Sir John Stewart of Methven (died 1628) was governor of Dumbarton Castle and Admiral of the Western Seas
Sir John Stewart of Methven was an illegitimate son of Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox.
Stewart married Margaret Hamilton, a daughter of Sir Claud Hamilton of Shawfield, Rutherglen, and Illieston (d. 1614). He was made keeper of Dumbarton Castle in 1620, the position was in the gift of the Lennox family.
Margaret was a Catholic, and she was converted from her Catholicism by a prisoner in the castle, Alexander Simpson (1570-1639), minister of Dryburgh and Merton, in 1621. [1] John Stewart was said to have treated Simpson and another minister, Andrew Duncan, very courteously and paid for their food and lodging. [2] Prisoners at Dumbarton were usually expected to pay for their food.
In 1625, Sir John Stewart of Methven undertook to have 16 "fensible men in ordinary" in the castle, as a garrison to keep watch and ward, and his successor Sir John Stewart of Traquair was charged to do the same. Methven was said to have been lax in his duties at Dumbarton, spending time in Ireland at Mongavlin Castle which he had acquired and built in 1611 and his lands in Raphoe in Portloughe, both in Donegal. These lands in the Plantation of Ulster had been granted to his father, the Duke of Lennox. [3]
In September 1626 the Privy Council found he had been living in adultery in Dumbarton Castle with two servant women, Isobel Beaton and Margaret Kilmaurs, and had kept his wife, Dame Margaret, a prisoner in a ruinous and damp part of the castle for 13 days, chained to the bed, and he beat her. Isobel Beaton and Isobel Scot had previously been admonished by Dumbarton Kirk for scandalous behaviour. [4] Some of Stewart's cruelty was to coerce her to sign some legal papers. Stewart spent some time as a prisoner in Edinburgh Castle and Blackness Castle in 1626. He wrote angry letters to his servant William Young who had escaped to Ireland taking his valuable possessions.
Stewart was found guilty of three adulteries and sentenced to be executed "by the king’s will", and the court ordered that he should be hanged in December 1627. [5] It is unclear if he was hanged, but steps were made to secure the income of Lady Methven from his estate, [6] and he was dead by 1630 when a legal case mentions his decease, and his widow Margaret married Sir John Seton of Gargunnock in 1629. [7]
Margaret Tudor was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She was the eldest daughter and second child of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of King Henry VIII of England.
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England.
Dumbarton Castle has the longest recorded history of any stronghold in Scotland. It sits on a plug of volcanic basalt known as Dumbarton Rock which is 240 feet (73 m) high and overlooks the Scottish town of Dumbarton.
Walter Stewart, 1st Lord Blantyre was a Scottish politician, administrator, and judge.
Ludovic Stewart, 2nd Duke of Lennox and 1st Duke of Richmond, lord of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a Scottish nobleman who through their paternal lines was a second cousin of King James VI of Scotland and I of England. He was involved in the Plantation of Ulster in Ireland and the colonization of Maine in New England. Richmond's Island and Cape Richmond as well as Richmond, Maine, are named after him. His magnificent monument with effigies survives in Westminster Abbey.
William Ruthven, 1st Earl of Gowrie, 4th Lord of Ruthven was a Scottish peer known for devising the Raid of Ruthven.
Captain James Stewart, Earl of Arran was created Earl of Arran by the young King James VI, who wrested the title from James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran. He rose to become Lord Chancellor of Scotland and was eventually murdered in 1595.
Mongavlin Castle also known as Mongevlin Castle is a ruined castle on the west bank of the River Foyle, approx 3 km south of St Johnston, County Donegal, Ireland. It was once a stronghold of the O'Donnell's, Lords of Tyrconnell.
David Lindsay, 11th Earl of Crawford (1547?–1607) was a Scottish nobleman and privy councilor.
John Fleming, 5th Lord Fleming, was a Scottish nobleman and a supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Isobel Hoppar or Hopper was a Scottish landowner and governess of Margaret Douglas. She was a powerful political figure in Scotland during the youth of King James V, and her wealth and influence attracted misogynous comment from her faction's enemies.
Sir John Drummond 2nd of Innerpeffray was Forester of Strathearn, and tutor to David Lord Drummond during his minority, and lived at the Drummond residence at Innerpeffray.
Dr Martin Schöner or Schönerus, physician to James VI and I and Anne of Denmark.
Margaret Stewart, Mistress of Ochiltree was a courtier in the household of Anne of Denmark in Scotland and looked after her children Prince Henry, Princess Elizabeth, and Charles I of England
Gideon Murray of Elibank, Scottish courtier and landowner.
Margaret Beaton, Lady Reres was a Scottish courtier and companion of Mary of Guise and Mary, Queen of Scots. She was blamed by the enemies of Mary, Queen of Scots, for her involvement in alleged immorality at court.
Michael Gardiner was a Scottish artilleryman based at Stirling Castle. The surname also appears as Gardner and Gardenar.
James Stewart of Cardonald (1512-1584) was a Scottish landowner and soldier.
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Dorothea Stewart, Countess of Gowrie was a Scottish aristocrat. The dates of the birth and death of Dorothea Stewart are unknown.