Obituary Notices. 235 



the things most frequently quoted in regard to the early, and 

 especially the Celtic, history of Scotland. 



During his long connection with the Antiquarian Society, Dr 

 Stuart was a frequent and valued contributor to its Transactions. 

 While many of his papers bespoke the special bent of his mind 

 towards what may be called documentary archaeology — a bent 

 which led him to seek holiday relaxation in rummaging through 

 the charter chests of old country houses — he from time to time 

 dealt with more popular branches of the subject, such as early 

 monuments and lake dwellings. The latter department of in- 

 quiry may be said to have been bequeathed to him by his friend, 

 Dr Joseph Robertson, who was, perhaps, the first to investigate 

 Scotch crannogs, and who, at the time of his death, had a paper 

 on the subject in preparation for the press. Taking up the un- 

 completed work with characteristic industry, Dr Stuart produced 

 for the Society's Transactions what is regarded as the most com- 

 plete resume of the subject anywhere to be met with. In his 

 more peculiar walk, he edited for the Antiquaries two volumes of 

 ancient chartularies, entitled resjjectively the "Records of the 

 Isle of May," and the " Records of the Monastery of Kinloss," 

 which were issued by the Society as separate publications. The 

 archives of old religious houses generally would seem ever to 

 have had for him special attractions ; and up to the time of his 

 death, he was engaged upon an account of the Priory of Resten- 

 net, near Forfar, which, from an examination of the buildings 

 and certain references in its charters to grants from the early 

 Scottish kings, he had come to regard as one of the very earliest 

 existing specimens of Scottish ecclesiastical architecture. Equally 

 a labour of love was doubtless an admirable paper on the Crozier 

 of St. Fillan, which is printed in the Antiquarian Transactions. 



Of Dr Stuart's researches among old family records there re- 

 main, among other results, the "Book of Panmure," two quarto 

 volumes printed about three years ago for private circulation by 

 the late Earl of Dalhousie, who, however, died just before the 

 work was ready to be issued. At the instance of the Historical 

 Records Commission, he some seven or eight years since entered 

 on an examination of the charter chests of the Scotch nobility, in 

 regard to which he furnished annual reports to the Commission- 

 ers' blue-books. This, it may be understood, was work specially 

 congenial to his tastes ; and in the course of it he struck upon a 



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