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Crichton-Stuart family, Marquesses of Bute

This page summarises records created by this Family

The summary includes a brief description of the collection(s) (usually including the covering dates of the collection), the name of the archive where they are held, and reference information to help you find the collection.

Date: 1300-2000
History:

John Stuart, a son of Robert II of Scotland, was created hereditary sheriff of Buteshire (the islands of Bute, Arran and Cumbrae) in c.1385. The 1st Earl of Bute, so created in 1703, married in 1680 Agnes, daughter of Sir George Mackenzie of Rosehaugh (Ross and Cromarty), but following the death of the 2nd Earl in 1723 the Mackenzie estates passed to a younger son, James Stuart, later Stuart-Mackenzie (d. 1800). The 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-92, Prime Minister 1762-63) married in 1736 Mary Wortley-Montagu (d. 1794), heiress of estates in Yorkshire and Cornwall. These estates, however, passed to their second son James Archibald Stuart-Wortley (1747-1818), who also inherited the Mackenzie estates from his uncle and took the additional name of Mackenzie in 1803. The 3rd Earl acquired the Luton Hoo (Bedfordshire) estate in 1763, but it was sold in 1844.

In 1766 John Stuart, later 4th Earl and (1796) 1st Marquess of Bute, married Charlotte, daughter and heir of the 2nd Viscount Windsor (d. 1758), through whom descended estates and coalfields in South Wales formerly belonging to the Earls of Pembroke (see Herbert, Earls of Pembroke), and the Axwell (Co. Durham) estate of her mother's family of Clavering.

Lord Mount Stuart (d. 1794), son of the 1st Marquess, married in 1792 Elizabeth McDouall-Crichton, daughter of the 6th Earl of Dumfries (d. 1803), bringing estates in Ayrshire and Wigtownshire to the Stuart family. Originally seated at Sanquhar (Dumfriesshire)(later sold), the Crichton family had been established in Ayrshire since the 17th century. William Crichton was created Viscount of Air in 1622 and Earl of Dumfries in 1633. The 3rd Earl (d. 1694) was succeeded by his sister Penelope, who married in 1698 William Dalrymple, second son of the 1st Earl of Stair. On her death in 1742 the Dumfries estates passed to her son as 5th Earl of Dumfries: he also succeeded in 1760 to the earldom of Stair, as 4th Earl, but not to the Stair estates. On the death of the 5th Earl of Dumfries in 1768 the title and estates passed to his nephew Patrick McDouall of Freuch (Wigtownshire).

The 2nd Marquess of Bute (1793-1848) married secondly, in 1845, Sophia Rawdon-Hastings (d. 1859), second daughter of the 1st Marquess of Hastings and Flora Campbell, in her own right Countess of Loudon (d. 1840) (see Rawdon-Hastings, later Abney-Hastings, Marquesses of Hastings and Earls of Loudon), through whom a large quantity of Campbell and Hastings papers passed to the Marquesses of Bute. Sanquhar and Drumlanrig accounts and papers formerly at Drumlanrig (see Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Dukes of Buccleuch and Queensberry) were acquired from a dealer in 1897: the Drumlanrig papers were returned to the 8th Duke of Buccleuch in 1981. In the 20th century the 4th Marquess of Bute added extensively to the manuscript collections at Mount Stuart House and elsewhere.

Estates in 1883: Ayshire 43,734 acres, Buteshire 29,279 acres, Wigtownshire 20,157 acres, Glamorganshire 21,402 acres, Breconshire 59 acres, Monmouthshire 12 acres, Co Durham 1,953 acres, Beds 72 acres, total 116,668 acres worth £151,135 a year, exclusive of Ayrshire minerals worth £2,506.

