairgarrie, Duncan Stewart in Monochole [Monachyle], Alexander Stewart in Glenogle [Glen Ogle]; John Dow Stewart [of Glenbuckie] in Glenfinglas [Glen Finglas], Walter Stewart, his brother german, and Duncan Stewart in [illegible]; for themselves and "the haill remanent persounes of the name of Steuart duelland [dwelling] within Balquhidder and Stragartnay [Strath Gartney]", whereby they bind themselves to William [Graham], earl of Monteth [Menteith], Lord Kilpont and Elistoun [Lennieston], promising that if they at any time injure or wrong said earl, they will pay to him 100 merks Scots; that they will not aid anyone put to the horn at his instance, under penalty of 500 merks Scots in case of failure; and that they will not conceal any danger which may befall said earl by day or night, but will inform him of same with all possible diligence." (Gordon MacGregor, The Red Book of Scotland)
11 JUN 1622. Bond by James Stewart, son of Alexander Stewart in Ardvurliche [Ardvorlich], and Alexander McKen (MacIain) Stewart in Portnellen, to William, Earl of Montethe [Menteith], who has become cautioner to produce Andrew Stewart, son of Alexander Stewart in Glenogle, before the lords of secret council, whereby they undertake to produce said Alexander accordingly, under penalty of 500 merks. (Gordon MacGregor, The Red Book of Scotland)
James Beag was infeft in the lands of Ardvorlich by Sasine of 18 July 1627, in which he is styled legitimate son of Allister Stewart in Ardvorlich. (Gordon MacGregor, The Red Book of Scotland)
James Beag was granted letters of Reversion for the lands of Port of Lochearn (present-day St. Fillans) and Moral (in Glen Tarken on Loch Earn) to John Drummond, Earl of Perth, in 1627. (Gordon MacGregor, The Red Book of Scotland)
The Murder of John Graham, Lord Kilpont
In the Scottish civil wars of the 17th century, James Beag Stewart initially sided with James Graham, 1st Marquis of Montrose, and the Royalist cause in support of King Charles I and in opposition to the Covenanter dominated Scottish Parlianment side. James Beag attained the rank of Major in Montrose's army and fought in the opening battle of the campaign at Tibbermuir.
Battle of Tippemuir: 1st September 1644
James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, with 2000 Highlanders and Irish defeated a Covenanter force of 6000 under Lord Elcho at Tippermore (Tibbermuir in Gaelic) and occupied Perth. This was the first battle in Montrose's failed rebellion in support of King Charles I carried out while the main Scottish army was in England supporting the Government forces there. Few died in the battle, but an estimated 2000 died in the subsequent massacre - this puts Tippermore at about the same level of post-battle massacre as Culloden!
Montrose's most loyal aid was John Graham, Lord Kilpont, eldest son of William Graham, Earl of Menteith and Airth. Kilpont was described as a "very close friend" of James Beag Stewart. Today we can safely say that the evidence shows they were lovers. In fact, the Graham account of the murder (shown below) specifically states "After the banquet a quarrel of some sort arose between Kilpont and his intimate friend, James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, who had shared his tent and his bed...." But in the 17th century such an accusation was solidly denied by the house of Ardvorlich. The Stewart family claimed that they were just "very intimate friends who often shared a tent".
At one point James Beag and Lord Kilpont had a dispute (allegedly fuelled by a great deal of whisky) that became physical. During the altercation Kilpont was fatally stabbed by James Beag. James not only killed his "very close friend", but he simultaneously killed the most loyal aid of his patron, Montrose. James had to flee the wrath of Montrose. And he did so with such haste that he even abandoned his own son, Harry, who had been mortally wounded on the battlefield, and left him to die of his injuries. James fled to the side of Montrose's enemy, Campbell, the Duke of Argyll.
Kilpont's wife, who was also a Graham, was so angered by the incident that she swore a blood feud against the Stewarts of Ardvorlich.
The Pardoning of James Beag Stewart & Kin
Because Argyll was loyal to the Crown and was the eventual victor in the war, James Beag Stewart, as a follower of Argyll, was branded a hero instead of a murderer and was granted a full pardon for the murder he committed. The murder was considered "justifiable" by the Crown as the victim was a "rebel".
The full transcript of the Parliamentary Record of the Pardon for James Stewart on 1 March 1645 is enclosed. It reveals some interesting facts. Most notably that it is not just James Beag Stewart who is named in the pardon. Also pardoned are several close kinsmen of the Stewarts of Balquhidder, including his son, his brothers-in-law, and his nephew. Those pardoned included: Robert Stewart, son of James of Ardvorlich, Duncan McRobert Stewart in Balquhidder (2nd of Glen Ogle, and brother-in-law of James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich), Andrew Stewart in Balquhidder (6th of Gartnafuaran and brother-in-law of James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich), and Walter Stewart in Glenfinglas (son of Andrew Stewart, 6th of Gartnafuaran, and nephew of James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich). All of these men were close kin of James. It says they all initially served Montrose and then, having realized the error of their ways, they sought to persuade Kilpont to join them in going over to Campbell's side. Kilpont objected. The fight broke out between Kilpont and Ardvorlich, and Ardvorlich had to kill Kilpont in self-defence. All of them are accounted as former rebels whose later repentance and defection to the "right side" warranted their pardon.
The inclusion of the other clansmen raises some interesting possible interpretations. It could imply that the murder of Kilpont may not have been solely motivated by drunken rage, but may indeed have had political overtones. Or it could mean that the other Stewart clansmen, having discovered that their chief had just murdered Kilpont, either feared for their own lives too or they didn't want to abandon their chief and defected with him.
The popular version of the murder of Lord Kilpont attributes James' motives to nothing more than an uncontrollable rage. He was reputed to be a man with a wicked temper who would kill without a second thought (which seems to be an accurate description), so he was accused of killing Kilpont in cold blood without provocation, and was branded a murderer. That's the version that was committed to history by Bishop Wishart, Chaplain to Montrose, and to fiction by Sir Walter Scott. However in a preface to Scott's book written in the early 19th century, the publisher tells a different version of the story as told to him by Robert Stewart, the 7th Laird of Ardvorlich.
