Manor of North Molton

North Molton was a manor within the royal demesne (known as Nortmoltone[1] in 1086) until it was granted to a member of the la Zouche family by King John (1199–1216).

In 1270 Roger la Zouche was granted licence to hold a weekly market in the manor and an annual fair on All Saints' Day.

[6] The site, which is today Burcombe Farm, is 1 1/4 miles SW of the church on the ridge road leading to South Molton.

A member of the family of St Maur (or "Seymour") married a co-heiress of la Zouche, and thereby acquired the manor of North Molton.

Sir William Seymour was made a Knight of the Bath at the marriage of Prince Arthur to Catherine of Aragon, and by his will dated 1503 he bequeathed his manor of "North Moulton in Devonshire" to his wife Margaret for her life, with other lands in Somerset to the value of 40 shillings per annum.

In 1550 Edmund Parker, "gent" the son and heir apparent of John Parker of North Molton, Esquire, was granted by John Zouche, Baron Zouche (of Haryngworth), by deed of gift, the office of bailiff of the manor of North Molton and lands called "Legh" for the term of his life.

Whilst never lords of the manor of North Molton they seem to have acquired the advowson of the church shortly after the Dissolution, which they retained until after 1839, in which year they made their last appointment of the vicar.

A deed exists which records that in 1550 Edmund Parker, "gent" the son and heir apparent of John Parker of North Molton, Esquire, was granted by John la Zouche, 8th Baron Zouche (of Haryngworth), 9th Baron St Maur (c. 1486–1550), by deed of gift, the office of bailiff of the manor of North Molton and lands called "Legh" for the term of his life.

The Devon historian Tristram Risdon writing in about 1630 states in his account of Meeth: "Another barton of the same name (i.e. of "Hele") carrieth the adjunct of its ancient owners the Fryes, the last of which family had issue Elizabeth wedded to Parker of North Molton by which name Fryshele is now inherited".

John Parker (son), married the heiress of Thomas Ellicott of Bratton Clovelly, Devon, 8 miles west of Okehampton.

[19] The arms of Parker impaling Ellicott (Lozengy or and azure)[20] appear on the wooden panelling now in the chancel of North Molton Church, formerly in Court House.

The Duke's arms, a special grant from King Henry VIII, appear on the Parker panelling in North Molton Church.

The peacock arms of Smith (Argent, a cross gules between four peacocks close proper) are also shown on the Parker panelling and were confirmed by the Deputies of the heralds Camden and Clarenceux, as listed in the Heralds' Visitation of Warwickshire and Leicestershire, to Francis Smyth, of Wooton, grandson of Sir John Smyth, and 5th in descent from John Carrington "or Smith" (d.1446), who was 5th in descent from Sir Michael Carrington, Standard Bearer to King Richard I, and who died in the Holy Land.

The arms of Parker impaling Mayhew (Gules, a chevron vairy between three ducal crowns or)[24] appear on the wooden panelling now in the chancel of North Molton Church, formerly in Court House.

[31] About half of the estate was sold to the tenant farmers, and Lord Poltimore's daughter Lady Stucley remained to administer the remnant.

Sheila Margaret Warwick Bampfylde (b.1912), married Sir Dennis Stucley, 5th Baronet (1907–1983) of Hartland Abbey and Affeton Castle both in North Devon.

When the school closed the house was found to be in poor repair and the main part was demolished leaving only the servants' wing which had been added in 1902.

The family also still retains substantial land at North Molton on which it operates a commercial game-bird shoot, leased to a syndicate.

Attached to this estate was Plantelie (Praunsley),[36] which survive today as two neighbouring farms now in the parish of Twitchen, formerly within North Molton manor.

Arms of Alan la Zouche, 1st Baron la Zouche of Ashby (1267–1314) as shown on his seal affixed to the Barons' Letter, 1301 : Gules, ten bezants 4, 3, 2, 1 . The arms of la Zouche are blazoned in various 13th- and 14th-century rolls of arms including the Falkirk Roll, the Caerlaverock Poem, Glover's Roll, & The Camden Roll as Gules, bezant ée , i.e. with an unquantified scattering of bezants
Arms of St Maur of North Molton: Argent, two chevronels gules a label of three points vert
Arms of Seymour of Hatch Beauchamp : Gules, two wings conjoined in lure or
Court House, North Molton, built in 1553 by the Parker family; viewed from SW. The church tower is visible behind
Arms of Parker: Sable, a stag's head cabossed between two flaunches argent ; [ 13 ] Crest: A cubit arm couped below the elbow the sleeve azure cuffed and slashed argent the hand grasping a stag's attires (i.e. antlers) gules [ 14 ] The Parker arms later turned into the head of a buck, the male of the fallow deer , with palm-shaped antlers, as can be seen above the portico at Saltram House
Arms of Seymour of Berry Pomeroy: Gules, two wings conjoined in lure or . The Seymour line of Berry Pomeroy did not inherit the special grant of arms made to the 1st Duke of Somerset, [ 27 ] which descended to the children from his second marriage
Arms of Bampfylde of Poltimore and North Molton: Or, on a bend gules three mullets argent
Monument to Sir Amyas Bampfylde (d.1626), south wall of south aisle chapel ("Bampfylde Chapel")
Text of Exeter Domesday Book for Molland sub-manor, later called "Molland-Sarazen", in North Molton hundred