John Stuart (genealogist)

Prominent among these were the two large folios on The Sculptured Stones of Scotland, published in 1856 and 1867, and regarded by antiquarians as one of their most important books of reference.

Another of the Spalding volumes is The Book of Deer, published in 1869, a reproduction by Stuart of a manuscript copy of the Gospels which belonged to the abbey of Deer—of great historical and linguistic value, especially with regard to the Celtic history of Scotland.

At the final meeting, on 23 Dec. 1870, Stuart was presented by the club with a piece of plate and his portrait, the work of Mr. (now Sir) George Reid.

He was elected an honorary member of the Royal Archaeological Institute[1] and of the Society of Antiquaries of Zurich and the Assemblea di Storia Patria in Palermo.

At the instance of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts he examined the charter chests of the Scottish nobility and furnished reports.

This find gave Stuart the opportunity of discussing, as he did in his volume, A Lost Chapter in the History of Mary Queen of Scots (Edinburgh, 1874), the law and practice of Scotland relating to marriage dispensations in Roman Catholic times.