John Stewart, Commendator of Coldinhame

JOHN STEWART

Commendator of Coldingham

Evidence from the National Records of Scotland

                   1

14 and 15 April 1634: Margaret Home (wife of John Stewart of Coldingham) to Francis Stewart, her son, now at Court about his father's estate, and begs him not to fail to seek the annuities or any other thing that will bring speediest relief to his father. Edinburgh. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Kerr Family, Marquises of Lothian (Lothian Muniments), reference GD40/2/12/69

                   2

5 February 1642: Charter of Apprising granted by King Charles I in favour of Archibald Thomsoun tailor burgess of Edinburgh, in liferent, for all the days of his life, and to Mr James Thomsoun, his eldest lawful son in fee, heritably, his heirs and assignees, of the towns and land of the lordship and barony of Coldinghame, lying within the Scheriffdom of Berwick; which had been apprised from John Stewart of Coldinghame, and Francis Stewart, his eldest lawful son, at the instance of the said Archibald Thomsoun, in satisfaction of the accumulated sum of £7,268 6s 8d Scots: to hold of the King and his successors, in free blench farm, for payment of the services and duties contained in the infeftments. Written to the Great Seal and sealed 15 Jun 1642. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Chancellor family of Shieldhill, Lanarkshire, reference GD118/153

                   3

24 February 1643: Decreet of Valuation of Tiends John Renton of Lambertoun against John Stewart of Coldinghame, Francis Stewart his sone, Sir Patrick Douglas of Blackerstoun, Knight, and Elizabeth Douglas his Daughter, Titulars and having right to the Tiends- of twelve Husband-lands in Coldinghame- toun and Parish. National Records of Scotland, Papers of the Home-Robertson Family of Paxton, Berwickshire (Home of Wedderburn), reference GD267/26/18/420/5

Genealogy

Stirnet: Stewart 20

Biographical Summary by Wikitree

John Stewart was born around 1594. John was the second son of Francis Stewart and Margaret Douglas. He was the last Commendator of Coldingham Priory and 1st secular feudal Baron of Coldingham. On 16 June 1622 he transferred the barony to his elder brother, Francis. John was still living in April 1636, and apparently into the 1650s, when he is mentioned by Sir John Scott of Scotstarvet in The Staggering State of the Scottish Statesman, but he seems to have been dead by 1656, when a grandson named Francis was described as his heir when the barony of Coldingham was acquired by the Home of Renton family. In 1619 in Berwickshire, Scotland, John Stewart married Margaret Home. They had a daughter Margaret who married Sir John Home, Lord Renton. John Stewart of Coldingham is also identified as the father of Francis Stewart of Coldingham, "grandson of the Earl of Bothwell", who became a trooper in the Scottish Life Guards after the Restoration, gained a captain's commission in the Scots Greys, and commanded the left wing at the Battle of Bothwell Brig in 1679, and died around 1683. There seems little evidence to confirm this identification, however, and it is possible that this was the cavalryman son of the titular 6th Earl, who is called "Francis" by Scott of Scotstarvet. Wikitree

Biographical Summary for his father, Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell