Walter (Stewart) VIth High Steward of Scotland
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Walter (Stewart) VIth High Steward of Scotland (abt. 1298 - 1327)

Sir Walter VIth High Steward of Scotland formerly Stewart
Born about in Dundonald Castle, Kyle, Ayrshire, Scotlandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and
Brother of , , and
Husband of — married 2 Mar 1315 in Kyle, Ayrshire, Scotlandmap
Husband of — married about 1320 in Ayrshire, Scotlandmap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , and
Died at about age 29 in Bathgate Castle, Linlithgowshire, Scotlandmap
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Profile last modified | Created 1 Feb 2011
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Declaration of Arbroath
Walter (Stewart) VIth High Steward of Scotland signed the Declaration of Arbroath.
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Preceded by
James Stewart		 6th High Steward of Scotland
1309-1327		 Succeeded by
Robert Stewart

Contents

Biography

Walter (Stewart) VIth High Steward of Scotland is a member of Clan Stewart.
This profile is part of the Stewart Name Study.

Walter was the second but oldest surviving son of James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland, and his (third) wife Egidia de Burgh, daughter of Walter de Burgh, 2nd earl of Ulster and lord of Connacht.[1][2] He was most likely born about 1297/1298.[1][3] [see research notes] He succeeded his father as the 6th hereditary high steward of Scotland on 16 July 1309,[4][5] when he was only twelve years old. He inherited not only an hereditary title that later made him a significant player in Scotland's war for independence, but he was intimately connected with a number of the kingdom's most important families. Among his first cousins were: Sir James Douglas; Isabella Stewart, wife of Thomas Randolph, first earl of Moray; and Elizabeth Burgh, second wife of Robert I, King of Scots.[6]

Political Allegiances

Walter Stewart's earliest appearance in any written histories appears to have been in June, 1314 when he arrived at the Torwood (the designated meeting place for the army which would support Robert Bruce) leading a troop of men from Bute and Arran, on the eve of the Battle of Bannockburn.[7] He was approximately 17 years of age and inexperienced in battle, but because of his hereditary position as high steward of Scotland he was placed in command of one of the king's four brigades, albeit under the tutelage of his cousin who was one of Bruce's most brilliant captains, Sir James Douglas.[7][8] The evening before the battle Walter Stewart was knighted by the king,[1][9] and in the two days of fighting which ensued he distinguished himself so well that Barbour would later write that "the Steward stood, henceforth, in no need of military supervision."[8] As a reward for his services and valor, he was appointed Warden of the Western Marches, and granted Balliol's lands of Largs.[10]

He was also appointed, as the king's representative, to receive on the Scottish border a group of prisoners of high rank who were released by Edward II as a result of the Scottish victory at Bannockburn.[10] Chief among this group were Elizabeth, Bruce's queen-consort; the king's daughter, Lady Marjorie; and the king's sister Christian, Countess of Mar.[10][11]

In 1316, while King Robert was in Ireland aiding his brother, Walter Stewart and James Douglas served as co-governors of Scotland.[1][12] Two years later, in 1318, Bruce demonstrated his confidence in Walter Stewart by charging him with the defense of the town and castle of Berwick.[1][13] On 6 April 1320, Stewart was one of the Scottish nobles who signed and appended his seal to the famous Declaration of Arbroath.[14]

The following year he received grants of the lands of Eckford, Roxburghshire, Bethven, Perthshire, and Kellie, Forfarshire which had been forfeited by Roger de Mowbray; and the lands of Nisbet, Langnewton, Maxton, and Caverton, Roxburghshire which were forfeited by William de Soulis, when both of those men were convicted of treason.[1][15]

In 1322, he participated (along with Bruce, Douglas, and Randolph) in the Battle at Byland Abbey which was a total defeat for the English army, and ended with King Edward II being chased all the way to York, barely escaping with his life.[16][17]

Marriage to Marjory de Bruce

King Robert gave his eldest daughter Marjorie Bruce in marriage to Walter Stewart shortly after the parliament at Ayr ruled that she would succeed to the throne of Scotland if both her father and her uncle David died without heirs, in late April 1315.[18][1][9] The bride was twenty-one years of age, and her groom was several years younger. As part of the marriage settlement, Walter Stewart received from the king the barony of Bathgate, the lands of Ricartoun and Rathow, and various other properties.[19][11]

There was one child from this marriage, born on 2 March 1316, a son named Robert (after his grandfather, the king), destined to become Robert II, king of Scots.[20][21][22]

