779 Alan the son of Walter seems to have emulated his father in the muni- ficence of his grants, and appears to have enjoyed full as much property, which enabled him to act thus munificently and wisely. He was also a witness to the charters of William the Lion, under whom he flourished. He seems to have married a daughter of Swan, the son of Thor, by whom he left two sons, Walter and David ; and dying in 1204, he was buried in the abbey of Paisley (x). His son Walter is the first who called himself, and was called by others, Seneschallus Scotice (y). He was appointed by Alexander II. the justiciary of Scotland in 1231, while Walter Cliford was justiciary of Lothian (z). He was sent in 1238 as an ambassador to negotiate a marriage with Mary, the daughter of Ingleram Count de Coucy. He imitated his progenitors in founding a monastery at Dalmulin upon the Ayr (a). This eminent man died in 1246, and was buried in the abbey of Paisley (6). Walter the Stewart, by whatever wife, left four sons ; 1. Alexander, who succeeded him; 2. John, who is said to have been slain at Damietta in 1249, without issue ; 3. Walter, who was designated in charters senescallus, and became Comes de Menteith by marriage ; 4. William, who is mentioned in charters, but who died without issue (c). Alexander succeeded his father Walter as Stewart of Scotland. He was one of the counsellors to Alexander III., and was appointed one of the regents in 1255 (d). Alexander the Stewart of Scotland commanded the Scottish army, which on the 2nd of October, 1263, defeated the Norwegians under Haco their king, at the battle of Largs (e). We may easily suppose that the hardy men of Strathgryfe partook of the glory of that victory. This Stewart was not only a brave, but a beneficent man. He confirmed the (x) Cravwf. Hist, of the Stewarts, 5, 6; Stuart's Gen. Hist, of the Stewart's, 8, 9. (y) See the charter in Crawf. Hist., 7. (z) He continued Justiciary of Scotland till 1240. Caledonia, i, 706. (a) An account of this establishment has been given in the Ecclesiastical History of Ayrshire. (b) Crawf. Hist, of the Stewarts. 7, who quotes the Chart, of Paisley for the fact; yet Fordun, 1. ix. c. 56, and also the chronicle of Melrose, state his decease in 1241. Walter the Stewart gave up to the monks of Paisley an annual payment of two cbalders of meal from the mill of Paisley, for the support of a monk to perform divine service for the soul of Robert de Brus. [Chart. Paisley, No. 182.] Robert de Bruce, the Lord of Annandale, died in 1245. We thus perceive an early connection between the Stewarts and the Bruces, which continued without interruption. (c) Stuart's Gen. Hist, of the Stewarts, 11. (d) Another of the regents was Robert de Bruce, who acted in conjunction with the Stewart during the minority of Alexander III. (e) Fordun, ii. 98.