Rt Hon General William STEUART [3049]

  General Notes:

General Steuart was Commander in Chief in Ireland, Privy Councillor.

The Hon. William Steuart, of St Georges Hanover Sq. MDX Widower, & Elizabeth Alston of St Giles in the Fields MDX. spinster, 21 & upwards, at Guildhall Hall Chapel London 27 Jan 1725/6.

He married Elizabeth at short notice (weeks) after the death of his first wife who was insane. However he only lived some 4 months after his second marriage, died aged 74. He left no issue by either wife. He endowed a school for the poor in the parish of St Georges Hanover Sq where he lived.

CHESTER'S REGISTERS OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY, LONDON,
1876 - ALSTON.
Buried.-June 10th, 1726, The Right Hon. General William Stewart, Esq., in the Duke of Buckingham's vault in K. H. 7th Chapel.
The inscription on his coffin plate, exposed in 1867, describes him as follows: General of the Foot and Commander-in-Chief of all her late Majesty's forces in Ireland, Colonel of a Regiment of Foot, and one of her said Majesty's Privy Council in the aforesaid Kingdom, died June 4th, 1726, aged seventy-four. Le Neve says in one of his MSS., but without giving any authority, that he was descended from the Stewarts, Earl of Caithness.
He married first Katherine, Vicountess Grandison. A fortnight after her burial, viz: 27 Jan. 1725-6, he obtained a licence from the faculty office to marry ELIZABETH, second daughter of SIR ROWLAND ALSTON, second Bart. of Odell, a lady very much his junior, and the marriage took place shortly after. Excuse if any for this hasty action were necessary, it is probably to be found in the fact that his former wife, Vicountess Grandison, had been insane for some time before her death. A few days later, viz: 15 Feby., 1725/6, the newspapers of the day reported that he had been dangerously ill of an apoplexy, and he lived only about four months after his second marriage.
His widow remarried Henry Rowe, of Epsom, co. Surrey, Esq., and died 21 May, 1756.
He left no issue by either wife. His will, dated 31 May, 1726, was proved 16 Nov. following, by his relict Elizabeth and his nephew James Stewart. He left considerable legacies to his brother John Stewart, Esq., his sister Elizabeth Dobson, widow, his nephews Col. John Stewart and Charles Stewart, Esq., and his nieces Elizabeth, wife of Rev. Benjamin Gregory, Mrs. Jane Nugent, Eleanor Wilder, widow, Mary, wife of . . . . . Ryley, and Rose, wife of . . . . . His nephew Brigadier William Stewart, who had been ungrateful, etc., he cut off with a shilling. He bequeathed L5,000 Irish money, to erect and endow a school for twenty poor boys in the parish of St. George's, Hanover Square, where he lived.

William married Elizabeth ALSTON [3048] [MRIN: 1027], daughter of Sir Rowland ALSTON 2nd Bart [3025] and Hon Temperance CREWE [3035], on 27 Jan 1725/26 in Guildhall Hall Chapel. (Elizabeth ALSTON [3048] was baptised on 18 Nov 1684 in Odell BDF, died on 21 May 1756 and was buried in Epsom SRY.)