It was Mr. Riddell who first poured icy water on the proposition that “Gilberto de Hameldun Clerico” (a monk of low order), named in a confirmation charter of Paisley of 1272, was the ancestor of the ducal Hamiltons; he did so with heavy and justifiable sarcasm.

Chasing deeds concerning the Hamiltons may just be chasing forgeries.

Boiled down for simplicity:

It would be a remarkable occurrence by the kinship system operating at the time if Walter FitzGilbert de Hamilton was not a son of Gilbert de Colville, shown in the Writs of Military Service of 1292 in Scotland as Gilbertus Coleville, a son of Walter de Colville; of a family well established in Scotland, and which were kin of the Comyns and Umframvilles. He was given the confiscated lands of the former family, and his descendants used the armorial bearings of the latter.

1. Gilbert Crispin I.
2. Gilbert Crispin II., Seigneure de Tillières.
3. Gilbert Crispin III., m. Hersende de Brezolles; enfeoffed in Armentières.
2. William Crispin/Colville I. (ob. ante 1084), m. Eve de Montfort, sister of Simon I de Montfort L’Amaury (W. Frolich, trsl., The Letters of Anselme of Canterbury, 1990-1994, nos. 22, 98, 118, and 147).
3. Wlliam Crispin II. m. Agnes Mauvoisin.
4. Philip de Coleville, of Heton and Oxenhame, in the county of Roxburgh, Scotland.
5. Thomas de Colville (cognomento ‘the Scot’), obit. 1219, Constable of Dumfries Castle. Thomas de Colville, the constable of Dumfries Castle, gave land in Galloway to Vaudey Abbey, to pray for the souls of dead Scottish Kings.The fact that a Lincolnshire Abbey received land in Galloway for the souls of Scottish Kings is only explicable because of the existence of an aristocratic family with members in both kingdoms (G. Barrow, The Anglo-Norman Era in Scottish History, 1980). The network of relations was vitally important, providing support in times of need, and promotion when influence permitted. The family of de Colville, although geographically dispersed, was a powerful political entity.
6. John de Colville, of Oxnam. (Melrose Liber, t. ii., 400, p. 363).
7. William de Colville, of Spindlestone; ‘avus suus dominus Johannes de Coluille’ was succeeded by ‘filius suus legitimus Willelmus’, who married ‘filiam domini Johanis de Normanville’, whose family held Normanton in Rutland before the Umframvilles.
8. Thomas de Colville, ob. ante 1280 (Melrose Liber, t. ii., 400, p. 363).
9. Robert de Colville, d. bef. Apr. 2, 1341, m. Katerina (The Scots Peerage, Vol. II, edited by Sir James Balfour Paul, p. 539).
10. Robert de Colville, obit. c. 1397.
11. Thomas de Colville, ob. ante February 4, 1403, born in Formartine, Aberdeenshire, m. Margaret Lindsay, dau. of James de Lindsay and Margaret Keith, dau. of Sir William Keith and Margaret Fraser. Margaret Keith’s sister, Janet Keith, m. Sir David Hamilton of Cadzow, 3rd Laird of Cadzow (c. 1330–1390), son of David FitzWalter (FitzGilbert) of Cadzow. David Hamilton was the first of the family recorded as formally using the surname Hamilton, appearing in a writ of 1375 as ‘David de Hamylton, son and heir of David FitzWalter’.
4. Thomas de Coleville, m. Matilda d’Aubigny, probably a close relative of Roger (d’Aubigny) de Mowbray, his overlord. (Thomas de Coleville was the ancestor of the Stanhopes).
5. Philip de Colville, held land in Thimbleby and Sigston, Yorkshire. He m. Engelisa, dau. and heir of Robert Ingram, a tenant of the Brus fee in Heslerton.
