Walter Espec

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Walter Espec (died 1153) was a prominent military and judicial figure of the reign of Henry I of England. In the years up to 1120 he with Eustace Fitz John controlled northern England[1].

Contents

[edit] Military man

He was the builder of Helmsley Castle; he built also Wark Castle[2]. As an old man, he fought against the Scots at the Battle of the Standard in 1138[3].

[edit] Monastic founder

He was the founder of Kirkham Priory (Augustinians) and later Rievaulx Abbey (Cistercians)[4].

Kirkham Priory was founded around 1130[5]. He then donated 1,000 acres (4.0 km²) to Rievaulx, where building started in 1132, and is largely credited for the arrival of the Cistercians in England[6]. By 1135 he also founded Warden Abbey[7] (Wardon) in Bedfordshire, a daughter house of Rievaulx.

[edit] Family

His father was William Speche, a follower of William I of England[8].

[edit] Reference

  • Concise Dictionary of National Biography

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Paul Dalton, Conquest, Anarchy and Lordship: Yorkshire, 1066-1154 (2002), p. 105.
  2. ^ Wark Castle
  3. ^ Frank Barlow, The Feudal Kingdom of England 1042-1216, (4th edition), p. 211.
  4. ^ People
  5. ^ Houses of Austin canons - Priory of Kirkham | British History Online
  6. ^ Rievaulx- A Virtual Tour
  7. ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Warden Abbey
  8. ^ H2G2

[edit] External link