James Steuart of Coltness
{{Short description|Scottish merchant, banker, landowner, politician and Covenanter}}
{{other people|James Steuart}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = James Steuart of Coltness
| image = James Steuart of Coltness Scougall.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Portrait of Steuart by David Scougall (c. 1658)
| office = Lord Provost of Edinburgh
| term = 1658–1659
| predecessor = Sir Andrew Ramsay, Lord Abbotshall
| successor = Robert Murray
| office1 = Commissioner for Edinburgh
| term1 = 1649–1650
| predecessor1 = Sir John Smyth
| successor1 = Samuel Desborrow
| office2 = Lord Provost of Edinburgh
| term2 = 1648–1649
| predecessor2 = Sir Archibald Tod
| successor2 = Sir Archibald Tod
| office3 =
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 =
| predecessor3 =
| successor3 =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1608
| birth_place =
| death_date = 31 March 1681
| death_place =
| nationality = Scottish
| other_names =
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Anne Hope
|1630|1646|reason=her death}} - {{marriage|Marion McCulloch Elliott
|1648}}
}}
| children = Sir James Steuart
Sir Robert Steuart, Bt.
| parents = James Steuart
Marion Carmichael
| relatives =
| occupation = Merchant, banker, landowner, politician
| known_for =
| alma_mater =
}}
Sir James Steuart of Coltness (1608 – 31 March 1681) was a Scottish merchant, banker, landowner, politician and Covenanter.{{cite web|title=Sir James Steuart of Coltness (1608–1681), Lord Provost of Edinburgh (1648–1650 & 1658–1660) {{!}} Art UK {{!}} Discover Artworks Sir James Steuart of Coltness (1608–1681), Lord Provost of Edinburgh (1648–1650 & 1658–1660)|url=http://artuk.org/discover/artworks/sir-james-steuart-of-coltness-16081681-lord-provost-of-edinburgh-16481650-16581660-93771|website=artuk.org|access-date=28 January 2017|language=en}}
Early life
Steuart was the second son of Marion Carmichael and James Steuart (1575–1607), of Allanton, Lanarkshire, and was born posthumously.{{cite web|title=James Steuart [Stewart] b. 1608 d. 1681: MacFarlane Clan & Families Genealogy|url=http://www.clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info/genealogy/TNGWebsite/getperson.php?personID=I14560&tree=CC|website=clanmacfarlanegenealogy.info|access-date=28 January 2017}} Marion was sister of Sir James Carmichael, Justice General of Scotland.{{Cite web |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/146497063.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=28 February 2019 |archive-date=1 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190301014500/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/146497063.pdf |url-status=dead }}
Career
He was a merchant and banker in Edinburgh, acquired a large fortune, then acquired the estates of Kirkfield (from Sir John Somerville of Cambusnethan) and Coldness (from Sir John Hamilton of Edston), both in Lanarkshire, in 1653.{{cite web|title=Sir James Steuart of Coltness|url=http://collections.ed.ac.uk/art/record/453|website=collections.ed.ac.uk|publisher=University of Edinburgh|access-date=28 January 2017|language=en}}
He became a burgess of Edinburgh and guild member in 1631, apparently through his marriage to Thomas Hope's niece.
=Public office=
Steuart served as Provost of Edinburgh from 1648 to 1652, Commissioner for Edinburgh to the Parliament of Scotland from 1649 to 1650, and Lord Provost again in 1659. For a period of time, he was the Collector of Excise and Accountant-General for the Scottish Army.{{cite journal|last1=Taylor|first1=W. L.|title=A Short Life of Sir James Steuart: Political Economist|journal=The South African Journal of Economics|volume=25|issue=4|pages=290–302|date=December 1957|doi=10.1111/j.1813-6982.1957.tb02850.x}}
His period of office as Provost included the decision to fortify the harbour of Leith and to create a new road between Edinburgh and Leith (later called Leith Walk.
=Scottish Restoration=
At the Restoration (1660) he was dismissed from public roles due to his being a Covenanter. After confinement in Edinburgh Castle, Steuart was sent to Dundee as a prisoner. He was granted a pardon in 1670.{{Cite book|title = The Scottish Nation: Or The Surnames, Families, Literature, Honours, and Biographical History of the People of Scotland, Volume 3|last = Anderson|first = William|year = 1863|pages = 509}}
Personal life
In 1630, he married Anne Hope (d. 1646), daughter of Henry Hope and niece of Sir Thomas Hope of Craighall.Matthew H.C.G., editor, Dictionary of National Biography on CD-ROM (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995). Hereinafter cited as Dictionary of National Biography. Together, they had:{{cite web|title=Person Page - Sir James Steuart of Coltness|url=http://www.thepeerage.com/p5832.htm|website=thepeerage.com|publisher=The Peerage|access-date=28 January 2017}}
- Sir Thomas Steuart, 1st Baronet of Coltness (1631–1698){{cite web|title=University of Edinburgh Archive and Manuscript Collections {{!}} Special Collections {{!}} Coltness Papers|url=http://archives.collections.ed.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/304|website=archives.collections.ed.ac.uk|publisher=University of Edinburgh|access-date=28 January 2017}}
- Sir James Steuart of Goodtrees (1635–1713)
- William Steuart (1640–1700)
- Sir Robert Steuart, 1st Baronet of Allanbank (1643–1707)
- Marion Steuart (1645–1706), who married John Maxwell (1648–1732)
In 1648, two years after Anne's death, Steuart married Marion McCulloch Elliott (d. 1690), widow of Sir John Elliott, and only daughter and heiress of David McCulloch, of Goodtrees.{{cite book|last1=Calderwood|first1=Margaret Steuart|title=Letters and Journals of Mrs. Calderwood of Polton: From England, Holland and the Low Countries in 1756|date=1884|publisher=D. Douglas|url=https://archive.org/details/lettersandjourn00ferggoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/lettersandjourn00ferggoog/page/n445 379]|quote=James Steuart of Coltness (1608–1681).|access-date=28 January 2017|language=en}}
See also
References
;Notes
{{reflist}}
;Sources
- Joseph Foster, Members of Parliament, Scotland (London and Aylesbury, 1882), [https://archive.org/stream/cu31924030499002#page/n355/mode/2up p. 326]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steuart, James}}
Category:Lord provosts of Edinburgh
Category:Burgh commissioners to the Parliament of Scotland
Category:Members of the Parliament of Scotland 1648–1651
Category:17th-century Scottish politicians
Category:Politicians from Edinburgh