Archibald Stewart of Mitcham MP (1697–1780) was an 18th-century Scottish merchant and politician who served as

Lord Provost of Edinburgh The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of ...

during the

Jacobite Rising of 1745 The Jacobite rising of 1745 was an attempt by Charles Edward Stuart to regain the Monarchy of Great Britain, British throne for his father, James Francis Edward Stuart. It took place during the War of the Austrian Succession, when the bulk of t ...

. He was imprisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

for over a year for alleged negligence.

Life

He was born in 1697 the son of

Sir Robert Steuart, 1st Baronet Sir Robert Steuart (or Stewart), 1st Baronet of Allanbank (1643 – 1707) was a Scottish politician who represented North Berwick in the Parliament of Scotland from 1698 to 1702. Early life Steuart was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1643. He was ...

of Allanbank near

North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...

(at that time simply called Berwick). His mother was Steuart's second wife, Jean Cockburn, daughter of Sir Archibald Cockburn baronet of Langton. Around 1715 he began trading as a wine merchant on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. In 1718 he was admitted as a burgess on the Edinburgh town council. In 1741 he was elected (as an opposition Whig) as MP for

. He was one of the "Duke of Argyll's gang" voting against the Hanoverians in 1744. Spending more time in London due to his parliamentary duties, in 1743 he opened a wine shop at 11 Buckingham Street on The Strand. In 1744 he succeeded John Coutts as

. His most infamous reputation during his period as Lord Provost was the "surrender" (or welcoming depending on one's politics) of the city of Edinburgh to the Jacobite Army of

Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

on 17 September 1745. Stewart had received a royal warrant requiring him to raise a resistance force on 26 June and had raised a militia of around 300 men. However, this force was not put into operation, and the Jacobite force received little resistance. Supplementing the volunteers two brigades of Dragoons were dispatched to Coltbridge on the west of the city (known as the Coltbridge Canter, and often erroneously connected to the later

Battle of Prestonpans The Battle of Prestonpans, also known as the Battle of Gladsmuir, was fought on 21 September 1745, near Prestonpans, in East Lothian, the first significant engagement of the Jacobite rising of 1745. Jacobitism, Jacobite forces, led by the Stua ...

). This force did not fight with the rebels, but were instead ordered to retreat, first to

Leith Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith. The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...

, then right out of the city to

Prestonpans Prestonpans ( , Scots: ''The Pans'') is a mining town, situated approximately eight miles east of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the council area of East Lothian. The population as of is . It is near the site of the 1745 Battle of Prestonpans (first ...

(which is where the confusion of events arises). Despite Edinburgh's "official allegiance" to England at the time, it may be safely assumed that the majority of the politicians (and perhaps the general population) sympathised with the Jacobite cause. The Jacobite army were safely accommodated within Edinburgh. For this treasonous act Stewart was arrested and had to appear before the Privy Council in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on 7 December 1745 charged with "neglect of duty". Ironically the larger blame (if any were due) lay on the shoulders of the elderly General Joshua Guest, who had control of

Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...

and direct command of the dragoons. On 10 December he was ordered to be detained by the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

and was accordingly detained in the

from 13 December. He was released from the Tower on 23 January 1747 following payment of £15,000 bail (a truly huge sum in the 18th century). Returning to Edinburgh he was re-trialed under

Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton Andrew Fletcher, Lord Milton (1692 – 13 December 1766) was a notable Scottish judge and Lord Justice Clerk. Family Andrew Fletcher was born at Saltoun Castle near Pencaitland, east of Edinburgh, the son of Henry Fletcher of Saltoun (d.1733 ...

and found not guilty on 2 November 1747. This seemed to centre on the warrant requiring him to raise a militia but did not require him to use it in any stipulated manner. He afterwards returned to London to continue business on the Strand, living in the Mitcham district. Grant states that Stewart lived in the house at the foot of the West Bow, facing onto the

Grassmarket The Grassmarket is a historic market square, market place, street and event space in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. In relation to the rest of the city it lies in a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels. Locati ...

during his period as Lord Provost and describes it as full of "secret stairs and trapdoors". He was succeeded as Lord Provost by

George Drummond George Drummond may refer to: *George Drummond (politician) (1688–1766), Scottish politician * George Drummond (footballer, born 1865) (1865–1914), Scottish footballer * George Drummond (Cowdenbeath footballer) (c. 1872–1912), Scottish footbal ...

in 1746. It was Stewart not Drummond who remained Provost at the time of the

, but (as stated above) the "capture" of Edinburgh is often muddled around the date of that battle. In 1773 he (or possibly his son) is listed as a merchant living and working at Parliament Close on the

. He died in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

on 24 January 1780 aged 82.

Family

In or before 1728 he married Grizel Gordon, daughter of John Gordon an Edinburgh wine merchant. They had four sons and five daughters. One of their sons was

John Stewart (Arundel MP) John Stewart (c.1723–81), of York Buildings, Buckingham Street, London and Mitcham, Surrey, was an English politician. The son of Archibald Stewart and his wife Grizel Gordon, John Stewart was a wine merchant and M.P. of the Parliament of ...

. His daughter Grizel Stewart married Edward Marjoribanks of Hallyards and Lees, parents of Sir John Marjoribanks, 1st Baronet of Lees, Lord Provost of Edinburgh 1814/1815.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Archibald 1697 births 1780 deaths People from North Berwick Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies Lord provosts of Edinburgh People of the Jacobite rising of 1745 Prisoners in the Tower of London Younger sons of baronets British MPs 1741–1747 18th-century Scottish merchants