Alan fitz Walter (1140 – 1204) was hereditary

High Steward of Scotland The title of High Steward or Great Steward is that of an officer who controls the domestic affairs of a royal household. In the 12th century King David I of Scotland gave the title to Walter fitz Alan, a nobleman from Brittany, whose descen ...

and a crusader.

Life

Alan was the son and heir of

Walter fitz Alan Walter FitzAlan (1177) was a twelfth-century English baron who became a Scottish magnate and Steward of Scotland. He was a younger son of Alan fitz Flaad and Avelina de Hesdin. In about 1136, Walter entered into the service of David I, King o ...

, by his spouse Eschina, who was possibly a member of a family from the south of Scotland. From 1178, the time of his succession to his father, until his death in 1204, Alan served as Steward of Scotland (''

dapifer A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent them in a country and who may have a mandate to govern it in their name; in the latter case, it is synonymous with the position of regent, vicegerent, viceroy, king ...

'') to William the Lion, King of Scots. It was during Alan's lifetime that his family acquired the

Isle of Bute The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault. Formerly a constituent is ...

. He was possibly responsible for the erection of

Rothesay Castle Rothesay Castle is a ruined castle in Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in western Scotland. Located at , the castle has been described as "one of the most remarkable in Scotland", for its long history dating back to the beginni ...

on the island. Alan allegedly accompanied

Richard the Lionheart Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

on the Third Crusade, from which he returned to Scotland in July 1191. None of the references, however, can be traced back to the period.Simpson, David, ''The Genealogical and Chronological History of the Stuarts'', Edinburgh, 1713. A Royal Grant to Kinloss Abbey, signed at

Melrose Abbey St Mary's Abbey, Melrose is a partly ruined monastery of the Cistercian order in Melrose, Roxburghshire, in the Scottish Borders. It was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks at the request of King David I of Scotland and was the chief house of th ...

was made between 1179 and 1183. Amongst the witnesses are the Abbot of Melrose, the Abbot of Newbottle,

Richard de Morville Richard de Morville (died 1189), Lord of Cunninghame succeeded his father Hugh de Morville (died 1162) as Constable of Scotland and in his Scottish estates and English lands at Bozeat in Northamptonshire, and Rutland, as well as a number of f ...

, Constable of Scotland, 'Alan, son of Walter the Steward, and William de Lauder. Alan became a patron of the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

and is responsible for expanding Templar influence in Scotland. There is no evidence, however, that he joined the Order before his death. He appears as a witness to other charters of William The Lion.Burke, Messrs., John and John Bernard, ''The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales'', &c., volume 2, London, 1851, p.xl. He is buried with his father in

Paisley Abbey Paisley Abbey is a parish church of the Church of Scotland on the east bank of the White Cart Water in the centre of the town of Paisley, Renfrewshire, about west of Glasgow, in Scotland. Its origins date from the 12th century, based on a forme ...

Marriage and issue

He married firstly,Burke, Messrs., John and John Bernard, ''The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales'' &c., volume 2, London, 1851, p.xl. Eva, who is usually named as the daughter of Sweyn Thor'sson, although some historians dispute Eva's parentage. They had no known issue. By his second marriage to Alesta, daughter of

Morggán, Earl of Mar Morggán of Mar is the first Mormaer or Earl of Mar to appear in history as "more than a characterless name in a witness-list.".Oram, "The Earls and Earldom of Mar", p. 47 He is often known as ''Morgrund'' or ''Morgan''. His father was Gille ...

and Ada, mother of Avelina (FitzAlan) de Carrick, Leonard FitzAlan and Eupheme Stewart *David, died without issue, before his father. *

Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland Walter Steward of Dundonald (died 1246) was 3rd hereditary High Steward of Scotland and Justiciar of Scotia. He was the eldest son of Alan fitz Walter, 2nd High Steward of Scotland but which wife of Alan's was his mother is not clear. He was ...

, married Bethóc, daughter of

Gille Críst, Earl of Angus Gille Críst, Earl of Angus ruled until 1206 as Mormaer of Angus. He was a son of Gille Brigte of Angus and younger brother of Adam of Angus. Almost nothing is known of him except that he married Marjorie of Huntingdon, the daughter of Henry o ...

and his wife Marjorie. He died in 1246. *Leonard *Avelina, married

Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick Donnchadh (; Latin: Duncanus; English: Duncan) was a Gall-Gaidhil prince and Scottish magnate in what is now south-western Scotland, whose career stretched from the last quarter of the 12th century until his death in 1250. His father, Gille-Bri ...

Notes

References

* Mackenzie, A. M., MA., D.Litt., ''The Rise of the Stewarts'', London, 1935, pps.10–11.

External links

Alan Stewart, son of Walter (d.1204) @ People of Medieval Scotland 1093–1371
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Alan fitz, 02 High Steward of Scotland 1140 births 1204 deaths Christians of the Third Crusade High Stewards of Scotland

Alan Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...