George Hume Steuart
Encyclopedia
George Hume Steuart, was a physician
, tobacco
planter, and Loyalist
politician in colonial Maryland
. Born in Perthshire
, Scotland
, Steuart emigrated to Maryland in around 1721, where he benefited from proprietarial patronage and was appointed to a number of colonial offices, eventually becoming a wealthy landowner with estates in both Maryland and Scotland
. However, he was forced by the outbreak of the American Revolution
to decide whether to remain loyal to the Crown
or to throw in his lot with the American rebels. In 1775 Steuart sailed to Scotland, deciding at age 75 that "he could not turn rebel in his old age". He remained there until his death in 1784.
, Perthshire
, Scotland
in around 1700, the second son of George Steuart and Mary Hume. His family were members of the Balquhidder Stewart clan, descendants of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, executed by King James I of Scotland
in 1425.
It is likely that Stewart spoke both Gaelic and English
. According to the Old Statistical Account of 1799, Scottish Gaelic was the language of the “common people” of Balquhidder
and the surrounding area, although English would have been spoken in the “low country”, around Stirling
. This would in fact have been the Scots language
of the Stirlingshire area, rather than Standard English.
Steuart's elder brother David stood to inherit the family estates, and Steuart studied medicine, receiving his MD at the University of Edinburgh
. In 1721 he emigrated to Annapolis, in the colony of Maryland, where he settled and established a medical practice.
In the early 18th century Maryland was a sparsely settled, largely rural society. In 1715 the population of Annapolis was just 405, though by 1730 this number had increased to 776.
In 1725 Steuart purchased the estate of Dodon
in South River, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay
, from Nicholas Carroll. At Dodon, Steuart farmed tobacco
, bred thoroughbreds and held match races. His most successful horse was Dungannon
, which he had brought from England to compete against the stable of his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis
(1703–1783), whose son Charles Carroll of Carrollton
would later sign the Declaration of Independence
in 1776. Dungannon won the Annapolis Subscription Plate
, the first recorded formal horse race in Maryland, in May 1743. The race took place in Parole
and the original silver cup is now displayed in the Baltimore Museum of Art
.
Horse racing formed an important part of the social and political life of the colony, with numerous gentlemen of means forming large studs. George Washington
attended early meetings of the Maryland Jockey Club
, and Steuart entertained the future president at his home in Annapolis.
According to the writer Abbe Robin, who travelled through Maryland during the Revolutionary War, men of Steuart's class and status enjoyed considerable wealth and prosperity:
Politically, Steuart was a Loyalist
, his interests being closely aligned with those of the Calvert
family, proprietors of the colony of Maryland
. In 1742 Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
(1699–1751) sent his eldest but illegitimate son, Benedict Swingate Calvert
, then aged around ten years old, to America and placed him in Steuart's care. The boy was provided with a tutor, the Italian Onorio Razzolini.
Steuart evidently benefited from the Calvert family's patronage as he went on to hold a number of important Colonial offices. In 1753 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of The Horse Militia under Governor Horatio Sharpe
, and he was Deputy Secretary of Maryland from 1755 to 1756. He served two one year terms as Mayor of Annapolis
, from 1759 to 1761 and from 1763 to 1764. He was also a judge of the Land Office (1755–1775), a member of the "Council of Twelve", and a judge of the Court of Admiralty. In recognition of his services, Lord Baltimore appears to have given Steuart the nickname "Honest Steuart", a sobriquet later thrown back at him by his political enemies.
Maryland politics could evidently be rancorous. Court records show that Steuart and his successor as Annapolis mayor, Michael MacNamara
, were both required "to post a bond to keep the peace...especially with each other".
Steuart returned to Scotland in 1758 in order to inherit the estate of Argaty
, near Doune
, Perthshire
, through his mother Mary Hume (also spelled "Home"), and other estates through his father.
