The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group
The History and Genealogy of Clan Stewart of Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland.
Including the following families and all their cadet branches:
The Stewarts of Balquhidder
Welcome to the Official Home of the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group. We are a collection of descendants and volunteer researchers interested in learning more about the history of Clan Stewart of Balquhidder. We are not a clan association. We recognize the Stewart Society in Edinburgh as our clan association and Sandy Stewart, 15th of Ardvorlich, as chief of our branch of the Stewarts.
Here you will find lots of information about the Stewarts of Balquhidder including individual family histories and helpful research aids to assist you with your own Stewart family history research.
Please join our Facebook Group to join the discussion about our clan.
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Loch Venachar, Callander
A photo of Loch Venachar, Callander, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Lochearnhead in Winter by Alex Cameron
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Clan Stewart of Balquhidder
Who are the Stewarts of Balquhidder?
Who Are the Stewarts of Balquhidder?
The Stewarts of Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland, is a Highland Scottish clan comprising the principal families of the Stewarts of Baldorran, Ardvorlich, Glenbuckie, Gartnafuaran, Annat, Garchell, and their cadet branches. They lived primarily in southwest Perthshire, as well as parts of ancient Dunbartonshire and western Stirlingshire from the 15th century to the present. They were tacksmen (land holders), wadsetters, cotters, and tenants, under the Earls and Dukes of Atholl,
The founder of our clan
The Founder of Our Clan
James Beag Stewart, 1st of Baldorran and Royal Baillie of Balquhidder, received a grant of land in Balquhidder in the mid-15th century as well as the Crown rentals for much of Balquhidder and the Royal Baillieship of Balquhidder. His son, Sir William Stewart, 2nd of Baldorran and Royal Baillie of Balquhidder, significantly expanded the family holdings in Balquhidder. They brought the Stewart name to Balquhidder and were the first of our clan to live in Balquhidder. All branches of our clan descend from James Beag Stewart, 1st of Baldorran.
Balquhidder
Balquhidder
Balquidder is the name of a parish, village and glen.
Balquhidder is a small village in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The village is located 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Callander and 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. — Wikipedia
The meaning of the name, Balquhidder, is uncertain. As with many Gaelic place names, its antiquity and exposure to later Anglicization has altered its form from the original. Several derivations have been suggested.
How Do You Pronounce Balquhidder?
The modern pronunciation is most commonly “ball-kwid-er” or less commonly “bal-hwid-er,” with the emphasis on the second syllable. However, Robert Louis Stevenson in his 1893 novel, Catriona, portrays the central Lowland character, David Balfour, pronouncing it “Balwhidder” and the Highlander, Catriona, who was from Balquhidder, pronouncing it “Balwhither” reflecting the likely earlier Pictish roots of the name, in which the “dd” is pronounced as “th.” Stevenson, who holidayed in Balquhidder and Dunblane, where his two fictional characters were from, would have been familiar with how the name was pronounced in Victorian times in both locations.
Royal Stewart Ancestry
Royal Stewart Ancestry
Yes, we are descended from the Royal Stewarts. A more detailed portrait of our early Stewart ancestors can be found on our Stewarts of Albany page. Briefly:
- King Robert II of Scots (grandson of King Robert The Bruce) was the father of King Robert III and also the father of…
- Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland, who ruled Scotland during most of the 18-year imprisonment of his nephew, King James I of Scots, and did little to aid in the release of his nephew. Duke Robert was the father of…
- Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, Governor of Scotland, who succeeded his father in (briefly) ruling Scotland in the absence of King James I and did nothing to aid in the release of King James. Murdoch was only in power for five years when the king was finally released. King James I perceived a clear threat by the Albany Stewarts to his own rule and had them arrested, tried for treason, and executed. All except one who escaped. Murdoch’s surviving son…
- Sir James Mhor Stewart of Albany, who escaped the King’s vengeance and fled to Ireland, where he lived as a fugitive, after leading a small, failed rebellion against the king and burning the town of Dumbarton. James Mhor was the father of…
- James Beag Stewart of Albany, 1st of Baldorran, and Royal Baillie of Balquhidder. James was born in exile in Ireland. He was brought home to Scotland as a child by his grandmother, Isabel, Countess of Lennox, where she acquired for him the estate of Baldorran in western Stirlingshire. He later acquired holdings in Balquhidder. He was the first of this family to hold the office of Royal Baillie of Balquhidder. (It was previously believed that his son, Sir William, was the first Royal Baillie of Balquhidder.) James is the ancestor of all branches of the Stewarts of Balquhidder.
Where Our Clan Lived
Where Our Clan Lived
The map at right shows the approximate locations of all the Highland Stewart clans. The Stewarts of Balquhidder occupied the southermost area identified as “Menteith.”
