| Notes |
- Patrick was the only recorded child of William Stewart, 2nd of Ledcreich and Mary MacGregor of Drumcharry.
Patrick Stewart's birth is estimated to have occurred sometime around 1625, presumably in Ledcreich, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland. He was born prior to the commencement of the Balquhidder parish register, thus there is no record of his birth or baptism. Patrick served in the armies of King Charles I, King Charles II, and King James VII/II and fought in over 25 battles. As Charles I reigned from 1625-1649, then Patrick must have been born early enough to have been a young adult during Charles' reign.
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms
Patrick lived through a tumultuous time in Scotland's history and a difficult and dangerous time to remain loyal to his distant royal cousins. The 1603 Union of the Crowns was still fresh and raw in the minds of loyal Scots who may have felt abandoned by King James VI when he moved to England and never looked back. His son, King Charles I, was deeply unpopular with the English Parliament. Charles' views on the Divine Right of Kings felt too much like tyranny to the English Parliament. Charles also alienated the Scottish Parliament with his views on religion and his attempt to impose English-style bishops on the Scottish Presbyterian Church. This resulted in civil wars on both sides of the border.
Scotland Under Cromwell and the Bond of Keltney Burn
Charles I was executed in 1649, resulting in the abolition of the Crown and the establishment of a Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell, but in England only. Scotland did not recognize the English Commonwealth and immediately crowned Charles' son, Charles II, as King of Scots. This resulted in a short-lived war between England and Scotland culminating in the Battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651, at which Charles and his 16,000 Royalist soldiers were defeated. We don't have a list of which battles Patrick Stewart fought in, but as one of Charles II's loyal generals, he would certainly have been present at Worcester. After the defeat, Charles fled to Europe.
The defeat of Charles II's Royalist army at Worcester led to the imposition of Oliver Cromwell's English Commonwealth government on Scotland. Meanwhile, Stuart loyalists worked secretly to secure the return of their exiled king. Among the secret planning, was a bond of mutual support signed in secret in 1654 by the heads of the major houses of the three major Highland Stewart clans (The Stewarts of Appin, Atholl and Balquhidder). This document, known as The Bond of Keltney Burn, was a pact of loyalty to Charles II, but would also have been viewed as treasonous towards Cromwell. While we know that Gen. Patrick Stewart of Ledcreich was not one of the signatories to the Bond of Keltney Burn, his chieftain, John Stewart, 6th of Glenbuckie, was a signatory and Patrick's loyalties certainly would have put him in alignment with the Bond, and he would have been bound by his chieftain's signature.
The Stuart Restoration and the Glorious Revolution
In 1660, Cromwell's son, Richard, was defeated and Charles II was invited back from exile in France to reclaim the throne. The Stuart Crown was restored. Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother, James VII of Scotland and II of England. James reigned for only three years before he was deposed in the so-called "Glorious Revolution" and replaced by William of Orange, at the invitation of the English Parliament. This revolution was seen as far less "glorious" in Scotland. The Scottish Parliament did not immediately recognize William as King of Scots and Scottish loyalties were split. King James VII fled into exile in France and his loyal supporters in Scotland plotted for his return. His supporters came to be known as Jacobites, using the Latin form of James' name.
Patrick's Loyal Suffering
General Patrick Stewart's wife died in 1682, but we don't know when Patrick, himself, died. He was said to have served as a General in the Royalist army of King James VII, so he certainly lived long enough to see James installed in 1685 and to have fought on behalf of James during his reign. Given James' short reign of only three years, Patrick almost certainly lived long enough to fight for his king during the so-called "Glorious Revolution", and to witness his king flee into exile.
Patrick was said to have "suffered greatly" for his loyal service to the Royal Stuarts during this time period. One can certainly understand how his loyalty would have led to suffering.
Patrick's Family History
In 1763, Patrick's grandson, Patrick Stewart, 5th of Ledcreich, dictated a detailed family history in which he says the following about his grandfather:
“2nd. Alexander Stewart, of Ledcreich, was only son to Patrick* Stewart, of Ledcreich, who suffered much in the reign of the two Kings Charles and King James the Seventh, and to Margaret his wife, daughter to Robert B., of Drumlain, cousin-german to the Laird of Lenny.”
*This Patrick was a general in the royal army in the reign of King Charles the First, and in the course of the wars of the two kings Charles and James, the second of England and seventh of Scotland, he fought twenty-five field battles besides skirmishes, and suffered greatly on account of his loyalty to that family. [Added by] James Caraway, February 8, 1789.
“3rd. Patrick was son to William Stewart, of Ledcreich and Sronslany, by Mary his wife, daughter to Duncan McGregor, of Dumvery, cousin-german to Gregor McGregor, of that ilk, which family is now extinct.”
Stewart Clan Magazine says,
"[Gen.] Patrick Stewart, born about 1620 (sic), was laird of Ledcreich, in Balquhidder, Perthshire. He was a soldier in the army of King Charles I and is said to have held the rank of general in the service of Charles II and James II: he was in 25 battles besides skirmishes. For his loyalty to the Stuarts he suffered much. He married Margaret B______, daughter of Robert B______* of Drunlain, cousin to the laird of Lenry. Only son: Alexander; m. Catherine Stewart.
"* This name was indistinct in a manuscript found in 1876 in the possession of Maggie Williams by John A. Dougherty and copied into his diary. The Stewart Clan Magazine is indebted to J. Adger Stewart of Louisville, Ky., for a copy of this valuable document. It was written Jan. 18, 1763, by Charles Stewart, son of Patrick Stewart of North Carolina (grandson of Gen. Patrick Stewart), under his father's direction, to correct some error in Crawford's history of the Stewarts. Crawford had sent a copy of the book to Patrick Stewart in America, and Patrick, perceiving the error, wrote to Crawford to have it corrected. Not receiving a corrected edition of the book Patrick had his son Charles write down his correct genealogy and place it in Patrick's large bible. There it remained until the death of Patrick's granddaughter, Anne Gist, without children." (Edson, George, Stewart Clan Magazine, Tome C, March 1935, vol. xii, no. 9, p.109.)
In the Dunblane Commissariot Record - Register of Testaments 1539-1800 (SRO), there are three wills recorded for Ledcreich. These are: (1) Duncan Stewart; 25 Jan 1665 and 6 Jan 1666; (2) Margaret Buchanan and Patrick Stewart her husband; 22 Aug 1682; (3) William Stewart 31 Jul 1683.
Duncan Stewart (1739) does not mention Patrick Stewart.
Gordon MacGregor, in The Red Book of Scotland, says only: "Patrick Stewart, 3rd of Ledcriech, succeeded his father and married Margaret, daughter of Robert Stewart of Drumbain. He was father of Alexander Stewart."
|
Abt 1625 - Aft 1685 (~ 61 years)
