On 3 March 1814 he was appointed acting captain of the Clarence, of 74 guns, off Brest, but returned to the Queen Charlotte in the end of April. On 9 June he was appointed commander of the Podargus, 14, and was confirmed in the rank on 13 Aug. During the next three years he commanded various sloops on the Jamaica station; in March 1817 he was acting captain of the Pique, and in May of the Salisbury, to which he was confirmed on 10 June 1817, and remained in her as flag-captain to Rear-admiral John Erskine Douglas till April 1818.
From October 1823 to December 1826 he commanded the Menai, frigate, on the North American station, and for two winters had charge of Halifax dockyard. In 1839 he went to the Mediterranean in the Benbow, which in the following year he commanded on the coast of Syria and at the reduction of St. Jean d'Acre, under Admiral Sir Robert Stopford [q. v.] For his services in this campaign he was nominated a C.B. on 18 Dec. 1840. In 1846 he was for a few months superintendent of Woolwich dockyard, and in November was appointed controller-general of the coastguard. This post he held till 1850, when he was appointed a lord of the admiralty. From February 1850 to December 1852 he continued at the admiralty, and during the latter part of the time was M.P. for Greenwich. On 16 June 1851 he was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral, and in the spring of 1853 went out to the Mediterranean as third in command and superintendent of Malta dockyard, where he remained till January 1855, when he became second in command in the Black Sea under Sir Edmund (afterwards Lord) Lyons [q. v.], and commanded the squadron at the reduction of Kinburn. He was nominated a K.C.B. on 5 July 1855; he also received the grand cross of the legion of honour, and the first class of the Medjidie. For some months in 1856 he was superintendent of Devonshire dockyard; and from November 1856 to January 1860 was commander-in-chief on the North American station. He became a vice-admiral on 30 July 1857. From October 1860 to October 1863 he was commander-in-chief at Devonport; became admiral on 10 Nov. 1862; G.C.B. on 28 March 1865; and admiral of the fleet on 20 Oct. 1872. He died on 10 Dec. 1875. He married, in 1819, Martha, youngest daughter of Lord Glenlee, and had three sons, the eldest of whom was Admiral Sir William Houston Stewart, G.C.B. (1822–1901).
[O'Byrne's Nav. Biogr. Dict.; Navy Lists; information from Sir W. Houston Stewart.]
STEWART, JAMES (d. 1309), high steward of Scotland, was the son of Alexander, high steward, by Jean, daughter and heiress of James, son of Angus Macrory or Roderick, lord of Bute. He succeeded his father in 1283, and the same year was present in the assembly which acknowledged the maid of Norway as heir to the throne (Acta Parl. Scot. i. 424). After the death of Alexander III on 9 March 1286, he was on 11 April chosen one of the six guardians of the kingdom under Queen Margaret (Chronicles of Fordun and Wyntoun). The same year he signed the band of Robert Bruce and other nobles for mutual defence (Documents illustrative of the History of Scotland, i. 22). In the war which followed between Balliol and Bruce he took part on the side of Bruce. He attended in 1290 the parliament at Brigham at which a marriage was arranged between Prince Edward of England and the Maid of Norway; but her death in Orkney in October of the same year completely altered the political outlook. Being continued one of the guardians of the kingdom after her death, he agreed with the other guardians to submit the rival claims of the competitors for the Scottish throne to the arbitration of Edward I of England; but he afterwards joined with the party who resolved at all hazards to break with Edward, and his seal as a baron is appended to the ratification of the treaty with France in 1295 (Acta Parl. Scot. i. 453). On 7 July 1297 he, however, came to terms with Edward (Cal. Documents relating to the History of Scotland, 1272–1307, No. 908), and, having on 9 July confessed his rebellion and placed himself at Edward's disposal (ib. No. 909), he became a guarantor for the loyalty of the Earl of Carrick, until he delivered up his daughter Marjory as hostage (ib. No. 910). The service he had rendered to Edward, in inducing many barons to submit, caused Edward to place considerable confidence in his loyalty; but this confidence was soon belied. On the outbreak shortly afterwards of the rebellion under Wallace, he pretended to side with the English, and before the battle of Stirling was, along with the Earl of Lennox, sent by Surrey, the English commander, to treat with Wallace; but probably his main purpose was rather to supply Wallace with information than induce him to make submission. At any rate the negotiations failed, and as soon as the tide of battle turned in favour of the Scots he joined in the pursuit. Consequently, on 31 Aug. 1298, he was deprived of his lands, which were granted by Edward to Alexander de Lindsay (ib. No. 1006). In 1302 he was, with six other
