Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry PC (Ire)The Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
(27 September 1739 – 6 April 1821), was an
IrishThe Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
politicianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and landowner, the father of politician
Robert Stewart, Viscount CastlereaghRobert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC, PC , usually known as Lord CastlereaghThe name Castlereagh derives from the baronies of Castlereagh and Ards, in which the manors of Newtownards and Comber were located...
.
Early life in Dublin
Stewart was born in 1739, son of
Alexander StewartAlexander Stewart was an Irish landowner and ancestor of the family of the Marquess of Londonderry.The son of William Stewart, of Ballylawn in County Donegal....
alderman of Londonderry in 1760 and the nephew of
Robert CowanRobert Cowan was an Irish colonial administrator and the East India Company's Governor of Bombay from 1729 to 1734. He was a collateral ancestor of the Marquesses of Londonderry through the marriage of his sister, Mary Cowan, to Alexander Stewart, father of Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of...
, the wealthy Governor of Bombay
As the second son he expected to take up the linen trading business in Dublin. He did so and it is for this reason that his first son was born in Dublin. His offices traded with many Baltic cities such Sankt Petersburg, Reval and
MemelKlaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
. At the death of his older brother he moved to Ulster to be closer to his father and look after the family properties in Donegal, Londonderry and Down.
Irish House of Commons 1771–1783 as representative for Co. Down
He was elected to the
Irish House of CommonsThe Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords...
in 1771 as member for
DownDown was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.-History:In the Patriot Parliament of 1689 summoned by King James II, Down was represented with two members.-1689–1801:...
.
Between 1775 and 1783 he lived in Bangor with his wife while his father was living in
Mount StewartMount Stewart is an 18th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of...
.
In 1779 he organised the Newtownards Company of 115 men worried at the presence of American and French vessels in the Irish sea. When he lost his seat in 1783 he was appointed Irish
Privy councilThe Privy Council of Ireland was an institution of the Kingdom of Ireland until 31 December 1800 and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 1801-1922...
. In this year he inherited his father's properties in Co. Londonderry and Co. Down and settled at
Mount StewartMount Stewart is an 18th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of...
on which grounds he built the
Temple of the WindsTemple of the Winds is the fourth book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth.-Plot introduction:Jagang, Emperor of the Imperial Order, has invoked a bound fork prophecy binding Richard and Kahlan to a fate of pain, betrayal, and a path to the Underworld...
. He married twice: his first wife was Lady Sarah Frances Seymour-Conway (27 September 1747 – 20 July 1770) on 7 June 1775, he married Frances, daughter of
Charles Pratt, 1st Earl CamdenCharles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden was an English lawyer, judge and Whig politician who was first to hold the title of Earl of Camden...
.
Privy Councillor
In 1783 he was made Privy Councillor in the same year as
Edmund BurkeEdmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
In 1786 he had the
Temple of the WindsTemple of the Winds is the fourth book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth.-Plot introduction:Jagang, Emperor of the Imperial Order, has invoked a bound fork prophecy binding Richard and Kahlan to a fate of pain, betrayal, and a path to the Underworld...
constructed on his estate at
Mount StewartMount Stewart is an 18th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of...
Irish House of Lords
In 1789 he was created
Baron Londonderry in the
Peerage of IrelandThe Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
. The following year he took his son (the future Viscount Castlereagh) out of Cambridge University and had him run for the seat Co. Down in the Parliament in Dublin which he won. In 1795 became
Viscount Castlereagh. The following year he was promoted to
Earl of Londonderry. His second son at this point also gained a seat in the Dublin Parliament.
Act of Union 1800
Robert Stewart and his two sons favoured the
Act of UnionThe Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...
and had fought to have it presented once more after it had been turned down in 1799.
Irish representative peer and British House of Lords
As as result of the vote he obtained a seat in the House of Lords in London which he never took up. In 1816 was created
Marquess of Londonderry, again in the Peerage of Ireland. From 1801 until his death he was also an Irish
representative peerIn the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
.
He died at his home of
Mount StewartMount Stewart is an 18th-century house and garden in County Down, Northern Ireland, owned by the National Trust. Situated on the east shore of Strangford Lough, a few miles outside the town of Newtownards and near Greyabbey, it was the home of the Vane-Tempest-Stewart family, Marquesses of...
,
County Down-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, and was buried at nearby Priory of Newtownards together with his father.