Manor of Hillersdon
[12] The seat of Roger Hillersdon, was Membland in the parish of Holbeton, Devon, where his descendants remained for several generations.
[13] After the dissolution of the monasteries, the manors of Cullompton and Upton Weaver were granted to Sir George St. Leger.
[15][16] In the early seventeenth century, Risdon states that Hillersdon was the seat of "Mr Cockrane", whose father and grandfather had also held it.
[17] After being released from his duties at Oxford he spent much of his time at his house in 10 acres or at Growen (a farm immediately to the east of Hillersdon).
[20][21] Pole (d.1635), records that Hillersdon was owned by "Mr Prous of Taunton", Somerset, whose eldest son resided there.
[24] It is possible that the estate was sold by the Cockerams to the Prowses in the early 17th century, in which case there would be no conflict between the account of Risdon and that of Pole.
[31] David Sweet, formerly of Gittisham, Devon, purchased Hillersdon and the manor of Cullompton from Francis Colman in 1802.
On the death of her second husband in 1816, John Laxon Sweet (born 1795) inherited and he and his wife, Caroline Mackmurdo moved into Hillersdon.
[14] Almost as soon as he inherited Hillersdon, John Laxon began to get into debt and by the early 1820s, parts of the estate were mortgaged for thousands of pounds.
By the time of the tithe survey in 1842, the estate was owned by Thomas Baker and the mansion was occupied by Daniel Roberts.
He was a nephew of Sir William Grant (1752-1832), Member of Parliament, Solicitor General and Master of the Rolls,[36] who had retired to Barton House, Dawlish, Devon.
[39] At the Royal Horticultural Society's Exhibition of British Ferns held in London in August 1892, her son provided "Mrs Maria Grant's Memorial Prize for 10 varieties of Athyrium filix-femina", Silver Gilt Flora Medal, in her honour.
[41] Hillersdon passed to his second and eldest surviving son "Johnny"[42][43][44] William John Alexander Grant (1851-1935), JP,[36] the distinguished Arctic photographer who in 1895 married Enid Maud Forster, a daughter of William Forster (1818-1882), Premier of New South Wales, Australia, whom he divorced in 1901.
One incident occurred after the Exeter Ball, when four young gentlemen plunged into one of the lakes, and were subsequently washed off in baths of Champagne.
The funeral procession was led by the Devon County Constabulary with one hundred members of the Cullompton Constitutional Club following behind.
[48] It was purchased in 1982 by David and Gale Glynn, who having undertaken some refurbishment work sold it in 2009 for an asking price of £3 to 4 million.
[49] In 2010 Hillersdon was purchased by International business man Michael Lloyd and has since undergone a complete refurbishment and is now used as a wedding venue.