In October 1317, Marjorie Bruce was killed in a fall from her horse.[1] and was buried at Paisley Abbey.[1] Walter Stewart gifted the lands of Largs (which he had recently received from the king as a reward for his valor in battle) to the Abbey in return for prayers for the safety of the soul of his beloved wife Marjorie and himself.[10]

On 3 December 1318, Walter and Marjorie's son Robert was declared heir presumptive to the throne of Scotland, by a parliament meeting at Scone.[23] For the next six years (until the king's son David was born and became first in line to the throne) this made Walter Stewart's position and influence in the affairs of the kingdom second only to that of the king himself.[24]

Marriage to Isabel de Graham

Walter Stewart married (second), about 1320, Isabel Graham,[1][3] whose parentage has not been sufficiently proven by any primary sources. [see research note]

There were at least three children from this marriage:

Death

Sir Walter Stewart fell ill and died of a fever at his castle of Bathgate, at Linlithgowshire, on 9 April 1327.[1][3][28] He was only thirty years of age, but had already become a legendary warrior whose bravery and skill in battle equaled that of the king's most brilliant lieutenants, Thomas Randolph and James Douglas.[24]

Research Notes

Birthdate for Walter Stewart:
  • There are no primary sources which establish Walter's birthdate, and estimations vary from 1292-1298. Sir James Balfour Paul[2] and Agnes Mure Mackenzie[6]assume it to be 1292, but do not give any sources for this conjecture. Andrew Stuart[5] and Thomas Henderson[12] suggest Walter was born in 1293; and G.W.S. Barrow (writing in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography) uses 1296. Douglas Richardson[1] and Andrew MacEwen[3] assert 1297 and 1298, respectively. These later dates seem more likely for two reasons: his father is believed to have married Egidia Burgh in 1296, and his older brother, Andrew, is thought to have been born the following year (in 1297)[3] and; if Walter was only 16 or 17 years of age when he fought in the Battle of Bannockburn (1314) it would explain why Barbour described him as "bot ane berdlas hyne"[29] and, because of his youth and inexperience, he was assigned to co-command a brigade with his battle-hardened cousin, James Douglas.[7]
Unproven Wife of Walter Stewart:
  • Alice Erskine was originally attached to this profile of Walter Stewart as his first wife. Sir Robert Douglas claimed that Walter Stewart married (first) Alice Erskine, and had by her a daughter Jean who later married Hugh, 4th earl of Ross.[30] This marriage has been refuted by Douglas Richardson,[1] Sir James Balfour Paul,[2] and in The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which calls such a marriage "difficult to reconcile with the chronology."[31] Walter Stewart was born about 1297 (he was still a "beardless youth" at the battle of Bannockburn) and he married Marjory Bruce one year later (in 1315) when he could have been only about 18 years of age.[32][1] If the Steward of Scotland had been married previous to this, it would have had to have been by contract when he was a very young child and there is no record that such a marriage ever happened. Also, it is well documented that Hugh, 4th earl of Ross, was married (first) to Maud Bruce (sister of Robert I) and (second) to Margaret Graham.[32][33] There are no reliable sources indicating Hugh ever married a woman named Jean Stewart. Accordingly, Alice Erskine has been detached from this profile as a possible wife of Walter Stewart.
Parentage of Isabel de Graham:
  • Douglas Richardson states that Isabel was 'allegedly' the sister of Sir John de Graham, Knt. of Abercorn.[1] Sir James Balfour Paul also describes her as Sir John's sister.[2] However, Cawley,[34] Graham, [35] and Weir[36] believe her to have been the daughter of Sir John Graham, and not his sister. The Exchequer Rolls, in a footnote in the preface of volume 4, also give Isabel as John's daughter.[31] There does not appear to be any primary source for either of these claims. For a more detailed discussion of Isabel's possible parentage, please see the research note on Sir John de Graham's profile.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed, Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author 2013), vol. 1, pp. 610-612, BRUS 9. Marjory de Brus.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1904), vol. , pp. 14-15.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 MacEwen, Andrew B.W. The Wives of James the Steward. Journal of the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy (Jan 2011), vol. 3, no. 5, p.395.
  4. ↑ Dalrymple, Sir David. Annals of Scotland. Edinburgh: A. Constable (1819), p. 40.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Stuart, Andrew. Genealogical History of the Stewarts. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc. (facsimile reprint) (2012), p. 17
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mackenzie, Agnes Mure. The Rise of the Stewarts. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd (1957), p. 14.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Barrow, G.W.S. (2013). Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland (pp. 274-275). Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Retrieved from personal copy.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Henderson, Thomas Finlayson. The Royal Stewarts. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons (1914), p. 7.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mackenzie, Agnes Mure. The Rise of the Stewarts. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd (1957), p. 15.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Stewart, James King. The Story of the Stewarts. Edinburgh: G. Stewart & Co. (1901), p. 75].
