William Stewart of Grandtully

William Stewart of Grandtully (1567–1646) was a Scottish landowner and courtier.

William Stewart of Grandtully, Adam de Colone
Painted wooden vault at Grandtully Chapel
William Stewart was given the Ruthven castle of Trochry in Perthshire
Murthly Castle

Career

He was a son of William Stewart or Steuart of Grandtully (died 1574) and Isobella Stewart, a daughter of John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Atholl.[1]

It is said that he was brought up at Stirling Castle and educated with James VI, and was proxy for the young king's punishments as his "whipping boy". A royal charter of 1602 confirms this in part, noting that he was in the king's service "since his coronation".[2] Stewart was described as a "page of honour" at court in 1585.[3]

It is not clear if this William Stewart was same man as the valet of James VI who accompanied him to Denmark in 1589 and acted as his pursemaster, whose career is described here: William Stewart (courtier).[4]

He had an older brother, Thomas Stewart, who became Laird of Grandtully. William became Laird of Banchrie. Before his death in 1611, Thomas feued the lands of Grandtully to William, who was then known as the "feuar of Grandtully".[5]

William Stewart became a gentleman of the king's bedchamber in May 1594. He helped save the king from the Gowrie Conspiracy at Perth on 5 August 1600 and James VI rewarded him with the forfeited Ruthven castle of Trochrie near Little Dunkeld and the barony of Strathbran.[6] A privy seal letter of November 1600 describes him as a "daily servitor" of the king.[7] He is said to have made additions to Trochrie Castle which featured his initials and heraldry.[8]

He does not seem to have resided at court in London after the Union of the Crowns.

His home was at Grandtully where he refurbished St Mary's church with a wooden vault painted with vignettes around the year 1636.[9] He also came to own Murthly Castle.

His portrait was painted by Adam de Colone and a copy of this picture still hangs at Murthly.

He died in 1646 and was buried at Grandtully.[10]

Marriage and children

He married Agnes Moncreiff. Her monogram and heraldy appears in the chapel at Grandtully.[11] Their children included:

  • Thomas Stewart of Grandtully (1608-1688), who married Grizel Menzies. Their daughter Grissel Stuart married John Drummond of Logiealmond.[12]
  • Henry Stewart
  • William Stewart

Other contemporaries called William Stewart

There were several men called William Stewart active in this period, including:

References
  1. William Fraser, Red Book of Grandtully, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1868), p. 238
  2. William Fraser, Red Book of Grandtully, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1868), p. lxxix.
  3. William Fraser, Red Book of Grandtully, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1868), p. lxxx.
  4. Amy Juhala, 'For the King Favours Them Very Strangely', in Miles Kerr-Peterson and Steven J. Reid, James VI and Noble Power (Routledge: Abingdon, 2017), p. 174: Miles Kerr-Peterson & Michael Pearce, 'James VI's English Subsidy and Danish Dowry Accounts, 1588-1596', Scottish History Society Miscellany XVI (Woodbridge, 2020), pp. 41-3.
  5. William Fraser, Red Book of Grandtully, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1868), p. 238.
  6. John Sinclair, Statistical Account of Scotland, vol. 6 (Edinburgh, 1793), pp. 375-6: W. Arbuckle, 'The Gowrie Conspiracy, II', Scottish Historical Review, 36:122.2 (October 1957), p. 107 fn. 3.
  7. William Fraser, Red Book of Grandtully, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1868), pp. lxxx-lxxxi.
  8. Robert Scott Fittis, Recreations of an Antiquary in Perthshire History and Genealogy (Perth, 1881), p. 317.
  9. Michael Bath, Renaissance decoration in Scotland (NMS: Edinburgh, 2003).
  10. William Fraser, Red Book of Grandtully, vol. 1 (Edinburgh, 1868), p. 238.
  11. A. Graham, 'The Painted Ceiling in Grandtully Church', PSAS, 77 (1942–43), pp. 147-154
  12. 'A Brief Account of the Life of John Earle of Perth', Spalding Club Miscellany, 2 (Edinburgh, 1842), p. 209.
  13. David Stevenson, Scotland's Last Royal Wedding (Edinburgh, 1997), p. 121.
  14. Annie I. Cameron, Calendar State Papers Scotland: 1593-1595, vol. 11 (Edinburgh, 1936), pp. 196-7.
  15. Miles Kerr-Peterson & Michael Pearce, 'James VI's English Subsidy and Danish Dowry Accounts, 1588-1596', Scottish History Society Miscellany XVI (Woodbridge, 2020) p. 50.
  16. William Boyd, Calendar of State Papers Scotland, 1581-1583 (Edinburgh, 1910), p. 347 no. 368.
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