Walter Espec (died 1153) was a prominent military and judicial figure of the reign of
Henry I of England
Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...
.
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His father was probably William Speche (William Espec), who joined
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England
The monarchy of the United Kingdom, ...
in the
Norman conquest of England. The senior Speche is believed to have become the
feudal baron
A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an lord, overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largel ...
of
Old Wardon by 1086.
In the years up to 1120, Espec controlled northern England, alongside
Eustace fitz John
Eustace fitz John (died 1157), Constable of Chester, was a powerful magnate in northern England during the reigns of Henry I, Stephen and Henry II. From a relatively humble background in South East England, Eustace made his career serving Henry I ...
. He was the builder of
Helmsley Castle
Helmsley Castle (also known anciently as ''Hamlake'') is a medieval castle situated in the market town of Helmsley, within the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England.
History
Although the estate of Helmsley was granted to Ro ...
; he built also
Wark Castle. As an old man, when
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere ...
, he fought against the Scots at the
Battle of the Standard
The Battle of the Standard, sometimes called the Battle of Northallerton, took place on 22 August 1138 on Cowton Moor near Northallerton in Yorkshire, England. English forces under William of Aumale repelled a Scottish army led by King Dav ...
in 1138. He was the founder of
Kirkham Priory (
Augustinians) and later
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey was a Cistercian abbey in Rievaulx, near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park, North Yorkshire, England. It was one of the great abbeys in England until it was seized in 1538 under Henry VIII during the Dissolutio ...
(
Cistercians
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Sain ...
). Kirkham Priory was founded around 1130.
[Houses of Austin canons – Priory of Kirkham , British History Online]
/ref> He then donated to Rievaulx, where building started in 1132, and is largely credited for the arrival of the Cistercians in England. By 1135 he also founded Warden Abbey
Wardon or Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire, was one of the senior Cistercian houses of England, founded about 1135 from Rievaulx Abbey.
It is a Grade I listed building.
History
The patron was Walter Espec, who had founded the mother house and settl ...
Bedfordshire County Council: Warden Abbey
/ref> (Wardon) in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...
, a daughter house of Rievaulx. Walter Espec later became a Cistercian monk himself.[
]
References
*''Concise Dictionary of National Biography''
* Paul Dalton, "Espec, Walter (d. 1147x58)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004.
* Janet E. Burton, ''The monastic order in Yorkshire, 1069–1215'', Cambridge studies in medieval life and thought, Cambridge University Press, 1999, 352 pages. .
* A. Gransden, ''Historical Writing in England c. 550–c.1307'', 1974.
* Christopher Tyerman
Christopher Tyerman (born 22 May 1953) is an academic historian focusing on the Crusades. In 2015, he was appointed Professor of History of the Crusades at the University of Oxford.
Life and career
He graduated from New College, Oxford, with a f ...
, " Walter Espec", in ''Who's Who in Early Medieval England, 1066–1272'', Shepheard-Walwyn (editor), 1996, p. 113–114. ().
Notes
External links
''Four Great Abbeys and Priories of Yorkshire''
Walter Espec, founder of Rievaulx abbey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Espec, Walter
1153 deaths
Anglo-Normans
Norman warriors
People from North Yorkshire
High Sheriffs of Yorkshire
Year of birth unknown