6. William de Colville, m. Maud d’Albini (Brito), dau. of Ralph d’Albini (Brito). William held one night’s fee of Robert de Gand in Lincs., husband of Gunnora d’Albini (Brito), Maud’s sister. Ralph d’Albini (Brito) was the uncle of William Albini I. (Brito), who m. Matilda, the dau. of Odonel de Umframville (grandfather of Gilbert de Umframville I.) whose family armorial was gules, 3 cinque foils or.
7. William de Colville, m. Beatrice de Stuteville. Her sister, Alice de Stuteville, m. Roger de Merlay, son of Ralph de Merlay, Lord of Morpeth, Northumberland, and Juliana of Dunbar, dau. of Gospatric II. of Dunbar. Roger de Merlay and Alice de Stuteville had issue: Roger de Merlay, who m. Margery de Umframville, dau. of Richard Umframville, and sister of Gilbert de Umframville I.
8. Roger de Colville of Bytham Castle, Lincolnshire,
9. Walter de Colville, m. … d’ Albini Brito, of Aubourn and Counthorpe, Lincs., dau. of Odenel d’ Albini Brito, son of William d’Albini Brito I. and Matilda, dau of Odonel de Umframville.
10. Roger de Colville, son of Walter de Colville, m. Margaret de Braose, dau. of RIchard de Braose, whose br., William, m. Mary de Ros. William de Ros was the father of Alice de Ros, who m. John Comyn (Lincoln Assize Rolls,’Lincoln N.& Q.’vol. ix., p. 250), whose cousin and namesake’s lands were given to Walter FitGilbert (de Hamilton).
10. Gilbert de Colville. The Writs of Military Service show (1292) “Gilbertus Coleville” performing military service in Scotland ‘due from Gilbertus de Neville’, his kinsman, through the Merlays, and a man of the Gands in Lincolnshire.
11. Walter FitzGilbert de Hamilton. He first appears in January 10, 1295, as a witness to a charter by James, the High Steward of Scotland. Robert de Brus granted to Walter Fitz-Gilbert the whole tenement of Machan which belonged to John Comyn in 1320. It was a medieval ‘norm’ to give forfeited lands to a member of the ‘disgraced’ family. John Comyn was the cousin of his namesake, husband of Alice de Ros. ‘The earliest representation of the Hamilton arms appears on the Bute Mazer were Gules, three cinquefoils ermine, presumably for Walter FitzGilbert and is accompanied by Gules, a chevron ermine between three cinquefoils for brother John (obit. 1328). ‘(A) sensible proposition is that they were kin, or vassals of the Umfraville lords of Redesdale and the earls of Angus’ (Bruce A. McAndrew, Scotland’s Historic Heraldry, p. 235, 2006).
3. Robert de d’Armentières, held Whatton of Gilbert de Gand. Domesd. tom. i. fol. 56 b.
4. William de Whatton, progenitor of the families of Newmarch and Wormley.

1. Gilbert de Gand I, overlord of the Armentieres family of Whatton.
1.1. Hugh de Gand, m. Adeline de Beaumont, dau. of Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester
1.1.1. Gilbert de Gand, 1st earl of Lincoln, obit. c. 1156, m. Rohese de Clare, dau. of Richard de Clare.
1.1.2. Robert de Gand, m. Gunnora de Albini Brito, dau. of Ralph de Albini Brito (English Baronies’, I. J. Sanders, OUP, 2nd ed, 1963); she m. (2), Nicholas de Stuteville. A sister of Gunnora de Albini Brito, Maud, m. William de Colville. William held one night’s fee of Robert de Gand in Lincs, his br.-in-law. William de Colville agreed to pay the king a fine of 20 mares and one palfrey, to have seisin of Normanton, Rutland, held in chief by the de Umframvilles.
1.1.2.1. Gilbert de Gand, Earl of Lincoln, obit. 1241, father of Juliana de Gand, who m. Geoffrey d’Armentières, son of Henry d’Armentières, descendant of Robert de d’Armentières.

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