John Stewart (1758-1834) National Historic Person
© Prince Edward Island Public Archives and Records Office (PAROPEI Acc 2320/2-1) / Bill Rose Collection
John Stewart was designated as a national historic person in 2022.
Historical importance: author of the first written history of the colony of Prince Edward Island.
Commemorative plaque: will be installed at Hillsborough River Eco-Centre, 104 Main Street, Mount Stewart, Prince Edward IslandFootnote 1
John Stewart (1758-1834)
This combative and controversial political figure, widely known as “Hellfire Jack,” authored the first history of Prince Edward Island. Born in Scotland, he came to the Island in 1775. His 1806 book, An Account of Prince Edward Island, is an important and lasting contribution to the understanding of the Island’s history, geography, and politics. His keen observations of the region’s flora and fauna provide a rich ecological portrait of the time. As a member of the colonial elite, he held prominent government offices, served in the military, and accumulated large land holdings. He died at his nearby estate, Mount Stewart.
John Stewart (1758-1834)
Ula matntultimk aqq wekaytasik kaplno’ley telikit, kaqi nenut teluisit “Mntuwa’kiey Puktew Jack,” asite’tkis ta’n amskwes sa’qewey ta’n Epekwitk. Etl weskwijinuit Scotlandk, pekisinks Minikuk ta’n 1775. Nekm 1806ey wi’katiknm, An Account of Prince Edward Island, na ta’n nuta’q aqq kespiaq iknmuetasik ukjit ta’n nestmk ukjit ta’n Minikuk sa’qewey, maqmikewey, aqq kaplno’ley. Nekm wisqa’sikl iloqaptmkl ukjit ta’n kikjukewey wasuwekl aqq waisisk iknmuetoq meko’tik ukjit wasoqotestqsik ukjit te’sajiaq. Ukjit ta’n nasi-wikasit ta’n sa’se’wa’tiket espepit, nekm kelniksipnek welikna’q kaplno’leweyek elukwitimkewe’l, elukwes sma’knisewiet aqq mekenkesnikl maqmikewe’kl kelnasi’kikl. Nepkisnaq kikjuk ta’n wikit, Kmtn Stewart.
John Stewart (1758-1834)
John Stewart was the author of An Account of Prince Edward Island (1806), which is recognized as the first written history of the colony of Prince Edward Island. Through this publication, he made an important contribution to the understanding and interpretation of Prince Edward Island’s history, and to the knowledge of the Island’s geography, ecology, and natural resources in the colonial period.
Born in 1758 in Campbeltown, Kintyre, Scotland, Stewart came to St. John’s Island (later Prince Edward Island) with his family in 1775. Known as “Hellfire Jack” for his fiery temperament, Stewart was a member of the colonial gentry and was involved in the military, law, politics, and landholding. Like others in similar positions, Stewart used public office for personal gain and score-settling; for example, on more than one occasion he stirred up agitation against personal and political rivals in attempts to unseat them from political power. He was first elected to the colony’s assembly in 1784 and maintained a strong influence, serving as speaker three times despite facing scandal and opposition. While serving in the Assembly, Stewart also accepted appointments to public offices and grants of land. In 1790, he was appointed to the post of the Office of Receiver of the Island Quit Rents—responsible for collecting rent for the state from landlords. Stewart held this position for more than 25 years and also held various military offices.
Left to right: Géraldine Arsenault, field unit superintendent, Parks Canada; Rosemary Curley, vice-president, Hillsborough River Association; Harry Holman, Prince Edward Island Representative representative of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada; Michaela Kent, executive director Atlantic, Parks Canada; Mi'kmaw Elder Barbara Jadis, Abegweit First Nation
© Parks Canada / Aila Gardner
© Parks Canada / Aila Gardner
In 1804, Stewart was appointed as the Paymaster General for the British forces stationed in Newfoundland. While splitting his time between St. John’s and London, England, he remained involved in the affairs of Prince Edward Island. He published one of his most enduring historical legacies: An Account of Prince Edward Island, a historical and geographical snapshot of the Island at the turn of the century. With this publication, Stewart has become recognized as the Island’s first historian.
With his book, Stewart aimed to present a new interpretation of the colony’s settlement (or lack thereof) to decision makers in Britain, which he hoped would counteract the negative image of the Island and its residents. He criticized absentee landlords who remained in Britain and did not develop or settle their lands, but did not criticize local officials or the Island landholding system itself. This subtle argument, pitting the absentee landlords against the Island residents, was intertwined with Stewart’s encyclopaedic description of Prince Edward Island. Stewart’s Account has had a lasting impact on how subsequent historians wrote Island history, influencing interpretations into the 1970s.
The book has become an important historical source. Stewart’s Account is frequently cited on the environmental and natural history of Prince Edward Island. The detail with which Stewart compiled the Island’s natural resources, combined with its early publication date, provides a time capsule of flora and fauna before European agricultural practices came to dominate the landscape.
After a long and eventful political career, Stewart retired from public life in 1830 and died in 1834 at his Mount Stewart estate.
“The Hillsborough River Association is delighted that John Stewart of Mount Stewart, PEI is formally being recognized as a person of national historic significance through the unveiling of this bronze plaque. Besides his political and cultural contributions, Captain Stewart’s book documents in rich detail the natural history of the Island and includes comprehensive sections on soil, agricultural production, forestry, native mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects, and climate. As a keen observer of all aspects of life on the Island, it is noteworthy that he imparted his knowledge in his book written almost 220 years ago and now considered a treasure of historic value.”
This backgrounder was prepared at the time of the plaque unveiling in 2025.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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