Robert of Ardvorlich denies the angry temperament of James Beag; he denies the homosexual relationship between James Beag and Kilpont and he denies that the murder was in cold blood; he claims that the killing was justifiable. He alleges that the dispute arose because of atrocities committed on the lands of Ardvorlich by Irish conscripts who were fighting for Montrose. This is a reasonable suggestion as those same Irish conscripts, under Colkitto, Montrose’s lieutenant general, burned Ardveich on the north shore of Loch Earn. James Beag confronted Kilpont about the matter seeking damages from Montrose. There was a disagreement over the matter and a brawl ensued in which Kilpont was accidentally stabbed. Robert of Ardvorlich also alleges that Kilpont was involved in some ill-business behind the back of Montrose which James Beag discovered and which fuelled Kilpont's anger.
What is significant for researchers of the later cadet branch, the Stewarts of Dalveich (this author's own family), is not so much the second version of the events, but how this second version of the story came to be known. According to the publisher's preface in A Legend of Montrose, Robert Stewart, 7th Laird of Ardvorlich, learned of the "true" version of the events from a distant cousin who was descended from James Beag's natural son John Dubh Mhor Stewart (see below). John Dubh Mohr claimed to have been a first-hand witness to the dispute between his father and Lord Kilpont and passed on the "true" version through his descendants.
James Beag Remains Loyal to his Fellow Stewarts
As noted above, during the First Covenanting War of 1644-45, initially, James Beag, like all the other Highland Stewart clans, supported King Charles I, under the generalship of James Graham, Marquis of Montrose. After the murder of John Graham, Lord Kilpont, James Beag Stewart was forced to "turn his coat," flee Montrose's army, and join the Covenanter army under General David Leslie, or face certain execution. He was rewarded with a Major's commission and hailed as a hero by the Covenanter army. Yet, his subsequent actions under General David Leslie (on the Covenanter side) reveal that his true deeper loyalties remained with the Stewarts.
In the summer of 1647 Maj. James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich was serving as an officer under General David Leslie, Lord Newark, and was present at the massacre at Dunaverty, Southend, Kintyre, Argyll, Scotland on which occasion he is said to have interceded on behalf of Capt. James Stewart of Blackhall to spare Blackhall's life. (Blackhall Manor is located near Paisley. The Stewarts of Blackhall descend from John Stewart, an illegitimate son of King Robert II.) -- (From the former kintyremag.co.uk website.)
A year later, in 1648, James saved Appin from being burned. Duncan Stewart, in his 1739 history of the Stewarts, writes the following:
Duncan [Stewart, 8th and] last of Apine [Appin] joined the Marquis of Montrose for the King's Service, and was with him in all his Wars, which made him and his Friends great Sufferers till the Restoration. He likewise, after Montrse's Defeat at Philiphaugh, joined Sir Alexander Macdonald, commonly called Colonel Macdonald, in the King's Cause against the Covenanters. But after Macdonald was obliged to retire to Ireland, anno 1648, the Country of Apine was saved from being burnt and plundered by means of Major James Stewart of Ardvorlich, who prevalied with General Lesly and Argyle to spare it at this Time. -- Duncan Stewart (1739)
The Bond of Keltney Burn (1654)
After the death of Charles I, James signed the 1654 Bond of Keltney Burn along with the heads of all the other Stewart houses in Balquhidder, Athol, and Appin swearing tacit allegiance to King Charles II. This Bond was signed during the era of Cromwell's Commonwealth and would have been considered treasonous.wealth and would have been considered treasonous.
The Death of James Beag Stewart
It was said that James never spared a MacGregor and that "his Mother's sufferings always came before him like blood into the eyes". There is a commemorative stone to the death of Major James Stewart, when his clansmen were carrying the body down the lochside to St. Fillans to be buried in the old saint's kirk at Dundurn. The MacGregors, having sworn to avenge themselves for his harryings and killings, were determined to cut off his head and set out to intercept the funeral party. Their intention was betrayed and the Stewarts secretly buried the Major by the lochside and, when times were quieter, returned to take the body to Dundurn.
The chief of the Clan Stewart had made many enemies, but always managed to avoid them. He died peacefully in bed but his enemies, possibly Grahams or MacGregors heard of his death, and, furious at having been cheated of their revenge swore to desecrate his body on its way to burial at St Fillans. The funeral procession, having left the Stewart home at Ardvorlich house further down the road, then a track and much higher up the hillside at that time, were forewarned and buried their chief in a shallow grave down the hillside close to Lochearn where he was left for several years until more peaceful times. He was then dug up to be safely buried in the proper place. A stone marks the spot where his body was hidden.
-- Alistair Reid (from the former incallander website.)
Marriage and Children
James Beag Stewart married firstly to Katharine Murray, daughter of Robert Murray of Buchanty. Duncan Stewart (1739) refers to Katharine as the daughter of Robert Murray of Buchanty of the family of Abercairny, and notes "Sir William Murray of Abercairny consenting." They were infeft in the lands of Port of Lochearn (St. Fillans) on 14 November 1620, which likely coincides with their marriage.
They had the four known children shown here.
James Beag Stewart married secondly to Janet, widow of Walter Buchanan, ancestor to the family of Arnprior and Auchlesshie. (Duncan Stewart, 1739) Janet's birth surname is unknown. They had no children.
James Beag Stewart had relations with an unknown woman by whom he had and illegitimate son, John Dubh Mhor Stewart, latterly of Dalveich.
