Walter "Bailloch-Freckled" Stewart, Earl of Menteith

Walter Bailloch or Walter Bailloch Stewart (1225 x 1230–1293 x 1294), was third son of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland, and Earl of Menteith jure uxoris. His wife was Mary I, Countess of Menteith. Characteristically of the Stewart family by the thirteenth century, he was distinguished by the sobriquet Bailloch or Balloch, a Gaelic nickname roughly translated as "the freckled". He is said to have gone to Egypt under Louis IX of France, but there is no certain evidence of this. After the death of King Alexander II of Scotland he favoured the Durward faction, and by a stratagem in 1255 secured the persons of the young King and Queen, but he was not at this time admitted to a share in the government. It was about 1260, when the Countess Isabella and her husband were forced to renounce the earldom, that the King and barons of Scotland declared the lands and title to belong to the wife of William Stewart, and he was invested therein. He was certainly using the title "comes" (earl or mormaer) before 17 April 1261, when he was witness to a grant to the Paisley Abbey. In the following year Dughall MacSuibhne granted to the Earl the lands of Skipnish, Killislate, and others, being that part of Kintyre called South Knapdale and the parish of Kilcalmonell. Following on this, the Earl granted the church of Kilcalmonell to the monks of Paisley. He also made grants to Kilwinning Abbey of churches in Knapdale, which show that he had possession of North Knapdale also. About 1263 the Earl was Sheriff of Ayr, and aided in making preparations to repel the expected invasion of King Haakon IV of Norway. He is said to have taken part in the battle of Largs. The Earl was Sheriff of Dumbarton in 1271. On 25 July 1281 he was one of the witnesses to and guarantors of the marriage contract of the Princess Margaret with Eirik II of Norway. In 1285 he and his Countess were again attacked by the rival claimants William Comyn and his wife, their claim having been in 1282 pressed upon King Alexander III of Scotland by the English King, and in a Parliament at Scone it was decided that the earldom should be divided into two portions. One half was retained by Walter Stewart, with the title of Earl, he having the principal residence on the territory, and the other half was erected into a barony in favour of William Comyn and his wife. The component parts of the earldom which remained to Walter Stewart are not known. The death of King Alexander in 1286 threw the kingdom again into confusion, and during the rivalry which ensued between the parties of Bruce and Balliol, the Earl of Menteith supported the cause of Bruce. In 1289 he was present at Birgham, and approved of the marriage proposed between Prince Edward of England and the young Margaret, Maid of Norway as she was called, the heiress of the Scottish Crown. Her unhappy death renewed the contest between Bruce and Balliol, and when it was proposed that the King of England should arbitrate, Menteith was one of those named by Bruce as his commissioners. He was present at Norham on 20 November 1292 when the new king John Balliol swore fealty to Edward I of England. This is the last certain record of him, as although letters were addressed by the English King to Walter, Earl of Menteith, on 29 June 1294, it is not clear that he was then alive. He may even have been dead by 10 February 1293, when Balliol's Parliament directed the lands of Knapdale belonging to the Earl to be incorporated in the sheriffdom of Lorn under Alexander of Argyll. The Countess Mary predeceased her husband, but at what date is not certain. Their tombstone is preserved in the Priory of Inchmahome, bearing the effigies of husband and wife, the former bearing on his shield the Stewart fess chequy with a label of five points, a device which also appears on his seal of arms in the Public Record Office, London. They had issue two sons named together by their father in a charter :

• Alexander, Earl of Menteith, who succeeded to the earldom.
• Sir John de Menteith, who has achieved an unenviable notoriety as the taker or betrayer of Sir William Wallace .

