The following is based on articles kindly sent to me by Peggy Givens who lives in America and has undertaken extensive search into the family name Steward.

The earliest records of the name in England are those of Martin Steuhard, who was living in Norfolk County in 1273; Adam le Stiuuard of Gloucestershire in 1273; Hugh Stiward of Norfolk in the same year; Nicholas Staward of Somerset in 1327; and Willelmus or William Stuard of Yorkshire in 1379.

The greater part of the family of the name in Norfolk is believed, however, to be descended from the ancient Scottish line. Sir John Steward, son of John, the "Scot-Angle" married a daughter of Sir Thomas Kiriel and a daughter of Sir John Hamerton. His children were Richard, who married the daughter and heir of John Burley; Thomas; and Galfrid. Richard's sons were Nicol, a lawyer of the Middle Temple who married Cecilia, daughter of John Baskerville; and Thomas. Nicol or Nicholas' children were William; Richard; Robert, the prior, Simon, Nicol, and others. Of this family, Nicholas, son of Richard Stywart, was resident about the beginning of the sixteenth century at Wells in Norfolk.

His sons were Richard, Robert, Nicholas, and Symon. Of these, Richard married Elizabeth Cossyn, (Comyn)? by whom he was the father of Jeffrey, Richard, Thomas, and William; Nicholas left issue by his wife, Elizabeth Lucas, of Sir William Steward, of the Isle of Ely, who was the father of Sir Thomas Steward, High Sheriff of Cambridge and Huntingdon; and Symon was the father of Robert, Edward, Marcus, John, Thomas, Augustine, and Nicholas Styward or Steward, whose descendants were numerous in Norfolk, Suffolk, and the County of Cambridge.

The Stuarts of Hampshire, England, trace their descent from Sir Alexander Stuart, a younger son of the ancient Scottish family. Of this line, Nicholas Stuart of Hartley, in Hampshire, was advanced to the dignity of Baronet in 1660. He married Mary, daughter of Sir Miles Sandys, of Gloucestershire, and was the father by her of Nicholas, Miles, Charles, and numerous daughters.

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AUGUSTINE STEWARD, a member of the Virginia Company, was in the Virginia Colony in 1611 and 1612. Augustine Steward, nephew of Robert, prior of Ely cathedral in Cambridgeshire, England, married Anne, aunt of Sir Samuel Argall.

Sir Samuel (c.1580-1626) was an English administrator of Virginia, 1617-19: defeated Indians, 1612; French in Nova Scotia, 1613; and assisted in attack on Cadiz, 1625-26."

Sir Samuel Argall was granted some of the "land of New England by lotts, Cape Cod, and into the maine (high sea)" in a distribution made probably about May 1622. He was an early voyager to America, 1609, 1613, etc.

Augustine Steward owned the site of Barking Abbey, in Essex.

In the parish records of England are found other births which might provide clues to the origins of English Stewards into America. In Cambridgeshire in 1600 another William Steward was born to yet another Augustine Steward. An Augustine Steward was born about 1650 in London. A Charles, son of Charles, was born in Suffolk in 1616, and a Charles was born in Oxfordshire in 1620, son of Richard Stewart.

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One of the first of the STEWART names in America was JAMES STEWART OR STEWARD (often STUART), London, who came in the ship FORTUNE to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621. James died before 1627, without progeny.

Some of the other early-day Stewarts includes Charles Steward or Stewart of Henrico County, VA, 1635-1638, who was affiliated with Edward Osborne and Christopher Branch (IMMIGRANTS TO VIRGINIA); John Steward of Upper Norfolk County, VA, in 1639; William Steward in Barbados in 1635; Charles Stuart, who was living in Maryland in 1642; James Stuard who was in Lower New Norfolk County, VA in 1651; David Steward of Northampton County, VA in 1652; Robert Stuart of Gloucester Co, VA, and Oneale Stuart of Isle of Wight County, VA, in 1652; Walter and Henry Stuart in Northumberland Co, VA in 1653; Roger, Neal, and Patrick Steward, who came to Virginia in 1655, the first settling in Nansemond County and the last in Lancaster County; and Andrew Steward of Surry County, Va in 1656.

In the genealogy prepared by E. S. Stewart in the 1930s and published in the STEWART CLAN MAGAZINE is found information concerning some of the Stewards who came to America from England.

He stated that the Stewards of New Jersey were descended from the Stewards of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, England, where they were quite numerous in the 16th century. The following is an account of this genealogy.