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Stuart, Andrew. Genealogical History of the Stewarts. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc. (facsimile reprint) (2012), p. 18.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Henderson, Thomas Finlayson. Stewart, James (d. 1309)., Dictionary of National Biography Online.
  13. ↑ Dalrymple, Sir David. Annals of Scotland. Edinburgh: A. Constable (1819), p. 110.
  14. ↑ Brown, K.M. et al (eds.). Arbroath: record of assembly. Records of the Parliament of Scotland to 1707. available here
  15. ↑ Stewart, James King. The Story of the Stewarts. Edinburgh: G. Stewart & Co. (1901), p. 82].
  16. ↑ Stuart, Andrew. Genealogical History of the Stewarts. Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc. (facsimile reprint) (2012), p. 21.
  17. ↑ Stewart, James King. The Story of the Stewarts. Edinburgh: G. Stewart & Co. (1901), p. 83].
  18. ↑ Barrow, G.W.S. Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (2013), p. 381.
  19. ↑ PoMS no. 10092, Doc:1/53/66, RRS, V, No.391. Charter 26 Apr 1315 X 31 Dec 1315 (NRS, RH 6177; Nat. MSS Scot, ii, no. 18). "Robert, king of Scots, has given his beloved and faithful Walter, steward of Scotland, in free marriage with Margery his daughter, the barony of Bathgate...."
  20. ↑ Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed, Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author 2013), vol. 1, p. 615-617 BRUS 10. Robert Stewart.
  21. ↑ Dunbar, Sir Archibald H. Scottish Kings: A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005-1625. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1899), p. 159
  22. ↑ Burnett, George (ed). Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1880), vol. 4, appendix to preface, p. cliii.
  23. ↑ Dalrymple, Sir David. Annals of Scotland. Edinburgh: A. Constable (1819), p. 103.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Henderson, Thomas Finlayson. The Royal Stewarts. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons (1914), p. 8
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Burnett, George (ed). Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1880), vol. 4, appendix to preface, p. clxxxix.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Burnett, George (ed). Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1880), vol. 4, appendix to preface, p. cxciii.
  27. ↑ Burnett, George (ed). Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1880), vol. 4, appendix to preface, p. cxciii-cxciv.
  28. ↑ Barrow, G.W.S. Stewart Family. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Online (23 Sep 2004), available through subscription or some library services.
  29. ↑ Barbour. Bruce. 195, cited in Barrow, G.W.S. Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (2013), p. 487 fn. 71
  30. ↑ Douglas, Sir Robert. The Peerage of Scotland. Edinburgh: R. Fleming (1764), p. 579 (Ross, earl of)
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Burnett, George (ed). Rotuli Scaccarii Regum Scotorum (Exchequer Rolls of Scotland). Edinburgh: General Register House (1880), vol. 4, appendix to preface, p. clxxxviii.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Barrow, G.W.S. Robert Bruce and the Community of the Realm of Scotland. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press (2013), p. 366.
  33. ↑ Paul, Sir James Balfour. The Scots Peerage. Edinburgh: D. Douglas (1910), vol. 7, p. 236.
  34. ↑ Foundation for Medieval Genealogy: Walter Stewart.
  35. ↑ Graham, L. (2020). House Graham: From the Antonine Wall to the Temple of Hymen (Fig. 1.1). Retrieved from Clan Graham Society (Available online).
  36. ↑ Weir, Alison. Britain's Royal Families. London: The Bodley Head (1989), p. 214
See Also:
  • Cawley, Charles. Medlands: Scotland, earls created 1162-1398. Chapter 6.c. The earls of Morton.
  • Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011. See volume I, page 472; III:526-527, 533-534, 538. For more information about this reference, see WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
  • Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2013. See volume I, pages 609-610, 614. For more information about this reference, see WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.
  • Stewart, John H.S. Stewarts of Appin. Edinburgh: Maclachlon and Stewart (1880), pp. 40-42. [Interesting, but unsourced and containing quite a few errors.]
  • Symson, David. A Genealogical and Historical Account of the Illustrious Name of Stuart. Edinburgh: Freebairn and Knox (1712), pp. 103-.
  • White, Robert. History of the Battle of Bannockburn. Edinburgh: Edmonston and Douglas (1871), pp. 168-169 (biography of Walter Stewart)




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Arms of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland
Arms of Walter Stewart, 6th High Steward of Scotland


Comments: 17

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Stevens-17832 Jen (Stevens) Hutton
I am going to be updating this profile on behalf of the Scotland Project's Arbroath team. If anyone knows of additional sources which should be included, please message me or post here. Thanks,

