Alan FitzFlaald (abt. 1055 - bef. 1121)

Born about 1055 in Dol, Bretagne

Ancestors

Husband of Aveline (Hesdin) de Hesdin — married about 1105 in England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before May 1121 before about age 66 in Shropshire, England [uncertain]

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Biography

Summary

Alan fitz Flaald was the son of Flaald (1011-1076) and grandson of Hato of Dol (990-1060) in Brittany. J. Horace Round broke ground in 1901 in establishing that it was Alan who was the father of Walter FitzAlan, first High Steward of Scotland and origin of the Scottish Stuart Dynasty. Round, however, gave Alan FitzFlaald an uncle who died in the First Crusade, and also a grandfather Alan. Fox's research a hundred years later has suggested instead that Flaald's father was named Hato rather than Alan, and that there was no separate crusader Alan who died. This Alan FitzFlaald is the crusader, and it is the crusader status, as well as his early friendship with Henry I, King of England, which advanced Alan's power and wealthy in Henry's England.

This profile follows Fox. There will be a special section under Research Notes to outline the differences in a profile which follows Round. The chief difference is that Round's Alan would have been born later, and did not go on the Crusades.

In the time of Shakespeare it was believed that the legendary Fleance, son of Banquo, was equivalent to Flaald. See Research Notes.

Name

• Alan FitzFlaald, son of Flaald, Seneschal of Dol. This is the name given by Marlyn Lewis and many other researchers. ^[1][2]
• Alan fitz Flaad ^[3] Wikipedia, following Round uses the version of Flaad without the "l".
• Alanus Senescallus or Alanus Dapifer Dolensis is the term used by Sir James Balfour Paul.^[4]

Parents

Alan was the son of Flaald or Fledaldus, Senescal of Dol^[4] who died between 1101 and 1106. ^[1]

1055 Birth Year Estimation

When Flaald died about 1076, Alan assumed the role of Steward and his name soon appeared on charters. This suggests that Alan was aged 21 by 1076, placing his birth no later than 1055.

Since in Fox's version, Alan FitzFlaald was Alan who went on the First Crusade in 1097. this would make Alan aged 42 at the time, not unlikely for someone of senior status and rank who has been termed a leader in the Crusade, rather than a common fighter.

Because Round and Fox assign different events to different persons, their estimated dates are often different. See Space: Round and Fox and the Seneschals of Dol.

Wikipedia shows that Alan was active in the period 1090-1120. ^[3] An estimated birth year of 1055 would make him aged 35-65 during these years.

1076 Alan, Steward of Dol, Signs Charters

Flaald, the first Steward of Dol, had died by 1076 and was succeeded by his eldest son Alan, while his younger son Flaald possibly occurs as the knight Flaald in the necrology of Mont-Saint-Michel. ^[5]

In the period 1070-1082 Main, and his father Tehel, made a gift of the church at Cuguen, with the consent of Alan, son of Flaald, who shared the advowson, and was ratified by their lord, John of Dol. ^[6] The Church at Cuguen was in the barony of Combourg, and the gift was directed to Marmoutiers. ^[3]

In 1076 a coup occurred to overthrew Archbishop Juhel, who had been excommunicated, and relations with the Vatican were renewed. ^[6]

Round agrees that Alan, Dapifer Dolensis occurs in Brittany ante 1080; ^[7] Paul notes that in the Chartulary of the Abbey of St Florent we find in 1080 and again in 1086 'Alanus Senescallus' or "Alanus Dapifer Dolensis,' witnessing grants of land to the Abbey, of which he was himself a benefactor, as is proved by a deed (ante 1080), to which his brother Fledaldus consents, granting to the Abbey a site for a church.^[4]

In 1095 Alan the Steward witnessed a gift to the priory of Combourg by Hamo son of Main. ^[6]

1086 The Mezuoit Charter

"Alan Dapifer" is found as a witness, in 1086, to a charter relating to mesuoit, a cell of St. Florent, near Dol. ^[7]

After the events of 1076, a new abbey at Dol was approved. Alan, son of Flaald, who by this time had inherited the stewardship of Dol, witnessed various charters associated with the foundation, and himself donated his bakehouse and shop in the village of Mezvoit where the priory was to be built, with the consent of his brother Flaald (Fledald) on condition that his brother Rivallon was received into the monastery. ^[6]

"Alan Dapifer" is found as a witness in 1086 to a charter relating to Mezuoit, a cell near Dol of the Abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur. The area of Dol is near Mont-Saint-Michel and has figured in the history of the Duchy of Brittany since at least the rule of Nominoe. ^[3]

1091 Alan's Friendship with Henry, who became Henry I of England

Alan Fitz Flaald became a close friend of Henry (c.1068-1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, later King Henry I of England, during the period when Henry controlled Mont Saint Michel as Count of the Contentin.

