Christian Stewart

CHRISTIAN STEWART (aka CRISTIAN STEWART or CRISTIANE STEWART)

The Lady of Breckness

Christian Stewart is the wife of Adam Mudie of Breckness, [NRS, TD94/21 and NRS, CS226] and the mother of Francis Mudie of Breckness, afterwards Francis Mudie of Melsetter. [NRS, CS226 and NRS, RD11] The names of her parents have not been identified and her date of birth is not known.

Her Date of Birth

A date of birth has not been identified for Christian Stewart. However, she and her husband Adam Mudie, younger of Breckness, had a charter for various lands from her father-in-law on 16 November 1595, and this grant was probably made in order to fulfil the conditions of a marriage contract. It seems quite likely, therefore, that this charter was executed on the occasion of the marriage or very shortly thereafter. Trying to extrapolate a birth year for Christian Stewart from such meagre information should be considered highly speculative but if it is supposed that she was married on or shortly before 16 November 1595, and, if it is further supposed that she had already reached the age of consent before this date (at this period the age of consent for females was twelve years of age), then it might not be unreasonable to suggest that she was probably born before 16 November 1583.

The Question of Identity

In the Moodie Book, Melville Henry Massue, Marquis of Ruvigny and Raineval, suggests that Christian Stewart may have been the sister of James Stewart of Graemsay and the bastard daughter of Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney The Moodie Book but this is evidently not the case. Earl Robert did have a daughter named Christian Stewart but she was married to John Mowat of Hugoland before 21 November 1597 Shetland Documents 1580-1611, pg 117-8, item 264 and Adam Mudie of Breckness and Christian Stewart are noticed as man and wife on either side of this date, on 16 November 1595 [NRS, TD94/21 ] and again on 28 February 1599. [NRS, CS226]

Marriage

Adam Mudie of Breckness married Christian Stewart. They were married on or before 16 November 1595. [NRS, TD94/21]

Children

1. Adam Mudie of Breckness, younger
2. Francis Mudie of Melsetter
3. James Mudie of Melsetter
4. Robert Mudie

Evidence of Relationship

                   1

16 August 1591: Crown charter in favour of Mr William Mudie of Breknes and Katherine Sinclair, his spouse of 1 pennyland and 1 merk land in the isle of Gramsay, 3 merks land in [Thurwa?], in parish of Wawis and Hoy, 2 merks land in Utterstromnes, lying in parish thereof, 3 pennyland with the teindsheaves thereof in the utter town of Stromnes called the Uttertoun which sometime pertained to the sub-deanery of Orknay, the 8 pennyland lying on the west part of the burn of Donra, parish of Ra, Caithness, together with the lands of Schabuster in said parish, following charter by the king, 16 August 1591 An Instrument of sasine dated at Breknes on 20 November 1595 followed. [NRS, TD94/21]

' 2

16 November 1595: Precept by Mr William Mudy of Breknes directed to Edward Sinclair in Lieger to give sasine to Adam Mudy, his son and Cristian Stewart his spouse of 1 pennyland and 1 merk land in the isle of Gramsay, 3 merks land in [Thurwa?], in parish of Wawis and Hoy, 2 merks land in Utterstromnes, lying in parish thereof, 3 pennyland with the teindsheaves thereof in the utter town of Stromnes called the Uttertoun which sometime pertained to the sub-deanery of Orknay, the 8 pennyland lying on the west part of the burn of Donra, parish of Ra, Caithness, together with the lands of Schabuster in said parish. Subscribed at Snelsetter, 16 November 1595. Witnessed by Robert Watson and Robert Wilsoun. [NRS, TD94/21]

Note: Robert Stewart, Earl of Orkney and Lord of Shetland, had a daughter named Christian Stewart who married John Mowat of Hugoland in Shetland. She became his wife before 21 November 1597 Shetland Documents 1580-1611, pg 117-8, item 264 and was still his wife on 4 October 1615. Court Book of Shetland 1615-1629, pp. 20-1 It follows, therefore, that she cannot also be the wife of Adam Mudie of Breckness. [NRS, TD94/21]

                   3

28 February 1598-9 : Charter by Patrick, Earl of Orkney, to Adam Mudie of Breckness for observing of his lordship's part of a contract and appointment made between him and the said Adam, with consent of Christian Stewart spouse of the said Adam and taking burden for Francis Mudie, his eldest son and the other heirs named in the said contract; with sasine thereon [NRS, CS226]

                   4

10 January 1609: Discharge by William Carmichael, merchant, citizen in Kirkwall, to James Stewart of Gramsay, for £40, in name and behalf of Cristiane Stewart relict of the deceased Adam Mudie of Braknes, and Francis Mudie, her son for 13 meills and 2 settings malt, good and sufficient stuff, fresh and merchant ware, contained in obligation, dated 30 December 1602 (reg. in books of council on 10 March 1603). William consents that Cristiane and Francis be relaxed from the process of horning. [NRS, RD11]

                   5

11 July 1611: Complaint to the Privy Council of Scotland by John Brown, messenger in Orkney, that in May last while he was executing in the house of John McKenzie, in the town of Kirkwall, letters of inhibition by Patrick, Earl of Orkney, against Francis Mudie of Breckness and Christian Stewart his mother, the said Francis, after calling the Earl "oftymes a mensworne traitor" and the said complainer himself "ane deboshet lowne" struck complainer his "fauldes neve upon the face, and tuk him by the beard and ruggit furth a grite pairt thereof" after which he pursued the complainer for his life with a dagger, and would have slain him if the complainer had not held him by the hand in which the dagger was, whereupon he pulled out the complainers own whinger for his slaughter. The Moodie Book

Genealogy

1. The Scots Peerage
2. The Moodie Book
3. The County Families of the Shetland Islands
4. South Africa - History and Families of Witsand (White Sands) and Port Beaufort