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The following obituary for Houston Stewart appeared in the Times newspaper.
| Obituary in the Times newspaper | |
| Date | Obituary |
| 13 December 1875 | A telegram received at the Admiralty on Saturday announced the death of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Houston Stewart, which occurred the day previous at Dowrie-bank, Fort William. The deceased had attained the ripe age of 84 years, having been born in August, 1791. He was the third son of Sir Michael Shaw Stewart, by Catherine, youngest daughter of Sir William Maxwell. He entered the Navy in 1805, on board the Medusa, Capt. Sir John Gore. He next served under Sir John in the Revenge, 74. While serving off Brest and L’Orient he witnessed the capture, in September, 1806, of four heavy French frigates by a squadron under the orders of Sir Samuel Hood, and he was present in the boat which took possession of La Gloire, 46 guns. He next joined the Impérieuse, 38, Capts. Lord Cochrane and Thomas Garth, in which ship we find him, on the 7th of January, 1807, assisting at the destruction of Fort Roquette, at the entrance of the Bay of Arcasson. He continued actively employed during 1803 till he was placed in the command of La Julie, an armed xebec, which assisted at the cutting out from under batteries at Port Vendres, and also as an armed tender in the Mediterranean. Sir Houston took part in the Walcheren Expedition, and distinguished himself at the siege of Flushing, particularly at the blowing up of the formidable fort of Terneuse. In 1831 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was continuously employed under Lord Keith, Sir Polteney Malcolm, &c., until in 1814 he obtained the rank of Commander. He obtained post rank in June, 1817, while in the Salisbury, 58, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral John Erskine Douglas. His next appointment was in October, 1823, to the Menai, in which he served on the coast of North America. He commanded the Benbow from 1839 until 1843, seeing much active service in the Mediterranean. In the bombardment of St. Jean d’Acre, off which place he was for a time senior officer, the Benbow was the first ship in action. During the evacuation of Syria by Ibrahim Pasha, Capt. Stewart had command of the British and Austrian forces employed off the coast. For his services he was rewarded with the Companionship of the Order of the Bath. After his return home in July, 1846, he was temporarily employed as Superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard, and in November, 1846, was appointed Controller-General of the Coastguard, which post he held till February, 1850, when he was appointed to a seat on the Board of Admiralty, a post he filled till December [sic; should be: March], 1852. He was appointed second in command of the naval forces off Sebastopol in 1855, and was created a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and a Commander of the Legion of Honour, of which he was appointed a Grand Officer in 1857. The deceased Admiral was Visitor and Governor of Greenwich Hospital from 1869 to 1872. Sir Houston had been Superintendent at Devonport Dockyard, and afterwards of Portsmouth. He was for a few months, in 1852, a representative of Greenwich in the House of Commons. At the General Election in 1837 he unsuccessfully contested Renfrewshire. The late Sir Houston Stewart was nominated a Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in 1865. His commission as Rear-Admiral bore date 1851, Vice-Admiral 1857, Admiral 1862, and Admiral of the Fleet 1872. |
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