Henry was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henry's elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus inherited Normandy and England, respectively, but Henry was left landless. ^[8]

In 1088, Henry had purchased the County of Cotentin in western Normandy and the title of Count from his brother Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. Three years later, in 1091, Henry's brother reneged on the arrangement, and Henry fortified Mont-St-Michel. In March 1091 Henry was forced to flee the Mount via Dol but was able to re-establish his authority between 1092 and 1094, making a great impression on the local nobility.^[6] Henry gradually rebuilt his power base in the Cotentin and allied himself with William against Robert. ^[8]

Fox calls attention that Alan's and Henry's paths first crossed during this time when Henry's fortunes were low and Dol came to his assistance, a favor never forgotten.

Alan's First marriage

Based on the appearance of a Flaald, who was present at a ceremony at Monmouth Priory in England on 18 March 1101 or 1102, Fox suggests that Alan FitzFlaald had a marriage or relationship while in Dol prior to the Crusade, and that Flaald who was with him at Monmouth was his son by the earlier marriage.

For Round, it was Flaald the father of Alan, not Flaald the son, who was at Monmouth Priory that day.

1096 First Crusade

The First Crusade (1095–1099) was the first of a number of crusades that attempted to capture the Holy Land, called for by Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095. Urban called for a military expedition to aid the Byzantine Empire, which had recently lost most of Anatolia to the Seljuq Turks. The resulting military expedition of primarily Frankish nobles, known as the Princes' Crusade not only re-captured Anatolia but went on to conquer the Holy Land (the Levant), which had fallen to Islamic expansion as early as in the 7th century, and culminated in July 1099 in the re-conquest of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.^[9]

Round notes that Alan -- Alanus dapifer dolensis -- Alain, dapifer to the Ancient Diocese of Dol, (p. 120) with its see at Dol-de-Bretagne, took part in the First Crusade in 1097.) (p. 122) ^[10]

Round believes that Alan the Crusader was the older brother of Flaald, and died in the Crusade, thus passing the Dol property and titles to Flaald and his descendants.

Fox believes that Alan the Crusader was one and the same as Alan FitzFlaald, son of Flaald, and that the Alan who fought in the Crusades returned and had a subsequent career in England.

After the capture of Jerusalem on 15 July 1099 many knights returned home, including Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy. Curthose was still on his way back when Henry seized the throne.^[6][6]

1100 Alan FitzFlaald Joins Henry I in England

Henry was present when William died in a hunting accident in 1100, and he seized the English throne, promising at his coronation to correct many of William's less popular policies. ^[8]

The same year, Henry married Matilda of Scotland but continued to have a large number of mistresses by whom he had many illegitimate children. ^[8]

Alan appears in England early in Henry's reign. Paul states that Alan accompanied King Henry I to England^[4]

Fox notes that following his surprise accession in August 1100 Henry very quickly invested Alan with a barony, the honour of Mileham in Norfolk, then in the king's hands. ^[6]

What would cause such an honor to be quickly given to an obscure steward from Dol in Brittany? Following Round, Wikipedia observes that "Henry is known to have recruited Breton troops at that time and, after his surrender, left the scene via the adjoining regions of Brittany, where Dol is situated. This is a likely explanation for the Bretons in the military retinue he brought to England after the death of William Rufus.^[3]

Wikipedia, following Round, notes that "Flaad and his son Alan had come to the favourable notice of King Henry I of England who, soon after his accession, invited Alan to England with other Breton friends, and gave him forfeited lands in Norfolk and Shropshire, including some which had previously belonged to Ernulf de Hesdin and Robert de Belleme.[9]^[3]

Wikipedia also attributes the social skills of an otherwise little-known Alan in the court of Henry: "After Henry became King of England, Alan became an assiduous courtier and obtained large estates in Norfolk, Sussex, Shropshire, and elsewhere in the Midlands, including the feudal barony and castle of Oswestry in Shropshire."^[11][12][13]

