Ballygawley House

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

ANDREW STEWART (commonly styled Captain Andrew Stewart), who, with Andrew, 1st Baron Castle Stewart, to whom he was related, and his (Andrew's) brother James, who afterwards fixed his abode at Ballymenagh, County Tyrone, went from Scotland to Ulster about 1627.

On his marriage (mentioned hereafter), he obtained from Lord Castle Stewart the greater part of the manor of Castle Stewart; but afterwards built, and resided at, another residence, called Gortigal, near Stewartstown, County Tyrone.

Captain Stewart served with Colonel the Hon Robert Stewart, of Irry, in defence of the forts of Dungannon and Mountjoy; and at the rising of the rebels at Artclea, County Tyrone, for the purpose of destroying the Protestant families of that county, his house was attacked; but with a few Scots followers he defended it for two days, when assistance was sent to him from Mountjoy Fort.

He married Sarah, eldest daughter of Lord Ochiltree, and sister to Mary, Countess of Suffolk, and had issue,

Robert;
HUGH;
James.

Captain Stewart, having long been a gentleman of vengeance, for his zeal and loyalty he evinced in the royal cause, was at length put to death by rebels in 1650.

The second son,

THE REV DR HUGH STEWART (1711-1800), of Athenree, County Tyrone, Rector of Termon, wedded Sarah, daughter of the Rev Dr Andrew Hamilton (Rector of , by his wife, the only daughter and heir of Sir William Conyngham Bt, and had issue,

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

Dr Stewart was succeeded by his eldest son,

THE RT HON JOHN STEWART (1757-1825), of Ballygawley, 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, MP for Augher, 1794-7, Bangor, 1797-1800, 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 County 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 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 marriages were 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 GODFRAY, his successor;
Mary.

Sir George was succeeded by his surviving son,

SIR HUGH CHARLIE GODFRAY 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.

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 (1935-), 7th and present Baronet, who lives in Somerset.

Nick Stewart, half-brother of 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.

Photo Credit: Kenneth Allen

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, 2009.