The Three Donalds of Ballachulish

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The Three Donalds of Ballachulish

In a letter dated 16 October 1844, John oig MacColl, a well-known Gaelic Tradition-bearer from the Ballachulish area, laid out the descent of three generations of Donald Stewarts to the recipient, Miss Stewart of Ballachulish, in response to her enquiry to him of her relationship to various Stewarts.[1] Of the first Donald, MacColl commented “your greatgrandfather[2] had only one brother, Donald, commonly called Donald of Ballachulish who married a daughter of Cameron of Strone, Lochaber” while of the second he wrote: “Donald the eldest son of the firstmentioned Donald, married his cousin and your own grandaunt and had issue, two sons and three daughters.” Of the third and final Donald, he remarked: “Donald, the eldest son was Captain in the Royal Navy and died at London.” MacColl’s comments on the relationship of the first Donald to the Stewarts of Ballachulish were correct, but his assertion that he was the only brother is erroneous and apart from the eldest brother, Alexander Stewart, 4th of Ballachulish, evidence proves the existence of at least two further brothers: Alan Stewart, and John Stewart, grandfather to Alan breac Stewart, the stout-hearted but flawed hero of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Kidnapped.”

Little of any real substance exists for Donalds one and two, and it is with the third that evidence becomes more substantial. He was born in 1756 and settled in London, where he was Captain of the Lord Nelson, Harwich Packet. He died there on 31 December 1809,[3] aged fifty-six, and was buried in St. Paul’s, Covent Garden, on 6 January 1810.[4]Having been possessed of a modest estate, by the terms of his Will dated 8 July 1809, with codicil dated 29 December of that same year, he made his youngest sister, Isabella Stewart, then widow of Mr. Reid, surgeon in Doune, his principal legatee. A further bequest was made to his sister Anne Stewart, wife of James Stewart “of Scotland” and their issue. Following Donald’s death, his executors sought to invest capital and were infeft in the three merk lands of Ballachulish on 5 October 1810, in security of a loan of £1000 to Charles Stewart of Ballachulish.[5] By the terms of his Will his sister Isabella Stewart or Reid, succeeded to that security and following her death without issue, succession opened up to the issue of Captain Donald’s elder sister, Anne, and her husband James Stewart. On 11 March 1828, Isabella, Catherine, Mary and Lilias Stewart, all residing at Castle Cottage, Doune, were infeft in the three merk lands of Ballachulish as heirs-portioners to their late aunt, Isabella Stewart or Reid.

 

 

By the time he made out his Will in mid-1809, Captain Donald Stewart was the last descendant in the male line of his grandfather, Donald Stewart, and at his death on the last day of that year, the male line of Alan Stewart, 1st of Ballachulish, likely extinguished at that same time. The last traceable descendants in the female line were the four daughters of Captain Donald’s sister, Anne Stewart, by her husband James Stewart of Tar. Several accounts refer to only one wife for that James but in the interests of clarity and precision, his issue by both of his wives is laid out below. In the joint Wills of Isabella and Catherine Stewart in April 1866, their principal beneficiary was their half-niece, Helen MacNab, daughter of their elder half-sister Janet, but Janet having been a daughter of her father’s first wife, Katherine Stewart, she was outwith descent from any of the three Donalds.

 

James Stewart of Tar, was born about 1735 and likely belonged to the Balindoran branch of the Clan. He died at Auchray, on 22 November 1809.[6] He was twice married and by his first wife, Katherine Stewart, he was father of:

 

  1. John Stewart, on Friday 6 October 1758.
  2. Charles Francis Stewart, born on Sunday 10 April 1768.
  3. Smith Stewart, born on Thursday 23 February 1770 and died unmarried at Fonthill, in September 1807 or thereby.[7]
  4. Janet Stewart, born Sunday 17 August 1763 and married on 6 April 1788, to Robert MacNab in Inversnaid.[8] They had issue.
  5. Anne Stewart, born on Wednesday 23 December 1772.
  6. Margaret Stewart, born on Friday 11 November 1774 and died unmarried at Stirling, on 21 August 1802.[9]

James Stewart of Tar married secondly, to Anne, daughter of Donald Stewart, by whom he had further issue:

  1. Robert Graham Stewart, born 4 October 1779 and died in infancy.
  2. Robert Graham Stewart, born on 28 May 1782 and died unmarried, at Rumney, St. Mary’s, Jamaica, on 19 October 1801.[10]
  3. James, born on 21 December 1788.
  4. Isabella, born on 17 December 1780 and lived with her sisters, Katherine, Marie and Lilias at Castle Cottage, Doune. She and her sisters Catherine, Mary and Lilias were infeft in the lands of Ballachulish on 11 March 1828, as heirs to their aunt Isabella Stewart, widow of Dr. Reid, in Doune,[11] and along with last surviving sister, Catherine, she drew up a mutual Will on 12 April 1866. Having survived all of her siblings, she died unmarried, at Castle Cottage, Doune, on 20 October 1869.[12]
  5. Katherine, born on 22 September 1784 and died unmarried, at Castle Cottage, Doune, on 8 May 1867.[13]
  6. Marie, born on 2 February 1787 and died unmarried at Castle Cottage, Doune, on 22 July 1828.[14] Her sister, Isabella, Catherine and Lilias were executrixes to her.
  7. Charlotte, born on 10 December 1791 and died unmarried about February 1811.
  8. Lilias, born on 2 September 1793 and died unmarried at Castle Cottage, Doune, on 4 March 1837.[15]

 

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With thanks to Shuna Mayes for sharing information on Duncan Stewart in Jamaica.

 

 

John og MacColl’s Letter to Miss Stewart of Ballachulish, 16th October 1844.

 

 

 

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[1] The letter in question was the property of Gordon MacGregor and is now owned by the Stewart Society. In it MacColl also makes reference to his own grandmother, Janet Stewart, daughter of the first Donald, who married John ban Stewart in Ballachulish. He also recalls a second daughter of that same Donald, named Catherine, who married a “Mr Stewart of the family of Ardsheil” and had a son Donald who left daughters but no corroborative evidence for those points of genealogy have been discovered.

[2] Alexander Stewart, 4th of Ballachulish.

[3] Morning Post, 3rd January 1810 edition.

[4] St. Paul’s Burial register.

[5] NRS RS3/1495/211.

[6] Perthshire Courier, 4th December 1809 edition.

[7] Scots Magazine, 1st November 1807.

[8] OPR – Aberfoyle. Their daughter, Helen, born in 1793, was principal legatee of her aunt’s Isabella and Catherine Stewart’s Wills in 1866

[9] Caledonian Mercury, 30th August 1802 edition.

[10] Aberdeen Press and Journal, 10th February 1802 edition.

[11] RS3/1495/211.

[12] SC44/44/18/563-576.

[13] SC44/44/18/558-563.

[14] SC44/44/4/22-24. See also: Scotsman, 13th August 1828 edition.

[15] SC44/44/11/408-414.