Places:
  • Hertfordshire
  • Middlesex
  • Worcestershire
  • Aberdare, Glamorgan
  • Adderbury, Oxfordshire
  • Ardwell, Wigtownshire
  • Arran, Buteshire
  • Auchinleck, Ayrshire
  • Axwell, Durham
  • Bute, Buteshire
  • Caerphilly, Glamorgan
  • Cardiff, Glamorgan
  • Clackmannan, Clackmannanshire
  • Cumbrae, Buteshire
  • Dumfries House, Ayrshire
  • Edinburgh, Midlothian
  • Eglwysilan, Glamorgan
  • Falkland, Fife
  • Kirkcowan, Wigtownshire
  • Kirknewton, Northumberland
  • Kirtling, Cambridgeshire
  • Llanblethian, Glamorgan
  • Llantrisant, Glamorgan
  • London
  • Luton, Bedfordshire
  • Luton Hoo, Bedfordshire
  • Machen, Monmouthshire
  • Mochrum, Wigtownshire
  • Mountstuart, Buteshire
  • Newport, Monmouthshire
  • Ochiltree, Ayrshire
  • Pluscarden, Moray
  • Rothesay, Buteshire
  • Sanquhar, Dumfriesshire
  • Sorbie, Wigtownshire
  • Tanfield, Durham
  • Usk, Monmouthshire
  • Winlaton, Durham
  • Falkland Palace, Fife
  • Old Cumnock, Ayrshire
  • Kirkinner, Wigtownshire
  • Caerphilly Castle, Glamorgan
  • Cardiff Castle, Glamorgan
  • Castell Coch, Glamorgan
  • Trelegg, Monmouthshire
  • Wentlooge St Bride, Monmouthshire
Sources of authority: Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, Guide to Principal Family and Estate Collections, L-W, 1999.
Name authority reference: GB/NNAF/F176590 (Former ISAAR ref: GB/NNAF/F10927 )
Collections
Number Description Held by Reference Further information
1
14th cent-20th cent: Ayrshire (Dumfries House in Old Cumnock, etc), Buteshire (Cumbrae in Arran, Mount Stuart and Rothesay in Bute, etc) and Wigtownshire (Ardwell, Mochrum, etc) charters, writs, legal papers, rentals, accounts, estate, household and Crichton, Stuart and Crichton-Stuart family papers c1400-20th cent, writs, legal, estate and household papers for Clackmannanshire (Clackmannan, etc), Dumfriesshire (Sanquhar, etc) and Midlothian (Edinburgh, etc) 14th-19th cent and Wales (Caerphilly Castle, Cardiff, Castell Coch in Glamorganshire, etc) mainly 18th-20th cent, Luton Hoo (Beds) library lists 1827-41 and papers rel to Falkland Palace (Fife) and Pluscarden Priory (Morayshire) 19th-20th cent, with papers of the Boyd, Campbell, McDouall, Mure, Hastings and Rawdon-Hastings families from 12th cent
Bute Archive at Mount Stuart
NRA 15459 Crichton-Stuart

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100a]
2
1859-1860: Buteshire, Dumfriesshire and Wigtownshire rentals and states of account
National Records of Scotland (formerly National Archives of Scotland)
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100b]
3
14th cent-20th cent: Glamorganshire (Cardiff, Llantrisant, etc) and Monmouthshire (Newport, Machen, etc) deeds, legal and trust papers, manorial records, rentals, accounts, estate, mining, ironworking, harbour and dock papers 14th-20th cent, with Beds (Luton, etc) deeds and papers 16th-19th cent, Cambs (Kirtling) and Durham (Axwell, etc) estate corresp 19th cent and papers rel to Cardiff Castle 16th-19th cent, Glamorganshire affairs 1815-37 and the Herbert and Windsor families 16th-18th cent
National Library of Wales: Department of Collection Services
NRA 581 Stuart

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100c]
4
18th cent-20th cent: Glamorganshire (Aberdare, Cardiff, etc) deeds, manorial records and estate, mineral, harbour and railway corresp and papers
Glamorgan Archives
NRA 10781

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100d]
5
17th cent-20th cent: Glamorganshire (Cardiff, etc) and Monmouthshire (Trelegg, Usk, etc) deeds, estate, mineral and transport papers 17th-20th cent, catalogue of Cardiff Castle pictures 1886-87 and Crichton-Stuart family papers 1764-1918, incl some rel to Glamorganshire and Beds politics 19th cent, with Adderbury (Oxon) rental 1757 and papers rel to the Windsor family 17th-18th cent, the Stuart Mackenzie family 1748-98 and the Duke of Beaufort's property c1823-35
Cardiff Central Library
NRA 10781