By 1761 Steuart was back in Maryland. A series of letters dated March 1761 shows him, as Commissioner of the Loan Office, attempting to collect taxes due to the Proprietary Government from Sheriffs who were behind in their payments.
In the 1760s relations between Britain and her colonies began to deteriorate. In 1764 Steuart travelled to England
where he made representations to the government at Westminster
. Steuart's grandson, Richard Sprigg Steuart
(1797–1876), recalled in his memoirs:
Steuart's loyalist politics were opposed by, among others, Samuel Chase
, co-founder of the Anne Arundel County chapter of the Sons of Liberty
, a leading opponent of the 1765 Stamp Act, and later one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
. In an open letter dated July 18, 1766 Chase attacked John Brice
, Steuart, Walter Dulany
, Michael MacNamara
and others for publishing an article in the Maryland Gazette
Extraordinary of June 19, 1766, in which Chase had been accused of being: "a busy, reckless incendiary, a ringleader of mobs, a foul-mouthed and inflaming son of discord and faction, a common disturber of the public tranquility". In his response, Chase accused Steuart and the others of "vanity...pride and arrogance":
Ann therefore remained in America despite her own Loyalist
sympathies. She would never again see her husband, and she continued to live at Dodon
until her death in 1814. According to Richard Sprigg Steuart:
ended. He was buried in Kilmadock
, Perthshire
. No portrait of him survives. When he left Maryland, his estates in Anne Arundel County comprised around 4100 acres (16.6 km²) of land. In 1780, these were transferred to his sons Charles and William
, for a nominal sum.
The Argaty
estate in Scotland was inherited by Steuart's eldest son, also named George Hume Steuart
, who remained loyal to the British Crown. The estate, which was eventually sold in 1914, now forms part of a red kite
conservation area.
Steuart married Ann Digges in Prince George County, Maryland
in 1744. They had ten children, of whom six survived to adulthood:
:
A stone obelisk at Dodon
marks the burial place of Ann Digges and a number of other family members. The farm estate, somewhat reduced in size, still remains home to Steuart's descendants today.
The unusual spelling of "Steuart" was widespread in the 18th century ("Steuart", "Stewart" and "Stuart" being essentially interchangeable), but has since mainly fallen into disuse. However, Steuart's numerous North American descendants have retained the archaic spelling.
A silver replica of the original Annapolis Subscription Plate
was commissioned in 1955 by the Maryland Jockey Club
. The "Dungannon Bowl" is a perpetual trophy presented to the winner of annual Dixie Stakes, the oldest stakes race run in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic states.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
planter, and Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
politician in colonial Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
. Born in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Steuart emigrated to Maryland in around 1721, where he benefited from proprietarial patronage and was appointed to a number of colonial offices, eventually becoming a wealthy landowner with estates in both Maryland and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. However, he was forced by the outbreak of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
to decide whether to remain loyal to the Crown
Monarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
or to throw in his lot with the American rebels. In 1775 Steuart sailed to Scotland, deciding at age 75 that "he could not turn rebel in his old age". He remained there until his death in 1784.
Early life
Steuart was born in ArgatyArgaty
Argaty , derives from the Gaelic aird, "height", and gaoth, "wind" and means "windy height". Argaty is a farm estate located just over a mile northeast of Doune, Perthshire, Scotland...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in around 1700, the second son of George Steuart and Mary Hume. His family were members of the Balquhidder Stewart clan, descendants of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, executed by King James I of Scotland
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
in 1425.
It is likely that Stewart spoke both Gaelic and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. According to the Old Statistical Account of 1799, Scottish Gaelic was the language of the “common people” of Balquhidder
Balquhidder
Balquhidder is a small village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It is overlooked by the dramatic mountain terrain of the Braes of Balquhidder, at the head of Loch Voil. Balquhidder Glen is also popular for fishing, nature watching and walking...
and the surrounding area, although English would have been spoken in the “low country”, around Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
. This would in fact have been the Scots language
Scots language
Scots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
of the Stirlingshire area, rather than Standard English.
