The Catholic Jacobite School in Kilmadock

Editor’s note: We are working to identify Duncan the schoolmaster and all the students. This post will be updated as we identify these persons. See below.

JSTOR carries a three page article written by Rosalind Mitchison, entitled “Religion and Glencoe”. In this she quotes a document dated 1745 pertaining to a complaint made of a Catholic school at Torry in Kilmadock, being run by a Mr Duncan Stuart. The school had been active since 1741.

While the existence of the school in itself is interesting, the list of 13 boys most certainly is, as it includes sons of infamous Jacobite families not just from the immediate area but from the west Highlands – including the Macdonalds of Glencoe, Camerons of Lochaber (Lochiel perhaps or maybe Callart?) and Appin Stewarts. Fascinating. Quite the cast list. Who was the schoolmaster, Duncan Stuart, I wonder….

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“On 5 March 1745 the presbytery of Dunblane received a ‘Representation from particularly the Parish of Kilmadock, that one Mr. Duncan Stuart in that Parish, a profest Papist continued to keep School and teaches several young Gentlemen, who resort to him, and lodge in his House for Bed and Board’. This Catholic boarding school had been started in 1741 and had grown in spite of efforts by the presbytery to get it suppressed. In response to this complaint the Committee for the Royal Bounty drew up a letter on 29 March to be sent to parents of the boys concerned, pointing out that unless this friendly Advice have the desired Effect, the Committee will be obliged to take the proper steps in order to a prosecution against Mr. Stuart…’.

Whether this method of leaning on the parents to get the school broken up was successful cannot be known, for events in 1745 and ’46 intervened to reduce the opportunities for political and religious deviancy. The school is described in Scottish Records Office document CH 1/2/85 as follows:

A List of the Scholars at Torry School presently taught by Mr. Duncan Stewart a Papist.

• A Son of the Laird of Craighead
• A Son of Glenbuckie’s
• A Son of John Glass Stuart Drover
• A Son of James Stuart Drover in Appin
• A Son of Stuart of Fasnacloch in Appin
• Two Sons of John Bain McFarlane Drover
• A Son of Sir James Dalziel
• Two Sons of Cameron in Lochaber
• A Son of the deceas’d Alex. Mcferson
• A Son of the Laird of Glencoa [Glencoe]
• And a Boy from Gargunnock

“All gentlemen’s sons apart from one from Gargunnock”. “

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You can read the three page article here:

https://www.jstor.org/stable/25529122

Current candidates for the schoolteacher and Students

School teacher, Mr. Duncan Stewart a Papist.

We have confidently identified Mr. Duncan Stewart, the teacher, as Duncan Stewart, in Torrie and Lettir of Strathgartney, born about 1698 in Glenbuckie, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland, as the second son of John Stewart, 9th of Glenbuckie, and as the younger brother of Capt. Alexander Stewart, 10th of Glenbuckie. Duncan resided in Torrie where the school was located, likely running the school secretly out of his own house. He later fled to Dunkirk in France where he was said to have been in dire circumstances.

Duncan is identified in the following correspondence from Lord Tweeddale (John Hay, 4th Marquess of Tweeddale), writing from Whitehall, mere weeks after Duncan was banished by the Kilmadock Kirk Session, to Charles Stewart, Esq., at Campveer (Veere in Zealand, Netherlands) where Duncan Stewart had presumably taken refuge.

“As to the other Duncan Stuart, brother of Glenbucky, I can give you no particular directions as yet in relation to him, but since you write [that] you have reason to suspect that he intended to go to Dunkirk, and that he seems to be a desperate fellow, without money or friends, I think you should endeavour to keep him, at least for some time, and whatever expenses you may be put to for his immediate entertainment, I shall take your [that] you shall be reimbursed.”

— Tweedale at Whitehall, 30 July 1745.

Students

• A Son of the Laird of Craighead
  • son of Robert Muschet of Craighead
• A Son of Glenbuckie’s
  • This would be a son of Capt. Alexander Stewart of Glenbuckie. He had two sons who would have been school-age in 1745. They would have been nephews of the school teacher.
    • Dr. David Stewart, in Auchnahard, b. 22 Feb 1727, Breanchoil, Lochkatrineside, Callander, Perthshire, Scotland, and
    • Walter Stewart, in Glaschoil, b. 14 May 1729, Breanchoil, Lochkatrineside, Callander, Perthshire, Scotland.
• A Son of John Glass Stuart Drover
  • He is believed to be John Stewart, 2nd of Benmore and latterly 13th of Glenbuckie, b. Abt 1725, Benmore, Glendochart, Killin, Perthshire, Scotland, son of John Glas Stewart, 1st of Benmore and Ledcreich.
• A Son of James Stuart Drover in Appin
  • He may belong to the family of Stewarts in Upper Duart, Glenfinglas, who descend from Alastair Dubh nan Damh Stewart (“Sandy of the Stirks”) who was a drover from Invernahyle (Appin).
  • He may also be one of the sons (perhaps Allan or Charles Stewart) of the infamous James of the Glen, who was a drover from Appin and matches the descriptor.
• A Son of Stuart of Fasnacloch in Appin
  • possibly James Stewart, 8th of Fasnacloich, 1723-1806. He may have been closely involved in the Appin Murder case as a companion of Donald Stewart, nephew of Ballachulish, who has been identified prime suspect in the murder of Colin Campbell of Glenure (“The Appin Murder”).
• Two Sons of John Bain McFarlane Drover
• A Son of Sir James Dalziel
• Two Sons of Cameron in Lochaber
• A Son of the deceas’d Alex. Mcferson
• A Son of the Laird of Glencoa [Glencoe]
• And a Boy from Gargunnock