The Stewarts of Balquhidder sprang from the parish of Balquhidder and the lands surrounding Loch Earn. The descendants of the Stewarts of Balquhidder quickly spread to the east, south and southwest into the parishes of Comrie, Callander, Kilmadock, Kincardine-by-Doune, Aberfoyle, Port of Menteith, as well as parts of Dunbartonshire and western Stirlingshire, and later across the globe.
For more information about where our Stewarts lived go to Maps & Locations.
Clan Association, Badge, and Motto
Clan Association, Badge, and Motto
Clan Stewart of Balquhidder is a Highland Scottish Clan. The Stewarts of Balquhidder do not have a separate clan association. Our official clan association is the Stewart Society in Edinburgh. We encourage all members of the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group to join the Stewart Society.
Clan Stewart of Balquhidder has no official clan motto or badge.
The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group is not a clan association. We are merely a collective group of volunteer researchers interested in this family.
Clan Chief
Clan Chief
The Stewarts of Ardvorlich claimed, and sometimes exercised, the chiefship of [the Stewarts of Balquhidder] clan.
– The Stewarts of Ardvorlich Part 1, ©1946 by Maj. John Stewart of Ardvorlich, Ardvorlich, Perthshire, Scotland, self-published, bound by L. Dopierala, Perth, Perthshire, Scotland.
The present chief of Clan Stewart of Balquhidder is:
- Alexander (“Sandy”) Donald Stewart, 15th of Ardvorlich
Clan Tartan
Clan Tartan
Burke’s Landed Gentry says the Stewart of Ardvorlich tartans are the Hunting Stewart and the Royal Stewart, shown at the right.
From The Stewarts: Highland Branches of a Royal Name by the late Maj. John A.M. Stewart, 14th of Ardvorlich, (Johnston’s Clan Histories, Edinburgh, 1954)
Royal Stewart Tartan
Hunting Stewart Tartan
The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group
This website has been created to help bring together independent researchers who are researching Stewart families originating in the Balquhidder area of Perthshire, Scotland during the 15th to 20th centuries. It was during this time period that emigration from Scotland was at an all time high. The Highlands were emptying and the Stewarts of Balquhidder were scattering across the globe. We are their descendants.
The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group is a group of volunteer genealogical researchers who either descend from the Stewarts of Balquhidder or have an interest in researching the history of the clan. While we cannot do your research for you, we will make every effort to assist you with your research. And we make our wealth of resources available to you for free.
If you are researching any of these Stewart families, we encourage you to contact us on our Facebook Group. We are hopeful that through our joint research efforts, we will be able to better understand our Stewart ancestors who lived so many years ago in this beautiful part of the Highlands of Scotland.
Membership is Free
Membership in the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group is simple and free. Just join our Facebook Group. Voila. You’re done. That’s it. You’re a member.
Donations Welcome
We commit to keeping our research resources available for free and never charge a membership fee to belong to the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group, However, the cost to maintain this website is significant. To contribute your support to maintaining this site CLICK HERE TO DONATE.
The History of the Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group
Founded in 2002
The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group was founded in the summer of 2002 by Chuck Speed and Ryk Brown when they found each other on-line while researching their common Balquhidder Stewart ancestry and decided to share research together.
In November 2002 our original website was launched as a single page invitation to other researchers to join our discussions via email. Among the earliest researchers to join us were Jared Olar and Belinda Dettman.
Over the ensuing years the old site grew to include our old Principal Families Pages on Rootsweb with over 100 pages of information with over 60 fellow researchers from all over the world!
Hiatus 2011-2020
The group became less active between 2011-2020 due to an unfortunate computer crash which caused us to lose access to our old Principal Families Pages on Rootsweb and our 20,000-name clan database.
Rebirth in 2020
In April 2020, while everyone was stuck at home due to Covid-19 isolation, a partially corrupted copy of our old database was recovered and the vision for building this new website was born.
In May 2020, we launched the Stewarts of Balquhidder Facebook Group to bring the old team back together. This website was launched in December 2020.
Join Our Online Facebook Group
You do NOT need to be a confirmed descendant of the Stewarts of Balquhidder in order to join our group. We welcome anyone with an interest in the history of our clan, whether or not you are a descendant.
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Credit and Acknowledgement for Research Contributions
We practice the principle of “collective” research. That is, we freely and voluntarily work together and share our research with each other to produce the content of this website. By voluntarily contributing research to this project via our Facebook Group, Discussion Forum, email, or any other means, you consent to the use of your research as part of this shared project. And you get to share in the benefits of the contributions of others like you. We do not, and will never, require a fee for access to the information on this website. This website will always remain free. However, this website does cost money. Your voluntary donations to help support the cost of this website are always welcome.
Click here for more information on our Collective Research policy
We publish our research primarily on this website, but on occasion individual members may write and contribute papers or articles to various other publications. Because of the nature of shared, collective research it is impossible to give individual credit for specific individual contributions. The “author” of our research is deemed to be the group as a whole. The web-hosts and forum administrators are merely editors; we do not claim authorship of the group’s work. However, if you contribute a specific and complete report or blog post then it will be published on our blog and you will be given personal acknowledgement for that contribution.
