Robert Stuart
Encyclopedia
Major Robert Stuart was an officer of the British Army and veteran of the Crimean War
. After the war, he was appointed Vice-Consul
at Volos
and later Consul at Janina and Consul-General in various locations. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
.
in about 1812 to Thomas Stuart (of Whitehall, County Clare
, and Lifford
, County Limerick
, the alleged illegitimate son of Thomas Smyth and brother of Major-General Charles Stuart
). On June 2, 1842 he married Elizabeth Sarah Cathcart, youngest daughter of the Honorable and Reverend Archibald Hamilton Cathcart and Frances Henrietta Fremantle); they had no children. One of Robert's eight brothers was the surgeon and artist James Stuart, and his nephew Robert Stuart King
was a clergyman and football player.
in the 44th Foot in 1834. Later promoted Lieutenant
, he exchanged into the 7th Foot in 1838 and purchased a Captain
cy in 1842. He exchanged into the 41st Foot in 1851 and retired in 1852. However, he served in the Crimean War
, rising to the rank of Major
, and remained in the region after the war. In 1858 he was appointed Vice-Consul at Volos, and in 1860 was sent to investigate the condition of Christians in Thessaly
and Epirus
. In 1861 he became Consul at Janina. In 1873 he was made Consul-General for the Russia
n ports in the Black Sea
and the Sea of Azof, and was based at Odessa
- at this time his private secretary was his nephew, William Horwood Stuart
. In 1874 he became Consul-General in Haiti
and Chargé d'Affaires of the Dominican Republic
.
In 1856, Stuart led an expedition to the summit of Mount Ararat
, along with Major Fraser, Rev. Walter Thursby, Mr. Theobald and Mr. Evans.
, where he died on June 17, 1901. Two of his nephews, William Horwood Stuart
and Charles Leader Justice Stuart, the sons of his brother the Reverend William Stuart (Vicar of Mundon
, Essex
and Rector of Hazeleigh
, Essex
), also entered the diplomatic service and served around the Black Sea
, although both also had their careers cut short: Charles drowned in the Danube
at Brăila
in Romania
in 1885 and William was murdered at Batum in Georgia
in 1906.
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. After the war, he was appointed Vice-Consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
at Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
and later Consul at Janina and Consul-General in various locations. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
.
Early life
Robert Stuart was born in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in about 1812 to Thomas Stuart (of Whitehall, County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, and Lifford
Lifford
Lifford is the county town of County Donegal, Ireland. It is the administrative capital of the county and the seat of Donegal County Council, although the town of Letterkenny is often mistaken for fulfilling this role...
, County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, the alleged illegitimate son of Thomas Smyth and brother of Major-General Charles Stuart
Major-General Charles Stuart
Major-General Charles Stuart was an officer in the East India Company Army and is well known for being one of the few British officers to embrace Hindu culture while stationed there, earning the nickname Hindoo Stuart....
). On June 2, 1842 he married Elizabeth Sarah Cathcart, youngest daughter of the Honorable and Reverend Archibald Hamilton Cathcart and Frances Henrietta Fremantle); they had no children. One of Robert's eight brothers was the surgeon and artist James Stuart, and his nephew Robert Stuart King
Robert King (footballer)
Canon Robert Stuart King was an English international footballer and Anglican clergyman.-Family:Robert Stuart King was born into a family of clergymen...
was a clergyman and football player.
Crimean War and After
Stuart purchased an EnsigncyEnsign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
in the 44th Foot in 1834. Later promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, he exchanged into the 7th Foot in 1838 and purchased a Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
cy in 1842. He exchanged into the 41st Foot in 1851 and retired in 1852. However, he served in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, rising to the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, and remained in the region after the war. In 1858 he was appointed Vice-Consul at Volos, and in 1860 was sent to investigate the condition of Christians in Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
and Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
. In 1861 he became Consul at Janina. In 1873 he was made Consul-General for the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ports in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and the Sea of Azof, and was based at Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
- at this time his private secretary was his nephew, William Horwood Stuart
William Horwood Stuart
William Horwood Stuart was a British diplomat. He was murdered at Batum, Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire, while serving as a United States vice-consul there.-Family:...
. In 1874 he became Consul-General in Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
and Chargé d'Affaires of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
.
In 1856, Stuart led an expedition to the summit of Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat is a snow-capped, dormant volcanic cone in Turkey. It has two peaks: Greater Ararat and Lesser Ararat .The Ararat massif is about in diameter...
, along with Major Fraser, Rev. Walter Thursby, Mr. Theobald and Mr. Evans.
Later Life, Death, and Legacy
Stuart retired in 1883 and settled in Leamington SpaLeamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, where he died on June 17, 1901. Two of his nephews, William Horwood Stuart
William Horwood Stuart
William Horwood Stuart was a British diplomat. He was murdered at Batum, Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire, while serving as a United States vice-consul there.-Family:...
and Charles Leader Justice Stuart, the sons of his brother the Reverend William Stuart (Vicar of Mundon
Mundon
Mundon is a village and civil parish on the Dengie peninsula in the English county of Essex. It lies 3 miles south-east of Maldon. The manor of Munduna passed from the king's thegn Godwin to Eudo Dapifer at the Conquest...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and Rector of Hazeleigh
Hazeleigh
Hazeleigh is a village and civil parish on the Dengie peninsula in the English county of Essex. It lies 2.6 miles south-west of Maldon.- Hazeleigh's Parish Council :...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
), also entered the diplomatic service and served around the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, although both also had their careers cut short: Charles drowned in the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
at Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in 1885 and William was murdered at Batum in Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
in 1906.