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The Parliamentary Pardon of James Beag Stewart
“Forasmuch as the late John, lord Kilpont (being employed in public service in the month of August last against James Graham, then earl of Montrose, the Irish rebels and their associates) did not only treasonably join himself but also treacherously trained a great number of his majesty's subjects (about 400 persons or thereby, who came with him for defence of the country) to join also with the said rebels, of the which number were James Stewart of Ardvorlich, Robert Stewart, his son, Duncan MacRobert Stewart in Balquhidder, Andrew Stewart there, Walter Stewart in Glen Finglas and John Growder in Glassinseid, friends to the said James, who shortly thereafter, repenting of his error in joining with the said rebels and abhorring their cruelty, resolved with his said friends to forsake their wicked company and intimated this resolution to the said late Lord Kilpont. But he out of his malignant disposition opposed the same and fell in a struggle with the said James, who, for his own relief, was forced to kill him
at the kirk of Collace with two Irish rebels who resisted his escape. And so he left happily with his said son and friends and came straight to the marquis of Argyll and offered their service to the country. Whose carriage in this particular being considered by the committee of estates, they by their act of 10 December last found and declared that the said James Stewart did good service to this kingdom in killing the said Lord Kilpont and two Irish rebels aforesaid being in actual rebellion against the country and approved of what he did therein; and in regard thereof and of the said James, his son and friends retiring from the said rebels and joining with the country did fully and freely pardon them for their said joining with the rebels and their associates or for being in any way accessory, actors, art and part of and to any of the crimes, misdeeds or malversations done by themselves or by the rebels and their associates or any of them during the time they were with the said rebels, and declared them free in their persons, estates and goods of any thing that can be laid to their charge thereof or for killing the said Lord
Kilpont and two Irish rebels aforesaid in time coming, and did by the said act discharge all judges, officers and magistrates (both to burgh and landward) and others of his majesty's subjects whatsoever to trouble or molest the said James, his son or friends above-mentioned for the cause aforesaid in judgement or outwith or to direct letters against them for the same or use any judicial process against them for that effect or to offer wrong or injury to them or any of them in their persons or goods in time
coming for the premises, certifying that those that should do in the contrary should be esteemed as having committed a wrong against this kingdom; and the committee recommended the ratification of the said act to this present session of parliament, as the act more fully purports. And now the estates of parliament, presently convened in the second session of this first triennial parliament by virtue of the last act of the last parliament held by his majesty and three estates in 1641, taking the same and particulars contained therein into their special consideration and acknowledging the equity thereof, they do therefore ratify and approve the same act, all articles and clauses thereof and interpose their authority thereto in all points to have the strength of an act of parliament in favour of the said James Stewart of Ardvorlich, his said son and friends above-written in time coming.”
The act of Committee proceeds to prohibit all judicatories and judges whomsoever, from any attempt to bring the parties to justice, or entertain the case against them in any shape, and the parliament taking all this into their special consideration, "and acknowledging the equity thereof," confirms and ratifies the same in favour of James Stewart, his son, and his other friends named.
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I. INTRODUCTION TO A LEGEND OF MONTROSE, by Sir Walter Scott
The Legend of Montrose was written chiefly with a view to place before the reader the melancholy fate of John Lord Kilpont, eldest son of William Earl of Airth and Menteith, and the singular circumstances attending the birth and history of James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, by whose hand the unfortunate nobleman fell.
Our subject leads us to talk of deadly feuds, and we must begin with one still more ancient than that to which our story relates. During the reign of James IV., a great feud between the powerful families of Drummond and Murray divided Perthshire. The former, being the most numerous and powerful, cooped up eight score of the Murrays in the kirk of Monivaird, and set fire to it. The wives and the children of the ill-fated men, who had also found shelter in the church, perished by the same conflagration. One man, named David Murray, escaped by the humanity of one of the Drummonds, who received him in his arms as he leaped from amongst the flames. As King James IV. ruled with more activity than most of his predecessors, this cruel deed was severely revenged, and several of the perpetrators were beheaded at Stirling. In consequence of the prosecution against his clan, the Drummond by whose assistance David Murray had escaped, fled to Ireland, until, by means of the person whose life he had saved, he was permitted to return to Scotland, where he and his descendants were distinguished by the name of Drummond-Eirinich, or Ernoch, that is, Drummond of Ireland; and the same title was bestowed on their estate.
The Drummond-ernoch of James the Sixth’s time was a king’s forester in the forest of Glenartney, and chanced to be employed there in search of venison about the year 1588, or early in 1589. This forest was adjacent to the chief haunts of the MacGregors, or a particular race of them, known by the title of MacEagh, or Children of the Mist. They considered the forester’s hunting in their vicinity as an aggression, or perhaps they had him at feud, for the apprehension or slaughter of some of their own name, or for some similar reason. This tribe of MacGregors were outlawed and persecuted, as the reader may see in the Introduction to ROB ROY; and every man’s hand being against them, their hand was of course directed against every man. In short, they surprised and slew Drummond-ernoch, cut off his head, and carried it with them, wrapt in the corner of one of their plaids.
In the full exultation of vengeance, they stopped at the house of Ardvoirlich and demanded refreshment, which the lady, a sister of the murdered Drummond-ernoch (her husband being absent), was afraid or unwilling to refuse. She caused bread and cheese to be placed before them, and gave directions for more substantial refreshments to be prepared. While she was absent with this hospitable intention, the barbarians placed the head of her brother on the table, filling the mouth with bread and cheese, and bidding him eat, for many a merry meal he had eaten in that house.
The poor woman returning, and beholding this dreadful sight, shrieked aloud, and fled into the woods, where, as described in the romance, she roamed a raving maniac, and for some time secreted herself from all living society. Some remaining instinctive feeling brought her at length to steal a glance from a distance at the maidens while they milked the cows, which being observed, her husband, Ardvoirlich, had her conveyed back to her home, and detained her there till she gave birth to a child, of whom she had been pregnant; after which she was observed gradually to recover her mental faculties.
Meanwhile the outlaws had carried to the utmost their insults against the regal authority, which indeed, as exercised, they had little reason for respecting. They bore the same bloody trophy, which they had so savagely exhibited to the lady of Ardvoirlich, into the old church of Balquidder, nearly in the centre of their country, where the Laird of MacGregor and all his clan being convened for the purpose, laid their hands successively on the dead man’s head, and swore, in heathenish and barbarous manner, to defend the author of the deed. This fierce and vindictive combination gave the author’s late and lamented friend, Sir Alexander Boswell, Bart., subject for a spirited poem, entitled “Clan-Alpin’s Vow,” which was printed, but not, I believe, published, in 1811 [See Appendix No. I].
The fact is ascertained by a proclamation from the Privy Council, dated 4th February, 1589, directing letters of fire and sword against the MacGregors [See Appendix No. II]. This fearful commission was executed with uncommon fury. The late excellent John Buchanan of Cambusmore showed the author some correspondence between his ancestor, the Laird of Buchanan, and Lord Drummond, about sweeping certain valleys with their followers, on a fixed time and rendezvous, and “taking sweet revenge for the death of their cousin, Drummond-ernoch.” In spite of all, however, that could be done, the devoted tribe of MacGregor still bred up survivors to sustain and to inflict new cruelties and injuries.
