Blagdon, Paignton
The Dennis family had been seated at Pancras Week in the parish of Bradworthy, Devon, since before the reign of King Henry II (1154-1189).
[17] According to the Devonshire biographer Prince (died 1723), he was a "very free and liberal, ... prudent and discreet" benefactor of the town of Honiton in Devon.
The only arms still visible are on the top left shield, showing Kirkham impaling a field vair, but with the chief chiselled flat.
The monument was "covered with plaster" until 1753, when on its removal the following inscription was revealed (since disappeared):[26] "This worthy knight whose corps entombed lie Hath and deserves a noble memory Heaven crowns his soul with bliss, the earth with praise, His life, his death, God gave him happy days Gave him the gifts of nature, generous arts Wit, judgement, learning, knowledge, his deserts Got good men's love; his will his conscience free From wronging any; wisdom, equity Were guides unto his actions to the poor His bounty great his council & his store Ready to succour all his worth was such Envy may strive to hurt but cannot touch" Richard Kirkham (died 1631), eldest son and heir,[27] who married "the heiress of Oldham" near Tilbury in Essex,[28] and left a daughter and sole heiress Mary Kirkham, who married Sir George Blount, 2nd Baronet (died 1667) of Sodington in the parish of Mamble in Worcestershire, to whom the manor of Blagdon passed.
Sir George Blount, 2nd Baronet (died 1667) of Sodington in the parish of Mamble in Worcestershire, married Mary Kirkham, heiress of Blagdon.
His eldest son Sir Walter Kirkham Blount, 3rd Baronet (died 1717), inherited his paternal estates, including Sodington.
This shows the initials "EB" [31] and displays the arms of Blount (Barry nebuly of six or and sable) impaling Gules, seven mascles vair 3,3,1 (Guise) above a scroll inscribed with a Latin motto Lux Tua Via Mea ("Your light is my path") with the date "1708".
In 1717 "Edward Blount of Blagdon" registered his landholdings under the Registration of Papists' Estates,[32] legislation passed following the Jacobite uprising of 1715.
[35] Edward Blount left three daughters as his co-heiresses: Blagdon remained a seat of the Blount family until it was acquired as his residence[41] by Francis Parker (born 1701-post 1757), the fourth son of George Parker (1651-1743) of Boringdon Hall, Plympton, and of North Molton, Devon, who purchased Saltram near Plymouth, later the principal seat of his descendants.
James Hogg, Vicar of Geddington, Northamptonshire,[50] and master of Kettering grammar school),[51] commenced building (at his sole expense) the "evocative Victorian group" (Pevsner) of church, school and vicarage at the adjoining manor of Collaton (thenceforth "Collaton St Mary"), to the design of J.W.Rowell, to commemorate his daughter[52] Mary Maxwell Hogg (died 1864), who died aged 17 and was buried at Brixham and re-interred in his new church in 1867.
Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847), [55] of nearby Berry Head, Brixham, who composed the well-known hymns "Abide with me", "Praise my soul the King of Heaven" and "Pleasant are thy courts above".
Other new churches were built at that time in and around Paignton and Torquay to cater for the greatly expanded populations due to the development of the Torbay area as a seaside resort.
