Walter fitz Alan

Walter FitzAlan
Steward of Scotland
Walter's name and title as it appears in a royal charter to Holyrood Abbey: "Walter filio alani Dapifero"[1]
Successor	Alan fitz Walter
Born	1090 Shropshire
Died	1177 Melrose Abbey
Buried	Paisley Priory
Noble family	Fitz Alan family
Spouse(s)	Eschina de Londres
Issue	Alan fitz Walter Christina?
Father	Alan fitz Flaad
Mother	Avelina de Hesdin

Walter FitzAlan (c. 1090 – 1177) was a twelfth-century Anglo-Norman baron who became a Scottish magnate and Steward of Scotland.^{[note 1]} 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 of Scotland. He became the king's dapifer or steward in about 1150, and served as such for three successive Scottish kings: David, Malcolm IV and William I. In time, the stewardship became hereditarily held by Walter's descendants.

Walter started his career as a minor English baron. Upon arriving in Scotland, however, he received a substantial grant of lands from his Scottish sovereigns. These included the western provincial lordships of: Mearns, Strathgryfe, Renfrew and North Kyle. The caput of Walter's holdings is uncertain, although there is reason to suspect it was either Dundonald Castle or Renfrew Castle. Walter was a benefactor of several religious houses, and was the founder of Paisley Priory.

There is reason to suspect that Walter took part in the Siege of Lisbon against the Moors in 1147. He probably assisted Malcolm in the series of Scottish invasions of Galloway in 1160, which resulted in the downfall of Fergus, Lord of Galloway. Walter and the other colonial lords settled in western Scotland were probably intended to protect the Scottish realm from external threats located in regions such as Galloway and the Isles. In 1164, Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, King of the Isles invaded Scotland and was defeated near Renfrew. It is possible that the commander of the local Scottish forces was Walter himself.

Walter was married to Eschina de Londres, an apparent member of the Londres/London family. There is reason to suspect that she was also matrilineally descended from a family native to southern Scotland. If correct, this could explain why Walter was granted the lands of Mow. Alternately, it is possible that Eschina's rights to Mow merely stemmed from her marriage to Walter. Eschina and Walter were the parents of Alan, Walter's successor. The couple may have also been the parents of a Christina, a woman who married into the Brus and Dunbar families. Walter was an ancestor of the Stewart family, from which descended the royal Stewart/Stuart dynasty. He died in 1177.

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