Walter Espec
Walter Espec (died 1153) was a prominent military and judicial figure of the reign of Henry I of England.
His father was probably William Speche, a follower of William I of England[1] In the years up to 1120 he controlled northern England, alongside Eustace Fitz John.[2] He was the builder of Helmsley Castle; he built also Wark Castle.[3] As an old man, when High Sheriff of Yorkshire, he fought against the Scots at the Battle of the Standard in 1138.[4] He was the founder of Kirkham Priory (Augustinians) and later Rievaulx Abbey (Cistercians).[5] Kirkham Priory was founded around 1130.[6] 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.[7] By 1135 he also founded Warden Abbey[8] (Wardon) in Bedfordshire, a daughter house of Rievaulx.
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. ISBN 0-521-55229-X.
- A.Gransden, Historical Writing in England c. 550–c.1307, 1974.
- Christopher Tyerman, « Walter Espec », dans Who's Who in Early Medieval England, 1066–1272, Shepheard-Walwyn (editor), 1996, p. 113–114. (ISBN 0-85683-132-8).
Notes
- ↑ H2G2
- ↑ Paul Dalton, Conquest, Anarchy and Lordship: Yorkshire, 1066–1154 (2002), p. 105.
- ↑ Wark Castle
- ↑ Frank Barlow, The Feudal Kingdom of England 1042–1216, (4th edition), p. 211.
- ↑ People
- ↑ Houses of Austin canons - Priory of Kirkham | British History Online
- ↑ Rievaulx- A Virtual Tour
- ↑ Bedfordshire County Council: Warden Abbey