Walter of Gloucester (also Walter FitzRoger or Walter de Pitres) (d. ) was an early Anglo-Norman official of the

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

during the early years of the

Norman conquest 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, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

of the South

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...

. He was a sheriff of Gloucester and also a

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

under

Henry I Henry I or Henri I may refer to: :''In chronological order'' * Henry I the Fowler, King of Germany (876–936) * Henry I, Duke of Bavaria (died 955) * Henry I of Austria, Margrave of Austria (died 1018) * Henry I of France (1008–1060) * Henry ...

Life

Walter of Gloucester was the son of

Roger de Pitres Roger de Pitres (also called Roger de Pistri) (d. bef. 1083), a Norman, was the Sheriff of Gloucester under William the Conqueror and constable of Gloucester Castle. Life Roger's origins are confirmed in his territorial appellation, de Pitres; he ...

, and his wife, Adeliza,The name of his mother, Adeliza, is found in ''Historia et cartularium monasterii Sancti Petri Gloucestriæ'', i, 81, 125, 188-9; ii, 129. See: Keats-Rohan, ''Domesday People'', Vol. I, 451,K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, ''Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents, 1066–1166'', Vol. I (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1999), p. 451 and was the earliest to use the style "of Gloucester" in his family. A landholder himself at the time of Domesday, by 1095 Walter had control of the bulk of the estates formerly held by Roger his father and

Durand of Gloucester Durand of Gloucester (d. circa 1096) was Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1086 and was one of the tenants-in-chief of King William the Conqueror in Gloucestershire and elsewhere, with a total of 63 holding listed in the Domesday Book of 1086. Biogra ...

his uncle. In addition Walter acquired other estates by royal grants.David Walker, 'the Honours of the Earls of Hereford in the Twelfth Century', ''Transactions of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society'', Vol. 79 (1960), p. 174 These estates were principally in four shires, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Wiltshire. He was hereditary

Sheriff of Gloucestershire This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kno ...

in 1097 and 1105-6. Sometimes called Constable of England he may only have been constable of

Gloucester Castle Gloucester Castle was a Norman-era royal castle situated in the city of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. It was demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison. Early Norman motte and bailey castle It was probably constructe ...

He is recorded as a constable of the royal household of Henry I from 1114 on. Walter erected or had a part in the erection of the castles of

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and Rochester as well as the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

.Arthur William Crawley-Boevey, ''The cartulary and Historical Notes of the Cistercian Abbey of Flaxley; Otherwise called Deane Abbey in the County of Gloucester'' (Exeter: William Pollard & Co., 1887), p. 5 Walter donated Westwood to

Gloucester Abbey Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...

for the soul of his brother Herbert and confirmed a grant of Colne by his father Roger. He endowed the canons of

Llanthony Priory Llanthony Priory () is a partly ruined former Augustinians, Augustinian priory in the secluded Vale of Ewyas, a steep-sided once-glaciated valley within the Black Mountains, Wales, Black Mountains area of the Brecon Beacons National Park in Mo ...

in Wales with lands from his lordship of Beryntone and retired to the abbey in his old age where he died a monk and was buried in the

chapter house A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

, about 1129.I.J. Sanders, ''English Baronies; A study of Their Origin and Descent, 1086–1327'' (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1963), p. 7

Family

He was married to Bertha. They were the parents of: *

Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford Miles FitzWalter of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (died 24 December 1143) (''alias'' Miles of GloucesterSanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.7) was a great magnate based in the west of ...

* Matilda, who married

Richard Fitz Pons Richard Fitz Pons ( 1080 – 1129) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, active as a marcher lord on the border with Wales. He is described as a follower of Bernard de Neufmarché, and probably first builder of Bronllys Castle. He started construction at ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gloucester, Walter of 1129 deaths People from Gloucester Anglo-Normans in Wales High sheriffs of Gloucestershire Year of birth unknown English feudal barons Burials at Llanthony Priory, Wales