Charles Stuart, 12th Lord Blantyre

Charles Stuart, 12th Lord Blantyre, was born on 21 December 1818 at Lennoxlove House in Scotland. He was the second son of Major-General Robert Stuart, the 11th Lord Blantyre, and his wife, Frances Mary, the second daughter of the Honorable John Rodney. John Rodney was the younger son of Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney.

In 1830, at the age of twelve, Stuart inherited the title of Lord Blantyre following the death of his father, making him the owner of approximately 14,100 acres of land. He was styled as Master of Blantyre until he succeeded to the peerage.

Stuart pursued a military career and was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards, a regiment within the British Army. In 1845, he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Renfrewshire. Five years later, in 1850, he became a Scottish representative peer, representing Scottish peers in the House of Lords.

On 4 October 1843, at Trentham in Staffordshire, Charles Stuart married Lady Evelyn Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, the second daughter of George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, the 2nd Duke of Sutherland. The couple had six children, comprising five daughters and one son. Their children included:

- Hon. Mary Stuart (15 September 1845 – 21 November 1910), who remained unmarried.

- Hon. Ellen Stuart (31 August 1846 – 19 April 1927), who married Sir David Baird, 3rd Baronet, and had six children.

- Hon. Evelyn Stuart (24 June 1848 – 26 July 1888), married Archibald Kennedy, the 3rd Marquess of Ailsa, producing five children.

- Hon. Gertrude Stuart (11 November 1849 – 25 April 1935), who married William Henry Gladstone, Member of Parliament and son of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. They had three children, including William Glynne Charles Gladstone.

- Captain Hon. Walter Stuart, Master of Blantyre (17 July 1851 – 15 March 1895), who was unmarried and known for his expeditions in North America and activity in the Scottish Highlands. He settled at Glenelg and predeceased his father, dying without issue. A biography titled "The Master of Blantyre" was published about him in 1895 by Catherine Marsh.

Charles Stuart’s wife, Lady Evelyn, died in Nice in 1869. He remained a widower until his own death on 15 December 1900 at Erskine House, which later became Erskine Hospital and is currently a hotel named Mar Hall. He was aged 81 at the time of his death. With his passing, the Lordship of Blantyre became extinct.