William Stewart of Baldorran
Encyclopedia
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...
, was a fifteenth century Scottish landowner, and founder of the Balquhidder Stewart
Clan Stewart of Balquhidder
Stewart of Balquhidder is a Perthshire branch of the Stewart clan. They are descended from Sir William Stewart of Baldorran , who was the great grandson of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, executed by King James I of Scotland for treason in 1425...
clan.
Early life
William Stewart was born in around 1440, the son of James "Beg" StewartJames "Beg" Stewart
James "Beag" Stewart of Baldorran was the seventh illegitimate son of James Mor Stewart , who fled into exile in Ireland when his father Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was executed for treason by James I of Scotland in 1425...
(c.1410-1470) and Annabel Buchanan, daughter of Patrick, 14th Lord of Buchanan,
His grandfather was James Mhor Stewart
James the Fat
James Mor Stewart, called James the Fat, was the youngest son of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany and Isabella of Lennox. When his father and brothers were executed by King James I for treason in 1425, James led a rebellion against the king, taking the town of Dumbarton and killing the keeper of...
, the only son of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany, to survive the persecution of 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. Albany was executed by James for treason in 1425 along with his eldest sons, and his estates forfeited. James Mhor Stewart fled to Antrim
Antrim, County Antrim
Antrim is a town in County Antrim in the northeast of Northern Ireland, on the banks of the Six Mile Water, half a mile north-east of Lough Neagh. It had a population of 20,001 people in the 2001 Census. The town is the administrative centre of Antrim Borough Council...
, Ireland
Ireland
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...
to escape the King's vengeance. His youngest son James "Beg" Stewart
James "Beg" Stewart
James "Beag" Stewart of Baldorran was the seventh illegitimate son of James Mor Stewart , who fled into exile in Ireland when his father Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was executed for treason by James I of Scotland in 1425...
was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland, where he married Annabel Buchanan, daughter of Patrick, 14th Lord of Buchanan, and was granted the estate of Baldorran. William Stewart was their second son.
Bailie of the Crown Lands of Balquhidder
In or around 1488 William Stewart of Baldorran was appointed Royal Bailie of the Crown Lands of BalquhidderBalquhidder
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...
. A baillie (alternative spelling bailie, from Old French) was a local civic officer in Scottish burgh
Burgh
A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
s, approximately equivalent to the post of alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
or magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
(see bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
) in other countries. They were responsible for a jurisdiction called a bailiary (alt. bailiery). Scottish barons often appointed a Baillie as their judicial officer.
William brought the Stewart name to Balquhidder and was the founder of the Balquhidder Stewart clan. The Stewarts of Ardvorlich, Glen Buckie, Gartnafuaran and Annat and their cadet families are all descended from him.
The name Baldorran is derived from the Gaelic, baille nan dobhran, meaning "town of the otter". It is sometimes spelled using the archaic form of "Balindoran". In any event Baldorran no longer exists. It was located in East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire
This article is about the East Dunbartonshire council area of Scotland. See also East Dunbartonshire .East Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders onto the north-west of the City of Glasgow. It contains many of the suburbs of Glasgow as well as containing many of...
, near Milton of Campsie
Milton of Campsie
Milton of Campsie is a small village situated in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland roughly 10 miles north of Glasgow. Nestling at the foot of the Campsie Fells, it is neighboured by Kirkintilloch and Lennoxtown...
, approximately 15 miles southwest of 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...
. The Stewarts of Baldorran sold Baldorran to the Glorat family, and today maps show the former residence of Baldorran as Glorat House.
William Stewart did much to restore prosperity to his family, ruined by the events of 1425 and the execution of his great-grandfather the Duke of Albany. He succeeded in expanding the family estates, adding parts of Upper Strathgartney and eventually most 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...
.
Family
Stewart married twice. His first wife was Janet Buchanan, daughter of Archibald Buchanan Of Lettir (in Strathyre). They had two children:- Janet Stewart (born c1475).
- Agnes Stewart (born c1477).
His second wife was Marion Helen Campbell, Of Glenorchy, daughter of Colin Campbell, 1st of Glenorchy, whom he married on October 5, 1498, and by whom he had three children:
- Walter Stewart, 3rd Laird Of Baldorran, 2nd Bailie of Balquhidder, born c1480 in Baldorran, Campsie, Stirlingshire.
- John Stewart, 1st Laird Of Glenbuckie, born c1485 in Baldorran, Campsie, Stirlingshire.
- Mariote Stewart, born c1490 in Baldorran, Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland.
In the portioning of Balquhidder which took place during the sixteenth century, the descendants of Sir William Stewart of Baldorran gained hereditary tacks
Tacksman
A tacksman was a land-holder of intermediate legal and social status in Scottish Highland society.-Tenant and landlord:...
of land.
Ancestry
External links
- Descendants of the Duke of Albany at www.chuckspeed.com Retrieved November 2010
- Stewarts of Balquhidder webpage Retrieved November 2010