James "Beag" Stewart (c1424-1470) of Baldorran was the seventh illegitimate son of James Mor Stewart, who fled into exile in Ireland when his father Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany was executed for treason by James I of Scotland in 1425. James the Fat would never return to Scotland, and he was unable to inherit the Albany estates, but James "Beag" Stewart was able to secure a royal pardon and return to Scotland. He is the ancestor of the Stewarts of Ardvorlich on Lochearnside, whose family history is recounted by Sir Walter Scott in A Legend of Montrose.
Loch Achray, where Stewart kept a hunting lodge.
Cover illustration of Sir Walter Scott's A Legend of Montrose, which tells the story of Stewart's descendants, the Stewarts of Ardvorlich.
James Mor Stewart, called James the Fat, was the youngest son of Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany and Isabella of Lennox. When his father and brothers were executed by King James I for treason in 1425, James led a rebellion against the king, taking the town of Dumbarton and killing the keeper of Dumbarton Castle. His success was short lived and he soon fled to Ireland, where he would spend the remainder of his life in exile. A second attempt at rebellion in 1429 saw a fleet sail to Ireland to collect James "to convey him home that he might be king", but he died before the attempt could be made.
Seal of James's father, Murdoch Stewart, Duke of Albany
James burned the town of Dumbarton in 1425, but Dumbarton Castle held out against him.
King James I of Scotland, mortal enemy of the Albany Stewarts.
Inchmurrin, Loch Lomond, where James' mother Isabella of Lennox raised her grandchildren after her eventual release from Tantallon Castle.