[I embrace the opportunity given me by a second mention of this tribe, to notice an error, which imputes to an individual named Ciar Mohr MacGregor, the slaughter of the students at the battle of Glenfruin. I am informed from the authority of John Gregorson, Esq., that the chieftain so named was dead nearly a century before the battle in question, and could not, therefore, have done the cruel action mentioned. The mistake does not rest with me, as I disclaimed being responsible for the tradition while I quoted it, but with vulgar fame, which is always disposed to ascribe remarkable actions to a remarkable name.-See the erroneous passage, ROB ROY, Introduction; and so soft sleep the offended phantom of Dugald Ciar Mohr.
It is with mingled pleasure and shame that I record the more important error, of having announced as deceased my learned acquaintance, the Rev. Dr. Grahame, minister of Aberfoil.-See ROB ROY, p.360. I cannot now recollect the precise ground of my depriving my learned and excellent friend of his existence, unless, like Mr. Kirke, his predecessor in the parish, the excellent Doctor had made a short trip to Fairyland, with whose wonders he is so well acquainted. But however I may have been misled, my regret is most sincere for having spread such a rumour; and no one can be more gratified than I that the report, however I have been induced to credit and give it currency, is a false one, and that Dr. Grahame is still the living pastor of Aberfoil, for the delight and instruction of his brother antiquaries.]
Meanwhile Young James Stewart of Ardvoirlich grew up to manhood uncommonly tall, strong, and active, with such power in the grasp of his hand in particular, as could force the blood from beneath the nails of the persons who contended with him in this feat of strength. His temper was moody, fierce, and irascible; yet he must have had some ostensible good qualities, as he was greatly beloved by Lord Kilpont, the eldest son of the Earl of Airth and Menteith.
This gallant young nobleman joined Montrose in the setting up his standard in 1644, just before the decisive battle at Tippermuir, on the 1st September in that year. At that time, Stewart of Ardvoirlich shared the confidence of the young Lord by day, and his bed by night, when, about four or five days after the battle, Ardvoirlich, either from a fit of sudden fury or deep malice long entertained against his unsuspecting friend, stabbed Lord Kilpont to the heart, and escaped from the camp of Montrose, having killed a sentinel who attempted to detain him. Bishop Guthrie gives us a reason for this villainous action, that Lord Kilpont had rejected with abhorrence a proposal of Ardvoirlich to assassinate Montrose. But it does not appear that there is any authority for this charge, which rests on mere suspicion. Ardvoirlich, the assassin, certainly did fly to the Covenanters, and was employed and promoted by them. He obtained a pardon for the slaughter of Lord Kilpont, confirmed by Parliament in 1634, and was made Major of Argyle’s regiment in 1648. Such are the facts of the tale here given as a Legend of Montrose’s wars. The reader will find they are considerably altered in the fictitious narrative.
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The Stewarts of Ardvorlich's Version of the Murder of Lord Kilpont
POSTSCRIPT (to the INTRODUCTION TO A LEGEND OF MONTROSE, by Sir Walter Scott)
While these pages were passing through the press, the author received a letter from the present Robert Stewart of Ardvoirlich, favouring him with the account of the unhappy slaughter of Lord Kilpont, differing from, and more probable than, that given by Bishop Wishart, whose narrative infers either insanity or the blackest treachery on the part of James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, the ancestor of the present family of that name. It is but fair to give the entire communication as received from my respected correspondent, which is more minute than the histories of the period.
“Although I have not the honour of being personally known to you, I hope you will excuse the liberty I now take, in addressing you on the subject of a transaction more than once alluded to by you, in which an ancestor of mine was unhappily concerned. I allude to the slaughter of Lord Kilpont, son of the Earl of Airth and Monteith, in 1644, by James Stewart of Ardvoirlich. As the cause of this unhappy event, and the quarrel which led to it, have never been correctly stated in any history of the period in which it took place, I am induced, in consequence of your having, in the second series of your admirable Tales on the History of Scotland, adopted Wishart’s version of the transaction, and being aware that your having done so will stamp it with an authenticity which it does not merit, and with a view, as far as possible, to do justice to the memory of my unfortunate ancestor, to send you the account of this affair as it has been handed down in the family.
“James Stewart of Ardvoirlich, who lived in the early part of the 17th century, and who was the unlucky cause of the slaughter of Lord Kilpont, as before mentioned, was appointed to the command of one of several independent companies raised in the Highlands at the commencement of the troubles in the reign of Charles I.; another of these companies was under the command of Lord Kilpont, and a strong intimacy, strengthened by a distant relationship, subsisted between them. When Montrose raised the royal standard, Ardvoirlich was one of the first to declare for him, and is said to have been a principal means of bringing over Lord Kilpont to the same cause; and they accordingly, along with Sir John Drummond and their respective followers, joined Montrose, as recorded by Wishart, at Buchanty. While they served together, so strong was their intimacy, that they lived and slept in the same tent.
“In the meantime, Montrose had been joined by the Irish under the command of Alexander Macdonald; these, on their march to join Montrose, had committed some excesses on lands belonging to Ardvoirlich, which lay in the line of their march from the west coast. Of this Ardvoirlich complained to Montrose, who, probably wishing as much as possible to conciliate his new allies, treated it in rather an evasive manner. Ardvoirlich, who was a man of violent passions, having failed to receive such satisfaction as he required, challenged Macdonald to single combat. Before they met, however, Montrose, on the information and by advice, as it is said, of Kilpont, laid them both under arrest. Montrose, seeing the evils of such a feud at such a critical time, effected a sort of reconciliation between them, and forced them to shake hands in his presence; when, it was said, that Ardvoirlich, who was a very powerful man, took such a hold of Macdonald’s hand as to make the blood start from his fingers. Still, it would appear, Ardvoirlich was by no means reconciled.
“A few days after the battle of Tippermuir, when Montrose with his army was encamped at Collace, an entertainment was given by him to his officers, in honour of the victory he had obtained, and Kilpont and his comrade Ardvoirlich were of the party. After returning to their quarters, Ardvoirlich, who seemed still to brood over his quarrel with Macdonald, and being heated with drink, began to blame Lord Kilpont for the part he had taken in preventing his obtaining redress, and reflecting against Montrose for not allowing him what he considered proper reparation. Kilpont of course defended the conduct of himself and his relative Montrose, till their argument came to high words; and finally, from the state they were both in, by an easy transition, to blows, when Ardvoirlich, with his dirk, struck Kilpont dead on the spot. He immediately fled, and under the cover of a thick mist escaped pursuit, leaving his eldest son Henry, who had been mortally wounded at Tippermuir, on his deathbed.
