Walter Gervais Explained

Walter Gervais (fl. 1218) of the City of Exeter in Devon, England, was a wealthy merchant who served several times as Mayor of Exeter and who founded the Old Exe Bridge on the west side of the City crossing the River Exe. He is one of Prince's Worthies of Devon.[1]

Career

Walter served several times as Mayor of Exeter and was buried together with his wife in St Edmund's Church on the Exe Bridge.

Founds Exe Bridge

[2] One of the earliest historians to comment on the Exe Bridge was Richard Izacke (c.1624–1698), who in his 1677 work Antiquities of the City of Exeter wrote as follows:[3]

1250: Walter Gervis, a worthy citizen hereof founded Exbridge and collected (say some) £3,000 towards the building it, wherewith he purchased much land and bequeathed also his own for the maintenance of the same (ferry being here formerly kept) on which bridge a church was built (wherein this Gervis was now interred) dedicated to St Edmond, King of the East Angles.

Surviving documentary evidence shows that the bridge was in fact built between 1190 and 1210, and that the date of 1250 given by Izacke (and followed by Prince) is too late.

Builds St Loye's Chapel

According to the Devon historian Ethel Lega-Weekes (d.1949), it was Walter[4] Gervais, founder of the Exe Bridge, who in about 1238 built a chapel dedicated to St Loye (St Elegius) in the manor of East Wonford, outside the eastern walls of the City of Exeter, probably as his domestic chapel. The ruined walls of the Chapel survive today. East Wonford was later held by the Speke family, when it became known as "Wonford Speke".[5]

Marriage and children

He married and left children including:

Gervais family

The Gervais family included the following, of unknown relationship to Walter Gervais:

References

  1. [John Prince (biographer)|Prince, John]
  2. Prince
  3. [Richard Izacke|Izacke, Richard]
  4. "William Gervais" stated erroneously in place of "Walter Gervais", Ethel Lega-Weekes, Saint Loye’s, East Wonford, Devon, Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Vol 52, 1920, pp.360–366 https://archive.org/stream/ReportTransactionsOfTheDevonshireAssociationVol521920/TDA1920vol52_djvu.txt From the age indicated by the masonry, I should not be surprised to find that St. Loye's Chapel had been erected by William (sic) Gervais, who in 1238 was an important land-holder in — if not co-lord of — the Manor of Wonford, and in Ringswell (Ft. of Fines, Dev. and Corn. Rec. Soc, No. 267). He was repeatedly Mayor (1218–1239), and founded Exe Bridge in 1250.
  5. Pole, p.234
  6. [William Pole (antiquary)|Pole, Sir William]
  7. [Tristram Risdon|Risdon, Tristram]
  8. Pole, p.233
  9. Pole, pp.233;236;424–5
  10. Pole, pp.424–5
  11. Pole, p.233
  12. Himsworth book Winchester college
  13. winchester college arvhives
  14. Approximate timeframe, from details provided by Pole, p.265, he was the grandson of a man economically active in 1231, thus two generations later, say 25 years * 2 = 50 + 1231 = 1281
  15. Pole, p.265
  16. Pole, p.346
  17. Prince