Stewart, Mrs Ysobel

Ysobel was born in Kensington, London, on 23 November 1882, a daughter of Colonel Duncan Campbell (1842-1922) and Mrs Isabel (Tobin, 1848-1911) of Inverneill and Ross. She spent her childhood at Inverneill House, near Ardrishaig in Argyll. She was brought of a Gaelic speaker, and spoke Gaelic all her life. Her younger half brother was John Lorne Campbell of Canna.

Music, song and dance was part of life at Inverneill House as her father was a piper and Ysobel became a piper, dancer and singer by being exposed to all these aspects of the tradition at the family home. The family friendship with the nearby Campbell’s of Kilberry also encouraged the nurturing of music and dance. Indeed Ysobel regularly attended the near New Year annual Kilberry Ball.

Ysobel attended functions by the An Comunn Gaidhealach in the early 1900s in Glasgow and many other Ball’s and Gatherings.

She married Ian Charles Stewart of Fasnacloich (1873-1948) in 1909.

Ysobel was involved with the Girl Guide Movement in the 1920s in which capacity she encountered English Country Dances. Ysobel aimed to make Scottish Country Dancing available to Scottish Guides.

Ysobel co-founded the (Royal) Scottish Country Dance Society with Miss Jean Milligan in Glasgow in 1923 and was the Hon. Secretary between 1923-1933.

Ysobel Stewart passed away on the 15 October 1963 in Fishoek, Cape province South Africa.

Tom Flett corresponded with Mrs Stewart in 1964 and the letters are found here.