The Blantyre Monument in a field adjacent to Ferry Road on the way to Erskine, is in memory of Robert Walter Stewart, 11th Lord Blantyre, who lived at nearby Erskine House. A Major-General in the British Army, he served with the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars. He survived the Peninsular campaign in Spain and Portugal where he displayed great bravery, but was accidentally killed by a stray bullet while caught in a street riot in Brussels in 1830. Held in high esteem by friends and colleagues who erected the towering monument in his memory.
Inscription – the following passage is inscribed on the monument:
Erected by the county of Renfrew
to the memory of the right honorable
Robert Walter 11th Lord Blantyre
A Major-General in the British Army
and formerly Lord Lieutenant of
Renfrewshire
In testimony of respect for his
public services and as a tribute
of esteem of his private worth
Designer William Burn
Type Obelisk
Material Stone
Height 80ft (24m)
Completion date c.1825