Fox, by contrast, observes that the Breton connection surely dates back to Henry's memory of their help during his time of need in 1091. That Alan, who had helped Henry in 1091, was now also a veteran of the First Crusade, would have greatly enhanced Alan's standing, and Henry may even have conferred honor upon himself by honoring Alan. "These honors would not have been given by Henry to someone obscure, but they make sense given to someone who was both a crusader and a man of rank in his own country, and a man who as steward to the Archbishop of Dol had been well placed to aid Henry when he was beseiged by his brothers at Mont-St-Michel in 1091"^[6]

1101 Charters and Flaald son of Alan

Alan was involved, with King Henry I of England, in a number of of grants of property to religious institutions. Among others, Alan gave the manor of Eaton, near Norwich, and possibly the advowson of the church at Langham, Norfolk to Norwich Cathedral.^[14] The advowson of the church at Langham, Norfolk, which "had been Alan's", along with the tithes. It is possible this was a donation by himself.[23] ^[3] Alan also witnessed or participated in other property transfers, in service to the king.^[14]

At the great court held at Windsor on 3rd September 1101 Alan witnessed two charters of Henry I for Norwich Cathedral Priorty. ^[6] The charters confirmed the foundation of Holy Trinity Priory,York, as a cell of Marmountier. Alan also founded Sporle Priory on land he held in Norfolk (probably at Sharrington), as another cell of St. Florent.^[3]

Fox notes that Flaald, son of Alan the Steward, was present at a ceremony on 18 March 1101 or 1102, in which Wihenoc and Abbot William visited Monmouth Priory for its dedication. ^[6] Fox believes that Flaald was Alan's son and heir by his first marriage; Flaald came to England in his father's wake, but after visiting Monmouth in 1101 or 1102 he disappears from history. ^[6]

Following Round, Wikipedia asserts that the Flaald who was present at Monmouth Priory was Flaald the father of Alan, rather than Flaald his son. "Float filius Alana dapiferi" was present at the dedication of Monmouth Priority in 1101 or 1102.^[7]

1101 Sheriff of Shropshire

When the great fief of the hereditary sheriffdom of Shropshire escheated to the crown on the death of Hugh, son of Warin the Bald, the king gave it to Alan. ^[15]

Alan Fitz-Flaad appears in the English records as Sheriff of Shropshire and otherwise from 1101 onwards. ^{[4] [3]}

Robert Lindsay Graeme notes that Alan's duties included supervision of the Welsh border.^[16]

By contrast, Wikipedia states that Alan held the lands formerly held by the sheriffs of Shropshire, but was not a sheriff himself. ^[14]

By 1114 Henry I had installed the first in this family lineage, Alan Fitz Flaald, as sheriff of Shropshire and tenant of many of the Shropshire lands which had previously been held by the earls of Shrewsbury before the last earl, Robert de Belleme, forfeited his lands and position in 1102. One of the most significant of these possessions was the border castlery of Oswestry. ^[17]

1101 Marriage to Avelina de Hesdin

Fox notes that Alan was further favoured with marriage to a wealthy heiress, Avelina de Hesdin.^[6] Wikipedia notes her as Avelina de Hesdin, daughter of Ernulf de Hesdin.^[14] Ada or Avelina's father Ernoulf de Hesdin was killed on crusade at Antioch. Ernulf de Hesdin had been the tenant-in-chief in ten counties at the time of Domesday. ^[3]

Cawley notes, without further elaboration that Adeline (Aveline) de Hesdin was the second wife of Alan Fitz Flaald. ^[18]

Marriage Date Estimation. Aveline's father Ernulf is named with property in Domesday, so assume she was born in England. Alan grew up in Brittany where he met Henry and came to England, and received responsibilities, with Henry's arrival. If Ernulf had been directly Henry's vassal, Henry would have become responsible, after Ernulf's death in the Crusade, to find a good husband for Ernulf's daughter. Therefore estimate the marriage to have taken place in England, soon after Alan's arrival, say, 1101. Their three sons would then be born in the years soon following.

Alternate Parenthoods for Avelina Eyton rejected, for lack of evidence, the alternate theory that Avelina was the "dau(ghter) and heir of Warine, Sheriff of Shropshire, temp. William the Conqueror." as reported by Dugdale. The underlying reasoning seems to be that Alan held the lands formerly held by the sheriffs of the county and goes back at least as far as William Dugdale, but it was rejected by Eyton,[65] not least because of lack of any evidence. ^[3]

Ernulf's Ancestry Round traced the elder Ernulf's activities in Picardy and confirmed that he had a daughter, called Ava in this context, who was named as one of those consenting to a charter granting family holdings at Hesdin to the Priory of St George, a Benedictine house subject to Anchin Abbey and located by Vieil-Hesdin, the original site of the town of Hesdin. The priory's record of the grant makes clear that Ernulf was riding in the entourage of William Rufus and returning to England at the time.^[3]

Alan gained a stake in the very large estates of Ernulf de Hesdin by marriage to his daughter, Avelina.^[3]

1114 Gift to Burton Abbey. Early researcher, Eyton, read in in Dugdale's History of Warwickshire that in 1114, Adeliza made a gift of land to Burton Abbey. ^[14]

Widow Avelina's Remarriage After Alan's death, Avelina married, as her 2nd husband, Robert fitz Walter, Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk.^[14] as shown in a grant, dated no earlier than 1126, of their church at Chipping Norton to Gloucester Abbey.[73]^[3]

1126 Aveline's Death Aveline de Hesdin died after 1126. ^[1]

1102 Receipt of Land

Robert de Belleme Alan's rapid ascent to wealth and power was a symptom of the troubled times. The abortive revolt of Robert de Belleme in 1102 had torn apart the Anglo-Norman system of governing the Welsh Marches. With other Breton friends, Alan had been given forfeited lands in Norfolk and Shropshire, including some which had previously belonged to Robert de Belleme himself. Robert had proved a threat to Henry in both the Welsh Marches and in Normandy, so the king was determined to insert reliable supporters to counterbalance or replace his network of supporters. Alan received more land as he proved his worth. ^[3]

Rainald de Bailleul. A large portfolio of lands in Shropshire and around Peppering, near Arundel in Sussex, was taken from the holdings of Rainald de Bailleul, ancestor of the House of Balliol, which was also later to provide a king of Scotland. ^[3]

These were lands granted to Rainald by William the Conqueror in recognition of his role as Sheriff of Shropshire. There is no evidence that Rainald or his successor, Hugh, were rebels, and it seems that their lands came to Alan as a consequence of his elevation to the shrievalty of the county. ^[3]

Witnesses and Court Appearances

1103 Witnesses Grant to nuns of Malling Abbey. Next, he appeared with the king at Canterbury in 1103, where he witnessed the grant of a market to the nuns of Malling Abbey and land acquisitions by Rochester Cathedral, then in the process of rebuilding.[27]^[3]

l104 Andover Priory. Later that year or early in the next,[29] Alan was with the king in the New Forest, where the business concerned Andover Priory, a daughter house of the great Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Florent de Saumur.[30] He was probably selected deliberately for this meeting because of his family's close connections with Saumur Abbey: one of his uncles was a monk there.[19] ^[3]

1105 Holy Trinity Priory, York In the autumn of 1105 Alan was called to York to witness confirmation of Ralph Paynel's transfer of his refounded Holy Trinity Priory in York to Marmoutier Abbey, Tours[34][35] and his many endowments of the priory itself.[36][37] At some point he also witnessed the Roger de Nonant's gift of the church at Totnes and various tithes to the Abbey of SS Sergius and Bacchus at Angers, a gift which was earmarked as being for the souls of the royal family.[38]^[3]

1108 Marmoutier Alan fitz Flaald also occurs in Breton documents, as releasing his rights in the church of Guguen to Bartholomew abbot of Marmoutier, while two charters of Henry I, confirming the foundation of holy Trinity Priory, York as a cell of Marmoutier, and prior to 1108, contain his name as a witness.^[7]

1110 At Court in Windsor In May 1110 Alan was at court at Windsor again to witness the king's settlement of a property dispute between Hervey le Breton, Bishop of Ely, and Ranulph Flambard, Bishop of Durham, resolved in favour of the former.[39]^[3]

1114 Alan's last charter The last charter which Alan is known to have signed probably dates to 1114, but might be as late as 1116. His death in this period is very much in keeping with the supposition that he was the crusader, and would thus have been around fifty years of age when he arrived in England.^[6]

1114 Expedition to Wales

Alan is listed among a group of Shropshire magnates, including Corbets and a Peverel, perhaps during Henry I's 1114 military expedition into Wales. ^[3]

Johnson and Cronne tentatively place the meeting at Holdgate Castle in Shropshire. Eyton dates the event earlier, around the time of a royal expedition to Shropshire in 1109. Whatever the date, it shows Alan as an important member of the Shropshire landowning class.^[3]

1122 Sporle Priory

Before 1122 Alan founded Sporle Priory in Norfolk as a cell of St. Saumur in Brittany before 1122, and further proof of his Brittany connection is afforded by the lives of his descendants. ^[4]

Wikipedia notes that his most important grants in Norfolk were to Sporle Priory, another Benedictine house subject to St Florent de Saumur, which he founded. He gave to the monks of St Florent the church at Sporle, its tithes, a man's landholding, a ploughland in Sporle and another in Mileham, firewood and building timber, and pasture for sheep. The Liber Albus of St Florent mentions that one of the monks present when Alan made the gift was Wihenoc, who initiated the action at Andover. Sporle was later endowed with property in Norfolk villages, including Great and Little Palgrave, where the priory had the church, Great Dunham, Hunstanton and Holme-next-the-Sea.^[3]

Upton Magna Manor and Haughmond Abbey in Shropshire

Alan acquired Upton Magna, the manor in Shropshire on which Haughmond Abbey was later built, as part of the group of estates that had belonged to earlier sheriffs. A note at the beginning of the abbey's cartulary dates the foundation to 1100 but attributes it to Alan's son, William Fitz Alan, which is impossible, as he was not yet born. The existence of a religious community at Haughmond is not definitely attested before a grant of a fishery to what was still a priory by William, around 1135. While Eyton assumed that William was the founder, although at a later date than suggested by the introductory note on the cartulary, the Victoria County History account leaves open the possibility that a small semi-eremetic community existed earlier at Haughmond under Alan's protection, without leaving a written trace.[45]^[3]

1121 Death

The date of Alan's death is unknown ^[3] but most likely occurred between 1114 and 1121. Avelina made a claim for her dower in April/May 1121, so Alan's death must have been before this date (probably by only a few months).^[14]

Wikipedia notes that Eyton assumed that Adeliza was identical to Avelina, and therefore set Alan's date of death by 1114. However, we now know this was not correct; that "Adeliza, mother of Sybil, and wife of Hubert Baldran, was quite distinct from Avelina."^[14]

The death date of 1114 persists, despite our updated information.^[14] For instance, Suppe states that after his death in 1114, Alan Fitz Flaald was succeeded by his son, William Fitz Alan (I) ^[17] Wikipedia states that "Alan's death, when dated at all, is generally said to have been in or by 1114. This is based on reasoning set out by Eyton. He read in Dugdale's History of Warwickshire that Sybil of Wolston had confirmed a gift of land made by her mother, Adeliza, to Burton Abbey. He was convinced the land in question had belonged to Alan and that Adeliza was the same as Avelina, his wife. As Adeliza would not have been able to grant the land until it passed into her control on his death, and the Abbey was known to have had the land by 1114, it followed that Alan could not have lived beyond 1114. ^[3]

However, Round's researches established the reasoning was based on a false premise. Eyton had conflated three distinct but neighbouring Warwickshire manors, all belonging at one time to Rainald de Bailleul. One of the charters he collected, in which Sybil confirms a land grant to the Benedictine abbey at Saint-Pierre-sur-Dives, showed clearly that Sybil was not the daughter of Avelina and Alan fitz Flaad, but of one Hubert Baldram, a vassal of Rainald.[74] ^[3]

Round thus concluded: Thus Adeliza, mother of Sybil, and wife of Hubert Baldran, was quite distinct from Avelina, wife of Alan Fitz Flaald, with whom Mr. Eyton rashly identified her. Alan may have lived, and probably did, beyond 1114...^[3]

However the date stuck and appears in the 1973 Victoria County History account of Haughmond Abbey, it appears as a terminus ante quem for events in Alan's life. It is known that Avelina de Hesdin, as a widow, made a claim for her dower, relating to Eaton manor, against Everard of Calne, Bishop of Norwich. She obtained 100 shillings-worth of land in the manor for life, an award that Henry I confirmed in April/May 1121 at his court in Winchester. Alan's death must have pre-dated this award, but not necessarily by more than a few months.^[3]

