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Birth:          ABT 1188 of Galloway, Wigtownshire, Scotland
Death:          1234 
Burial:         Abbey of Dundrennan, Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_of_Galloway
Alan of Galloway (born before 1199; died 1234), also known as Alan fitz Roland, was 
a leading thirteenth-century Scottish magnate. [note 2] As the hereditary Lord of 
Galloway and Constable of Scotland, he was one of the most influential men in the 
Kingdom of Scotland and Irish Sea zone.

Alan first appears in courtly circles in about 1200, about the time he inherited his 
father's possessions and offices. After he secured his mother's inheritance almost two 
decades later, Alan became one of the most powerful magnates in the Scottish realm. 
Alan also held lands in the Kingdom of England, and was one of King John's advisors 
concerning Magna Carta. Alan later played a considerable part in Alexander II of 
Scotland's northern English ambitions during the violent aftermath of John's 
repudiation of Magna Carta. Alan participated in the English colonisation of Ulster, 
receiving a massive grant in the region from the English king, and simultaneously 
aided the Scottish crown against rebel claimants in the western and northern 
peripheries of the Scottish realm. Alan entered into a vicious inter-dynastic struggle for 
control of the Kingdom of the Isles, supporting one of his kinsman against another. 
Alan's involvement in the Isles, a region under nominal Norwegian authority, provoked 
a massive military response by Haakon IV of Norway, causing a severe crisis for the 
Scottish crown.

As ruler of the semi-autonomous Lordship of Galloway, Alan was courted by the 
Scottish and English kings for his remarkable military might, and was noted in Norse 
saga-accounts as one of the greatest warriors of his time. Like other members of his 
family, he was a generous religious patron. Alan died in February 1234. Although 
under the traditional Celtic custom of Galloway, Alan's illegitimate son could have 
succeeded to the Lordship of Galloway, under the feudal custom of the Scottish realm, 
Alan's nearest heirs were his surviving daughters. Using Alan's death as an 
opportunity to further integrate Galloway within his realm, Alexander forced the 
partition of the lordship amongst Alan's daughters. Alan was the last legitimate ruler of 
Galloway, descending from the native dynasty of Fergus, Lord of Galloway.
Background[edit]

Alan was born sometime before 1199. He was the eldest son of Roland, Lord of 
Galloway (died 1200), and his wife, Helen de Morville (died 1217).[8] His parents were 
likely married before 1185,[9] possibly at some point in the 1170s, since Roland was 
compelled to hand over three sons as hostages to Henry II of England in 1186.[10] 
Roland and Helen had three sons, and two daughters.[8] The name of one of Alan's 
brothers is unknown, suggesting that he died young.[11] The other, Thomas (died 
1231), became Earl of Atholl by right of his wife.[8] One of Alan's sisters, Ada, married 
Walter Bisset, Lord of Aboyne.[12] The other, Dervorguilla, married Nicholas de 
Stuteville, Lord of Liddel (died 1233).[13]

Alan's mother was the sister and heir of William de Morville, Lord of Lauderdale and 
Cunningham, Constable of Scotland (died 1196).[14] Alan's father was the eldest son 
of Uhtred, Lord of Galloway (died 1174),[9] son of Fergus, Lord of Galloway (died 
1161). The familial origins of Fergus are unknown, and he first appears on record in 
1136. The mother of at least two of his children, Uhtred and Affraic, was an unknown 
daughter of Henry I of England.[15] It was probably not long after Fergus' emergence 
into recorded history that he gave away Affraic in marriage to Amlaíb mac Gofraid, 
King of the Isles (died 1153).[16] One after-effect of these early twelfth-century marital 
alliances was that Alan—Fergus' great-grandson—was a blood relative of the early 
thirteenth-century kings of England and the kings of the Isles—men who proved to be 
important players throughout Alan's career.[17]
Early Career
Roland died in December 1200,[9] after which Alan succeeded to the lordship of 
Galloway.[20] Alan also inherited the constableship of Scotland, a pre-eminent 
position which had passed to Roland from the Morvilles by right of Roland's wife, the 
only surviving heir of Richard de Morville.[21][note 3] As constable, Alan, like the 
earls of the realm, was responsible for leading the king's royal forces.[24] It is 
uncertain whether the constable of this period took precedence over the earls in 
command of the king's army, or if the constable had charge of the realm's numerous 
marischals.[25] His attachment to the importance of his posisition as constable is 
evidenced by the fact that this title tends to have taken priority over his hereditary 
title as ruler of Galloway.[26]

Even before Roland's death, Alan was active in courtly circles, perhaps serving as his 
father's deputy.[27] Alan's first known important attestation occurs late in December 
1199, when he witnessed a royal charter at Forfar.[28] From this point in his career 
until 1209, Alan appears to have been most often in the attendance of the Scottish 
king, witnessing several of the latter's royal charters.[29] Alan's eminent standing in 
society is partly evidenced by the fact that, within these sources, his name tends to 
appear amongst the top four recorded names, and is usually the first name of non-
comital rank. His second marriage, in about 1209, to the king's niece, Margaret (died 
before 1228), eldest daughter of David, Earl of Huntingdon (died 1219) also reveals 
Alan's significant social standing. From about 1210 to 1215, his activity in Scottish 
affairs dwindles dramatically, whilst his activity in English affairs increases steadily.
[27]
***
Family
Alan was married three times. His first wife appears to have been a daughter of Roger 
de Lacy, Constable of Chester.[191][note 20] It was likely upon this union that Alan 
gained the English lordship of Kippax as maritagium from his father-in-law.[193][note 
21] Alan's second marriage, to David's daughter Margaret, is dated to 1209 by the 
Chronicle of Lanercost and Chronicle of Melrose.[198] The date of Alan's third 
marriage, to Hugh's daughter Rose,[199] is generally thought to date to 1229, as 
stated by the Chronicle of Lanercost.[200] Another possible date for this marriage is 
about a decade earlier.[201] Alan's second marriage, therefore, allied him to the 
Scottish royal family,[202] and his first and third marriages allied him to the two main 
branches of the powerful Lacy family—firstly the Pontefract branch, and afterwards the 
Woebley branch.[203][note 22]

