The Stewarts of Balquhidder Research Group

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

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

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

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 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

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

Burke’s Landed Gentry says the Stewart of Ardvorlich tartans are the Hunting Stewart and the Royal Stewart, shown at the right.