John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl

John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl (c. 1440 – 15 September 1512), also known as Sir John Stewart of Balveny, was a Scottish nobleman and ambassador to England (in 1484).

Life

He was the oldest child of Joan Beaufort, widow of James I of Scotland, and her second husband Sir James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn.

He was created Earl of Atholl in around 1457, the first earl of the eighth creation of the title. He is believed to have had a hand in suppressing the rebellion of John Macdonald, 11th Earl of Ross, the last of the Lords of the Isles. According to legend, the Earl of Atholl had whisky, honey and oats added to Macdonald's water well, which so entranced or intoxicated him that Macdonald was easily captured. The mixture became a drink named Atholl Brose.

Stewart was buried in Dunkeld Cathedral in Perthshire.

Marriage and children

John Stewart married twice and had several children. However, the exact number, names and the attribution of his children to their mothers is unclear.

His first wife was Margaret Douglas, Fair Maid of Galloway, daughter of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas. Margaret had been married already to the 8th Earl and possibly the 9th Earl of Douglas. She died between 1473 and 1475. They were married from 1459 to 1460 and had three daughters:

• Janet Stewart, married Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly.
• Elizabeth Stewart, married Andrew Gray, 2nd Lord Gray.
• Christian, married Neil Stewart of Garth.

Sometime before April 1475, he married his second Eleanor Sinclair (d. 21 March 1518), daughter of William Sinclair, 3rd Earl of Orkney. They had two sons and nine daughters:

• John Stewart, 2nd Earl of Atholl, living 1520, and died before 1522, who married Janet Campbell (died about Candlemas 1545/6), daughter of Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Arygll.
• Andrew Stewart, Bishop of Caithness.
• Jean (or Janet) Stewart, married by contract dated 31 August 1507, James Arbuthnott of Arbuthnott. He had a crown charter of the feudal barony of Arbuthnott 29 January 1507. He left a testament dated 7 March 1521, and died before 13 March 1521.
• Catherine Stewart, married Sir John Forbes, 6th Lord Forbes.
• Elizabeth/Elspeth Stewart, married Sir Robert Innes 2nd of Innermarky.
• Marjory Stewart, married Sir Colin Campbell of Glenorchy.
• Margaret Stewart, married Sir William Murray of Castleton who was killed at Battle of Flodden, Ancestor of the Dukes of Atholl
• Elizabeth Stewart, married Alexander Robertson of Strowan.
• Elizabeth (or Isabel) Stewart, married John Stewart, 3rd Earl of Lennox
• Jean Stewart, married Robert Gordon, Knt., of Pitlurg.
• Margaret Stewart, married Robert Robertson younger, of Strowan.

Ancestry

Family of John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl

16. Sir James Stewart 8. Sir Robert Stewart 4. Sir John Stewart, Lord of Lorn 9. 2. James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn 20. Allan MacDougall 10. John Gallda MacDougall, Lord of Lorn 5. Isabel MacDougall 22. Sir Thomas Isaac 11. Joan Isaac 23. Maud Bruce 1. John Stewart, 1st Earl of Atholl 24. Edward III of England 12. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster 25. Philippa of Hainault 6. John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset 26. Paen de Roet 13. Katherine Roet 3. Joan Beaufort, Queen of Scots 28. Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent 14. Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent 29. Joan of Kent 7. Margaret Holland 30. Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel 15. Alice FitzAlan 31. Eleanor of Lancaster

References

• Weis, Frederick Lewis; et al. (1999). The Magna Charta Sureties 1215 (5th edition, Baltimore, Md. ed.). ISBN 0-8063-1609-8.

External links

• The Peerage.com