| Notes |
- John Dubh Beg Stewart is identified in Rev. Duncan Stewart's 1739 History of the Stewarts as being the fifth son of Duncan Stewart, 5th of Glenbuckie:
“Duncan, son to Alexander Stewart in Glenbuckie, married first, ___ Campbell of the family of Ardkinglass, secondly, he married Katharine MacGrigor, grand-daughter to Dougal Keir MacGrigor, Predecessor to Innerlochlarig and Glengyle, said to be the last cadet of the Laird of MacGrigor, and had issue*: 1 John, 2 Walter, 3 Duncan, 4 Patrick, 5 John Beg, and 6 Alexander.” (Duncan Stewart (1739), p. 132. *The birth order given here is not likely correct.)
John's first nickname, Dubh, means "black", which infers that he had dark hair. John Dubh Stewart had an older half-brother also named John Dubh Stewart. In order to differentiate between the two, the elder brother was known as John Dubh Mor Stewart, which means "Big Black John", while this younger half-brother was known as John Dubh Beag Stewart which means "Little Black John."
John Dubh Beag Stewart is the patriarch of Branch II of the Stewarts of Glenbuckie as accounted in Stewarts of the South. John is mentioned in the following testament mentioning his son, John: "Testament of John dow beg Stewart in Murlagan who died in November of 1669 given up by John Stewart his son."
The Legendary Clearing of Glen Finglas
John Dubh Beg, along with his distant cousin James Beg Stewart, 2nd of Ardvorlich, were alleged to be responsible for the legendary Clearing of Clan Gregor from Glenfinglas. Stewarts of the South describes the legend as follows:
"John Du Beg was one of the stoutest men in the country. It was him who was with Major [James] Stewart [2nd of Ardvorlich] when they drove the MacGregors from Glenfinglas - and he was the best soldier of the two. They slept in the hill and their followers deserted them. The place was between Glenbuckie and Glenfinglas. The Major was for returning back if it was not for John Beg. The MacGregors being that day burning their houses in Glenmain which was close with wood. The two came to the tree where the MacGregors had left their arms and John Du Beg asked the Major whether he would secure the arms or catch Callum Owr, the leader of the MacGregors. The Major undertook the securing of the arms and threw them into a hole full of water. John Du Beg said to Callum Owr if he would stir he would kill him and brought him [as a] prisoner to Doune where he was executed. [And Major James Beg] Stewart got the tack of the Glen [Finglas]."
Elsewhere in the same document the author refers to this incident again :
"The MacGregors who were always ready to seize opportunities came and forced the remains of the Clan from the glen and became possessors themselves. After the restoration of Charles II, Major (James Beag) Stewart... undertook for the Earl Murray to drive the MacGregors out of the glen as they would neither pay rent and committed some acts of riot. ...this he executed together with one John Dubh Beg of [the] Glenbuckie family of Leadchrich."
(The mention of Ledcreich here is in reference to the fact that John's father, Duncan Stewart, as a second son, initially inherited the lesser estate of Ledcreich and his older brother, Patrick Stewart initially inherited the estate of Glenbuckie. However, at some point, for reasons unknown, they swapped properties. This reference is not an indication that John Dubh Beag Stewart was ever resident at Ledcreich other than as a child.)
John Dubh Beg Stewart in Muirlaggan and James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich were not only distant cousins, they were also brothers-in-law. John's older half-brother, John Dubh Mor Stewart, married Isabel Stewart, sister of James Beag Stewart.
The (forceful) Clearing of Glen Finglas is likely a fiction. In the wake of the demise of Clan Kessans, the glen became vacant and unstable. The Earl of Moray probably temporarily housed the recently landless MacGregors in Glen Finglas before later moving them up to Moray. He probably then invited his distant cousins, the Stewarts of Balquhidder to occupy the glen in order to bring stability to the vacant glen. In that transition there were likely squabbles between the incoming Stewarts and the outgoing MacGregors. We know that James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich held a hateful grudge against the MacGregors for the murder of his uncle which would have given him a strong motivation to exaggerate any such squabbles into the epic tale that was passed down to subsequent generations.
It's unlikely that John Dubh Beag Stewart in Muirlaggan would have participated in the forceful expulsion of his mother's kin. His connection to the legend is probably appocryphal.
For more information on the legend of the Clearing of Glen Finglas, see our Stewarts in Glen Finglas page.
Other than the fact that he probably was not involved in any exaggerated clearing of Glen Finglas, we know very little else about John Dubh Beag Stewart.
|
Abt 1589 - 1669 (80 years)
