The Stewarts in Dalveich

The Stewarts in Dalveich, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland

Clan Sliochd Iain Duibh Mhor

Cadet Branch VII of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich

The Stewarts of Dalveich were founded in the early 17th century by John Dubh Mhor Stewart, illegitimate son of the notorious Maj. James Beag Stewart, 2nd of Ardvorlich. John was a colourful and boisterous Highland character who fathered one of the largest cadet branches of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich. He and his descendants lived at Dalveich, Ardveich, and other properties straddling the Beich Burn on the northwest shore of Loch Earn in historic Highland Perthshire, Scotland, where they lived for centuries until the time of the Highland Clearances. John’s descendants spread across the globe, but the most popular destination for them to immigrate to was eastern Ontario, Canada, where several members of this clan became pioneer settlers. This is their story.

Ancestors and Descendants of the Stewarts of Dalveich

The Stewarts of Dalveich descend from the Stewarts of Ardvorlich who are the senior branch of the Stewarts of Balquhidder.

The Stewarts of Dalveich have eight descendant lines:

Stewarts, MacLarens, and McIntyres

Before the Stewarts were there it’s probable that that land was MacLaren country and certainly in the early 1600’s a witch lived there. She could put a hex on a cow and foresaw things and was not to be treated lightly!  There is story about a Stewart from Dalveich who set off to get married and was murdered just after the ceremony was completed and outside the church. Maybe the murderer was the frustrated suitor of the hand of the bride! – Peter McNaughton

Prior to the arrival of our Stewarts, Ardveich belonged to the Chief’s line of Clan MacLaren. Their former residence of Ardveich Castle was once a fortified tower house which is now a ruin. The Stewarts and MacLarens in Glen Beich were joined by McIntyres as the most common families in Glen Beich. These families intermarried frequently.

Balquhidder and Comrie Parishes

The boundary between Balquhidder and Comrie parishes runs along the Beich Burn right through the middle of Glen Beich. Thus, members of this family can be found in both Comrie and Balquhidder parish records.

John Dubh Mhor Stewart of Dalveich, Lochearnside, Balquhidder, Perthshire (abt 1630 – abt 1733)

Birth

John Dubh Mhor Stewart (“Big Black John Stewart”), the founder of this clan, was a natural (illegitimate) son of Maj. James Beag Stewart, 2nd of Ardvorlich. His exact date of birth is unknown. He was presumably born at Ardvorlich on the south shore of Loch Earn in Comrie parish, Perthshire, Scotland, where his parents lived at the time, although no record of his birth has been found. He was either born about 1618 or about 1630. At present, the later date is preferred.

Marriage(s)

There is no record of the name(s) of the wife or wives of John Dubh Mhor Stewart. He is estimated to have had children over a 20-30 year period which suggests the likelihood that he had relations with more than one woman and some of his children may have been illegitimate.

The Life of John Dubh Mhor Stewart of Dalveich

John Dubh Mhor Stewart was likely born and raised at Ardvorlich on the south shore of Loch Earn in historic Highland, Perthshire, Scotland, long before the current manor house was built. When he was a young man, he accompanied his father, James Beag Stewart of Ardvorlich, at the Battle of Tippermuir on 1 Sep 1684, in service to James Graham, Marquess of Montrose, fighting on behalf of King Charles I. After the battle, his father, James, got into an argument with the Marquess’ nephew, John Graham, Lord Kilpont, whom James Beag Stewart was allegedly very close friends with. The argument resulted in James stabbing Lord Kilpont with his dirk and killing him. James then fled the scene leaving behind his injured and dying son, Henry, as well as his son John. James joined the opposing Parliamentary army where he was welcomed as a hero instead of executed as a murderer.

Meanwhile, John Dubh Mhor Stewart stayed behind and attached himself to the Marquess of Atholl’s Regiment, where he grew to become a favourite of John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl, and his wife, Lady Amelia Ann Sophia Stanley, Countess of Derby, who viewed him as a handsome Highlander, and he was frequently invited to visit their home at Blair Castle. It is unclear how this impacted his long-term relationship with his father (who was later pardoned for the murder). John Murray, who was lord of the lands on the north shore of Loch Earn, subsequently granted the lands of Dalveich, Carnlia, and Leachan of Achra on the west side of the Beich Burn to John Dubh Mhor Stewart. He later expanded his holdings to include Ardveich and the lands on the east side of the Beich Burn to encompass all of Glen Beich. His descendants continued to live on these lands for generations.