Alan had several children from his first two marriages, although only daughters appear 
to have reached adulthood.[14] One daughter from his first marriage died whilst a 
Scottish hostage of the English king, her death being reported in June 1213.[206] 
Helen, another daughter from Alan's first marriage, married Roger de Quincy (died 
1264).[207] Although the date of this union is unknown, it was probably on this 
occasion that her husband came into possession of Kippax.[208][note 23] At some 
point before 1234, Christiana, one of Alan's daughters from his second marriage, 
married William de Forz (died 1260).[212] In 1233, Dervorguilla (died 1290), a younger 
daughter from Alan's second marriage, married John de Balliol, Lord of Barnard Castle 
(died 1268).[213][note 24] In addition to his illegitimate son Thomas, Alan had a like-
named legitimate son. The latter, a product of Alan's second marriage,[215] was his 
only known legitimate male offspring. Although the date of this son's death is 
unknown,[216] he may have lived into in the 1220s.[217]
Death
Thomas, Alan's brother, died in 1231,[219] possibly from injuries suffered in a 
tournament accident.[220] Alan's death, about three years later in 1234,[221] is 
recorded by the Annals of Ulster,[222] the Chronicle of Melrose,[223] and the 
Chronicle of Lanercost—the later specifying the month February.[224][note 25] Alan's 
body was interred at Dundrennan Abbey,[229] a Cistercian religious house founded by 
his paternal great-grandfather.[15] There amongst the monastic ruins, a particular 
dilapidated effigy of grey stone is generally identified as his.[230][note 26] As the last 
Gallovidian ruler in the legitimate patrilineal line descended from Fergus,[233] Alan's 
death brought an abrupt end to about half a century of stable Gallovidian rule under 
he and his father, and the lack of a legitimate male heir to succeed himself led to a 
sudden succession crisis.[234]

It is possible that Alan had hoped that his illegitimate son, Thomas, would be able 
succeed to the lordship.[235] Celtic custom would not have barred the latter from the 
succession. According to feudal practice, however, Alan's nearest heirs were his three 
daughters.[14][note 27] As it turned out, the Gallovidian succession was quickly 
seized upon by the Scottish crown.[235] The prospect of Alan's illegitimate son 
succeeding to the lordship threatened to reignite Gallovdian interests in the Isles, and 
thereby threatened the welfare of the Scottish realm.[14] On the other hand, the 
husbands of Alan's daughters were prominent men of Anglo-Norman descent, and the 
prospect of bringing about the demise of the semi-autonomous lordship, through its 
division between such imminent Englishmen, was an advantageous opportunity that 
Alexander could not pass up.[236][note 28]

Although it is possible that the people of Galloway regarded Alan's illegitimate son as 
their rightful lord,[239] the Chronicle of Melrose states that they appealed to Alexander 
to take the whole lordship into his own hands,[240] suggesting that whilst the 
Gallovidians were willing to accept that illegitimacy indeed excluded Alan's son from 
the inheritance, they were unwilling to accept female succession.[241] Whatever the 
case, Alexander denied the Gallovidian's their request, quickly crushed their 
subsequent retaliatory uprising, and went ahead with the tripartite partitioning.[242] 
One of the Scots who played a key part in the king's destruction of the Gallovidian 
resistance was Ferchar mac in tSagairt, Earl of Ross (died c. 1251), a rising star in 
Alexander's administration, who happened to be Amlaíb Dub's father-in-law.[243]

Following Alan's death, the constableship passed to Roger de Quincy, husband of 
Alan's eldest surviving daughter, Helen.[244] Alan's Irish lands were not inherited by 
his daughters. Forty years after his death, these lands are recorded in the hands of 
the Bissets, although precisely how this came about is uncertain. The succession of 
the Irish and Gallovidian lands of Alan's brother, Thomas, is also uncertain.[245] In 
fact, Thomas' lands should have passed to his son, Patrick (died 1242), had the latter 
not died on the eve of his inheritance (under suspicious circumstances, apparently at 
the hands of the Bissets).


Parents
OF GALLOWAY Roland (Lochlann) (ABT 1155 - 12 Dec 1200)
DE MORVILLE Elena (Helena) (ABT 1171 - 11 Jun 1217)

Siblings
OF GALLOWAY Alan (ABT 1188 - 1234)
OF GALLOWAY Devorguilla (ABT 1195 - )

Marriage To OF HUNTINGDON Margaret (ABT 1194 - BEF 1228)
    m. 1209 

Notes

Parents
____ David (1144 - 17 Jun 1219)
DE MESCHINES [OF CHESTER] Maud (Matilda) (ABT 1171 - 6 Jan 1233)

Children by OF HUNTINGDON Margaret ABT 1194 - BEF 1228
DE GALLOWAY Dervorgilla (ABT 1210 - 28 Jan 1290)

Marriage To DE L'ISLE Helen (ABT 1186 - 1212)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
SUMARLIDASSON Rognvald (Reginald) (ABT 1148 - 1207)
OF MORAY Fonia (ABT 1156 - )

Children by DE L'ISLE Helen ABT 1186 - 1212
OF GALLOWAY Helen (Elena) (ABT 1202 - AFT 21 Nov 1245)

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