Alan may have lived, and probably did, beyond 1114; and his gift at Stretton to Burton Abbey was made after he was placed in the shoes of Renaud de Bailleul. ^[7]

1138 Avelina's brother at seige of Shrewsbury

In the account by Orderic Vitalis of the siege of Shrewsbury in 1138, the defender "Ernulf de Hesding" is referred to as the avunculus or maternal uncle of William fitz Alan. By deduction, this Ernulf, who shared his father's name and by-name, was the brother of Avelina. ^[3]

Issue

Confirmed Issue of Alan

1. Flaald, son of Alan the Steward, and a wife of Alan earlier than Avelina, was present at a ceremony on 18 March 1101 or 1102, in which Wihenoc and Abbot William visited Monmouth Priory for its dedication. ^[6]
2. William FitzAlan., born Shropshire 1070. William, eldest son (d. 1160), made High Sheriff of Shropshire by King Stephen of England in 1137. One of the three sons documented to Alan and his wife Avelina de Hesding ^[4]He married a niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester.[13] His son William (d. c1210) acquired by marriage the Lordship of Clun and he became designated "Lord of Clun and Oswestry".[14] William is ancestor of the FitzAlan Earls of Arundel.^[3] William, born c. 1105, became the ancestor of the Fitzalans^[6] William fitz Alan, eldest son (d. 1160), Sheriff of Shropshire 1137; married niece of Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. Alan's eldest son, William, was the ancestor of the FitzAlan Earls of Arundel.^[14] William fitz Alan was the son of Alan Fitz Flaald and his second wife Adeline (Aveline) de Hesdin.^{[18] [1]} Eyton noted that William fitz Alan, in grants of his Sussex estates to Haughmond Abbey, referred to his mother as Adelina.^[3]
3. Jordan FitzAlan, born Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, 1103. of Burton, who inherited lands in Brittany, and restored to the Priory of St. Florent at Sele, West Sussex, the millat Burton given it by his father.^[3] Also Simon Jordon FitzAlan, born Dol, Bretagne, 1114 One of the three sons documented to Alan and his wife Avelina de Hesding ^[4] Jordan, in 1129 and 1130 held Tuxford i Nottinghamshire but by this time had already returned to Brittany as hereditary seneschal of Dol, in which capacity he witnessed a charter of Mont-Saint-michel in 1128-9. ^[6] Jordan fitz Alan, of Burton Alan's son, Jordan, inherited lands in Brittany and restored the Sele Priory with the mAlan^[1] Alan fitz Flaald has hitherto been credited with till at Burton (given by his father).^[14] Jordan Fitzwo well-known sons, William and Walter, ancestors respectively of the Fitzalans and the Stewarts. He had, however, another son.. This was Jordan, his heir in Brittany, and apparently, at Burton in England. ^[7]
4. Walter FitzAlan, born 1105, Brittany. Walter, the youngest son, was granted the Sussex manor of Stoke by his brother William, went into the service of the king of Scotland, and was ancestor of the Stewarts. ^[6] One of the three sons documented to Alan and his wife Avelina de Hesding ^[4]

Walter Fitzalan, second son, became 1st hereditary High Steward of Scotland.^[3] Walter fitz Alan, second son, became 1st hereditary High Steward of Scotland. Alan's second son, Walter, was the ancestor of the Stewart Kings of Scotland.^[14] The family is considered ancestors of the Stewarts of England. Walter FitzAlan, 1st Great Steward+ d. 1177^[1]

Possible Issue

1. Simon Fitzalan, who also went to Scotland and witnessed his brother's Foundation Charter of Paisley Abbey. Round suggests he may have been either a uterine or even a bastard brother. ^[3]Simon fitz Alan. Son Walter had a brother Simon, but possibly a half-brother on his mother's side. His mother did have a son or stepson Simon by her 2nd marriage. Not one of the three sons documented to Alan and his wife Avelina de Hesding ^[4]
2. Sibyl is shown by MedLands but others disagree. Sibil FitzAlan, born Dol Bretagne, 1109

