The earliest record that we have of our family in Scotland is of William Hunter (1st Laird) who is named as a witness at the Inquisition of King David I in 1116. As the Prince of Cumbria, David married Maud, a grand-niece of William the Conqueror. The Prince acceded to the throne as David I of Scotland. This was followed by a fresh influx of Anglo-Normans into Scotland, invited by David who had himself been brought up at the Norman Court.

There is a legend that has been passed down through the generations that the wife of William, the first Laird, was a lady in waiting to Queen Matilda, Wife of William the Conqueror. They came over to Britain about 4 years after the Norman Conquest, and therefore, would not have been mentioned in the list of companions of the Conqueror. Our original ancestor was a huntsman under the command of 'Le Gros Veneur,' the Chief Huntsman to the Duke of Normandy. It appears that this early ancestor excelled at this job of providing the Royal Court with meat and game, for King David appointed him as his Chief Hunter in Scotland.

Hunter the Norman, the 2nd Laird of Hunterston, is mentioned in a Charter of King Alexander III of Scotland in 1271. The reference was to land that had been granted to the Hunter by the King's predecessor, Malcolm IV who reigned from 1153 - 1165.