FAMILY
Succeeded William de Hales, who held Lodden Hales before him. Though Rev. Charles Parkin wrote that Walter was at Loddin Hales "in the time of King John" (r 6 April 1199 – 19 October 1216), this only seems to make sense if we are talking of his early years.
SERVING THE EARL OF NORFOLK
Though Earl Roger Bigod was too old to participate in the Poitou campaign of 1214, he sent a contingent of his knights and Walter de Hales may have been among them. They weren’t able to halt the progress of French conquests!
The following year old Roger Bigod was one of the English Earls that, under the leadership of Archbishop Stephen Langton, forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. The Earl of Norfolk was one of the 25 executors, or trustees, of its provisions.
Walter's services would have been called upon after the struggle against King John had degenerated into war. When the Royal army was in the south of Kent, the rebel barons decided to block his return route by throwing a garrison into Rochester. The greatest siege of that generation ensued. Bigod and the other barons assembled an army of 700 knights, and on October 26th set out to relieve the castle. They panicked after reaching Dartford and hearing “that the king intended to attack them”. So “they returned with all haste to London, agreeing that on 30 November they would gather a stronger and better force.” They asked Prince Louis of France to become king of England.
While he waited for the enemy to arrive, King John “wasted the land and took fortified places” throughout England. The earl of Norfolk’s turn came in March 1216. Twenty-six knights defended his principal residence at Framlingham against the Royal army. The castle fell after two days.
Bigod lost his appetite for fighting after that. He was negotiating with the king, when the French landed in Kent. They quickly overran most of the county and were able to enter London on June 2nd. The castle at Dover, alone, held fast against the invaders until King John died. Most of England united behind his young son Henry III (r. 1216-72), who enjoyed one of the longest reigns in the nation’s history.
RICHARD OF BROME'S WILL
Walter de Hales was a co-executers Richard of Brome’s will in 1236/37. He undertook to pay the deceased debts to the king by the third week after Easter, but also cited numerous obstacles. Some of Earl Roger Bigot’s troops had carried off the crop from 5 acres, and there were unpaid debts owed the deceased – namely:
William Bernehouse (from Suffolk) ... 20m.
Nicholas Crawe (from Norfolk) ... 20s.
Ralph of Selton .......... four oxen worth 40s.
Hales and the other executer did pay “£17. 4s. of the said debt” within the designated time, and declared they had “nothing more of ... (Brome’s) .. goods. And so they are acquitted, and the lord king is to recover the remainder of the said debt from the heir of the said Richard of Brome.”
CHILDREN:
There are numerous references confirming that Walter was the father of Roger de Hales, who succeeded him at Lodden Hales around 1250.
unknown son