Requires further Research

• Rhiwallon FitzAlan, birth date and place unknown
• Rhiwallon FitzAlan, daughter, date unknown
• Adelina FitzAlan, born 1105, married Oswestry
• Sibil FitzAlan, born 1109, Dol, Brittany

Son: Walter FitzAlan Profile

Chalmers (1843) proposed that Walter Fitz Alan brought with him to Scotland followers from Shropshire and gave them lands there. ^[7]

Eyton showed that Alan Fitz Flaald married Aveline, daughter of Ernulf de Hesdin, a great Domesday tenant. ^[7]

I have now been able to trace Ernulf to Hesdin (in Picardy) iself, in connection with which his daughter "Ava" also is mentioned. ^[7]

Legacy

Alan FitzFlaald is now noted as the progenitor of the FitzAlan family, the Earls of Arundel (1267–1580), and the House of Stuart,^[19]although his family connections were long a matter of conjecture and controversy.

Research Notes

Alternative Biography Proposed by Round

See more detail at Space: Round and Fox and the Senschals of Dol

Birth. Wikipedia, quoting Round estimates a birth year of 1078: "Alan fitz Flaad (c. 1078 – after 1121) was a Breton knight, probably recruited as a mercenary by Henry I, son of William the Conqueror, in his conflicts with his brothers."^[20] Wikipedia states that his date of birth is unknown; the place was probably Dol-de-Bretagne ^[3]

Birth Order. Round notes that as "Alanus Siniscallus," Alan witnessed the foundation charters of that house (ante 1080) and himself gave it rights at Mesuoit with the consent of "Fledaldus frater ejus" the monks, in return , admitting his brother Rhiwallon to their fraternity."^[7] Round believes that because "the crusader's gift at Mezuoit was 'conceded' by his brother Fledald, who was, therefore, his heir at the time, and that his office of "dapifer" at Dol was afterwards held -- a fact hitherto unsuspected -- by descendants of Alan fitz Flaald. The crusader, it must therefore be inferred, left no heir.^[7] This interpretation of "conceded" makes Flaald the younger brother and heir of Alan the Crusader. Since subsequent inheritance passed to the descendants of Flaald, one concludes that Alan the Crusader died in the Crusade without heirs. Fox solves this problem by making Alan the Crusader one person with Alan the son of Flaald, and the Flaald who 'concedes" into Flaald FitzFlaald, another son of Flaald.

Crusade Round and Fox disagree as to the identity of Alan the Crusader. Fox believes Alan the Crusader was the same person as Alan FitzFlaald, Alan the son of Flaald; he survived the Crusade, and the Crusade was simply one episode in a long life. Round believes that Alan the Crusader was an older brother of Flaald and thus an uncle to Alan FitzFlaald. The result is two narratives for Alan, with significant implications for dating not only Alan but his relatives:

• For Round, Alan the Crusader, older brother of Flaald, was born, say, 1040, a few years before Flaald's 1045 birth. As the older brother, he would have been destined to inherit the family property and titles. He would have been 56 when he left on Crusade in 1096, and 58 when he was killed 1098, of either battle or disease. Upon the death of his uncle, Alan the Crusader, Flaald inherited the family property and titles and passed them on to his descendants.
• For Fox, Alan FitzFlaald, son of Flaald, was born, say 1065, 20 years after Flaald's birth. Alan the Steward left Brittany on the first crusade in 1096. ^[6] and would have been 31 at that time. He would have been 33 in 1098. Fox notes that "It has usually been assumed, following Round, that he did not return, and that the Alan fitz Flaald who was created a baron in England a few years later was his nephew, but a new look at the evidence leads to the conclusion that the English baron was the crusader.^[6] This same Alan, finally dying in May 1121 would have been aged 56 at his death.

Flaald at Monmouth. For Fox, the Flaald present at Monmouth in 1101 was Flaald FitzFlaald, brother of Alan FitzFlaald. For Round, the Flaald present was Alan's father.

Place in Legendary Scottish Stewart Ancestry

The Scottish (and later English) Stewart/Stuart Royal Family descends from Alan's son Walter FitzAlan. At the time of Shakespeare, it was believed that Walter's forebears were Banquo and Fleance, made famous by the play MacBeth.