“His followers immediately withdrew from Montrose, and no course remained for him but to throw himself into the arms of the opposite faction, by whom he was well received. His name is frequently mentioned in Leslie’s campaigns, and on more than one occasion he is mentioned as having afforded protection to several of his former friends through his interest with Leslie, when the King’s cause became desperate.
“The foregoing account of this unfortunate transaction, I am well aware, differs materially from the account given by Wishart, who alleges that Stewart had laid a plot for the assassination of Montrose, and that he murdered Lord Kilpont in consequence of his refusal to participate in his design. Now, I may be allowed to remark, that besides Wishart having always been regarded as a partial historian, and very questionable authority on any subject connected with the motives or conduct of those who differed from him in opinion, that even had Stewart formed such a design, Kilpont, from his name and connexions, was likely to be the very last man of whom Stewart would choose to make a confidant and accomplice. On the other hand, the above account, though never, that I am aware, before hinted at, has been a constant tradition in the family; and, from the comparative recent date of the transaction, and the sources from which the tradition has been derived, I have no reason to doubt its perfect authenticity. It was most circumstantially detailed as above, given to my father, Mr. Stewart, now of Ardvoirlich, many years ago, by a man nearly connected with the family, who lived to the age of 100. This man was a great-grandson of James Stewart, by a natural son John, of whom many stories are still current in this country, under his appellation of JOHN DHU MHOR. This John was with his father at the time, and of course was a witness of the whole transaction; he lived till a considerable time after the Revolution, and it was from him that my father’s informant, who was a man before his grandfather, John dhu Mhor’s death, received the information as above stated.
“I have many apologies to offer for trespassing so long on your patience; but I felt a natural desire, if possible, to correct what I conceive to be a groundless imputation on the memory of my ancestor, before it shall come to be considered as a matter of History. That he was a man of violent passions and singular temper, I do not pretend to deny, as many traditions still current in this country amply verify; but that he was capable of forming a design to assassinate Montrose, the whole tenor of his former conduct and principles contradict. That he was obliged to join the opposite party, was merely a matter of safety, while Kilpont had so many powerful friends and connexions able and ready to avenge his death.
“I have only to add, that you have my full permission to make what use of this communication you please, and either to reject it altogether, or allow it such credit as you think it deserves; and I shall be ready at all times to furnish you with any further information on this subject which you may require, and which it may be in my power to afford.
“ARDVOIRLICH, 15TH JANUARY, 1830.”
The publication of a statement so particular, and probably so correct, is a debt due to the memory of James Stewart; the victim, it would seem, of his own violent passions, but perhaps incapable of an act of premeditated treachery.
ABBOTSFORD, 1ST AUGUST, 1830.
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The Graham Version of the Murder of Kilpont
From The Lake of Menteith - Its Islands and Vicinity, With Historical Accounts of the Priory of Inchmahome and the Earldom of Menteith - By A. F. Hutchinson, 1899
APPENDIX - The Murder of Lord Kilpont at Collace
John, Lord Kilpont, was born in or about 1633. 'When his father held the title of Earl of Strathern, [sic. He never held the title of Earl of Strathearn. He sought the title and failed and was granted the title of Earl of Airth after insulting the king.] he married Lady Mary Keith, eldest daughter of the Earl Marischal, receiving with her a dowry of £30,000 Scots, while the lady was infeft in the baronies of Kilbride and Kilpont, and received an annuity of 1000 merks out of the barony of Drummond. The contract is dated 11th April, 1632, and the marriage took place in the coarse of that year. Lord Kilpont acted as his father's assistant in the justioiarship of Menteith, and in that capacity was instrumental in bringing to justice the noted robber, John Dhu Macgregor. For this service he was thanked by the King in 1636. He also received a letter of thanks in 1639 for his steady adherence to the King's interest as against the Covenanters.
In 1644 the Committee of Estates authorised him to assemble the men of Menteith, Lennox, and Keir, in order to guard the passages to Perth against the Irish levies who were on their march from the west. With this force, amounting to about 400 men, he was posted at the hill of Buchanty, in Glenalmond, when he was met by Montrose at the head of the Irish and Highland troops, and so far from resisting, he went over to him with the whole body of troops under his command.
The battle of Tibbermuir was fought on the 1st of September. After a rest of a few days in Perth, Montrose crossed the Tay on the 5th of September, and pitched his camp at Collace. That night he gave an entertainment to his officers to celebrate the victory at Tibbermuir. After the banquet a quarrel of some sort arose between Kilpont and his intimate friend, James Stewart of Ardvoirlioh, who had shared hie tent and his bed, which ended in Stewart stabbing his friend with hie dagger and escaping from the camp. The murderer fled to the Covenanting army, where he was received by Argyll, and promoted ultimately to the rank of Major. The body of Lord Kilpont was conveyed to Menteith. and interred in the Chapter House of the Priory of Inchmahome.1 Lady Kilpont was so affected by the death of her husband that she lost her reason. A bitter feud which lasted long between the Grahams of Menteith and their friends and the Stewarts of Lochearnside was another consequence. Kilpont's son was a boy of about ten years of age at the time of his father's death, but he never forgot the circumstances. At the very earliest opportunity be had, that is, immediately after the Restoration in 1660, he tried to open the question of his father's murder by a petition to the King. After his accession to the earldom, he addressed the King again on the subject. Neither of these petitions had any effect. But the Earl continued to cherish his feeling of resentment, and as late as 1681, in a letter to the Marquis of Montrose, he refers to one Robert Stewart, who had purchased Stragartney, as “the treterous son of that cruell murderer of my faither, who was his Lord and Master."2
The motive of Ardvoirlich in this slaughter of his friend is obscure, and the accounts are somewhat conflicting. The sources of information in regard to it are three. First, there is the story as told by Wishart, the Chaplain of Montrose. This was the version that was before Sir Walter Scott when he wrote the Legend of Montrose, and it of course reports the incident from the Royalist point of view. Next there is the account handed down in the Ardvoirlich family, and sent by one of the members of that family to Sir Walter, who published it in a postscript to his story.