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100f]
6
16th cent-18th cent: Glamorganshire (Cardiff, etc) deeds and papers
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
NRA 22080 Herbert

See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [50a]
7
late 19th cent: Cardiff Castle (Glamorganshire) architectural drawings by William Burges
Collection held privately: enquiries to The National Archives, Archives Sector Development
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100g]
8
17th cent-19th cent: Beds (Luton Hoo, etc), Herts, Middlesex and Worcs deeds and papers
Glamorgan Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100e]
9
1789-1859: Luton Hoo (Beds) estate and household papers and misc political corresp of the 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814)
Bedfordshire Archives
NRA 10481 Stuart

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100h]
10
1817-1824: Luton Hoo (Beds) manorial papers 1817-24 and misc Glamorganshire (Cardiff, etc) manorial papers 1817-18
Northamptonshire Archives Service
NRA 25867 Watson
11
1470-1558: Luton (Beds) manor court rolls 1470-1558 and accounts of the guild of the Holy Trinity, Luton 1527-47
Bedfordshire Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100i]
12
c1750-1769: Luton Hoo (Beds) and Bute (later Lansdowne) House (London) architectural drawings (Adam family)
Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum, National Art Library
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100o]
13
16th cent-20th cent: Durham (Axwell, Winlaton, etc) deeds, legal, trust, estate and mining papers 16th-20th cent, papers rel to Kirk Newton (Northumberland) advowson 1877 and misc rentals and papers rel to Scottish and Welsh estates 19th cent
Durham County Record Office
NRA 26390 Clayton & Gibson

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100j]
14
16th cent-20th cent: Durham (Axwell, etc) deeds and legal trust and mining papers
Durham County Record Office
NRA 26390 Clayton & Gibson

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100k]
15
c1811-1856: Durham (Axwell, etc) surveys, plans and estate papers (Thomas Bell as surveyor)
Durham County Record Office
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100l]
16
1901-1933: Durham (Winlaton, etc) mineral rent account book
Durham County Record Office
NRA 18297 Durham RO misc

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100m]
17
1820-20th cent: Durham (Tanfield, Winlaton, etc) estate papers 1820-56 and Falkland (Fife) estate papers 1820-20th cent, with Falkland Palace visitors' books 1879-1933
Collection held privately: enquiries to National Register of Archives for Scotland
NRA 40343 Crichton-Stuart

See HMC Principal family and estate collections l-W, 1999 [100n]
18
19th cent-20th cent: Durham (Dipton, Tanfield, etc) estate papers
Durham County Record Office
See HMC Principal family and estate collections A-K, 1996 [8b]
19
1761-1763: letter book of the 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792)
Unknown location
NRA 5699 Stuart

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100p]
20
1764-1766: account book of the 3rd Earl of Bute (1713-1792)
Cambridge University Library: Department of Manuscripts and University Archives
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100q]
21
1788: Scottish travel journal of the 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814)
National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [100r]
22
1760-1797: diplomatic papers of the 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814)
British Library, Manuscript Collections
See HMC Private papers of British diplomats 1782-1900, 1985 p65
23
1776-1783: further diplomatic corresp and papers of the 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814)
Manchester University: University of Manchester Library
See HMC Private papers of British diplomats 1782-1900, 1985 p65
24
1787-1813: misc corresp and papers of the 1st Marquess of Bute (1744-1814)
Harrowby Manuscripts Trust
See HMC Private papers of British diplomats 1782-1900, 1985 p66
25
1803-1818: tutory papers for the 2nd Marquess of Bute (1793-1848)
National Records of Scotland (formerly National Archives of Scotland)
NRA 34806 Buccleuch

See HMC Principal family and estate collections L-W, 1999 [70a]
26
1740-1916: records incl. official papers, receipts and accounts, correspondence, papers and plans relating to industry and business
Glamorgan Archives