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This part of our family tree begins with Alan, the Dapifer or Steward of an estate in Brittany around the time of the Norman Conquest of England and traces the descent to Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland who married to Princess Marjory Bruce in 1315. The family that became the Stewarts and Stuarts of Scotland were invited to Scotland during the reign of King David I.
Alan, the Dapifer of Dol in Brittany, was of Celtic extraction. Brittany was a separate Celtic country founded by Welsh, Cornish and probably Strathclyde immigrants who settled there in the early IIIrd, IVth and Vth centuries. Alan's family is said to have been a cadet branch to the Dukes of Brittany who were kings two centuries earlier. Hence, while Alan's descendants were followers of William the Conqueror, they were not of Norman extraction.
Shakespeare's Macbeth (based loosely on Holished's Chronicles) indicates that the House of Stewart originated from Banquo, Thane of Lochaber. Banquo probably never existed; but was invented to give the Stewarts an ancient Scottish origin that was easy for contemporary audiences to understand.
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To see where all this information came from, please click on Sources.
Generation One
Alan, Dapifer of Dol, was
the hereditary Steward or Dapifer of Dol-de-Bretagne is about 30 miles
north of Rennes in Brittany, France. A steward or dapifer was the
man responsible for running the day to day affairs of the lord's lands,
usually supervising several manors.
Born circa 1020 Dol-de-Bretagne, Ille-et-Vilaine, France.
Died circa 1050
Alan had the following children:
Generation Two
Flaald, Seneschal or Steward
of Dol. He confirmed circa 1097 a grant by his brother Alan of a
site for the Abbey Mezuoit attached to the Church of St. Florent de Saumur.
Flaad was on the Welsh border circa 1101.
Born circa 1046 at Dol-de-Bretagne, Ille-et-Vilaine, France
Died in 1110
Flaad had a son:
Generation Three
Alan FitzFlaald obtained
a grant of the castle of Oswestry in Shropshire and was Sheriff of Shropshire.
Born circa 1078 at Dol-de-Bretagne, Normandy, France
and christened at Shropshire, England
Died circa 1114
Alan FitzFlaald married Adeliza de Hesding, a younger daughter of Aurnulf, Signor de Hesding in Picardy who held great estates in England at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086.
Alan and Adeliza had the following children:
Generation Four
Walter FitzAlan, 1st Steward
of Scotland
Born circa 1105 at Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Died in 1177
The title of Steward of Scotland was bestowed on Walter FitzAlan by David I, King of Scotland (1124 - 1153); under whose reign and the reigns of his brothers Edgar and Alexander before him, the Anglo-Norman feudal system and culture became more established in Scotland. King Malcolm IV (1153 - 1165) confirmed the honour bestowed by David I and made the office of Steward of Scotland hereditary in Walter's family. For more about David I, click on David the Saint of Scotland.
Walter founded the Abbey of Paisley for monks of the Clunic order in 1160; and he defeated Somerled of the Isles in 1164.
Walter married to Eschina de Londonius, widow of Robert
de Croc and probably daughter of Thomas de Londonius.
Walter and Eschina had the following children:
Generation Five
Alan FitzWalter, 2nd High
Steward of Scotland
Died on August 24, 1230
Alan was present with his father at the defeat of Somerled of the Isles in 1164, and in 1191 he accompanied King Richard on the Third Crusade.
Alan married first to Eva, daughter of Sweyn Thor'sson, overlord of Cranford.
Alan married second to Alesta and they had the following children:
Generation Six
Walter Stewart, 3rd High
Steward of Scotland and Justicar of Scotland.
Instead of taking the name "Walter
FitzAlan", Walter adopted the name of his office and became known as Walter
Stewart. Thus, he is the first Stewart from whom all the names are
descended. He was appointed Justicar of Scotland in 1230. The
ancient arms of Stewart are described by A.C. Fox-Davies in A complete
Guide to Heraldry (London, 1909) is "Or, A fesse chequée azure and
argent"
Died in 1246
Walter married to Beatrix Gilchrist of Angus, daughter
of the Gilchrist, 4th Earl of Angus and his wife Marjorie who was a daughter
of Henry of Huntington. Click on Henry
of Huntington for this line.
Walter and Beatrix had the following
children:
Generation Seven
Alexander Stewart, 4th High
Steward of Scotland
Born
in 1214
Died in 1283
Alexander attended St. Louis of France to the Holy War (see picture to the right), and he was the principal commander under King Alexander III at the Battle of Largs October 2, 1263 when the Scottish army defeated the Norwegians. He received from Alexander III a grant of the Barony of Garlies in Galloway on November 30, 1263. In 1264 he invaded the Isle of Man.
Alexander Stewart married to Jean MacRorie,
daughter and heiress of James MacRorie, Lord of Bute and Arrah, son of
Angus MacRorie, Lord of Bute
Alexander and Jean had the following children:
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Two generations of heroic Scotswomen supported and suffered in the Bruce
cause, nearly all of them as nameless as their sons and husbands who did
likewise. They could all take heart from the example of Black Agnes
Randolph, Countess of Dunbar. Mistress of the strategic Dunbar Castle,
controlling the coastal route to Edinburgh, she took charge in 1337 when
the Earl of Salisbury besieged it.
picture from The Book of History, Vol. IX pg. 3919 (London, 1914) |
Generation Eight
James Stewart, 5th High Steward
of Scotland
Born in 1243
Died on July 16, 1309
In 1286 James Stewart was chosen
as one of six Regents of Scotland. During the Wars of Scottish Independence,
he at first submitted to King Edward. However, he joined Sir William
Wallace, after whose defeat he joined Robert the Bruce. James Stewart's
son Walter married Robert the Bruce's daughter Princess Marjorie.
See Generation Nine below.
James married to Egidia de Burgh, daughter
of Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster and Avelina FitzJohn who was a daughter
of Isabel Bigod and grand daughter of Hugh Bigod, Magna Charta Surety.
For Egidia's descent please click on Egidia
de Burgh.
James and Egidia had the following children:
Generation Nine
Walter Stewart, 6th High
Steward of Scotland
Born in 1293
Died on April 9, 1326
Walter married first to Alice Erskin, and they had a daughter:
Generation Ten
Robert II Stuart, King of
Scotland 1370/71 - 1390
For the continuation of this line, click on Robert II Stuart.
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