Alan Hostarius (or Alan Durward) ( gd, Ailean Dorsair) (died after 1264, or in 1275) was the son of
Thomas de Lundin
Thomas de Lundin, often referred to as Thomas l'Ussier or Thomas Durward ( gd, Tomhas Dorsair), was a 13th-century Scottish nobleman.
Thomas takes his name from the villa of Lundie in Angus (not to be confused with Lundie in Fife), and was one ...
, a grandson of
Gille Críst, Mormaer of Mar. His mother's name is unknown, but she was almost certainly a daughter of
Máel Coluim, Mormaer of Atholl, meaning that Alan was the product of two
Gaelic comital families.
Alan was one of the most important political figures of 13th-century Scotland, and in fact effectively ruled the country at several points during the minority of
Alexander III (
Gaelic: ''Alasdair III mac Alasdair''). Through his father Thomas, he inherited the office of ''
hostarius
The Hostarius (alternatively, Usher, Doorward or Durward) was an office in medieval Scotland whose holders, eventually hereditary, had the theoretical responsibility of being warden of the king's door: protecting the king's property. This is a list ...
'', protector of the king's property. Alan probably participated in the campaign to crush the insurrection of
Meic Uilleim (Mac Williams) in 1228–29. By 1233, and probably before, Alan was given control of
Urquhart on the shores of
Loch Ness. Alan was almost certainly responsible for the earliest
motte
A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively eas ...
phase of Urquhart Castle.
At the same point in time, between 1233 and 1235, Alan was styling himself "Count of Atholl". It has often been thought that, after the death of
Thomas of Galloway, Earl of Atholl
Thomas of Galloway, known in Gaelic sources as Tomás Mac Uchtraigh (died 1231), was a Gall-Gaidhil prince and adventurer. The son of Lochlann, king of Galloway, Thomas was an active agent of his brother Alan of Galloway as well as the Engli ...
in 1232,