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Walter Fitz Gilbert


Sir Walter fitz Gilbert of Cadzow, 1st Laird of Cadzow (died ca. 1346) was a Scottish nobleman. The son of Gilbert fitz William of Hameldone, and an unknown wife, possibly Isabelle Randolph. He is the first historically confirmed progenitor of the House of Hamilton, which includes the Dukes of Hamilton, Dukes of Abercorn and Earls of Haddington.

There is some confusion as to the ancestry of his grandfather William de Hameldone, who could, it has been argued, be descended from the Umfraville family of Northumberland, or the Beaumont Earls of Leicester. Both assertions are based on armorial evidence (both families used Cinquefoils in their arms), and references to various Hamilton place-names in Northumberland and Leicestershire. The Leicester connection is considered more likely as Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester is known to have had a son William but Heraldry expert A.C. Fox Davies has suggested the Beaumont Earls of Leicester bore the arms Gules, a lion rampant queue-fourchee argent following the work of Sir Anthony Wagner's History of Heraldry of Britain who referenced the Great Coucher Book of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Bruce A. McAndrew, in his work Scotland's Historical Heraldry argues for the Umfraville connection:

McAndrew also references the work of J.Bain's, 'Walter fitz Gilbert, ancestor of the Dukes of Hamilton' who further suggested that "Walter de Burghdon (Boroudoun), whose earlier seal attached to the Ragman Roll display a single cinquefoil and whose later seals displays three cinquefoils, was identical with Walter fitzGilbert of Hameldone. Bain of course was not aware of the painted heraldric evidence that demonstrated that Walter de Burghdon (d1309) bore Argent, three cinquefoils sable when fighting in the Scottish Wars and his relative Gilbert fde Burradoun bore Gules, on a bend argent, three cinquefoils sable in the Parliamentary Roll"


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