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Walter Bailloch or Walter Bailloch Stewart (1225 x 1230–1293 x 1294), was third son of Walter Stewart, 3rd High Steward of Scotland, and Earl of Menteith jure uxoris. His wife was Mary I, Countess of Menteith. Characteristically of the Stewart family by the thirteenth century, he was distinguished by the sobriquet Bailloch or Balloch, a Gaelic nickname roughly translated as "the freckled". He is said to have gone to Egypt under Louis IX of France, but there is no certain evidence of this. After the death of King Alexander II of Scotland he favoured the Durward faction, and by a stratagem in 1255 secured the persons of the young King and Queen, but he was not at this time admitted to a share in the government. It was about 1260, when the Countess Isabella and her husband were forced to renounce the earldom, that the King and barons of Scotland declared the lands and title to belong to the wife of William Stewart, and he was invested therein. He was certainly using the title "comes" (earl or mormaer) before 17 April 1261, when he was witness to a grant to the Paisley Abbey. In the following year Dughall MacSuibhne granted to the Earl the lands of Skipnish, Killislate, and others, being that part of Kintyre called South Knapdale and the parish of Kilcalmonell. Following on this, the Earl granted the church of Kilcalmonell to the monks of Paisley. He also made grants to Kilwinning Abbey of churches in Knapdale, which show that he had possession of North Knapdale also. About 1263 the Earl was Sheriff of Ayr, and aided in making preparations to repel the expected invasion of King Haakon IV of Norway. He is said to have taken part in the battle of Largs. The Earl was Sheriff of Dumbarton in 1271. On 25 July 1281 he was one of the witnesses to and guarantors of the marriage contract of the Princess Margaret with Eirik II of Norway. In 1285 he and his Countess were again attacked by the rival claimants William Comyn and his wife, their claim having been in 1282 pressed upon King Alexander III of Scotland by the English King, and in a Parliament at Scone it was decided that the earldom should be divided into two portions. One half was retained by Walter Stewart, with the title of Earl, he having the principal residence on the territory, and the other half was erected into a barony in favour of William Comyn and his wife. The component parts of the earldom which remained to Walter Stewart are not known. The death of King Alexander in 1286 threw the kingdom again into confusion, and during the rivalry which ensued between the parties of Bruce and Balliol, the Earl of Menteith supported the cause of Bruce. In 1289 he was present at Birgham, and approved of the marriage proposed between Prince Edward of England and the young Margaret, Maid of Norway as she was called, the heiress of the Scottish Crown. Her unhappy death renewed the contest between Bruce and Balliol, and when it was proposed that the King of England should arbitrate, Menteith was one of those named by Bruce as his commissioners. He was present at Norham on 20 November 1292 when the new king John Balliol swore fealty to Edward I of England. This is the last certain record of him, as although letters were addressed by the English King to Walter, Earl of Menteith, on 29 June 1294, it is not clear that he was then alive. He may even have been dead by 10 February 1293, when Balliol's Parliament directed the lands of Knapdale belonging to the Earl to be incorporated in the sheriffdom of Lorn under Alexander of Argyll. The Countess Mary predeceased her husband, but at what date is not certain. Their tombstone is preserved in the Priory of Inchmahome, bearing the effigies of husband and wife, the former bearing on his shield the Stewart fess chequy with a label of five points, a device which also appears on his seal of arms in the Public Record Office, London. They had issue two sons named together by their father in a charter : •Alexander, Earl of Menteith, who succeeded to the earldom. •Sir John de Menteith, who has achieved an unenviable notoriety as the taker or betrayer of Sir William Wallace

Notes ◦Walter le Stewart (called Bailloch ~ freckled), was the third son of Walter, 3rd High Steward, and married Mary, daughter and co-heir of Maurice, 3rd Earl of Menteith, in whose right he acquired the earldom. Alexander succeeded his father and changed his surname to de Menteith.

Assumed the surname Menteth but retained the paternal coat of Stewart altering the fess to a bend.

5th Earl of Menteith (by right of his wife. Captured at Battle of Dunbar and executed in 1296.)The first Battle of Dunbar against the English occured in 1296 when Edward I of England (Longshanks) sent the Earl of Surrey to punish King John Balliol of Scotland for his refusal to help the King of England in a matter with the French. This motive of revenge was further fueled by the recent death of the Scottish Princess Margaret in 1290 who was betrothed to Edwards son and failure to unite the two lands

Edward placed King John on the throne in 1292 and, though weak, as Edward intended, was the first king Scotland had had since 1286. King Edward I of England who had already conquered Wales was ready to take on the Guardians of Scotland. (Ross 2000: 1) Thus, the Earl of Warrene with 12,000 men were dispatched to lay siege on Dunbar. Knowing the importance of the fortress, the Scots begged cessation of the hostilities for three days to inform King John and gather their defenses. After this period the Scots advanced their army of 40,000 men. Warrene was, however, undaunted and continued his attack, scattering the Scottish forces whose losses were at least 20,000, of which 10,000 were slain. The castle was subsequently compelled to surrender and most were taken prisoner.

Edward I went on to destroy the Great Seal and remove to London the Stone of Destiny, the sacred stone brought from Ireland to Dalriada and then to Scone, upon which Scottish kings had been crowned since the sixth century.

Sources 1.[S235] http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal37864, (Website defunct as at 18 Mar 2008)

2.[S265] Colquoun_Cunningham.ged, Jamie Vans

3.[S285] London 1910. Alan Sutton, 1982, G E C, (London 1910. Alan Sutton, 1982)

4.[S280] Stirnet Genealogy, Peter Barns-Graham, mzmisc01 (Reliability: 3)

5.[S260] Burke's Landed Gentry of Great Britain 2001, Peter Beauclerk Dewar,, (2001.)

6.[S289] Betty and Dick Field's Family History, Richard Field