1 See chap iv. p. 111
2 Letter in the Red Book of Menteith, ii., p. 192.
That, as might be expected, puts the action of Stewart in a distinctly more favourable light. And, in the third place, there is the statement of the circumstances in the Act of Parliament which ratified the pardon for the deed previously granted by the Privy Council, which-if it may not be held as an absolutely impartial statement-may at least be taken as putting the case in a light that was not regarded as unfavourable to Ardvoirlich.
Wishart accuses Ardvoirlioh, whom he calls "a base slave," of a plot to murder Montrose. He endeavoured to draw Kilpont into the plot, and when the latter expressed his detestation of the villainy, he stabbed him with many wounds before he had time to put himself on his guard; then killing a sentinel, he escaped in the darkness. He adds- "Some say the traitor was hired by the Covenanters to do this ; others, only that he was promised a reward if he did it" - the distinction seems rather a fine one. "However it was, this is most certain, that he is very high in their favour unto this very day; and that Argyle immediately advanced him, though he was no soldier, to great commands in his army." And he concludes with a touching account of Montrose's tribute to his dead friend ¬ “Montrose was very much troubled with the loss of that nobleman, his dear friend, and one that had deserved very well both from the King and himself; a man famous for arts, and arms, and honesty; being a good philosopher, a good divine, a good lawyer, a good soldier, a good subject, and a good man. Embracing the breathless body again and again, with sighs and tears he delivers it to bis sorrowful friends and servants, to be carried to his parents to receive its funeral obsequies, as became the splendour of that honourable family,”1
The family account is to the effect that Stewart was not a subordinate of Kilpont, but in an independent command; and through his intimacy with Kilpont he had induced the latter to join the royalist cause. The Irish levies, when coming from the west under the command of Colkitto, had plundered the lands of Ardvoirlich, and of this Stewart complained to Montrose, but obtained no redress. 'He then challenged Colkitto and Montrose, on the information and advice of Kilpont, it is said, put both under arrest and then patched up a sort of reconciliation. But Stewart was far from being satisfied; and after the banquet, when the friends had returned to their tent, he broke out into fierce reproaches again. both Kilpont and Montrose. Kilpont replied also in high words. From words they went to blows, and Stewart, who was a man of great strength, slew Kilpont on the spot. He fled after the deed and, for his own safety, was obliged to throw himself into the hands of the Covenanters.2 This account frees Ardvoirlich from the accusation of treachery to Montrose, though it represents him as a man of violent temper.
The Act of Parliament narrates that John, Lord Kilpont, being employed in the public service against James Graham, then Earl of Montrose, the Irish rebels and their associates, did treacherously and treasonably join himself and induce
1 Wishart’s Commentaries on the Wars of Montrose, quoted by Sheriff Napier in hi sMemoirs of Montrose, ii. 446
2 Legend of Montrose, Postscript to Introduction (edit. 1829)
400 others under his command to join the said rebels ; that Stewart and some of his friends, repenting of their error, resolved to forsake their wicked company, and imputed this resolution to Kilpont, who endeavoured, "out of his malignant dispositione," to prevent them, and fell a struggling with the said James, who, for his own relief, was forced to kill him, along with two Irish rebels who resisted his escape; and that then, with his son and friends, he came straight to the Marquis of Argyle and offered their services to the country.'
The particulars in this narrative would in all probability be supplied by James Stewart himself, and they seem, in every point, to contradict the family tradition. No mention is made of the plot to murder Montrose ascribed to him by Wishart, but in other respects the account of that writer is confirmed. He tried, according to this statement approved by himself, to make Kilpont false to the cause of the Royalists, and killed him when he did not succeed. It is quite possible that the statement may be not altogether ingenuous, as he might suppose that his zeal for the Covenant would be likely to condone the offence of killing one of its enemies. But if not accepted as it is, the plot to assassinate Montrose must still stand on a footing of at least equal authority with the grievance against Colkitto as the cause of the quarrel which ended so fatally.
1 Acts of the Parliament of Scotland, vol. vi. pt. i, p. 359 (1st March 1645)
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Following is a rather fanciful account of the life of James Beag Stewart, full of unsubstantiated embelishments, by Eileen Townshend. The article comes with a disclaimer not to reproduce it without permission, which is a little ripe when one considers that much of this work is plagiarized without acknoweledgement from original research conducted by me (Ryk Brown) and others at the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group, against our shared research terms of service. I have attempted multiple times to contact Eileen Townshend to no avail. Therefore her article is reproduced here without her permission, as it is substantially my own work anyway. It is also reproduced here for the purpose of attempting to verify its unsubstantiated claiims.
The Mad Major of Ardvorlich
Major James “Beag” Stewart, the second Laird of Ardvorlich on Loch Earn, is perhaps, one of the most misrepresented characters in Scottish history. Much of the guilt for this we must lay at the door of none other than Sir Walter Scott. Scott was without doubt the most widely read and popular writer of his day when he wrote the story of James Stewart's life under the title of “The Legend of Montrose”. In the book he named the hero, based on James Stewart , Allan McAulay and changed the name of his family castle on Loch Earn from Ardvorlich to Darnlinvarach, but made no secret of the fact that both were based on James Stewart and his family home Ardvorlich. To this day, if you look inside the old ruined kirk at Dundurn, St. Fillans, you will see the name Allan McAulay carved at the foot of Major James Stewart's memorial plaque on the old stone wall. The Stewart family obviously did not take too unkindly to their relative being portrayed as - to borrow the Byronic epithet - “mad, bad and dangerous to know”; presumably taking the view that all publicity is good publicity and assuring Major James Stewart more than a mere footnote in the turbulent annals of Scottish history.
What is true, if modern medical theorists are to be believed, is that any trauma or stress suffered by the mother whilst pregnant may well adversely affect the mental state of her child after birth. If that is indeed the case, then the horrific event that Margaret, James Stewart's mother and the Lady of Ardvorlich, was forced to endure would produce a child with more mental problems than most.
Born Margaret Drummond-Ernoch, in the parish of Comrie, Margaret Stewart's brother John was the hereditary Keeper of the King's Forest of Glenartney and in October 1589 was charged with the task of producing enough venison for the forthcoming wedding feast of King James VI and his new Danish queen Anne.