WALTER STEWARD, third hereditary high steward of Scotland, was the first to assume the surname. He was the son of Alan, who died in 1204, son of Walter, who died in 1177, first high steward. This Walter, known as Walter Fitzalan, went to Scotland as one of the military aides of King David I: he was the second son of Alan Fitzflaad, a Norman chieftain who came into England with William, the conqueror, in 1066 and was given land in Shropshire. Walter died in 1246, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Alexander.

ALEXANDER STEWARD, fourth high steward of Scotland, died in 1283. He had three sons James, fifth high steward and progenitor of the royal line of Stewarts; John, ancestor of many noble families of Stewarts, including the earls of Lennox, and Andrew.

ANDREW STEWARD, third son of the fourth high steward, had a son Alexander. The position of this Andrew in the pedigree was formerly a matter of dispute among historians, but his place is now generally accepted.

ALEXANDER STEWARD, called "the fierce," is said to have killed a lion with a club, and on that account he received an addition to his arms. He had a son, Sir John.

JOHN STEWARD, son of Alexander, the fierce, was a second cousin to King Robert II, and was one of the attendants of James Stewart, prince of Scotland, when the boy was to be sent to France in 1402 for safety. The ship carrying the prince was taken by the English, and James was kept a prisoner for many years. John Steward remained in England, and in 1408 he was knighted by King Henry IV.

He was called the Scot-Angle. He fought in the English army in France and is believed to have perished in the battle of Agincourt, 1415.

JOHN STEWARD, son of the first Sir John, was knighted in 1420 by King Henry V, and was given a gilt cup by Queen Catherine at her coronation.

THOMAS STEWARD, son of the second Sir John, settled at Swaffham, Norfolk, and became a famous mariner. He died in 1470.

RICHARD STEWARD, son of Thomas, married a daughter of John Boreley. NICHOLAS STEWARD, son of Richard, married Cecilia, daughter of John Baskerville, and died in 1520. He is referred to variously as Nicholas Steward of Wells, of Outwell, and of Upwell.

His third son, Robert, became a monk at Ely; he was a graduate of Cambridge, 1520, and was made prior of Ely about 1522: he surrendered the monastery of King Henry VIII and was granted a pension of 120 Pounds; in 1541, when the see of Ely was refounded, he was made its first dean, and he is said to have obtained a confirmation of the Steward pedigree: he died in 1557 and was buried in Ely cathedral.

Nicholas' second son, Nicholas received in 1548 a lease of the rectory of Ely from his brother, the dean: His son William had the lease renewed to him in 1665; he was also buried in Ely cathedral.

William Steward, son of Nicholas was the father of Sir Thomas(12) of Cambridge, who married Bridget, daughter of John Poole of Cheshire, and was knighted by King James VI in 1604; Elizabeth Steward, sister of Sir Thomas, was the mother of Oliver Cromwell.

SIMON STEWARD, fourth son of the first Nicholas, lived at Stuntney, Cambridge, which he received for Knight's service from King Edward VI, and died in 1568. His third son, Mark, was knighted in 1603, when 79 years old, by King James VI: he died the following November and was buried in Ely cathedral.

Sir Mark Steward was the father of Sir Simon (or Simeon), who wrote a graceful poem called THE FAEREY KING, and was knighted with his father in 1603.

THOMAS STEWARD, fifth son of the first Simon, settled at Mildenhall, Suffolk. He was the father of Thomas Steward of Barton Mills, Suffolk, and Simon.

SIMON STEWARD, son of Thomas of Mildenhall, settled at Mobberley, Cheshire. He was a second cousin of Oliver Cromwell's mother. He died in 1651 at Mobberley, leaving a widow Margery and children Simon, James, John, Henry, Margaret, and Elizabeth and Mary.

Simon, the younger, died at Mobberley in 1664; James went to London and became an educator; John remained at Mobberley, and Henry died at that place in 1682.

JOHN STEWARD, third son of Simon, the elder, became a Quaker. He died at Mobberley in 1695, and Ellen, his widow, died at Macclesfield, Cheshire, in 1710, at the age of 74 years.

The births of their nine children were given on page 105, tome A of the STEWART CLAN MAGAZINE..

JOSEPH STEWARD, fourth son of John and Ellen, came to America at the age of 18 in 1682, sailing from Liverpool in the ship SUBMISSION with James Harrison, agent of William Penn.

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