The Origins of the Royal Family of Stewarts after Robert I

The Kings of Scotland The High Stewards of Scotland

-4	King Alexander II (1198-1214-1249)	Walter fitz Alan 1st High Steward (1106-1177)
-3	King Alexander III (1241-1249-1286)	Alan fitz Walter, 2^nd High Steward (1140-1204)
-2	Queen Margaret, Maid of Norway. (1283-1286-1290) uncrowned	Walter STEWART of Dundonald, 3^rd High Steward (1190-1246) The First STEWART
-1	King John de Balliol (1249-1292-1296)	Alexander, 4^th High Steward (1214-1283)

The wars of succession 1290-1371

The Royal Family The High Stewards

Robert the Bruce

Robert I of Scotland

(1274-1306-1329)

James Stewart, è

5^th High Steward of Scotland

(1260-1309)

ç My first known ancestor through yDNA matching

Marjorie Bruce è

Daughter of Robert the Bruce

Married ç Walter Stewart,

6^th High Steward 1293-1326)

The Royal Family The Nobility Ancestors

1	King David the Bruce (1324-1329-1371)		Robert Stewart: steward, guardian è II
2	King Robert II Stewart (1316-1371-1390) è		Had a mistress Moira Leitch
3	King Robert III Stewart (1337-1390-1406)	ç	Step Brothers è Sir John Stewart First Sherriff of Bute & Arran
4	James I Stewart (1394-1406-k.1437)	ç	1^st cousins-William of Fenwick 3^rd Sherriff
5	James II Stewart (1430-1437-k.1460)	ç	2^nd cousins-James of Kilcattan 4^th Sherriff
6	James III Stewart (1451-1460-k.1488)	ç	3^rd cousins-Ninian of Ardmaleish 6^th Sheriff
7	James IV Stewart (1473-1488-k.1513)	etc	4^th
8	James V Stewart (1512-1513-1542)		5^th
9	Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots (1542-1543-1567)		6^th
10	James VI Stewart of Scotland (1542-1543-1567) James I of England and Scotland (1566-1603-1625)		7^th
11	Charles I Stewart (1600-1625-1649)		8^th
12	Charles II Stewart (1630-1660-1685) James II Stewart (1633-1685-1688)		9^th
13	Mary II & William III (1662-1688-1702) Ann I (1665-1702-1714) George I Hanover (1660-1714-1727)		Unknown generations Confirmed by yDNA match 10^th
14	George II Hanover (1683-1727-1760)		11^th
15	Frederick, Prince of Wales (1707-1751)		12^th
16	George III Hanover (1738-1760-1820)		13^th
17	George IV Hanover (1762-1820-1830) William IV Hanover (1765-1830-1837)		14^th My Known Family
18	Victoria Hanover (1819-1837-1901)		15^th= John Stewart (c1785-1846)
19	Edward VII Hanover (1841-1901-1910)		16^th= Alexander Stewart (1822-1885)
20	George V Windsor (1865-1910-1936)		17^th= Andrew Stewart (1861-1939)
21	Edward VIII Windsor (1894-1936-1936) George VI Windsor (1895-1936-1952)		18^{th =} Alexander Stewart (1893-1965) aka Albert Alexander George Stewart
22	Queen Elizabeth II Windsor (1926-1952-2023)		19^th cousins = Thomas Stewart (1924-2000)
23	King Charles III Windsor (1948-2023--)	ç	20^th cousins = Ken Stewart (1948)
24	Prince William (1982--)		21^st cousins = Lalla, Lyall, Roy
24	Prince George (2013--)		22^nd cousins = Arissa, Tai, Alex & Sarah

