The Castle Stewart Papers

Repository: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland

Identity Statement

TitleThe Castle Stewart Papers
Archive ReferenceGB 0255 PRONI/D1618
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/castle-stewart-papers
Creation Dates1587-1960
Extent Mediumc6,000 documents + 42 volumes

Context

Creator(s): Stewart family, Earls of Castle Stewart, County Tyrone

  • Administrative History ↴

    The petition which the 1st Earl Castle Stewart, then Andrew Thomas Stuart, addressed to the Irish House of Lords in 1768, in substantiation of his claim to the barony of Castle Stewart (D1618/14/2), gives a useful summary of family history from 1619 to 1768. 'James I, by his letter [of 1619] to the [Lord] Deputy and Chancellor of Ireland, authorised them to create Andrew Stewart, Lord Stewart, Baron of Castlestewart in the county of Tyrone, to hold the said honour to him and the heirs male of his body. Andrew, the 1st Lord, left issue Andrew, John, and Robert. No Parliament having sat from the year 1615 to the year 1634, Andrew, the 1st Lord, never voted in Parliament, but constantly enjoyed the title. He was succeeded by Sir Andrew, his eldest son and heir, and many entries in the Journals of the Lords in the year 1634 prove his enjoyment of the dignity, in consequence of letters patent issued agreeable to the letter of King James ... . This Lord died in or about the year 1639, leaving issue Andrew, Robert and Josias, and was succeeded by Andrew, his eldest son and heir. This Lord married one of the daughters of Sir Arthur Blundell, by whom he had issue one child only, a daughter named Mary, who married Henry Howard, afterwards [5th] Earl of Suffolk, and this lady carried away almost the whole family estate. Andrew, the 3rd Lord, died without issue male [in c.1650], and Robert his brother being dead without issue, he was succeeded in the honour by Josias, his youngest brother. ... Josias died in or about the year 1662, without issue, and was succeeded in the honour by John, his uncle. ... John, the 5th Lord Castlestewart, died without issue [in 1685], and after his death, the descendants of Lt-Colonel Robert Stewart were the ... [rightful] successors to the barony of Castlestewart, [which remained dormant and unclaimed until 1774]. ... Lt-Colonel [the Hon.] Robert was the brother of John, the 5th Lord, ... and consequently a son of the 1st Lord. Robert Stewart of Irry [d.1686], son and heir to Colonel Robert, married Ann Moore, daughter of William Moore of Garvey in the county of Tyrone. To him succeeded Andrew Stewart [1672-1715], his eldest son and heir, then an infant, and to him Robert Stewart [1700-1742], whose son and heir the petitioner is.' Andrew Thomas Stuart (1725-1809), the petitioner, established his claim to the barony of Castle Stewart in 1774. The other major event of his long reign as head of the family was his acquisition, in 1782, of a third manor in Co. Tyrone, the manor of Orritor, alias Orator, alias Auraghter, alias Manor Annesley, which was then valued as being worth, when out of lease, £1,133 a year (D1618/2/48). Orritor was near Stewartstown, and was thus geographically well-situated to round off the existing manors of Castle Stewart and Forward. However, the fourth manor in the Tyrone estate came in by inheritance, not deliberate purchase, and was remote from the other three. This was the manor of Hastings, alias Castlegore, near Castlederg, formerly the property of the Edwards family of Castlegore. Robert Stuart of Stuart Hall had married Margaret Edwards of Castlegore back in 1722; and as a result of failure of heirs male in the Edwards family, Castlegore passed to the Stuarts, but not until the 3rd Earl Castle Stewart's day, in 1820, almost a hundred years after the marriage. -Extracted from a full account of the Castle Stewart Papers in the PRONI catalogue: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni
  • Archival History ↴

    Deposited by the Earl of Castle Stewart in 1963 with additional deposits by Lady Mairi Bury in 1975. The collection was purchased by PRONI in April 2013.
  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Purchase

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Stewart family, Earls of Castle Stewart, County Tyrone ↴

    The Castle Stewart Papers comprise c.6,000 documents and 42 volumes, 1587-c.1960, mainly relating to the Co. Tyrone estates of the Earls Castle Stewart, their genealogy and peerage claims, the building and re-building of their houses and the military services of them and of members of related families.

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention
  • Arrangement ↴

    D1618/1 Co. Kildare, etc. title deeds
    D1618/2 Co. Tyrone title deeds (arranged by manor)
    D1618/3 Deeds of settlements affecting more than one manor
    D1618/4 Deeds and other papers affecting other estates, particularly the Richardson Brady
    D1618/5 Leases (arranged by Tyrone manor)
    D1618/6 Rentals
    D1618/7 Legal case papers, etc
    D1618/8 Wills and testamentary papers
    D1618/9 Account books
    D1618/10 Loose accounts
    D1618/11 Maps, plans and surveys
    D1618/12 Irish Land Commission sale papers (Castle Stewart estate – for Richardon Brady, see D1618/4)
    D1618/13 Patents of appointment
    D1618/14 Peerage claim and genealogical papers
    D1618/15 Correspondence of the Stuart family of Eary, alias Stuart Hall, Earls Castle Stewart
    D1618/16 Papers of the Robison family
    D1618/17 Papers of Colonel L.S. Dickson
    D1618/18 Miscellaneous papers

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions The collection can be consulted in the reading room in PRONI in accordance with PRONI's rules and regulations. http://www.proni.gov.uk/proni_rules_and_regulations_2011
Conditions Governing ReproductionItems may be copied for personal research use only. If a researcher wishes to publish any documents from this collection, a request must be submitted in writing to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Creation Dates1587-1960
Extent Mediumc6,000 documents + 42 volumes
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Finding Aids A full descriptive list is available to search online at: http://www.proni.gov.uk/ Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Copies InformationThere is a microfilm copy of D1618/16/3 available under MIC476

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NotePRONI Archivist
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000. National Council on Archives: Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names. Chippenham: National Council on Archives, 1997. UK Archival Thesaurus (UKAT)
Date of Descriptions41699