For more detail see Space: Legendary Scottish Stewart Ancestry

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Marlyn Lewis. Our Royal Titled Noble and Commoner Ancestors. Alan FitzFlaald Accessed December 27, 2017. jhd
2. ↑ Gerald Paget. The Lineage and Ancestry of HRH Prince Charles, Vol. 1, p. 211. Cited by Marlyn Lewis. Our Royal Titled Noble and Commoner Ancestors. Alan FitzFlaald Last edited 26 December 2010. Accessed December 27, 2017. jhd
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 3.35 3.36} Wikipedia Alan fitz Flaad Last Edited, 26 December 2010. Accessed December 27 2017. jhd
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} Sir James Balfour Paul, Lord Lyons King of Arms. The Stewart Kings in The Scots Peerage, Edinburg: David Douglas, 1904, Volume 1, page 9-10. Accessed December 28, 2017 jhd
5. ↑ Keats-Rohan, 2006, p. 243, cited by Fox.
6. ↑ ^{6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19} Paul A. Fox. The Archbishops of Dol and the Origin of the Stewarts Foundations (2009) 3 (1): 61-76. Copyright FMG and the author. Accessed December 29, 2017. jhd
7. ↑ ^{7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10} John Horace Round. Studies in Peerage and Family History. New York: Longmans Green; Westminster: Archibald Constable; 1901. The Origin of the Stewarts p. 115-146. Accessed December 28, 2017 jhd
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3} Wikipedia. Henry I of England Accessed December 28, 2017 jhd
9. ↑ Wikipedia. First Crusade Accessed December 28, 2017 jhd
10. ↑ Round, J. Horace (1901). Studies in Peerage and Family History. Constable. pp 120,122. Retrieved 25 February 2015. Cited by Wikipedia Alan fitz Flaad Last Edited, 26 December 2010. Accessed December 27 2017. jhd
11. ↑ Burke, John; Burke, John Bernard (1851). The royal families of England, Scotland, and Wales : with their descendants, sovereigns and subjects. E. Churton. Cited by Wikipedia and Retrieved 25 February 2015. Volume 2, p. xl
12. ↑ Cokayne, G. E., edited by Vicary Gibbs & H. A. Doubleday, The Complete Peerage, London, 1926, vol. v., p. 391 Cited by Wikipedia.
13. ↑ Chalmers, George (1807). Caledonia. 2 (New edition, 1887 ed.). Alexander Gardner. Cited by Wikipedia. Retrieved 10 February 2015. Volume 2, p. 572-3
14. ↑ ^{14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11} Wikipedia contributors, Alan fitz Flaad July 5, 2015, accessed July 11, 2015
15. ↑ Keats-Rohan, 2002 pp. 886-887, cited by Fox.
16. ↑ Ritchie, Robert Lindsay Graeme (1954). The Normans in Scotland. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0404187835. Cited by Wikipedia. p. 280-81
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Frederick Suppe, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. Roger of Powys, Henry II's Anglo-Welsh Middleman, and his Lineage Welsh History Review, Vol. 21 (June 2002), pp. 1-23. Accessed Sept 11, 2015
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Charles Cawley. Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Medieval Lands Database. Earls of Arundel - FitzAlan William FitzAlan Accessed December 27, 2017. jhd
19. ↑ Barrow, G. W. S. "Stewart family". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/49411. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.) Cited by Wikipedia.
20. ↑ Round, J. Horace (1901). Studies in Peerage and Family History. Constable. Cited by Wikipedia and Retrieved 25 February 2015. page 124.

See also:

• http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BRITTANY.htm#AlanFitzFlaalddiedbefore1114
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_fitz_Flaad
• Marlyn Lewis, citing Paget. (Did not marry Margaret of Galloway, she married Alan's grandson Alan fitz Walter, if anybody).
• Marlyn Lewis. Unsourced. Take your pick.

McKinney and Stewart Genealogy

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Dickinson Family Tree.ged on 31 March 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.
• WikiTree profile Fitz Flaald-6 created through the import of Ancestor's that we lost, the Decendants they left behind_2011-08-28_01 (2).ged on Sep 12, 2011 by Willette Bryant. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:NetworkFeed&who=Fitz Flaald-6.
• First-hand information as remembered by Linda McClain, Sunday, January 11, 2015..
• WikiTree profile UNKNOWN-82669 created through the import of heinakuu2011-6.ged on Jul 5, 2011 by Johanna Amnelin. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:NetworkFeed&who=UNKNOWN-82669.