Steuart's elder brother David stood to inherit the family estates, and Steuart studied medicine, receiving his MD at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
. In 1721 he emigrated to Annapolis, in the colony of Maryland, where he settled and established a medical practice.
In the early 18th century Maryland was a sparsely settled, largely rural society. In 1715 the population of Annapolis was just 405, though by 1730 this number had increased to 776.
Planter and horse breeder
Dodon
Dodon, is a farm and former tobacco plantation in Maryland, located near the South River about south west of Annapolis. Purchased in around 1744 by the planter and politician Dr George H. Steuart, it remains the home of Steuart's descendants to this day...
in South River, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, from Nicholas Carroll. At Dodon, Steuart farmed tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, bred thoroughbreds and held match races. His most successful horse was Dungannon
Dungannon (horse)
Dungannon, , was a thoroughbred racehorse owned by the tobacco planter and horse breeder George Hume Steuart , who imported the horse from England to race against his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis...
, which he had brought from England to compete against the stable of his rival, Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis
Charles Carroll of Annapolis was a wealthy Maryland planter and lawyer. His father was Charles Carroll the Settler, an immigrant to Maryland who had arrived in the colony in 1689 with a commission as Attorney General, and had accumulated a vast fortune, emerging as Maryland's wealthiest citizen...
(1703–1783), whose son Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Charles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
would later sign the Declaration of Independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
in 1776. Dungannon won the Annapolis Subscription Plate
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
, the first recorded formal horse race in Maryland, in May 1743. The race took place in Parole
Parole Hunt Club
The Parole Hunt Club was a half-mile race track in Parole, Maryland, dedicated to horse racing, including pacers and trotters, on land now known as Riva Road...
and the original silver cup is now displayed in the Baltimore Museum of Art
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, was founded in 1914. Built in the Roman Temple style, the Museum is home to an internationally renowned collection of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary art. Founded in 1914 with a single painting, the BMA today has 90,000 works...
.
Horse racing formed an important part of the social and political life of the colony, with numerous gentlemen of means forming large studs. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
attended early meetings of the Maryland Jockey Club
Maryland Jockey Club
The Maryland Jockey Club is a sporting organization dedicated to horse racing, founded in Annapolis in 1743. The Jockey Club was founded more than 30 years before the start of the Revolutionary War and is chartered as the oldest sporting organization in North America...
, and Steuart entertained the future president at his home in Annapolis.
According to the writer Abbe Robin, who travelled through Maryland during the Revolutionary War, men of Steuart's class and status enjoyed considerable wealth and prosperity:
- "[Maryland houses] are large and spacious habitations, widely separated, composed of a number of buildings and surrounded by plantationsPlantations in the American SouthPlantations were an important aspect of the history of the American South, particularly the antebellum .-Planter :The owner of a plantation was called a planter...
extending farther than the eye can reach, cultivated...by unhappy black men whom European avarice brings hither...Their furniture is of the most costly wood, and rarest marbles, enriched by skilful and artistic work. Their elegant and light carriages are drawn by finely bred horses, and driven by richly apparelled slaves."
Politics
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
, his interests being closely aligned with those of the Calvert
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
family, proprietors of the colony of Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
. In 1742 Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore
Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, 3rd Proprietor and 17th Proprietary Governor of Maryland, FRS was a British nobleman and Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland...
(1699–1751) sent his eldest but illegitimate son, Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert
Benedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
, then aged around ten years old, to America and placed him in Steuart's care. The boy was provided with a tutor, the Italian Onorio Razzolini.
Steuart evidently benefited from the Calvert family's patronage as he went on to hold a number of important Colonial offices. In 1753 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of The Horse Militia under Governor Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe was the 22nd Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the Restored Proprietary Government.-Biography:...
