Walter Espec (died 1155 [1] ) was a prominent military and judicial figure of the reign of Henry I of England.
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His father was probably William Speche (William Espec), who joined William the Conqueror in the Norman conquest of England. [2] The senior Speche is believed to have become the feudal baron of Old Warden by 1086. [3]
In the years up to 1120, Espec controlled northern England, alongside Eustace fitz John. [4] He was the builder of Helmsley Castle; he built also Wark Castle. [5] As an old man, when High Sheriff of Yorkshire, he fought against the Scots at the Battle of the Standard in 1138. [6] He was the founder of Kirkham Priory (Augustinians) and later Rievaulx Abbey (Cistercians). [7] Kirkham Priory was founded around 1130. [8] He then donated 1,000 acres (4 km2) to Rievaulx, where building started in 1132, and is largely credited for the arrival of the Cistercians in England. [9] By 1135 he also founded Warden Abbey [10] (Wardon) in Bedfordshire, a daughter house of Rievaulx. Walter Espec later became a Cistercian monk himself. [8]