The Stewart Baronets

THE STEWART BARONETS WERE MAJOR LANDOWNERS IN COUNTY TYRONE, WITH 27,905 ACRES

CAPTAIN ANDREW STEWART accompanied Andrew Stuart, 3rd Lord Ochiltree and 1st Baron Castle Stewart, from Scotland, and settled at Gortigal, County Tyrone ca 1620.

His younger brother, James, of Ballymenagh, County Tyrone, was ancestor of the Stewarts of Killymoon. 

By Sarah, his wife, to whom letters of administration were granted, 1658, he had issue,

Robert;

HUGH, of whom presently;

Andrew;

James, a naval officer, slain in battle, m a daughter of Adm Sir C Shovel.

Captain Stewart, who had been actively engaged against the rebels, died before 1658.

His second son,

HUGH STEWART, of Gortigal, wedded Margaret, daughter of Thomas Morris, of Mountjoy Castle, and had four sons, of whom the youngest,

THE REV HUGH STEWART (1711-1800), Rector of Termon, County Tyrone, wedded, in 1755, Sarah, sister and co-heir of Sir Henry Hamilton Bt, of Castle Conyngham, County Donegal, and daughter of the Ven Andrew Hamilton DD, Archdeacon of Raphoe, and Sarah his wife, daughter and heiress of Henry Conyngham, of Castle Conyngham), and had issue,

JOHN, his heir;
Andrew, East India Company;
Henry (Rev), Rector of Loughgilly, Co Armagh;
Ann; Sarah; Amelia.

The Rev Hugh Stewart died at Bath, and was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON JOHN STEWART (1757-1825), of Athenree, who having attained eminence at the Bar, was appointed attorney-general for Ireland in 1799, and sworn of the privy council of that kingdom.

Mr Stewart was subsequently MP for Augher, 1794-7, Bangor, 1797-1800. and Tyrone, 1802-6, and 1812-25.

He was created a baronet in 1803, designated of Athenree, County Tyrone.

Sir John espoused Mary, daughter of Mervyn Archdale, of Castle Archdale, and had issue,

HUGH, his successor;
Mervyn;
Barbara; Mary; Phœbe Julia.

He was succeeded by his elder son,

SIR HUGH STEWART, 2nd Baronet (1792-1854), MP for Tyrone, 1830-35, who wedded firstly, in 1826, Julia, daughter of Marcus Gage, and had issue,

JOHN MARCUS, his successor;
Julia.

He wedded secondly, in 1837, Elizabeth, daughter of the Rev Henry Lucas St George, and had further issue,

Hugh;
Henry Lucas St George;
Elizabeth; Mary; another daughter.

Sir Hugh was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR JOHN MARCUS STEWART, 3rd Baronet (1830-1905), DL, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1858, who married, in 1856, Annie Coote, daughter of George Powell Houghton, and had issue,

Albert Fortescue, d 1925;
HUGH HOUGHTON, his successor;
GEORGE POWELL, successor to his brother;
John Marcus;
Charles Gage;
Cosmo Gordon;
Julian Leslie (Rev);
Annie Coote Houghton; Mary; Madeleine Delamont; two other offspring.

Sir John was succeeded by his eldest surviving son,

SIR HUGH HOUGHTON STEWART, 4th Baronet (1858-1942), JP DL, Brigadier-General in the army, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1903, who married twice, though the marriage was without issue.

Sir Hugh was succeeded by his brother,

SIR GEORGE POWELL STEWART, 5th Baronet (1861-1945), Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, who wedded, in 1895, Florence Maria Georgina, daughter of Colonel Sir James Godfray, and had issue,

John Houghton (1895-1915) killed in action;
HUGH CHARLIE GORFRAY, his successor;
Mary.

Sir George was succeeded by his surviving son,

SIR HUGH CHARLIE GODRAY STEWART, 6th Baronet (1897-1994), DL, of Loughmacrory Lodge, High Sheriff of County Tyrone, 1955, who espoused firstly, in 1929, Rosemary Elinor Dorothy, daughter of George Peacocke, and had issue,

DAVID JOHN CHRISTOPHER, his successor;
Elinor Godfray.

Click to enlarge

He married secondly, in 1948, Diana Margaret, daughter of James Edmund Hibbert, and had further issue,

Jane Diana;
Hugh Nicholas (Nick).

Sir Hugh was succeeded by his eldest son,

SIR DAVID JOHN CHRISTOPHER STEWART, 7th and present Baronet (1935-), who lives in Somerset.

Nick Stewart, whose half-brother is the present baronet, has kindly sent me two old photographs of Ballygawley House taken by his father in the winter of 1914.

At that time the demesne was known as Greenhill.

BALLYGAWLEY HOUSE, near Ballygawley, County Tyrone, was set in its own parkland, was a Classical mansion of two storeys, with a two-storey portico supported by two giant Doric columns and a shallow dome.

It was built for the 2nd Baronet between 1825 and 1833, to the design of John Hargrave.

Seemingly, the mansion suffered an accidental fire during the 1920s and the Stewart family never returned to it. 

First published in December, 2010.