, and he was Deputy Secretary of Maryland from 1755 to 1756. He served two one year terms as Mayor of Annapolis
Mayor of Annapolis
The Mayor of Annapolis is the chief political figure in the city of Annapolis, which is the capital city of Maryland. The mayor is elected to a four-year term.-List of Mayors of Annapolis:*1708–1720 Amos Garrett*1720–1721 Thomas Larkin...
, from 1759 to 1761 and from 1763 to 1764. He was also a judge of the Land Office (1755–1775), a member of the "Council of Twelve", and a judge of the Court of Admiralty. In recognition of his services, Lord Baltimore appears to have given Steuart the nickname "Honest Steuart", a sobriquet later thrown back at him by his political enemies.
Maryland politics could evidently be rancorous. Court records show that Steuart and his successor as Annapolis mayor, Michael MacNamara
Michael MacNamara
Michael MacNamara was a politician in Colonial Maryland, who served 3 terms as Mayor of Annapolis.-Politics:Originally from Ireland MacNamara held a number of Proprietary appointments in colonial Maryland and, politically, was a Loyalist. He was Mayor of Annapolis on three occasions, from...
, were both required "to post a bond to keep the peace...especially with each other".
Steuart returned to Scotland in 1758 in order to inherit the estate of Argaty
Argaty
Argaty , derives from the Gaelic aird, "height", and gaoth, "wind" and means "windy height". Argaty is a farm estate located just over a mile northeast of Doune, Perthshire, Scotland...
, near Doune
Doune
Doune is a burgh in the district of Stirling, Scotland, on the River Teith. Doune's postal address places the town in Perthshire, although geographically it lies within the District of Stirling, and administratively Doune is under the control of Stirling Council...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, through his mother Mary Hume (also spelled "Home"), and other estates through his father.
By 1761 Steuart was back in Maryland. A series of letters dated March 1761 shows him, as Commissioner of the Loan Office, attempting to collect taxes due to the Proprietary Government from Sheriffs who were behind in their payments.
The coming of war
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he made representations to the government at Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. Steuart's grandson, Richard Sprigg Steuart
Richard Sprigg Steuart
Dr. Richard Sprigg Steuart was a Maryland physician and an early pioneer of the treatment of mental illness. He was instrumental in the expansion and modernisation of The Maryland Hospital for the Insane, now known as the Spring Grove Hospital Center, which became his life's work...
(1797–1876), recalled in his memoirs:
- "When he went over [to England] in 1764, to take my father [James Steuart] to school, he was commissioned by a number of Marylanders to call upon Lord North, England's new Chancellor of the ExchequerChancellor of the ExchequerThe Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
, hostile to America, on his way through London, and make representations on the subject of taxation. He was politely received and the minister put a great many questions to him, and seemed to acquiesce in all he said. [...] At all events my Grandfather had the pleasure soon after to hear of the repeal of this obnoxious tax".
Steuart's loyalist politics were opposed by, among others, Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase
Samuel Chase was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and earlier was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Maryland. Early in life, Chase was a "firebrand" states-righter and revolutionary...
, co-founder of the Anne Arundel County chapter of the Sons of Liberty
Sons of Liberty
The Sons of Liberty were a political group made up of American patriots that originated in the pre-independence North American British colonies. The group was formed to protect the rights of the colonists from the usurpations by the British government after 1766...
, a leading opponent of the 1765 Stamp Act, and later one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
United States Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a...
. In an open letter dated July 18, 1766 Chase attacked John Brice
John Brice, Jr.
John Brice, Jr. was an early American settler and Loyalist politician in colonial Maryland. He was a member of the Governor's Council, twice Mayor of Annapolis, and a chief justice in the colony's court. Two of his sons would in their turn become Mayors of Annapolis.-Early life:John was born in...
, Steuart, Walter Dulany
Walter Dulany
Walter Dulany was a politician in Colonial Maryland, who served as Mayor of Annapolis from 1766 to 1767. His family house and land at Windmill Point later became the location for the United States Naval Academy.-Early life:...
