IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0064 SWT/101-106
Held at: National Maritime Museum
Title: Stewart, Admiral Sir William Houston (1822-1901)
Date(s): [1879-1884]
Level of description: sub-fonds
Extent: 1 box
Name of creator(s): Stewart | Sir | William Houston | 1822-1901 | Knight | Admiral
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
William Stewart, eldest son of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Houston Stewart (1791-1875), entered the Navy in 1835. He became a lieutenant in 1842, a commander in 1848 and a captain in 1854. In 1860 he joined the MARLBOROUGH as Flag-Captain to Sir William Fanshawe Martin (1801-1895), in the Mediterranean, where he remained for three years. The rest of his service was in administrative appointments. He was promoted to rear-admiral in 1870 and from July of that year was Admiral Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard until the end of 1871, when he was appointed in the same capacity to Portsmouth. From 1872 to 1881 he was Controller of the Navy, although without a seat on the Board of Admiralty. He became a vice-admiral in 1876 and admiral in 1881, when he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Devonport. Here he remained for the full period of three years and retired in 1885.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Papers of William Stewart, consisting of letters to Sir William, 1879 to 1884, including those from the First Lord, William Henry Smith (1825-1891) and other private correspondents. His period in the MARLBOROUGH is represented by letters as well as a book of remarks on the discipline of the ship. There is a book entitled the 'Dimensions, cost etc. of H.M. Ships built under contract and in the Dockyards', 1860 to 1873. The collection also contains the proceedings of the Naval Brigade attached to the expeditionary force for the relief of Tokar in 1884 when Lieutenant Houston Stewart, Sir William's son, in command of the Right Half-Battery, was killed at the action of El Teb. Finally there are a few letters written to Sir William's father, Sir Houston Stewart, between 1853 and 1854 when Sir Houston was Superintendent of Malta Dockyard.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Conditions governing access:
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Finding aids:
Detailed catalogue online at the: National Maritime Museum website .
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
The papers were presented by Miss Grace Stewart, the Admiral's granddaughter, in 1968.
ALLIED MATERIALS
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note: Edited by Sarah Drewery, Sep 2011.
Date(s) of descriptions: 2010-08-26