Ayrshire > Volume 2

THE MARQUISATE OF BUTE 211
Sir Dugal Stewart, second Baronet, succeeded in
1662. He appears to have been much encumbered
financially and to have passed on a good dead of debt to
his son ; and on his death in 1676 his free estate was
escheated for debt at the instance of Lord Cochrane.
By his wife, a daughter of Sir John Ruthven of Douglass,
he had a family of two sons and four daughters. The
elder son, Sir James Stewart, the third Baronet, succeeded
in 1670. By his marriage, 1680, to Agnes, eldest daughter
of Sir George MacKenzie of Rosehaugh, His Majesty's
Advocate for Scotland, he obtained the support and the
influence necessary to restore the impaired fortunes of
the family. He succeeded the forfeited Archibald, Earl
of Argyll, as Colonel of the Militia, in the shires of Argyll,
Bute, and Dumbarton, Sheriff- Principal of the shire of
Tarbet, and Sheriff of Argyll ; and having been admitted
to the office of an advocate, he was able to exercise all
his judicial offices in person. In 1685, however, the
forfeited Earl appeared, in the Sheriff's absence with
his regiment, off the island of Bute with several frigates,
harried his lands, stormed and took the Castle of Allan-
greg, and carried off the stores, furniture, books, etc. ;
and so reduced the islanders to straits that Sir George
MacKenzie wrote from Edinburgh to Boyle of Kelburne
asking him to supply them with provisions, and promising
to see him reimbursed. It was not long till the King's
ships arrived, and captured some of Argyll's vessels, but
no mention is made as to how much of the Sheriff's
property was recovered.
Sir James represented Buteshire in the Scots Parlia-
ment from 1685 to 1693, when his seat was declared
vacant because of his failure to take the oath of allegiance.
He seems to have done so later, as in 1702 he was
re-elected for the shire, was appointed a Privy Councillor,
and was made a Commissioner to treat for the Union
between Scotland and England. On April 14, 1793, he
was created Earl of Bute, Viscount Kingarth, Lord
Mount-Stuart, Cumra, and Inchmarnock. During the
discussions in Parliament on the treaty with England,