, Michael MacNamara
Michael MacNamara
Michael MacNamara was a politician in Colonial Maryland, who served 3 terms as Mayor of Annapolis.-Politics:Originally from Ireland MacNamara held a number of Proprietary appointments in colonial Maryland and, politically, was a Loyalist. He was Mayor of Annapolis on three occasions, from...
and others for publishing an article in the Maryland Gazette
The Capital
The Capital is a daily newspaper published in Annapolis, Maryland. It serves the city as well as all of Anne Arundel County and neighboring Kent Island in Queen Anne's County. It is an evening newspaper during the week and offers morning delivery on the weekend. Philip Merrill was the publisher...
Extraordinary of June 19, 1766, in which Chase had been accused of being: "a busy, reckless incendiary, a ringleader of mobs, a foul-mouthed and inflaming son of discord and faction, a common disturber of the public tranquility". In his response, Chase accused Steuart and the others of "vanity...pride and arrogance":
- "...the people rejecting you [Steuart], as unfit for their confidence and trust, which you had repeatedly betrayed, and elected me in your room. I am not ashamed to own that I exerted myself in opposition to you. It was my opinion that a man without merit, integrity or abilities, was totally disqualified to be the representative of a free people. You had nothing to recommend you but proprietory influence, court favour, and the wealth and influence of the tools and favourites who infest this city."
War with Great Britain
War broke out in 1775, and the fact of owning estates in both Scotland and Maryland caused Steuart considerable political difficulties. As Richard Sprigg Steuart recalled:- "He was an ardent admirer of the American Colonies, and believed the principles for which the colonists contended were just, and truly English. But though he sympathized with his American friends, he said he could not turn rebel in his old age, being 75 years old when the Revolution broke out...he would have forfeited [his Scottish estates] if he had joined the Revolutionists. He therefore went over to Scotland and saved his property there. He gave all his estates in MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
to his wife [Ann], telling her by letter...how to leave the property in America, which was finally done."
Ann therefore remained in America despite her own Loyalist
Loyalist
In general, a loyalist is someone who maintains loyalty to an established government, political party, or sovereign, especially during war or revolutionary change. In modern English usage, the most common application is to loyalty to the British Crown....
sympathies. She would never again see her husband, and she continued to live at Dodon
Dodon
Dodon, is a farm and former tobacco plantation in Maryland, located near the South River about south west of Annapolis. Purchased in around 1744 by the planter and politician Dr George H. Steuart, it remains the home of Steuart's descendants to this day...
until her death in 1814. According to Richard Sprigg Steuart:
- "My Grandmother's family, the Digges, were at heart all Torys but kept quiet...they were called non-jurors and paid double taxes. [After the War] she lived comfortably, but she kept at home because her good husband was called by the mob a ToryToryToryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
, which he was not....he never while in Scotland heard of a battle that he did not express his regret and call it a fratricidal war."
Aftermath
Steuart never returned to Maryland, and he died in 1784 in Scotland, one year after the Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
ended. He was buried in Kilmadock
Kilmadock
Kilmadock parish, containing the settlements of Doune, Deanston, Buchany, Drumvaich, and Delvorich, is situated in Stirling council area, Scotland, and is on the southern border of the former county of Perthshire. Its length is , its breadth from , and with an area of .The River Forth runs along...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
. No portrait of him survives. When he left Maryland, his estates in Anne Arundel County comprised around 4100 acres (16.6 km²) of land. In 1780, these were transferred to his sons Charles and William
William Steuart (Mayor of Baltimore)
Lieutenant Colonel William Steuart was a wealthy planter in colonial Maryland, and Mayor of Baltimore from 1831 to 1832. He inherited the estate of Dodon in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, from his father, planter and politician George H. Steuart...
, for a nominal sum.