John Dubh Mhor Stewart was described as “a very fine looking Highlander and a good soldier” and also as a “rude and boisterous man.” He lived through through the turbulent times of the 17th and early 18th centuries as Scotland was under threat of being absorbed into England.

John Dubh Mhor Stewart had eight sons who all had descendants and an unknown number of daughters. What is known of his children is presented further below.

John Dubh Mhor Stewart was still alive at the time of the First Jacobite Rising in 1715, though it’s not known if he took up arms as he may have been too old, though he would certainly have been a supporter of the Stewart claim. He is said to have lived to a very old age, well into his 90s and possibly even over 100 years old.

More information:

Death (ca. 1715-1733)

We do not know exactly when John Dubh Mhor Stewart died. The Stewarts of Ardvorlich, Vol. 1, says that John Dubh Mhor Stewart lived to a very old age, past the Rising in 1715, and long enough to see one of his great-grandsons reach adulthood. Thus, he must have lived to at least 90 years of age.

In 1733, a Robert Steuart entered into a contract of wadset for the lands of Ardveich with James Drummond, Earl of Perth, on 4 January, 1733 (MacGregor, Gordon, author of The Red Book of Scotland, personal correspondence). This Robert could either be a son or grandson of John Dubh Mhor Stewart. If he was an older son, then this could be his inheritance, suggesting that his father had just recently died (although sometimes inheritances can take years to process through the courts.)

Thus, John Dubh Mhor Stewart likely died sometime between 1715-1733.

Burial in Dundurn

The Walker Family History says that John Dubh Mhor Stewart and his resident descendants “are all buried in Ardvorlich Burying Place, Old Chapel of Dundurn, St. Fillans.” We have no other confirmation of this claim, but the claim is entirely reasonable. This burial ground is reserved for members of the family of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich and their cadets. A few of his later 19th century descendants are recorded in Mitchell’s Monumental Inscriptions as being buried in Dundurn. It is likely that the earlier burials are unmarked.

Clan Sloichd Iain Dubh Mhor

The Seed of John Dubh Mhor Stewart

John Dubh Mhor Stewart became the patriarch of a Stewart clan known as Sloichd Iain Dubh Mhor, which simply means “seed (offspring) of Big Black John”.  According to The Stewarts of Ardvorlich Vol.1, John had eight sons, all of whom had descendants. It is presumed that he also had daughters, however nothing is known of them. The Stewarts of Ardvorlich Vol.1, also says that this was one of the largest branches of the Ardvorlich family.

The names of only three of John’s sons are known for certain: James, John and Alexander. The rest are inferred from secondary sources. The birth dates for his sons are also not known but are estimated below. It is unlikely that he had any children much earlier than 1650. However, for John to have lived long enough to have “seen a great-grandson grow to adult age” then he could not have begun his family much later than 1660. Given that he probably had some daughters too and given an average space between children of 2-3 years, it would appear that the births of his children probably ranged from about 1660-1690. This seems like a rather large family for only one mother, thus it is further suggested that John Dubh Mhor Stewart was either married more than once or some of his children were illegitimate.

Stewarts of the South (written ca. 1815) presents us with a picture of 8 lines of known descendants through the 18th century. Due to their size, each of these lines is presented on its own separate page. (See above and below for links to these descendant lines.)

The Stewarts of Ardvorlich, Vol. 3, presents partial genealogies for Lines 3, 5 & 6 up to the mid-19th century.

The Walker Family History presents us with the only unbroken accounting of any line, which is Line 7.

Confirmed Jacobites

All four of the principle families of the Stewarts of Balquhidder (Ardvorlich, Glenbuckie, Gartnafuaran, and Annat) had both Jacobites and non-Jacobites during the risings of 1715 and 1745. In many cases members of the same household took opposite stances, sometimes intentionally in order hedge their bets without risking their lands. In the case of the Stewarts of Dalveich we have evidence of several members who were active Jacobites.

The Report of the Annexed Estates 1755-56 list the lands of Jacobites that were forfeited as a consequence of the Rising of 1745. Included in the records of the Perth estates is the farm of Wester Ardveich. It lists the occupants of the farm as: Alexander McLaren, Duncan Stewart, and James Stewart, who are presumed to have been Jacobites. Also listed are 3 unnamed cottars for a total of 6 families. Of the three named persons, Duncan Stewart is believed to belong to 3 Line of the Stewarts of Dalveich. His family later resided at Lochearnhead. His brother, John, is believed to have died at Culloden. The next names Stewart was James Stewart whose identity is not confirmed but he may be an ancestor to Lines 1, 2, or 5. His forfeiture as a Jacobite may be the reason that two of these (presumably) senior-most lines are later found in Thornhill and Greenloaning and not in Ardveich. And, finally, family records for Line 7 indicate that Robert Stewart of that Line died at Culloden, although he has not been identified among casualty lists.