As a member of our group, you are welcome to write and publish your own papers or books related to your own research interests. However, if you use our material, we expect that you will cite our website as one of your sources and give appropriate acknowledgement to the hard work of the many who have contributed to this shared research project. Claiming sole credit for group research is plagiarism and unethical. If you profit from our collective research, we expect you to make an appropriate donation to the ongoing work of this group.
We are deeply grateful for the extensive voluntary contributions of Gordon MacGregor (see below), one of Scotland’s premier professional genealogists. His contributions to this project are acknowledged throughout this site.
Our Team
Current Stewarts of Balquhidder Group Membership: 700+ volunteer researchers.
Rev. Ryk Brown, FSAScot
Website & Facebook Group Admin, Co-Founder and Lead Researcher (Ardvorlich Family)
Ryk Brown is a minister in the United Church of Canada, living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is descended from Robert Stewart in St. Fillans, of the Stewarts of Dalveich, whose widow and children fled The Clearances to immigrate to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1834. Ryk has over 25 years of experience in genealogical research.
Ryk and Chuck co-founded The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group in 2002. Ryk is the administrator of this website and our Facebook group.
Genealogy: rykbrown.net
Personal Blog: rykbrown.ca
Chuck Speed
Co-Founder and Lead Researcher (Glenbuckie Family)
Chuck Speed is a retired former Human Resources Director for the City of Amarillo, Texas and Corpus Christi, Texas, USA. He is a descendant of Patrick Stewart of Ledcreich who first immigrated from Ledcreich, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland to the Cape Fear area of the North Carolina colony in America in 1739.
Chuck and Ryk co-founded The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group in 2002. Chuck administered the first iteration of our original website.
Jared Olar
Founding Member and Lead Researcher (Gartnafuaran Family)
Jared Olar oversees the local history collection at the Pekin Public Library in Pekin, Illinois, USA. A father of eight, Jared is a descendant of the Stewarts of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who were identified as a junior branch of the Stewarts of Gartnafuaran through the research of Philip Battell Stewart II, Kenneth Robertson, and James Dinwoodie.
Belinda Dettman
Founding Member, DNA Specialist, Lead Researcher (Annat Family)
Belinda Dettmann is a retired biometrician and geneticist, living in Sydney, Australia. Her ancestor James Graham (1784-1833) married twice, to Janet Stewart and Katherine Stewart, both from Balquhidder families, while James Graham’s mother and his great-grandmother were also local Stewarts. His descendants emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1857 and Belinda has many different connections to the Stewarts of Balquhidder. She specializes in DNA research and is volunteer administrator to the Stewart DNA surname project at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA).
Belinda’s genealogy website: https://ebelindadettmann.weebly.com/
Shuna Mayes
Content Creator, Photographer, Social Historian, Admin
Shuna Mayes lives in Dunblane, Scotland well within hiking, biking or kayaking distance of every locale where a Stewart of Balquhidder once lived. She enjoys getting outside with her camera and capturing sights that we would never have access to without her generosity and enthusiasm. Shuna has traced her ancestry to an 18th century soldier named James Stewart, who is genetically linked to our clan, but remains frustratingly elusive in his exact relationship.
The aesthetic value of Shuna’s contributions to our project cannot be overstated. To see her artistic contributions, go to:
Josh Stewart
Lead DNA Researcher and group administrator
Josh Stewart, from Birmingham, Alabama, USA, has a degree in anthropology and is co-administrator for the Stewart Clan Y-DNA Project at Family Tree DNA as well as the Wolf of Badenoch Project and the Campbeltown Project. Josh’s current research combines his knowledge of anthropology, archaeology, and Y-DNA to learn more about ancient Celtic migration patterns.
Josh descends paternally from the Barons of Kincardine, who descend from the Wolf of Badenoch. Josh’s colonial ancestor settled in North Carolina and married a daughter of Patrick Stewart of Ledcreich from Balquhidder, Scotland.
Josh keeps our research group up-to-date on the current progress in global Stewart Y-DNA research. His goal is to help Stewart families with ancestors in colonial America sort out their ancestral origins using Y-DNA and historical records, with an emphasis on Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama.
Gordon MacGregor
Professional Research Consultant
Gordon MacGregor is one of Scotland’s premier professional genealogists with over 30 years of professional research experience. He is the author of The Landed Families of Strathearn and the encyclopedic Red Book of Scotland. He regularly does commissioned research for the Lord Lyon Court. He generously shares his skills and knowledge with our team.
Gordon’s contributions to the knowledge of the primary branches of Ardvorlich, Glenbuckie, Gartnafuaran and Annat is invaluable. He also deserves sole credit for discovering the previously unknown family of the Stewarts of Garchell.
Gordon’s work can be found at: