Henry Villiers-Stuart

Henry Windsor Villiers-Stuart (13 September 1827 – 12 October 1895), was a British soldier, politician, clergyman and author.

Villiers-Stuart was the son of Henry Villiers-Stuart, 1st Baron Stuart de Decies, son of Lord Henry Stuart and his wife Lady Gertrude Amelia, daughter of George Mason-Villiers, 2nd Earl Grandison. His paternal great-grandfather was John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute, son of Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute. His mother was Theresia Pauline, of Vienna, Austria. His parents had been married in a Roman Catholic service at St James's, Spanish Place, London, and also under Scottish law, but there was uncertainty over whether Theresia was free to marry. Villiers-Stuart was educated at University College, Durham University^[1] and served in the Austrian Army from 1844 to 1846 and in the British Army from 1846 to 1847. He was later ordained and served as Vicar of Bulkington, Warwickshire, from 1852 to 1855 and of Napton from 1855 to 1871.

The latter year he resigned Holy Orders to pursue a political career and was successfully returned to Parliament for County Waterford in 1873. His father died the following year and he then resigned his seat so that he could pursue his claim to the barony of Stuart de Decies. However, Stuart-Villiers was unable to satisfactorily claim that his parents were legally married and was not allowed to assume the title. He was again elected to the House of Commons for County Waterford in 1880, a seat he held until 1885. After the British intervention in Egypt in 1882 he was sent by the British government to report on the conditions of the people in this county, and produced several books on the topic, including Egypt after the War. His work received the special recognition of Lord Dufferin, and his reports were published as a parliamentary blue-book. He was appointed High Sheriff of County Waterford for 1889.

He took a keen interest in Egyptian exploration, and was a member of the Society of Biblical Archæology. He was also a member of the committee of the Royal Literary Fund.

Stuart-Villiers married Mary Power in 1865. They had five sons and four daughters. He died in October 1895, aged 68, after falling from his boat on the River Blackwater. His wife survived him by twelve years and died in September 1907.

Publication

• Eve of the Deluge. London, 1851.
• Nile Gleanings. Concerning the Ethnology, History, and Art of Ancient Egypt,' London, 1879.
• The Funeral Tent of an Egyptian Queen. London, 1882.
• Egypt after the War. London, 1883. Being The Narrative of a Tour of Inspection, Including Experiences Among The Natives, With Descriptions of Their Homes And Habits.
• Adventures amidst the Equatorial Forests and Rivers of South America. London, 1891

See also

• Baron Stuart de Decies
• Marquess of Bute

External links

• Victim, Beneficiary and Follower of his Father’s Legacy
• Villiers-Stuart Papers – Public Record Office of Northern Ireland 2007
• castle and mansion-house of Dromana in the County Waterford
• The Villiers Stuart Collection in University College Cork Library Fund
• Villierstown

Notes

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs
• Lundy, Darryl. "FAQ". The Peerage. 
• Biography at dungarvanmuseum.org
• Article at waterfordcountymuseum.org