STEWART/STUART

DYER
Writing in 1696, the Dutch historian, George DeCroese, described Mary Dyer as “a person of no mean extract or parentage, of an estate pretty plentiful, of a comely stature and countenance, of a piercing knowledge of many things, of a wonderful sweet and pleasant discourse, so fit for great affairs, that she wanted nothing that was manly, except only name and sex.”
It was an unusual description of a lady of the 17th century — or any other century. The tantalizing question is, who was she? Historical documents record the death of Mary Dyer in great detail, but precise information concerning her birth is mysteriously lacking
Frederick Nathaniel Dyer, a lineal descendant of Mary, whose father was born in Rhode Island, was a respected historical researcher. He moved to Macclesfield, England, where he had many opportunities to investigate the family history. Be it legend or history, F.N. Dyer’s story of Mary Dyer suggests reasons why this unusual woman came to lead such an extraordinary life
When Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, she left no heirs. Succession shifted to other descendants of Henry VII, with James I, who was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley) succeeding. King James felt threatened by the equal eligibility of his first cousin, Arabella Stuart, daughter of Charles Stuart and Elizabeth Cavendish. Arabella had no desire to be Queen of England; she only wanted a loving husband, children, and a garden of her own. However, many suitors from England and France hoped that, by marrying her, they would capture the throne; some even hoped to restore Catholicism to England. These aggressive courtiers made King James so angry and anxious he prohibited his cousin, Arabella, from marrying anyone. But she fell in love with Sir William Seymour, also a descendant of Henry VII through the House of Suffolk, and third cousin to Arabella. They were secretly wed in 1610. Within a year, they had a daughter and the secret was out. King James became very disturbed that this marriage doubled Arabella’s qualifications for the throne. In his fear, he ordered Arabella to be sent to Highgate, and William Seymour imprisoned in the Tower of London
Arabella tried to run away from Highgate dressed as a man, but though she escaped from prison and boarded a ship to Calais, she was soon recaptured and sent to the Tower of London. There she spent the four remaining years of her life, without hope of reprieve. She was buried in Westminster Abbey in the Tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots, with whom she had lived after the early death of her parents
William Seymour, Marquis of Hertford, escaped to France, and when he eventually returned to England, after the death of King James, his former history was forgotten, and he became tutor to the eleven-year-old Prince of Wales, the future King Charles II
The infant girl was left in the care of Arabella’s loving lady-in-waiting, Mistress Mary Dyer, who gave her own name to her adopted child and brought her up quietly and reclusively in the country. King James sent out scouts searching for the child, but was denied information by anyone who was questioned. When Mary was twenty-two years old, she married her foster mother’s first cousin, William Dyer, descendant of Sir Richard Dyer, Lord of the manor of Wincarton, Somersetshire
This is the story that was told by Frederick Nathaniel Dyer and revealed in the Colonial Dames account, as well as the New England Historical and Genealogical Register 98 and the biography of Arabella Stuart, by Blanche Christabel Hardy
Emigrated to Boston from England in 1635 with her husband. She was a follower of Anne Hutchinson and in 1637 she was seven months pregnant and went into labor. Anne Hutchinson and Jane Hawkins rushed to her side. After hours of labor. Mary Dyer delivered a deformed, stillborn child. The Puritans believed a "monster" birth was a sign of God's displeasure. Hawkins and Hutchinson buried the dead child in the woods. Unfortunately, they were spotted by a man who revealed the event after Hutchinson left the colony. Around 1650 or later, Mary returned to England, where she became a Quaker. Six years later she came back to America, planning to make her way to Rhode Island. Quakers were hated in Boston. While in Boston, Mary was stripped to the waist and whipped in public because of her religious beliefs. A brave woman, she refused to accept the intolerance and repression in the Puritan colonies. As Mary stood on the top of a ladder with a rope around her neck, ready to die, she called out, "My life not availeth me in comparison to the liberty of the truth!" She wanted to say more, but her voice was stopped as the executioner pulled the ladder from beneath her feet and her body dropped

Statue of Mary Dyer - in front of Stout Meetinghouse on the Earlham College Campus in Richmond, Indiana depicts Mary Dyer, an early Quaker who was punished by hanging in 1660 in Boston, Massachusetts for her belief in religious freedom
From Ruth Plimpton's "Mary Dyer: Biography of a Rebel Quaker". The gist of the article is the claim that Mary Dyer is actually the daughter of Arabella Stuart, claimant to the throne of England

Lineage of Cyrus Ely Warden, Jr

STUART

Will we ever know if BONNY PRINCE CHARLIE was the father of CHARLES FREDERICK WARDEN, born 1746 to a Lady DOUGLAS in Scotland? Charles Frederick Stuart was raised in a convent and upon leaving the convent as a young man, he changed his name from STUART to WARDEN because the two meant much the same; "GUARDIAN or KEEPER"
Scotland was definitely the home of many of our ancestors; possibly leaving and going to Ireland, making them"Scotch-Irish" and later the move to the American colonies ; however, the WARDEN family appears to have moved from Scotland>England>South>South Africa>New Zealand>Australia>America>Canada>

WARDEN FAMILY