Walter de Gray (died 1 May 1255) was an English prelate and statesman who was Archbishop of York from 1215 to 1255 and Lord Chancellor from 1205 to 1214.

After securing the office of chancellor, the younger Gray was a supporter of the king throughout his struggles and was present at the signing of Magna Carta in 1215.

[1] His birth year is not recorded, nor is his age when he died, but according to the historian Lee Wyatt, Gray was probably born around 1180.

In 1209, Gray was one of the king's supporters who helped delay the promulgation in England of the papal bull declaring John excommunicated.

[7] Gray was present at the issuing of Magna Carta in June 1215, and then once more travelled outside England, this time recruiting mercenaries for the king.

[3] Gray was present at John's death and supported the papal legate, Guala Bicchieri, who excommunicated all those opposed to the new king, Henry III, who was still a minor.

[3] John had faced an invasion from Prince Louis of France, who had been brought into the kingdom by rebellious English barons.

Gray performed the marriage ceremony of Henry's sister Joan to King Alexander II of Scotland in 1221.

[14] Gray attempted to assert his archiepiscopal authority over Scotland, which was not only resisted by the Scots but by the Archbishops of Canterbury.

Gray set up vicarages in his archdiocese, inspected the monasteries under his episcopal authority, and worked to improve the finances of his cathedral chapter.

The north transept was funded by John le Romeyn, the treasurer of the cathedral chapter and a close friend of Gray's.

[17] The motive for the construction of new transepts is not known for certain, but Lawrence Hoey speculated that a need to put the shrine of the local saint – William of York – into a grand setting, the need to replace the previous transepts, and the ambition of Romeyn and Gray to display their wealth and power.

[18] Gray held a series of councils in his diocese from 1241 to 1255 which endeavoured to enforce clerical celibacy, keep benefices from being inherited, and improve the education and morals of the clergy.