2-376-507 - Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images

The oath of Walter l'Espec, Cowton Moor, near Northallerton, Yorkshire, 1138 (1864). Walter l'Espec (d 1153) shown grasping the hand of William Earl of Albemarle (d 1179) exclaiming I pledge thee my troth, that I will this day either conquer the Scots, or die by the Scots. Walter l'Espec was a prominent military and judicial figure in the north of England in the reign of Henry I. Although an old man by 1138, he fought under the command of William of Aumale (Albemarle) in the victory over the Scots at the Battle of the Standard.