Walter de Lacy, Lord of Weobley and Ludlow

Early life

Walter was originally from Lassy, in Normandy. He had a brother, Ilbert de Lacy. Ilbert was the ancestor of the de Lacy family of Pontefract. Both Walter and Ilbert jointly held the Norman lands that were held of the Bishop of Bayeux.

Career in England

Walter was given the lordship of Weobley in Herefordshire after the Conquest. when he is recorded stopping a Welsh attack and then raiding into Wales in retribution. Walter and Ilbert may have come to England in the household of Odo of Bayeux, the Bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of King William the Conqueror. Although some historians, such as W. E. Wightman, have argued that Walter was a follower of William fitzOsbern, others, including C. P. Lewis and K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, have argued that Walter was an independent agent in England.

By the time of Walter's death, he held a block of lands in Herefordshire along the border with Wales. Another group of lands was centered on Ludlow in Shropshire. These two groupings of lands allowed Walter to help defend the border of England against Welsh raids. Walter also had other lands in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Oxfordshire. Walter kept a large number of his manors in demesne, managing them directly rather than giving them as fiefs to his knightly followers. Some of these lands in Hereford, including Holme Lacy, were held of the Bishop of Hereford through feudal tenure. In total, Domesday Book records Walter's lands as being worth £423 in income per year and as comprising 163 manors in 7 different counties. He was one of 21 individuals with land valued at more than £400 at the time of the survey.

In 1075, Walter was one of the leaders of the force that prevented Roger de Breteuil from joining up with the other rebels during the Revolt of the Earls. Walter had joined forces with Wulfstan the Bishop of Worcester, Æthelwig the Abbot of Evesham Abbey, and Urse d'Abetot the Sheriff of Worcester.

Family and death

Walter married Emma or Emmelina Considerable confusion exists about Sybil, the wife of Pain fitzJohn. C. P. Lewis names her as the daughter of Walter, Yet another reconstruction, favoured by Bruce Coplestone-Crow, sees her as child of Geoffrey Talbot and his wife Agnes, whom he sees as daughter of Walter de Lacy.

The elder Walter died on 27 March 1085, He was buried in the chapter house at Gloucester Abbey. as well as Saint Guthlac's.

Citations

References

References

1. Keats-Rohan ''Domesday People'' p. 452
2. Lewis "Lacy, Walter de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''
3. He is already attested in the [[Welsh Marches]] by 1069,Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' p. 44
4. Wightman ''Lacy Family'' p. 167
5. Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' p. 93
6. Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' pp. 152–153
7. Garnett ''Conquered England'' p. 94
8. Coplestone-Crow "From Foundation to the Anarchy" ''Ludlow Castle'' p. 21
9. Green ''Aristocracy of Norman England'' p. 36
10. Williams ''English and the Norman Conquest'' p. 60 footnote 61
11. but W. E. Wightman calls her the daughter of Hugh, Walter's son.Wightman ''Lacy Family'' p. 175
12. Coplestone-Crow "From Foundation to the Anarchy" ''Ludlow Castle'' p. 22