Earlier Origins of the Stewarts genes

Gen	Persons	Notes
-40	Tasciovanus ap Llud, King of Catuvellauni, Britain and Siluria (South Wales) (40BC-9AD)	Around BC / AD Celtic South Britain
-39	Cunobelinus ap Tasciovanus, King of the Britons and the Catuvellauni (20BC-40)
-38	Arvirargus Gweirdd ap Cunobelin, King of the Catuvellauni (South Central England) (10-60)
-37	St. Cyllin / Marius ap Caradog, King of Britain (40-125)
-36	Owain Eurgen ap Marius Cyllin, King of Wales (100-142)	Welsh Kings
-35	Meirchion ap Owain, King of Wales (140 - ?)
-34	Cwrrig Goruc Mawr, King of Wales (180 - ?)
-33	Gwrddwfin ap Cwrrig, King of Wales (215-328)
-32	Einudd Ap Gwrddwfn, King of Wales (250-328)
-31	Gereint Caradoc ab Einudd, Lord of Meridoc (285-338)
-30	King Conan Meriadoc, leader of the Bretons, and King of Dumnonia (Cornwall) (345-421)
-29	Gradlon Mawr "The Great" ap Conan, King of Brittany (330-434)	Kings of Brittany
-28	Salomon I ap Gradlon, 2^nd King of Brittany (c355-421-435)
-27	Aldrien Ap Selyfan Aldroenus (385-464)
-26	Erich, Duke of Brittany (c425-478)
-25	King Budic II, 5^th King of Brittany (c468-490-509)
-24	King Hoel Le Grande, 6^th King of Brittany (c491-509-545)
-23	King Hoel II, 7^th King of Brittany (510-545-554)
-22	King Alan I, 8^th King of Brittany (560-554-594)
-21	King Hoel III 9^th King of Brittany (580-594-612)
-20	Saint Judicael ap Hoel (602-658)
-19	Gradlon Flam Ap Judicael, Count (632-711)
-18	Concar Cheronnog ap Gradlon, Pr. of Cornwall (660-710)
-17	Judon de Cornouaile, King Judon of Brittany (710 - ?)
-16	Prince Constantine ap Judon de Cornouaile (750-790)
-15	Prince Justin ap Constantine de Cornouaile (790-840)
-14	Alfrond ap Justin de Cornouaile (830-870)
-13	Prince Ulfret Alesrudon de Cornouaile (870-952)
-12	Prince Diles Heiguer Chebre de Cornouaile (890-930)
-11	Budic I /Binidic, Prince de Cornouaile (910-963)
-10	Binidic, Castellin de Cornouaile (942 - ?)
-9	Aimon, Viscount of Dinan (973-1030)
-8	Flaad, Seneschal of Dol in Brittany (1005-1064)	(seneschal = steward)
-7	Alaine, Dapfier of Dol in Brittany (1024-1080)	(dapfier = high steward)
-6	Flaad, Seneschal of Dol in Brittany (1050 -1110) defending the Welsh border in Shropshire in 1101
-5	Alan fitz Flaad, a Breton knight (1070-1114) bestowed as a Baron of Oswestry, Sherriff of Shropshire	His son Walter served the Scottish Kings

My Own Stewarts

My 3xGreat Grandfather was John Stewart of Bangor born around 1785.

His son, Alexander Stewart, was a lay preacher of the Bangor Church. He was the superintendent of the Abbey Sunday School, and a very religious man.^[1] He would usually be part of the biblical instruction to the children’s group before they moved into their smaller groups. Occasionally he was asked to read and expound on a portion of the Scripture to the full Congregation in the normal Service, under the direction of the minister. He took his lay preaching very seriously.

Like his father before him, Alexander was a handloom linen weaver as his usual occupation, working at home. The family folklore is that his father, John Stewart, was one of the hundreds of linen weavers who moved into County Down from County Donegal around 1800, during the early expansion of the weaving industry of Bangor from 1780 to 1820. Bangor had long been a noted centre for the linen trade, however handloom weaving died out with the coming of mechanisation into the cotton industry. Cotton factories were established in the harbour area, which became the employers of the young people of Bangor for many years.

The earlier origins of the Stewart family in County Donegal were possibly from the original seeding of the counties of Northern Ireland with numerous Scottish and English Protestants during the “Ulster Plantation” from 1609 onwards.

John Stewart and his wife Rebecca, possibly both of Donegal, had seven children after arriving in Bangor. They baptised the following children in Bangor Abbey: Thomas 1810, Agnes 1812, Jane 1813, Andrew 1816, Andrew 1817, Joseph 1820 and finally Alexander.^[2] The first Andrew died as an infant in 1816, Jane died as a four-year-old child in 1817 and Thomas died in 1857 unmarried at the age of 46 years, leaving four surviving children with possible later families.

