East Hagginton

The three Domesday Book entries are as follows: At some time shortly before 1500 the overlordship had been inherited, with Umberleigh, Heanton Punchardon and many other estates, by the Basset family of Whitechapel, Devon, and Tehidy, Cornwall, co-heirs of the Beaumonts.

The legal dispute forms the subject of a surviving holograph letter dated 28 February 1539 written by the North Devon lawyer George Rolle (died 1552) to Viscountess Lisle (formerly Lady Basset):[16]

"Right honourable and my singular good lady, my duty remembered, I have me humbly recommended unto your good ladyship and to my good Lord Lyle advertising your ladyship that I received your ladyship's letter by which ye willed me to speak with my Lady Coffyn for her title in East Haggynton in the county of Devon who had one estate in tail to him (i.e. her husband Sir William Coffyn) and to his heirs of her body begotten; and now he is dead without issue of his body so that the reversion should revert to Mr John Basset and to his heirs so there be no let nor discontinuance of the same made by Sir William Coffyn in his life.

Ffrom London the last day of Ffebruary, by your assuryd servant George Rolle".East Hagginton was eventually acquired by purchase, together with the lordship of the manor of Berrynarbor and the estate within it of Woolscott, shortly before 1810 from Rev.

[22] Joseph sold Orleigh in 1807 and built Watermouth Castle as his principal residence,[23] adjacent to or possibly within the estate of East Hagginton, rebuilt from the picturesquely sited Palladian house built by Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton, 14th Baron Clinton (1696–1751),[24] whose tenure in this location of Devon remains unexplained by available sources.