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 ...

A Chronicle of England - Page 144 - The Oath of Walter l'Espec

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 House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

in the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

. 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 overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been ...

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 David ...

in 1138. He was the founder of

Kirkham Priory The ruins of Kirkham Priory are situated on the banks of the River Derwent, at Kirkham, North Yorkshire, England. The Augustinian priory was founded in the 1120s by Walter l'Espec, lord of nearby Helmsley, who also built Rievaulx Abbey. The ...

(

Augustinians Augustinians are members of Christian religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written in about 400 AD by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13 ...

) 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 Dissoluti ...

(

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 Saint ...

). 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 se ...

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 wa ...

, 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