Walter de Beauchamp

Walter de Beauchamp (Sometimes known as Walter I of Beauchamp, Walter of Beauchamp, Walter I de Beauchamp, He married the daughter of Urse d'Abetot, who is usually named Emeline, although her name is not given in contemporary records.) Urse d'Abetot was the Sheriff of Worcestershire from around 1069 to around 1108. Beauchamp may have been a tenant of his father-in-law prior to his marriage. Some documents suggest that his father may have been named Peveral de Beauchamp and that he had a brother named William Peveral de Beauchamp, but the only identifiable Peveral is younger than Walter.

Sheriff

In the 1110s, Beauchamp became Sheriff of Worcestershire, holding the office until 1130. Beauchamp inherited most of d'Abetot's lands and the hereditary office of Sheriff of Worcestershire when Roger d'Abetot, Urse's son, forfeited his lands and offices after being exiled by Henry I for murder. King Henry I of England granted Beauchamp the right to hunt wolves and foxes in the royal forests of Worcestershire. Because of the king's promotion of Beauchamp, he is considered one of Henry I's "new men".

Beauchamp probably held the office of royal forester for Worcestershire as well as sheriff. The evidence for this is that after Beauchamp's death, his son William was granted the revenues from the royal forests of Worcestershire at the same rate as his father had held them; this strongly implies that the elder held the office of forester. The historian Judith Green felt that Walter de Beauchamp might possibly have held the office of constable, which had been held by his father-in-law, He also upheld the royal office of dispenser, an office which later became known as a butler. He acquired this because his wife inherited the office from her father. While a member of the royal household, Beauchamp witnessed a number of royal charters, mainly when the king was in England.

D'Abetot's widow Adeliza granted her dower lands in the county of Worcestershire to Beauchamp, which was confirmed by King Henry sometime between 1123 and 1129, although the document cannot be dated more precisely than that. In 1130, at Michaelmas, Henry allowed Beauchamp to not pay geld on his lands in Berkshire, and he is mentioned in the 1130 Pipe Roll as still living. Beauchamp was the ancestor of the Beauchamp family of Elmley in Worcestershire, a member of which, William de Beauchamp, became Earl of Warwick.

The lands and offices of Urse's brother Robert were divided between Beauchamp and Robert Marmion. Marmion and Beauchamp disagreed about the division of the lands, leading to a long dispute between the two families that was only settled in the late 12th century. Some sources state that another daughter of Urse d'Abetot married Robert Marmion, which was the reason for the division of the lands and offices between the two men. Other sources are less sure, accepting this as one possibility among several for the divided inheritance between the Marmion and Beauchamp families. Because there are no contemporary sources showing that Urse had any children besides his son and the daughter who married Beauchamp, another possibility is that Urse's brother Robert had a daughter who married Marmion and that Urse managed to acquire part of her inheritance on the strength of his friendship with King William II of England.