The Argaty
Argaty
Argaty , derives from the Gaelic aird, "height", and gaoth, "wind" and means "windy height". Argaty is a farm estate located just over a mile northeast of Doune, Perthshire, Scotland...
estate in Scotland was inherited by Steuart's eldest son, also named George Hume Steuart
George Steuart Hume
Dr George Steuart Hume was a Maryland physician and landowner who emigrated to Scotland before the American Revolutionary War. Born George Hume Steuart in Maryland, he left for Scotland in 1758, where he studied Medicine, changing his name to his maternal name of Hume in order to inherit his...
, who remained loyal to the British Crown. The estate, which was eventually sold in 1914, now forms part of a red kite
Red Kite
The Red Kite is a medium-large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards, and harriers. The species is currently endemic to the Western Palearctic region in Europe and northwest Africa, though formerly also occurred just...
conservation area.
Family life
.Steuart married Ann Digges in Prince George County, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1744. They had ten children, of whom six survived to adulthood:
- George H Steuart (1747–1788), physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. Emigrated to ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1758. Changed his name to George Steuart HumeGeorge Steuart HumeDr George Steuart Hume was a Maryland physician and landowner who emigrated to Scotland before the American Revolutionary War. Born George Hume Steuart in Maryland, he left for Scotland in 1758, where he studied Medicine, changing his name to his maternal name of Hume in order to inherit his...
in order to inherit the estate of ArgatyArgatyArgaty , derives from the Gaelic aird, "height", and gaoth, "wind" and means "windy height". Argaty is a farm estate located just over a mile northeast of Doune, Perthshire, Scotland...
, PerthshirePerthshirePerthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, which thereafter passed to his infant daughter Sophia. - Susanna Steuart (1749–1774)
- Dr Charles Steuart (1750–1798), physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
. On June 15, 1780 Charles Steuart married Elizabeth Calvert, the daughter of Benedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate CalvertBenedict Swingate Calvert was a Maryland Loyalist during the American Revolution. He was the son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore, the third Proprietor Governor of Maryland , and may have been the grandson of King George I of Great Britain...
. During the Revolution he was a Loyalist, being - like his Mother Ann - "decidedly of the ToryLoyalist (American Revolution)Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
faction". This did not, apparently, stop him being present with General George WashingtonGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
at the Siege of YorktownSiege of YorktownThe Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
in 1781, or serving in The Flying CampFlying CampIn the American Revolutionary War, the Flying Camp was a military formation employed by the Americans in the second half of 1776.After the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, General George Washington met with members of the Continental Congress to determine future military strategy...
, a division of the Patriot Militia established by Washington in June 1776. After his oldest brother's death, he unsuccessfully sued his niece, Sophia, for the inheritance of ArgatyArgatyArgaty , derives from the Gaelic aird, "height", and gaoth, "wind" and means "windy height". Argaty is a farm estate located just over a mile northeast of Doune, Perthshire, Scotland...
. - David Steuart (1751–1814)
- William SteuartWilliam Steuart (Mayor of Baltimore)Lieutenant Colonel William Steuart was a wealthy planter in colonial Maryland, and Mayor of Baltimore from 1831 to 1832. He inherited the estate of Dodon in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, from his father, planter and politician George H. Steuart...
(1754–1838), mayor of Baltimore 1831-1832, lietenant-colonel in the US Army in the War of 1812. He commanded an infantry unit during the defense of Fort McHenry in 1814. - Dr James Steuart (1755–1846), a physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who served during The Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. He was apparently "a hot rebel...though afterwards a strong Federalist." His son Major General George H Steuart fought in the War of 1812. His grandson Brigadier General George H. SteuartGeorge H. SteuartGeorge Hume Steuart was an American military officer who served thirteen years in the United States Army, then resigned his commission at the start of the American Civil War, joined the Confederacy and rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Army of Northern Virginia...
