Background
Stewart was born in 1653, the son of Sir Alexander Stewart, 2nd Baronet, of Ramelton. He married the Honourable Mary Coote, daughter of Richard Coote, 1st Baron Coote.
Stewart was born in 1653, the son of Sir Alexander Stewart, 2nd Baronet, of Ramelton. He married the Honourable Mary Coote, daughter of Richard Coote, 1st Baron Coote.
He was appointed Master-General of the Ordnance and colonel of a regiment of foot and in 1682 was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Viscount Mountjoy and Baron Stewart for services during the Irish Rebellion. In 1686 he served in Hungary at the siege of Buda, where he was twice dangerously wounded, and on his return to Ireland was made a brigadier-general. In 1688 he commanded a portion of the royal Irish Army of the Catholic King James II stationed at Derry.
He was accordingly thrown into the Bastille, and kept confined there until 1692.
During his period of confinement, the Parliament of Ireland passed a bill of attainder requiring Stewart and two to three thousand others to report to Dublin for sentencing. Stewart in particular was directed to break out of the Bastille in order to report, under pain of being drawn and quartered.
On his release, he did indeed switch loyalties and joined William"s army in Flanders as a General, losing his life at the battle of Steenkerque on 24 August 1692, aged about 39.