co. Tyrone.
Overview
The following extract records the matriculation of arms of Sir Hugh Houghton Stewart, 4th Baronet of Athenree, as entered in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland in 1935.
This document is of particular importance, as it sets out in formal genealogical sequence the descent of the Stewart family from Captain Andrew Stewart of Gortigil through successive generations to the baronetcy. It also confirms the family’s long-standing use of armorial bearings and their recognition within the heraldic authority of the Lord Lyon.
Extract of Matriculation (1935)
Sir Hugh Houghton Stewart of Athenree, Baronet… having by Petition… represented that he was… the eldest son of the late Sir John Marcus Stewart, 3rd Baronet… and that the said Sir John Marcus Stewart… was the eldest son of Sir Hugh Stewart, 2nd Baronet… and that the said Sir Hugh Stewart… was the eldest son of Sir John Stewart… created 1st Baronet of Athenree… and that the said Sir John Stewart… was the eldest son of the Reverend Hugh Stewart, Rector of Termon… and that the said Reverend Hugh Stewart… was the only surviving son of John Stewart of Gortigil… and that the said John Stewart… was the eldest surviving son of Hugh Stewart of Gortigil… and that the said Hugh Stewart… was the second son… of Captain Andrew Stewart of Gortigil… who… accompanied Andrew Stewart, 3rd Lord Ochiltree & 1st Lord Castlestewart, from Scotland…
…the family of Stewart of Gortigil & Athenree has borne Arms from a period anterior to the year 1672… confirmed & amplified when registered in the office of Arms in Ireland on the Twenty Eighth day of November 1808…
…the Lord Lyon King of Arms… granted warrant… to matriculate… the following Ensigns Armorial…
Description of the Arms
The matriculated arms are described as:
- Quarterly:
- 1st: Or, a lion rampant within a double tressure flory counter-flory Gules (Scotland)
- 2nd: Or, a fess chequy Azure and Argent, in chief a portcullis Sable (Stewart)
- 3rd: Argent, a saltire between four roses Gules, barbed Vert (Lennox)
- 4th: Or, a lion rampant Gules (Fife)
- Bordure:
- Compony Argent and Azure, charged with three thistles proper
- Crest:
- A unicorn’s head couped Argent, armed and crined Or, between two olive branches
- Motto:
- Forward
The arms combine elements associated with the royal and noble Stewart lineages of Scotland, including references to Stewart, Lennox, and associated heraldic traditions.
Heraldic and Genealogical Significance
This matriculation serves several important purposes:
- It formally records the lineal descent of the Stewart family of Athenree
- It confirms the family’s right to bear arms within Scottish heraldic jurisdiction
- It connects the Tyrone-based family to the broader Scottish Stewart tradition
- It reinforces the family’s claim to long-standing gentry and armigerous status
The document is particularly valuable as it preserves, in official form, the genealogical sequence already known from other sources.
Context within the Stewart Family History
The matriculation was made in 1935, during the lifetime of:
Sir Hugh Houghton Stewart, 4th Baronet (1858–1942)
By this time:
- The family had long been established in County Tyrone
- Ballygawley Park had been sold (1918) and later destroyed (1922)
- The family’s principal residence had shifted to Loughmacrory Lodge
The matriculation therefore represents a moment of formal recognition of lineage and identity, at a time when the traditional estate system was already in decline.
Provenance
This extract is reproduced from the official record of the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, by permission of:
Sir David John Christopher Stewart, 7th Baronet of Athenree
Conclusion
The matriculation of arms of Sir Hugh Houghton Stewart provides both a heraldic and genealogical summary of the Stewart family of Athenree. It confirms their descent from the early seventeenth-century settlement in Tyrone and situates the family within the wider tradition of the Scottish Stewarts.
As a document, it complements the narrative and genealogical material presented elsewhere on this site, offering a formal and authoritative statement of lineage, identity, and continuity.