[1][2][3] The monument was built to commemorate the bravery of Robert Walter Stuart, the 11th Lord Blantyre, who lived at nearby Erskine House (now Mar Hall).

He was a Major-General in the British Army and served in the Napoleonic Wars with the Duke of Wellington.

He was killed accidentally by a stray bullet in a street fight in Brussels in 1830.

[3][4] The following passage is inscribed on the monument: Erected by the county of Renfrew to the memory of the right honorable Robert Walter 11th Lord Blantyre

In testimony of respect for his public services and as a tribute of esteem of his private worth