The Mad Major of ArdvorlichPlagued by marauding bands of MacGregors from the Braes of Balquhidder poaching the best hinds and ignoring his pleas to desist, John Drummond-Ernoch had decided to teach the thieves a lesson one day by capturing several of the brigands and cutting off their ears before sending them packing back to the Braes of Balquhidder. Not being a Clan to take such a humiliation lightly, the MacGregors vowed vengeance and it was not long before they made their way back to Glenartney intent on making Drummond-Ernoch pay the ultimate price for daring to humiliate the Clan Gregor. He may have cut off their ears but he would pay with his entire head.
No one insulted a MacGregor and got away with it. The unsuspecting Keeper was subsequently ambushed in the forest and then ceremoniously beheaded with a Clan Gregor claymore.
Their bloodlust satisfied, they wrapped the bloodied head of the luckless Keeper in a plaid and made their way back to Balquhidder where the MacGregor clansmen were quickly rallied, under their young Chief Alasdair MacGregor of Glenstrae.
In the little kirk at Balquhidder the severed head of John Drummond-Ernoch was placed on the altar. Solemnly the young Chief walked up to it and, placing his right hand on the blood-matted hair of the dead Keeper's head, he swore to protect the murderers with his own life and take their guilt upon himself and the entire Clan. The other Clansmen gathered for this gruesome ceremony had no option but to follow suit.
Not content with this atrocity, the murderous gang decided to wreak their vengeance on the Keeper's sister who was married to Alexander Stewart, the Laird of Ardvorlich on Loch Earn. The Stewarts of Ardvorlich had long been bitter adversaries of the Balquhidder MacGregors who now hatched a cruel plan in their quest for further revenge. With the bloodied head of her brother wrapped in plaid, and knowing that her husband Alexander Stewart himself was away from home, in the shadow of darkness they made for the castle, to bang on the door and demand hospitality of the unsuspecting young woman.
The Laird's heavily pregnant wife Margaret was home alone, sitting at the large table in the dining hall finishing a supper of bread and cheese when, startled by the banging on the door, she rose to see who was there at that ungodly time of night. No doubt petrified at the sight of the rough gang that confronted her, Highland hospitality being what it is, she had no choice but ask them to step inside. As they made themselves comfortable round the dining table, she hurried down to the kitchens to fetch more food and drink for the unwelcome guests. Nothing could have prepared her for what awaited her on her return. There on the large ashet in the middle of the dining table lay the bloodied, severed head of her brother John with the remnants of her own supper of bread and cheese stuffed into his gaping mouth.
Letting out a shriek of horror, she made for the door and fled the castle, running in a blind panic towards the wooded slopes of Ben Vorlich looming out of the darkness behind. Half demented with the horror of the scene she had just witnessed, the petrified young woman hid in the woods over the next few days, too terrified to return, until eventually she was found by her distraught husband and taken back to the castle. Legend has it that she gave birth to her son alone on that terrible night by the edge of the nearby little loch known to this day as the Lady's Loch . She never fully recovered her sanity and her young son who grew up to be the famous Major James Stewart of the Covenanting Wars vowed from childhood that he would get even with the Clan that had caused his beloved mother and family such suffering. It was said that for the rest of his life Jamie, as he was known, “never spared a MacGregor, and his mother's sufferings always came before him like blood into the eyes”.
James Stewart grew into manhood as an exceptionally tall, well-built young man, “with such a power in the grasp of his hand as could force the blood from beneath the nails of the persons who contended with him in a feat of strength”. His temper was said to be volatile and he took any perceived hurt against his family or their dependents as a personal insult to be avenged as fiercely and quickly as possible.
From childhood his great friend was his cousin John, Lord Kilpont, the eldest son of the William Graham, Earl of Airth and Menteith. When what became known as the Covenanting Wars broke out between the Stewart King Charles I and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland over the refusal of the Kirk to countenance the restoration of Bishops or the divine right of Kings to meddle in Kirk affairs, Ardvorlich, being himself a direct descendant of the Stewart King Robert II, naturally joined the Royalist forces under James Graham, the Marquis of Montrose, along with his cousin and best friend John Graham, Lord Kilpont. It is said that it was Jamie Stewart who had persuaded his friend to join the Royalist cause once Kilpont's cousin James Graham, the Marquis of Montrose himself had defected from the Covenanting side.
On 31 st August 1644, Ardvorlich and Kilpont decided to throw in their lot with the Royalist forces under Montrose at Buchanty Hill. They were accompanied by Sir John Drummond, the younger son of the Earl of Perth and a relation on his mother's side, the Master of Madderty who was Montrose's brother-in-law and others of the local Perthshire gentry.
In their first foray under the King's colours Ardvorlich was accompanied by two of his sons, John “Iain Dubh Mhor” Stewart and his younger son Henry. Although family ties had at first made them sympathetic to the Stewart King, like Montrose himself they had initially backed the Covenant and still held a strong belief in the Presbyterian Kirk as the Established Church of Scotland. Like most Scotsmen they felt the basic tenet of the Presbyterianism where the congregation chose their own Minister to be closest to the egalitarian Scottish character and they deeply resented King Charles I's avowed intent to impose English Episcopalianism on their country. This form of worship they regarded as little better than a watered down version of Roman Catholicism and the imposition of Bishops who would be chosen by the King and who would then in turn appoint their Ministers was too much to accept. In short, the Covenant drawn up by the Scots which refused to accept this form of worship thrust upon an unwilling country was a cause worth fighting for. Great moral certitudes, however, did not take account of the clash of personalities that ensued and Montrose's increasing disillusionment with the growing power of the Campbells under the strong personality of the Marquis of Argyll, who led the Covenanting Army, had probably more to do with his changing sides than anything else. Montrose was also uncomfortable with the hardening of Covenanting attitudes towards the recalcitrant King so when it was known that he had changed allegiance and joined the Royalist cause it helped persuade Ardvorlich and others of the Perthshire gentry to follow suit.
After joining up with Montrose and his men at Buchanty Hill, the morning of Sunday, 1 st September, 1644 found the Royalist Army advancing into what was home territory for Ardvorlich and Kilpont. Aware that the Covenanters under General Sir David Leslie and Lord Elcho were not far behind them, the Marquis and his men had crossed the River Almond and entered the fertile valley of Strathearn in preparation for the confrontation with the enemy which they knew could not be far off. They seemed a raggle-taggle collection of men and a poor match for the well-disciplined Covenanters under David, Lord Elcho, who were now mustering on the moorland between Tippermuir and Cultmalindy, just outside of Perth . Leslie, the Covenanter General had won great honours as a supreme Army Commander on the Continent and was a far more experienced soldier than the much younger Montrose. Although fearsome looking with their claymores and Lochaber axes, the Royalists were a sadly depleted force composed mainly of Highlanders, loyal to the Stewarts but neither as well drilled nor as well-equipped as the enemy. Their numbers had, however, just been augmented by a contingent of wild Irish mercenaries recruited by Alastair MacDonald of Keppoch.
