[5] According to the Burghal Hidage (an early 10th Century document describing all burhs then functioning), Halwell's town wall was 1,237 feet long and the garrison consisted of 300 men who could be drawn from the surrounding district in the event of an invasion.

However, by the close of the 11th century[6] its status as a burh had been transferred to Totnes, 5 miles to the north and situated on the River Dart, probably because it was better placed for trade at a time when the Viking threat had diminished,[citation needed] after which the significance of Halwell greatly decreased.

According to William Pole (died 1635), from the reign of King Edward I the manor was the seat of the de Halgawell family,[9] which resided there for several generations.

Sir John Halgawell (or Halliwell) was Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall[10] under King Henry VII (1485-1509), and Admiral of the Fleet and a Knight of the Body.

Her eventual heiress and inheritor of the manor of Halwell was her second of six daughters, namely Elizabeth Bray (d.1573),[13] who married Sir Ralph Verney (1509-1546), of Pendley in Tring, Hertfordshire, and of Middle Claydon, Buckinghamshire,[14] whose monumental brasses with heraldic shields survive in the Church of St. John the Baptist, Aldbury, Hertfordshire.