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Walter Fleming, 1st of Barochan
(c1220 - )
Basic information about this person: \click here\

Walter Fleming, son of Simon of Lectehtwerling, is regarded as the founder of the Flemings of Barochan, the Renfrewshire branch of the family that survived for six centuries.

Family background

Walter was born around 1220, a son of Simon Fleming of Lectehtwerling and a great-grandson of Bertolf. His brother was Duncan Fleming. Like his father he grew up in the world of the Stewarts and the earls of Lennox, whose lands lay on either side of the Clyde.

Witness at Kelso

Walter’s only known act is witnessing a charter of Kelso Abbey in 1240. Very few records of the family survive from this period, and much of what is known about Walter comes from the later history of his descendants.

Founder of Barochan

Walter is counted as the first of Barochan, an estate near Houston in Renfrewshire, within the Stewart lordship. The Barochan Cross, an early medieval carved cross, stood on Corslie Hill nearby. By 1272 a William Fleming “de Barruchane” was witnessing charters of the Earl of Lennox. See Estate: Barochan.

Legacy

Walter’s son William Fleming of Barochan swore fealty to Edward I in 1296. The Flemings of Barochan remained a separate branch of the family for six centuries, and in 1596 the 1st Earl of Wigtown named Alexander Fleming of Barochan as heir to his estates should his own male line fail.