Walter de Claville


Walter I de Claville was an Anglo-Norman magnate and one of the 52 Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief of King William the Conqueror. He also held lands in Dorset. His Devonshire estates later formed part of the feudal barony of Gloucester.

Origins

He is believed to have originated at any one of the manors called Claville or Clasville in the Duchy of Normandy, namely:
His brother was Gotshelm, also a Devonshire tenant-in-chief, whose estates also later formed part of the feudal barony of Gloucester.

Progeny

It is not known whether he married and left progeny, however Walter II de Claville in about 1170 gave many of Walter I's former Domesday Book estates to a priory which he established on his estate of Leigh within his manor of Burlescombe, later known as Canons' Leigh Priory. Furthermore, several of his estates were held in the 13th century by a certain "William de Claville", as recorded in the Book of Fees.

Succession

Sir William Pole gives the descent of the manor of Lomen Clavill, in the parish of Uplowman, as follows:
According to Sir William Pole, the male line of the Clavell family was extinguished during the reign of King Richard II. The heir to Lomen Clavell was the Beare family, lords of the nearby manor of Huntsham. There was however at some time a dispute over the inheritance between Thomas Beare and Sir Henry Perchey. The hamlets of Lomen Clavell and Bukinton Clavell still retained the family's name in the 19th century. According to Pole the arms of "Clavill of Burlescombe" were: Or, three keys gules which are thus canting arms alluding to the Latin clavis, meaning a "key".
In Dorsetshire however the family continued longer than the Devonshire branch and according to Hutchins the Dorsetshire historian: "the family of Clavell could boast an antiquity not to be equalled in this county and very rarely in any other", and was carried on in the male line until the latter half of the 17th century.

Landholdings in Devon

The manors or fees held by Walter I de Claville were recorded as 32 separate entries in the following order in the Domesday Book :
Name of feeParishHundredBook of Fees
tenant-in-chief		Book of Fees
mesne tenant
BywoodDunkeswellHemyockHonour of GloucesterJohn de Claville
Brampford SpekeBrampford SpekeWonfordHonour of GloucesterAgnes de Esford
Withycombe RaleighWithycombe RaleighEast BudleighHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Claville
West RaddonShobrookeWest Budleighunrecorded TiCunrecorded
Washford PyneWashford PyneWitheridgeunknownHerbert de Pinu
DrayfordWitheridgeWitheridgeHonour of GloucesterJohn le Despencer
SydehamRackenfordWitheridgeunknownHerbert de Pinu
Craze Lowman TivertonTivertonHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Claville
KidwellUplowmanHalbertonHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Claville
MurleyUplowmanHalbertonHonour of GloucesterJohn Lancelevee
CoombeUplowmanHalbertonHonour of GloucesterRobert Avenel
BoehillSampford PeverellHalbertonHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Claville
AyshfordBurlescombeHalbertonHonour of GloucesterAgnes de Esford
AppledoreBurlescombeHalbertonHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Claville
Canonsleigh BurlescombeHalbertonUnknown
LeonardHalbertonHalbertonHonour of GloucesterDunkeswell Abbey
Bere possibly FarwayColytonunknownunknown
Buckland-Tout-SaintsBuckland-Tout-SaintsColeridgeHonour of GloucesterThomas de Wodemaneston
North PoolSouth PoolColeridgeHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Bykelegh
Lupridge North Huish StanboroughHonour of GloucesterWilliam de Bykelegh
Leigh ChurchstowStanboroughHonour of GloucesterGeoffrey de Insula
One virgate in IddesleighIddesleighShebbearHonour of Gloucesterunknown
DowlandDowlandNorth TawtonHonour of GloucesterHenry de Nuny and wife Matilda
Loosedon WinkleighNorth TawtonHonour of GloucesterRoger Cole
One virgate in DowlandNorth TawtonNorth Tawtonunknownunknown
Instow InstowFremingtonHonour of GloucesterJohn de Sancto Johanne
Chetelescote possibly Coldridgepossibly North Tawtonunknownunknown
Nimet Down St MaryNorth TawtonHonour of GloucesterWalter le Lou
ShobrookeMorchard BishopCreditonunknownunknown
BurlescombeBurlescombeBamptonunknowngiven c.1170 to Canonsleigh Priory by Walter II Claville
Cicletunknownpossibly Bamptonunknownunknown
Virworthy PancrasweekBlack Torringtonunknownunknown

Landholdings in Dorset

In Dorset he held five manors including East Morden, since known as Morden-Maltravers. According to Hutchins four of the manors held by Walter de Claville in Domesday "seem to have passed at a very early period to a younger son—perhaps before the time of Henry II. Robert de Clavile held a fee in 'Porbica' in the time of Henry I., of which two hides were given to the Abbot of Tewkesbury, probably about 1106, soon after the Monastery of Cranborne became a priory dependent upon the former house. The gift was conferred by charter of King Henry I. In 12 Hen. II., Radulphus de Clavill held one fee in Dorset of Alured de Lincoln, of the "new feoffment", and Robert de Clavile held another of Gerbert de Perci, of the "old feoffment". Tewkesbury Abbey was founded by the Earl of Gloucester and thus is a link to the Honour of Gloucester to which Walter I's Devonshire holdings passed. The arms of the Clavell family of Dorset were: Argent, on a chevron sable three chapeaux or.