These Irishmen, led by MacDonald, had arrived on the scene from the West via Ardvorlich lands around Loch Earn and their reputation had preceded them. It was not long before word got to Jamie Stewart that these men whom he now had to regard as comrades in arms had recently laid waste to his own estates and left rape and pillage in their wake. Ardvorlich lands had been burned and plundered, the cattle slaughtered, the women raped and many Stewart clansmen put to the sword. He was beside himself with rage and found it difficult to contain his ire as he was forced to fight cheek by jowl with these savages. The ensuing battle on the flat, boggy moorland of Tippermuir and the subsequent victory of the 2000 Royalists over the 6000 Covenanter Army was against all the odds, thanks in main to the newly-arrived Irish contingent. This victory, however, did nothing to temper Ardvorlich's rage.
James Stewart shared a tent with his cousin and best friend John Graham, Lord Kilpont, and, as MacDonald and the Irish were under Kilpont's command, Ardvorlich lost no time in venting his anger to his friend about the atrocities carried out by them on Loch Earn. Kilpont promised to take the matter up with Montrose but was well aware that the Marquis now needed the Irish on side more than ever. Their worth had been proved at Tippermuir.
By the time they made camp a few days later at the foot of Dunsinane Hill near the old kirk of Collace not far from Coupar Angus, Stewart could not let the matter lie any longer. How could he rest knowing that the murderers of his people were in his midst and both his Commander and his best friend were letting them get away with it?
On the night of Thursday 5 th September, the battle weary men bedded down for the night by the banks of a small burn and the wounded were taken into the kirk to be tended to. In the early hours of the morning, after several drinks, things in the Ardvorlich/Kilpont tent began to get more than a little heated. Jamie Stewart demanded that now the battle was over his friend immediately discipline MacDonald and the Irish. How could he allow the devils who had carried out these foul deeds on his people and lands go unpunished for one day longer? No retribution could be too harsh for such savages. To his consternation and disbelief, Stewart found Kilpont declare himself in an impossible position. Whilst professing total sympathy with his friend for what had happened on the Ardvorlich lands, Kilpont had spoken with his cousin Montrose and they both agreed they had been totally reliant on MacDonald and the Irish for the victory at Tippermuir. If they were to have any chance of future victories against the might of Argyll and his men it was imperative they be kept on side.
On the instructions of Montrose, Kilpont attempted to play the peacemaker. He called for Alastair MacDonald, who was in charge of the Irishmen, and made him proffer his hand by way of apology to Ardvorlich. This meaningless gesture was too much for Jamie Stewart, who, grasping it in fury, squeezed so hard that it made the blood ooze from under Alastair MacDonald's fingernails.
Kilpont was furious. He had instructions from Montrose to calm matters down but now tempers were flaring out of control. A drunken brawl ensued in which Stewart, in a blind rage, took his dirk and stabbed his friend through the heart. As his mother sufferings had “come before him like blood into his eyes” so the sufferings of his people had driven him to this - the killing of his best friend and kinsman, John Graham.
With Kilpont lying dead at his feet, and the rest of the camp now alerted to the shouting and disruption within the tent, in the melee that ensued Ardvorlich fought off two of the Irish who had joined in the fracas and, leaving them dying in his wake next to their dead officer, made his escape. Within minutes he had disappeared into the thick mist that covered the foot of Dunsinane hill where the rest of the exhausted army lay sleeping. One can only imagine what went through his mind as behind him he left not only three men dead but also his teenage son Harry lying dying in Collace Kirk of wounds sustained on the battlefield at Tippermuir.
To the consternation of Montrose, Ardvorlich also took with him all the men he had mustered from his Loch Earn estates as he rode hell for leather for the opposing Covenanting side. The only close comrade missing in his flight was his own eldest son John Stewart - “Iain Dubh Mhor”. Iain Dhu was obviously cut from the same cloth as his father, with very much a mind of his own, as after his father's defection he remained with the Royalists, joined the Atholl Regiment and continued to fight for the King John Murray, the 1 st Marquis of Atholl was a close friend of Iain's, probably through the Murrays of Atholl holding the superiority of the lands of Dalveich and Carnlea on Loch Earn and the family were old friends of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich.
Argyll was delighted with the defection of so well-regarded an officer and his men and, proving himself a competent soldier on the field of battle, Jamie Stewart was promoted from his previous rank of Captain in the Royalist cause to a Major on the Covenanter side by 1648. Much anti-Royalist propaganda was engendered throughout Scotland by the Kilpont incident and Ardvorlich found himself a hero in the eyes of many.
Major James Stewart became a highly regarded officer throughout the remaining years of the Covenanting Wars and was frequently mentioned in the battles of his commanding officer General Sir David Leslie. He is also on record as having saved the lives of several of his former Royalist friends through his close connection with Leslie when the King's cause became hopeless and the gallows awaited most of the high-ranking officers.
A few months after the incident at Collace, in March 1645, the government ratified Ardvorlich's pardon and stated that he and his friends had joined up with Montrose at the same time as Kilpont but that: “…heartily thereafter repenting of this error in joining with the said rebels and abhorring their cruelty, (Ardvorlich) resolves with his said friends to forsake their wicked company and imparted this resolution to the said umquhile Lord Kilpont. But he, out of his malignant dispositions, opposed the same, and fell in struggling with the said James (Stewart) who, for his own relief was forced to kill him at the Kirk of Collace, with two Irish rebels who resisted his escape, and so removed happily with his said friends and came straight to the Marquis of Argyll and offered their service to their country. Whose carriage in this particular being considered by the Committee of Estates, they by their act of 10 December last, find and declare that the said Stewart did good service to the Kingdom in killing the said Lord Kilpont and two Irish rebels aforesaid being in actual rebellion against the country, and approved of what he did therein”.
For Argyll, the defection of Ardvorlich and his friends and vassals to the Covenan
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