Clan Stewart

Origins of the Clan The Stewarts who became monarchs of Scotland were descended from a family who were seneschals (stewards) of Dol in Brittany, France. After the Norman conquest of England, the Stewarts acquired estates in England as the FitzAlan family, also Earls of Arundel. Walter was created High Steward of Scotland and was granted large estates in Renfrewshire and East Lothian. Wars of Scottish Independence During the Wars of Scottish Independence, James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland swore fealty to Edward I of England. ==Main branches of the clan==

As the Chief of the Stewarts was also the occupant of the throne, the relationship between the various branches or members of the family differed from the usual ties between clansmen and their Chief. The family did however have their own badge and tartan to distinguish them. Stewarts of Balquhidder Stewarts came to Balqhidder in about 1490, when William Stewart, grandson of the only son of the Duke of Albany to escape the persecution of James I, was appointed ballie of the crown lands of Balquhidder. Earl Castle Stewart Earl Castle Stewart, in the County Tyrone, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for Andrew Thomas Stewart, 9th Baron Castle Stuart. The Earls Castle Stewart claim to be the head representatives in the pure male line of the Scottish Royal House of Stuart. They are directly descended from Sir Walter Stewart (died 1425), Keeper of Dumbarton Castle, younger son of Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany, son of Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany, younger son of King Robert II of Scotland. Stewarts of Moray Main article: Earl of Moray James Stewart, 2nd Earl of Moray the “Bonnie Earl o’ Moray,” who married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray, (she died on 18 November 1591) whose father was James V of Scotland. Stewart was the eldest son of James Stewart, 1st Lord Doune, of Doune Castle, Perthshire, and Lady Margaret Campbell. He was a male-line descendant of Robert II of Scotland through his second son, the Duke of Albany, whose brother was the Earl of Buchan (the "Wolf of Badenoch". He soon after assumed, jure uxoris, the title of the Earl of Moray. ==Castles==

, a seat of the Stewarts of Appin , seat of Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany • Edinburgh Castle one of the most notable castles owned by the Stewarts as the royal family. • Stirling Castle one of the most notable castles owned by the Stewarts as the royal family. • Linlithgow Palace was one of the principal residences of the Stewart and Stuart monarchs of Scotland. • Falkland Palace was acquired by the Stewart family in the 14th century and was owned by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. It was a royal palace of the Scottish kings. • Castle Stuart was the home of the line of Stuarts who held the title Earl of Moray. • Castle Stalker was a seat of the Stewarts of Appin. • Lochranza Castle was granted to Walter Stewart, the Earl of Menteith in 1262 by Alexander III of Scotland. • Dundonald Castle built in the 13th century by Alexander Stewart, 4th High Steward of Scotland. Used by the Stewart monarchs. • Craigmillar Castle, Edinburgh, castle of the royal Stuarts. • Doune Castle built in the 14th century by Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany. • Earl's Palace, Kirkwall built by Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney. • Bishop's Palace, Kirkwall originally a Norwegian fort, ownership later passed to Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney. • Scalloway Castle built by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. • Earl's Palace, Birsay built by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. • Crookston Castle has been owned by various branches of the Clan Stewart. • Rothesay Castle was built by the Stewarts at the beginning of the 13th century. • Drumin Castle was the home of Alexander Stewart, Earl of Buchan (the Wolf of Badenoch). • Ardvorlich Castle, stronghold of the Stuarts of Balquhidder • Garth Castle, stronghold of the Clan Stewart. • Grandtully Castle, stronghold of the Clan Stewart. • Garlies Castle, stronghold of the Clan Stewart. • Castle Campbell, originally called Castle Gloom, it passed by right of marriage to the Campbells who changed the name to Castle Campbell by an Act of Parliament in 1489. ==Tartans==

The usual tartan for the Stewarts or Stuarts is a red coloured pattern known as the Royal Stewart tartan. According to historian Henry James Lee the effect of a large body of men crossing a hill in the red Stuart tartan, contrasting with the dark coloured heath has been described "as if the hill were on fire". , romanticised depiction of a member of the clan by R. R. McIan, from The Clans of the Scottish Highlands, published in 1845. ==See also==