(Known as "Maryland Steuart" to distinguish him from his fellow General J.E.B. StuartJ.E.B. StuartJames Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
) was a ConfederateConfederate States of AmericaThe Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
general in The American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, who fought at a number of battles including GettysburgBattle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, Cross KeysCross Keys-Placenames:* The village of Crosskeys, Wales, UK** which is served by Crosskeys railway station** and hosts Crosskeys College, a campus of Coleg Gwent** and is home to Cross Keys RFC, a rugby union team* Historic settlement in Brookhaven, Georgia, USA...
and WinchesterWinchesterWinchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
.
Religion
Steuart was an Anglican, though his wife Anne was a Roman Catholic. According to Richard Sprigg SteuartRichard Sprigg Steuart
Dr. Richard Sprigg Steuart was a Maryland physician and an early pioneer of the treatment of mental illness. He was instrumental in the expansion and modernisation of The Maryland Hospital for the Insane, now known as the Spring Grove Hospital Center, which became his life's work...
:
- "Though he and his excellent wife were of different churches, they never disagreed on the subject of religion; they found enough to believe in common to make them good Christians. And such was his confidence in her that he requested her to bring up his sons EpiscopaliansEpiscopal Church (United States)The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
, as he knew the disadvantages politically of joining any other."
Legacy
Dodon
Dodon, is a farm and former tobacco plantation in Maryland, located near the South River about south west of Annapolis. Purchased in around 1744 by the planter and politician Dr George H. Steuart, it remains the home of Steuart's descendants to this day...
marks the burial place of Ann Digges and a number of other family members. The farm estate, somewhat reduced in size, still remains home to Steuart's descendants today.
The unusual spelling of "Steuart" was widespread in the 18th century ("Steuart", "Stewart" and "Stuart" being essentially interchangeable), but has since mainly fallen into disuse. However, Steuart's numerous North American descendants have retained the archaic spelling.
A silver replica of the original Annapolis Subscription Plate
Annapolis Subscription Plate
The Annapolis Subscription Plate is the name given both to the first recorded formal horse race in colonial Maryland and to the silver trophy awarded to the winner of the race...
was commissioned in 1955 by the Maryland Jockey Club
Maryland Jockey Club
The Maryland Jockey Club is a sporting organization dedicated to horse racing, founded in Annapolis in 1743. The Jockey Club was founded more than 30 years before the start of the Revolutionary War and is chartered as the oldest sporting organization in North America...
. The "Dungannon Bowl" is a perpetual trophy presented to the winner of annual Dixie Stakes, the oldest stakes race run in Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic states.
See also
- Colonial government in the Thirteen Colonies
- Colonial families of MarylandColonial families of MarylandThe Colonial families of Maryland were the leading families in the Province of Maryland. Several also had interests in the Colony of Virginia, and the two are sometimes referred to as the Chesapeake Colonies. Many of the early settlers came from the West Midlands in England, although the Maryland...
- List of mayors of Annapolis, Maryland
- Loyalist (American Revolution)Loyalist (American Revolution)Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
- Province of MarylandProvince of MarylandThe Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
- Steuart familySteuart familyThe Steuart family of Maryland was a prominent political family in the early History of Maryland. Of Scottish descent, the Steuarts have their origins in Perthshire, Scotland...
External links
- Official Dodon website and history of the estate Retrieved Jan 11 2010
- Article on Annapolis Subscription Plate at www.hometownannapolis.com Retrieved Jan 11 2010
- History of Maryland Jockey Club Retrieved Jan 11 2010
- George H Stewart at Stewarts of Balquhidder webpage Retrieved Jan 11 2010
- Geo. H. Steuart in American Swedish 1973, Edited by Leif Sjoberg, at p.69 Retrieved Jan 11 2010
- Biography of the Signers To the Declaration of Independence, Volume 5, by John Sanderson, published by R W Pomery (1823). Retrieved Jan 14 2010
- Reports of cases argued in the Court of Appeal of Maryland, Volume 1, by Thomas Harris (1821) Retrieved Jan 14 2010.