In 1839, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Stuart de Decies, of Dromana within the Decies in the County of Waterford.[4]
Family
Lord Stuart de Decies was alleged to have married in 1826 Theresia Pauline Ott, both in London and under Scottish Law in Scotland. However, it was never established that Theresia was free to marry.[clarification needed]
As a result, their son Henry Villiers-Stuart was considered illegitimate and was not allowed to succeed in the barony on his father's death. Consequently, the peerage became extinct on Lord Stuart de Decies's death in January 1874, aged 70. Theresia had died on 7 August 1867.