Jen

posted by Jen (Stevens) Hutton
Madison-125 Bobbie (Madison) Hall
Comment on Dundonald Castle as being his birthplace (biography, birth section) and "not possible as that fortification was built for Walter's son Robert II on his ascension to the throne in 1371." There has been a castle of some form on that hill probably since the Stone Age. In the middle of the 12th century, an earthwork and timber fortress replaced an earlier Iron Age enclosure. This first real 'castle' was probably built by Walter FitzAllan, the first Steward of Scotland. This timber fortress was replaced in turn by a stone castle around 1260. The builder was probably Alexander, the 4th High Stewart of Scotland. Alexander's castle was badly damaged during the Scottish Wars of Independence and was finally rebuilt by Robert II and is what still stands.
posted by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
edited by Bobbie (Madison) Hall
Thiessen-117 Traci Thiessen
This profile is in trail between Gateway Ancestor Patrick Houston and Magna Carta surety barons Hugh le Bigod and Roger le Bigod that needs development by the Magna Carta Project. I will soon be adding the project as co-manager of this profile and will add a project box and project section to the biography. This profile still needs to be developed against the project's checklist. Thanks!
posted by Traci Thiessen
Olsen-3053 Carolyn (Olsen) GiaMarco
records show this man as a signer of the Declaration of Arbroath, wikitree
posted by Carolyn (Olsen) GiaMarco
Shaw-8109 Elizabeth (Shaw) Joslin
2nd cousin 23 times removed.connection John FitzGeoffrey
posted by Elizabeth (Shaw) Joslin
Maxwell-1489 Maria Maxwell
Linking signatories of the Declaration of Arbroath to the Project. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Declaration_of_Arbroath
posted by Maria Maxwell
Adkins-1808 Raymond Eugene Adkins Jr. (1949-2018)
Stewart-1194 and Stewart-980 appear to represent the same person because: same name, same spouse Graham, same parents, 1238 date is wrong, same location
posted by Raymond Eugene Adkins Jr. (1949-2018)
Adkins-1808 Raymond Eugene Adkins Jr. (1949-2018)
Stewart-1002 and Stewart-980 appear to represent the same person because: same name, same time frame, same location, I do need to be on profile, just eliminating a useless profile
posted by Raymond Eugene Adkins Jr. (1949-2018)
Atkinson-107 John Atkinson
Does anyone know where the middle name Thomas comes from? There don't appear to be any sources that mention a middle name, and it's very unusual for this time period.
posted by John Atkinson
Lenover-1 Marty (Lenover) Acks
Stewart-14820 and Stewart-1002 appear to represent the same person because: Newly entered profile same as well-sourced historical profile.
posted by Marty (Lenover) Acks
Fields-574 Bob Fields
Stewart-13208 and Stewart-1002 appear to represent the same person because: Father of King Robert. Same birth/death dates and locations.
posted by Bob Fields
Atkinson-107 John Atkinson
i'm not exactly sure who this is meant to be, but he definitely isn't a child of Robert de Bruce and Isabella Clare.

Perhaps he is intended to be the Walter Stewart who was the son-in-law of Robert I Bruce, King of Scotland?

posted by John Atkinson
Darrell Parker
Stewart-1002 and Stewart-12143 appear to represent the same person because: same name, dob, location, death
posted by Darrell Parker
[Living Geleick]
Where did Christins Seton come from? Is this an error that came with a merge? Can she be removed?
posted by [Living Geleick]

Rejected matches › Walter (Stewart) IIIrd High Steward of Scotland (abt.1170-abt.1241) › Walter G. Stewart (1877-1936) › Walter (Stewart) Stewart of Dalswinton (1274-1340) › Walter Wesley Stewart › Stewart Walter Sayers (abt.1907-1987) › Walter Stewart Pell › Walter Stewart (1588-) › Andrew Stewart (aft.1325-bef.1413) › Walter Stewart (-bef.1296) › Walter (Stewart) Stewart Lord of Fife (abt.1338-abt.1362) › Unknown Stewart (abt.1625-) › Walter Stewart (1241-) › Walter Stewart › Walter Stewart (1427-1488) › Walter Mac Stewart › Walter Stewart › Walter Stewart

Featured National Park champion connections: Walter is 17 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 22 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 19 degrees from George Catlin, 21 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 26 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 18 degrees from George Grinnell, 22 degrees from Anton Kröller, 19 degrees from Stephen Mather, 22 degrees from Kara McKean, 21 degrees from John Muir, 15 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 28 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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