Arthur Stuart, 7th Earl Castle Stewart

Stuart was the third son of Andrew John Stuart, 6th Earl Castle Stewart, an Ulster Scots nobleman, and his wife, Emma Georgiana Diana, the youngest daughter of Major-General Arthur Stevens (1821–1895) of the Madras Native Infantry and his second wife (of five), Georgiana Eliza Dickson, a descendant of John Sheffield, 1st Duke of Buckingham and Normanby.[1] The Stuart family descends in the male line from King Robert II of Scotland.

He was educated at Charterhouse, Trinity College, Cambridge and the University of Paris.[2]

Stuart fought in the First World War as a Major in the Machine Gun Corps, was mentioned in despatches and was awarded the Military Cross in the 1918 Birthday Honours.[3] His two elder brothers were both killed in the First World War and in 1921, he succeeded his father as seventh Earl Castle Stewart. However, as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the House of Lords. He was elected to the House of Commons for Harborough in 1929 as a Conservative and Unionist, a seat he held until 1933.

On 16 December 1920, then-Viscount Stuart married Eleanor May, daughter of Solomon Guggenheim. They had four sons, of whom the two eldest were killed in the Second World War. He committed suicide with a shotgun in his study at Old Lodge, his house and estate at Ashdown Forest near Uckfield on 5 November 1961,[4] aged 72, and was succeeded in his titles by his third son, Arthur Stuart, 8th Earl Castle Stewart. Eleanor, Dowager Countess Castle Stewart died in 1992. After her death, Old Lodge was sold to H.H. Torki M Bin Saud Al Kabeer, a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia.

• Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by The Earl Castle Stewart