There may also have been others born in Donegal before arriving in Bangor, but this has yet to be fully confirmed. There was a John Stewart found born in Ramelton in Donegal in 1799 to John and Rebecca Stewart, but it is still uncertain whether this was the same couple. They may have even married in Bangor, but the Bangor registers only began just before 1810. The youngest of their known seven children was Alexander Stewart and he was baptised on the 13^th January 1822 in Bangor.^[3] He appears to be the only one of John and Rebecca’s to have any family, and his children were prolific with many grandchildren.

Alexander’s fourth son, Andrew 1861, came to Australia in 1911 with his own four sons, including my grandfather Alexander Stewart. Two of these sons were killed in action in the First World War.

The surname Stewart is one of the most common in Northern Ireland, so I have not been able to identify any of these brothers and sisters of Alexander and their eventual families among the hundreds in early Bangor. It is likely that John senior was the John Stewart that died in Bangor on 2^nd March 1846,^[4] however Rebecca’s death has not yet been found.

I had always believed that the origins of our Stewarts would prove to be servants taking on the name of the manor lords. That is until I took a yDNA test in 2014, to discover that our family are confirmed to link directly back to the 5^th High Steward of Scotland – James Stewart (about 1260 to 16 July 1309). This is the line of the Ancient Royal Stewarts

The ancestry of James Stewart traces back ^[5] to

· Alan fitz (son of) Flaad, (1070–1114). He was a Breton knight who was granted a barony in Oswestry in Shropshire by Henry 1 of England. His son …

· Walter fitz Alan, faithfully served David 1 of Scotland and was granted the hereditary title of 1^st High Steward of Scotland. His son …

· Alan fitz Walter, as 2^nd High Steward, accompanied King Richard the Lionheart on his Third Crusade, and was granted further estates including the Isle of Bute. His son …

· Walter of Dundonald (1190’s-1246), was the 3^rd High Steward, and the first to assume the surname Steward or Stewart to begin the lineage. His son …

· Alexander Stewart of Dundonald (1214-1283), was the 4^th High Steward, and ruling Regent of Scotland while King Alexander III was under age. His son …

· James Stewart (1260 – 1309), the 5^th High Steward, is my yDNA direct ancestor. He was the Guardian of Scotland for the two years from 1290 – 1292, while the succession to the crown was under dispute. He joined Sir William Wallace until he was defeated and then aligned with Robert the Bruce (later King Robert 1). His son …

· Walter Stewart, the 6^th High Steward, married Marjorie Bruce, the daughter of King Robert I. Their son Robert II was the first of the line of Stewart Kings who were to rule Scotland from 1370 to 1603. And then also ruled England and Scotland from 1603 to end with Ann Stuart in 1714.

The spelling of Stewart is often Anglicised to Stuart, but it is the same family.

The brother of James Stewart, the 5^th High Steward, was Sir John Stewart of Bonkyll, the direct ancestor of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, who married Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots in 1565, and their son James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603, to unite the English and Scottish thrones with the House of Stewart.

One small variant in the yDNA test confirms that our branch descended from James Stewart, but not Sir John of Bonkyll. So the line is split around 1300 ad. to reunite three centuries later with James VI / James I. At present there is further yDNA research being undertaken to determine any further lineage.^[6]

Another brother of James Stewart, the 5^th High Steward, was Andrew. He was a direct ancestor of Oliver Cromwell, whose mother was Elizabeth Stewart. Cromwell was the military and political leader, backed by Parliament, who oversaw the demise of the Stewart dynasty.

These three brothers, James, John and Andrew, sons of the 4^th High Steward, had millions of descendants. So it is likely that their yDNA genes arrived in Ireland many times after 1300, as knights, soldiers, farmers or workers, either before, during or after the Ulster Plantation that began in 1609.

The latest position from yDNA places my family in the descendants of the Stewarts of Bute, likely as a descendant of Sir Ninian Stewart of Ardmaleish, 6^th Sherriff of Bute. These Stewarts of Bute were not the Royal Line of Scotland but are modern members of the British Peerage, including Earls and Marquesses and a prime Minister of Britain.

It is proposed that the son of Sir Ninian, namely Archibald Stewart arrived in County Antrim around 1560, and the family spread from there through Northern Ireland.

^[1] Family folklore, Belle Gordon, g/grandchild of Alexander Stewart, Post Mistress of Bangor