The Report of the Annexed Estates also gives us a tantalizing statistical glimpse into these families. It lists that there are 6 families residing at Wester Ardveich in 1755 with:

1. 9 adult males over 17
2. 6 adult females over 17
3. 6 males between 10-17
4. 2 females between 10-17
5. 2 male children under 10
6. 3 female children under 10

For a total of 14 males and 14 females. And it says that 14 of these spoke English. Thus only 50% of the household members were bi-lingual. The rest spoke only Gaelic.

The Children of John Dubh Mhor Stewart

In drawing upon all sources, we can create the an estimated genealogy for the first couple of generations of descendants of John Dubh Mhor Stewart of Dalveich. In many of these descendant lines, our accounting is not confirmed until about the third generation. The accounting of the first few generations is subject to change if further information comes to light.

John Dubh Mhor Stewart, of Dalveich,   b. Abt 1630, Ardvorlich, Comrie, Perthshire, Scotland ,   d. Abt 1732, Dalveich, Balquhidder, Perthshire, Scotland   (Age ~ 102 years). He married and/or had relations with unknown women and was the father of:

Descendant Lines:

19th Century Exodus to Canada and Elsewhere

In the late 18th century and early 19th century the Highlands of Scotland were emptying. Gaelic speaking Scots were leaving the lands they’d called home for centuries. For some, the reasons were political, but mostly it was economical. Some left willingly while others were forced off their ancestral lands. Our Stewarts were no different.

Some of the descendants of the Stewarts of Dalveich remained in Scotland, some left for England, and some for Australia and New Zealand. Very few of the Dalveich Stewarts immigrated to the USA. But, by far, the largest emigrant group went to Canada.

Of those who immigrated to Canada in the early 1800s, some settled in Hamilton, Ontario, and some in Nova Scotia. But, of the Canadian immigrants from this clan, by far the largest group settled in Renfrew County in eastern Ontario south of the Ottawa River.

Immigrants to Canada

• 1818 – Daniel Stewart, b 1775 in Greenloaning, Dunblane, Perthshire, Scotland, of 2 Line – The Stewarts in Greenloaning, immigrated to Canada about 1818 probably to Huntingdon, Quebec, Canada and by 1851 was settled in Easthope, Perth, Ontario, Canada. He was the first descendant of John Dubh Mhor Stewart in Dalveich known to have immigrated to Canada.
• 1830 – John Stewart, b 1802 in Ardveich, son of John Stewart in Ardveich and Kiep, son of Donald Stewart in Wester Ardveich and Kichp of 3 Line, immigrated in 1830 to McNab Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada and later moved to Horton Township.
• 1830 – James Stewart, b 1798 in Ardveich, illegitimate son of Alexander Stewart, son of Donald Stewart in Wester Ardveich and Kichp of 3 Line, immigrated in 1830 to Horton Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada.
• 1830 – Peter McIntyre, b 1798 in Carnlia, son of Margaret Stewart in Wester Ardveich, daughter of Alexander Stewart, son of Donald Stewart in Wester Ardveich and Kichp of 3 Line, immigrated in 1830 to Horton Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Peter’s wife, Mary Stewart, was descended from 5 Line, below.
• bef. 1851 – Robert Stewart, b 1781 in Wester Ardveich, son of Alexander Stewart, son of Donald Stewart in Wester Ardveich and Kichp of 3 Line, immigrated sometime before 1851 to McNab Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada.
• 1830 – Robert Stewart, b 1787 in Rannag of Glenogle son of Duncan Stewart in Summerline, son of Daniel Stewart in Walbeich of 4 Line, immigrated in 1830 to McNab Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada.
• 1830 – John Stewart, b 1796 on the Blair Drummond Moss, half-brother to the preceding Robert Stewart, son of Duncan Stewart in Summerline, son of Daniel Stewart in Walbeich of 4 Line, immigrated in 1830 to McNab Township, Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada.
• 1834 – Catharine Stewart, widow of Robert Stewart in Morell from 7 Line – The Stewarts in Carnlia and Easter Glentarken, immigrated in 1834, to Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario, Canada.