Life History

1766	Born
16th Nov 1804	Married Samuel Drewry in St George, Hanover Square
16th Sep 1805	Birth of son Charles Stewart Drewry in Harlesden, Middlesex
19th May 1820	Death of Samuel Drewry in Brussels, Belgium
19th Jul 1831	Death of stepson Samuel Drewry in Croydon
5th Mar 1835	Death of stepson William Tillotson Drewry on board the 'Elphinstone'
6th March 1851	Died in Kensington
11th Mar 1851	Buried in All Souls Cemetery

Notes

The Marriage

Pallot's marriage index has Samuel Drewry (a widower) marrying Mary Ann Stewart (spinster) in 1804.

The (rather faded) stamp reads "PR St G ro H Sq 1804" or more probably "PR St Grg H Sq 1804" standing for 'Parish Register St George Hanover Square 1804'

There is 'W' after Samuel's name (Widower) and an 'S' after Mary Ann's name (Spinster)

The last words appears to be "lic" - it was a licenced wedding - possibly because he was previously married or because there was need for a quick wedding.

It is also interesting to note that esqr. for "esquire" is used after Samuel's name to denote a person of the upper gentry (above a Gentleman in those days!). "St Pancras" been inserted in brackets between Samuel's name and the 'esqr' as he is not of the Parish in which the wedding takes place.

The actual Marriage Entry confirms the above. The witnesses are probably professional witnesses as they are common to many of the marriages in the register.

Who is Mary Stewart?

It is almost certain that Mary is descended from one of the Stewart clans that fought the English at Drumossie Moor (Culloden, 16 April 1746). See Stewart

If the record of Mary's death is correct, then: at the time of her marriage, Mary is around 38 years old and single. Within a year Mary gives birth to her only son Charles Stewart Drewry.

But who is she?

Mary's sister, Catherine Barbara Stewart is married to William Runciman and there is some close connection with the Runciman family, as in 1801 Samuel named a son Henry Runciman.

Mary and Samuel married a month and nine days after Ann's death. It seems clear that Samuel, with 6 children, the youngest less than a year old, had need of a wife. Ann, Samuel's previous wife may have been ill for some time and he possibly had some time to prepare a future. He must have been wealthy enough to have help already with the children. house servants and a governess. Perhaps Mary was the governess and it would have been unseemly for Samuel to be sharing a house a single woman. Or perhaps Mary was a governess in another house (a likely occupation for a single woman with no private income) and a family friend helping out when Ann became unwell.

Mary Ann was 8 years younger than Samuel, was married to him for 16 years and outlived him by 30 years.

Death and Burial Records

The London Standard on the 10th March 1851 reports Mary Ann's death in Clarendon Road.

In the burial record, Mary Ann is shown as having lived at number 4, Clarendon Road.

The Clarendon Road house is that of her son, Charles Stewart, in the 1851 census (although by then the name of the road has been changed to Park Street).
The Baptism records of Mary Ann's grand-daughters, Laurentia and Emily, in 1847 and 1849, also give their addresses as Clarendon Road.

The Record of the Adminstration of the Estate of Mary Anne Stewart, Widow, includes St. Mary Abbotts in her address.
The recorded administrators are: Charles Stewart Drewry, Henry Runciman Drewry, and James Painter.

From freeBMD

Death: Mar 1851, Drewry Mary Ann, Kensington 3 278

The Stewart - Runciman - Drewry Connections

Were Mary Ann Stewart and Catherine Barbara Stewart sisters to Cosmas Henry Stewart?

The most telling document that links the Drewry and Stewart families is Sophia Runciman's Will.

At the Proving of Sophia's will in 1842 - Appeared Personally: Mary Ann Drewry (widow), Charles Stewart Drewry and Laurentia Drewry, Ann Runciman (sister) and Charles Runciman (brother).

"Charles Stewart Drewry for himself made oath that he is the lawful cousin German of Sophia Runciman".

A 'Cousin German' is a first cousin, a full cousin.
Charles's mother or father must be the sister or brother of Sophia's mother or father.
The relationship can only be via his mother, Mary Ann Stewart - who is therefore sister to Catherine Stewart wife of William Runciman.

The relationship with Cosmas Henry Stewart is essentially circumstantial, although, in her will, Sophia Runciman does appear to treat Cosmas' son, Richard Hardinge Stewart, as a cousin - listing him with Charles Stewart Drewry, Henry Runciman Drewry, and James painter (husband of Louisa Ann Drewry).

The Drewrys and Runcimans

were connected before Samuel's marriage to Mary Ann and the birth of Charles Stewart Drewry.

