Manor of Clovelly

The parish church is unusually well-filled with well-preserved monuments to the lords of the manor, of the families of Cary, Hamlyn, Fane, Manners and Asquith.

Whatever the truth of the matter, years later when she was acting as Regent in England for William the Conqueror, she used her authority to confiscate Brictric's lands and threw him into prison, where he died.

It appears that on an eventual split of the Giffard estates Mandeville inherited Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire whilst Stanton received Clovelly.

[25] Robert's monumental brass, showing a bare-headed knight dressed in full armour and standing in prayer, survives with its inscription, set into a ledger stone on the floor of the chancel of All Saints Church at Clovelly.

Along the full length of the cornice is inscribed in gilt capitals: Robertus Carius, Armiger, obiit An(no) Do(mini) 1586[28] ("Robert Cary, Esquire, died in the year of Our Lord 1586").

On the base of the north side are shown two relief sculpted heraldic escutcheons, showing Cary impaling Chequy argent and sable, a fess vairy argent and gules[29] (Fulkeram, for his father) and Cary impaling Sable, three swords pilewise points in base proper pomels and hilts or (Poulett, for his grandfather).

On the base of the west side is a similar escutcheon showing his own arms of Cary (of four quarters, 1st: Cary; 2nd: Or, three piles in point azure (Bryan);[30] 3rd: Gules, a fess between three crescents argent (Holleway);[31] 4th: A chevron (unknown, possibly Hankford: Sable, a chevron barry nebuly argent and gules[32]) impaling Gules, a chevron or between three millets hauriant argent (Milliton[33]) George Cary (1543–1601) constructed at Clovelly a harbour wall, surviving today, described by Risdon as "a pile to resist the inrushing of the sea's violent breach, that ships and boats may with the more safety harbour there".

[36] Clovelly's main export product was herring fish, which formerly appeared at certain times of the year in huge shoals, close off-shore in the shallow waters of the Bristol Channel, and such a harbour wall was a great benefit to the village fishermen, tenants of the Cary lords of the manor.

[40] His mural monument survives on the south chancel wall of Clovelly Church, erected by his second son and eventual heir George (who erected a similar one also opposite on the north chancel wall to his elder brother Sir Robert),[41] inscribed as follows: Sir Robert Cary (1610–1675) died unmarried and without children.

His mural monument survives in Clovelly Church, erected by his younger brother and heir George Cary (1611–1680) and inscribed as follows: Doctor George Cary (1611[42]-1680), younger brother, was a Professor (Doctor) of Divinity, Dean of Exeter (amongst other duties responsible for the maintenance and decoration of the cathedral building) and Rector of Shobrooke in Devon.

His mural monument survives in Clovelly Church, erected by his eldest son Sir George Cary (1654–1685),[50] the armorials of the latter's two wives appearing on the top of the monument as follows: dexter: Azure, a chevron between three mullets pierced or (Davie of Canonteign, Christow); sinister: Or, a lion reguardant sable langued gules (Jenkyn of Cornwall).

), to allow him to sell entailed lands in Somerset and to re-settle his Devon estates in order to pay debts and provide incomes for his younger children.

He was suffering financial difficulties and applied to Robert Harley for a lucrative government post to restore his finances:[53] He married twice: By Mary Mansel he had children 3 sons and 2 daughters, which generation was the last of the Cary family of Clovelly:

Arms of Giffard of Weare Giffard , Halsbury and Brightley , all in Devon: [ 10 ] Sable, three fusils conjoined in fesse ermine
Arms of Cary: Argent, on a bend sable three roses of the field [ 17 ]
Seats of the Cary family in Devon: Cary, in the parish of St Giles in the Heath , next to the River Cary ; Clovelly and Cockington , the latter both purchased by Sir John Cary (died 1395), Chief Baron of the Exchequer and Member of Parliament for Devon
Monumental brass believed to represent Sir William Cary (1437–1471), lord of the manors of Clovelly and Cockington, Devon. Set into a slate ledger stone in floor of chancel, All Saints Church, Clovelly, without identifying inscription or armorials, next to brass of his son and heir Robert Cary (died 1540) [ 23 ]
Arms of Sir William Cary (1437–1471), as seen on the base of the monument in Clovelly Church of his grandson Robert Cary (died 1586), showing Cary impaling Sable, three swords pilewise points in base proper pomels and hilts or (Poulett)
The "Pile" or harbour wall at Clovelly built by George Cary (1543–1601), [ 34 ] which created the only safe anchorage between Appledore and Boscastle [ 35 ]
Mural monument to William Cary (1576–1652), All Saints Church, Clovelly
Mural monument to Sir Robert Cary (1610–1675), All Saints Church, Clovelly, north wall of chancel
Stained glass heraldic achievement of Lucius Henry Cary, 6th Viscount Falkland (1687–1730), south chancel window, All Saints Church, Clovelly. His distant cousin Elizabeth Cary, the last of the Cary family of Clovelly, died in 1738 and the manor was sold by her husband Robert Barber in 1739. There is no reason to suppose that Cary arms were affixed inside the church after that date
Monument in Clovelly Church to Mary Mansell (died 1700), second wife of William Cary (c. 1661 – 1710). Also to her children Robert Cary (died 1723) and Ann Cary (died 1728), by whose surviving sister, Elizabeth Cary (died 1738), the last of the Cary family of Clovelly, it was erected