Sir Walter Stewart 3rd High Steward of Scotland

In answer to your query who was the mother of Walter Stewart, 3rd High

Tim Powys-Lybbe...

[Could you include a preface to identify who the 'you' was to whom you
are replying?]

Steward of Scotland, I quote from Stewart Ross in his book The Stewart Dynasty
(Thomas and Lochar 1993). "Alan married twice, on both occasions taking a wife
from a native Scottish family. His first wife was Eva, daughter of Swain, son
of the first recorded sheriff of Lothian. The arrangement has all the
hallmarks of Walter's handiwork. A wise rather than an ambition liaison, it linked
the stewards to an established Anglian dynasty and to an office which the
king was seeking to extend around the kingdom. Unfortunately Eva died young,
leaving no children.
The steward's second marriage was an altogether more ambitious business. His
partner this time was Alesta, daughter of Morgrund, the Celtic Earl of Mar.
The union of a leading Anglo-Norman family with one of the ancient earldoms,
possibly put forward jointly by the king and Alan, was a step up the social
ladder for the stewards; it also fitted in with William's efforts to extend
his personal authority northwards and promote harmony between the new and old
aristocracies. The Scottish kings were well aware of the dangers of creating
a governing class isolated from the country's traditional leaders." (Ross
is, of course, referring here to King William 1 of Scotland)

As I was aware that others in online databases had Eva as Walter's mother, I
wrote to Stewart Ross and asked him about the source for his view that
Alesta of Mar was Walter's mother and not Eva. He replied that he relied on the
secondary source of the authoritative writing of Professor G.W.S Barrow, a
notable historian of early Scottish history.

Tim Powys-Lybbe...

Earlier Stewart generations are covered by J H Round's research from
French primary documents in "Studies in Peerage and Family History", pub
1901 and reprinted 1970 and 1996, pp. 115-131.

There is also a researched genealogy in: The Scots Peerage, Vol 1, pp. 9
to 13, and this states, p. 12:

"Alan, son of Walter, and second High Stewart of Scotland ... is said
to have married Eva, daughter of Swan, son of Thor, Lord of Tippermuir
and Tranent, but this seems to be founded on a mistaken reading by
Duncan Stewart of a charter in the Register of Scone"

However in the Corrigenda in Vol 9 p. 1, it has:

"P. 12, l. 5 after 'Eva,' add note, 'Her name was certainly Eva (Reg
Prior S. Andree, 257), but her parentage is unknown.'"

Finally Round added one earlier generation to the above in "The
Genealogist", published by G Bell & Sons in London, Vol XVIII, pp. 1-2.

I have yet to find any later research to confirm the views of Ross or
Barrow.

Alex Stewart