Henry Runciman Drewry, Charles Stewart's half-brother (son of Samuel Drewry and his first wife, Ann Alder) was born in 1801, 3 years before Samuel's marriage to Mary Ann Stewart. Why did Samuel give Henry the middle name Runciman?
As far as we know it is not a family name from a marriage to a Drewry. The only connection we can find is through Catherine Barbara Stewart's marriage to William Runciman in 1791.

The Drewry and Runciman families were certainly neighbours. A National Archive record shows Samuel at 7 Welbeck Street in 1806; he writes a letter from Welbeck Street in 1815.
Another National Archive record shows Charles Runciman having two properties in Welbeck Street (17 and 23) in 1821.

Other 'coincidences'

Catherine Barbara Stewart names a daughter after Cosmas' wife Cathe Moody

Cosmas is purser on the ship 'Lowther Castle' that carries William Tillotson Drewry to India.
A document relating to the Lowther Castle was kept in a box (The Box) handed down through the Drewry line.
On the back of the document is a note signed RHS - probably standing for Richard Hardinge Stewart, son of Cosmas.

In London, March 13th, 1813, Cosmas Henry Stewart amends his will to: "request nominate and appoint Mr William Runciman of Birchmore, Bedfordshire and Mr William Williams of .... Lane London" to be executors of his will with his wife Catherine.
(A second codicil is written on the same date saying that on the death of his wife everything goes to his son Richard Harding Stewart of the War Office, London.)
Note that:
a. Richard Harding Stewart and William Williams are the gentlemen who prove the will of Henry's father Samuel Drewry.
b. Samuel's son, William Tillotson Drewry, refers to his good friend Richard Hardinge Stewart in his Will, naming him as an executor and leaving him 1000 lira/rupees.

In 1798, Cosmas named William Runciman of Covent Garden, London, as executor of his will.
In 1791, seven years before, William Runciman, of St Paul, Covent Garden, married Catherine Barbara Stewart.

One of the two gentlemen who "appeared personally" to prove Samuel's will was Richard Hardynge Stewart "of the War Office" who "knew and [was] well acquainted with Samuel Drewry."

In the 1891 census, Ellen Buckingham Drewry, Henry Runciman Drewry's daughter, has a visitor staying with her: Mercy M. Runciman (daughter of Charles Runciman).

Buschman Connections

The Drewry family, the Stewart family, and the Runciman family have many interconnections via Buschman relationships.

In Charles Stewart Drewry's generation the Drewry, Stewart, and Runciman families all have marriages with the Buschman family. (See The Buschman Connections)

Wedding records show members of each family appearing as witnesses at other families weddings.
Notably, the witnesses to the wedding of Charles Stewart Drewry and Laurentia come from the Stewart, Runciman and Buschman families.

Other Notes

From IGI

Mary Stuart
Christening: 02 JAN 1765 Saint Martin In The Fields, Westminster, London, England
Father: Charles Stuart
Mother: Jane

Mary Stewart
Birth: 28 FEB 1765
Christening: 03 MAR 1765 Tulliallan, Perth, Scotland
Father: James Stewart
Mother: Jean Mc Larane [McLaren?]

Anna Maria Stewart
Baptism/Christening Date: 03 Jul 1770
Baptism/Christening Place: Saint Mary, St Marylebone, London
Birth Date: 04 Jun 1770
Father's Name: Robt Stewart
Mother's Name: Jane

Mary Stewart
Christening: 01 SEP 1765 Ellon, Aberdeen, Scotland
Father: Alexr. Stewart
Mother: Jean Bruce

Mary Stewart
Christening: 23 FEB 1766, Hamilton, Lanark, Scotland
Father: Samuel Stewart
Mother: Jean Sherriflaw

IGI and Baptism Record for another Mary Ann Stewart

Birth: 17 Dec 1771
Christening: 13 Jan 1776 at St Swithin London-Stone, London, England
Father: Allexander Stewart;
Mother: Jane

There is a Mary Ann Stewart born in 1783 to Henry Stewart and Priscilla Stewart.

Henry and Priscilla Stewart married at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster in 1777, and have two children Henry (1780) and Mary Ann (1783).

Another (or perhaps the same ) Henry Stewart has a daughter 'Allen Myer Stewart' in 1786 with a wife whose name is given as 'Allen Stewart'.
Allen Myer Stewart was Christened in St Andrew's Holborn, in 1786 - the same church in which Cosmas Henry Stewart married Catherine Moody in 1785.

Also from freeBMD

Death: Mar 1855, Drewry Mary Ann, St Geo H Sq, 1a 160