Sir Walter de Washington was an English Knight who was born around 1217 in Durham to his parents William de Washington and Alice de Washington (Lexington). He married Juliana de Winchester.. He is listed as having been one of the Durham Knights who fought and died at the battle of Lewes in Burke's Peerage.He is also notable for having been one of the first Lords of the manor of Washington, Tyne and Wear. He is also notable for having made improvements to Washington Old Hall ( English Heritage listed site) in the middle of the 13th century. Some of his improvements can still be seen on the building to this day, for example the pointed arches between the western wing and the Great hall.<ref name":2" /> After Walters improvements to the hall it was of enough significance to have been honored as lodgings of Edward I of England on his way back from Scotland<ref name":1" />. This suggests that he was responsible for a considerable amount of building as the hall went from being relatively unimportant to being important enough for the monarch to use as Lodging<nowiki/>s. Seeing as how the improvements took part in the middle of the 13th century, and he died in 1264, it is likely that Walter built them some time between 1250-1260. Walter's improvements to Washington old hall are made even more significant because it also indicates growth of the general settlement.
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