Spridleston

Spridleston (modern: Spriddlestone) is an historic manor in the parish of Brixton in Devon, England, long a seat of a branch of the prominent and widespread Fortescue family.

His tenant was Reginald I de Vautort[4] (died about 1123), who held several other Devonshire manors from the count[4] and held also from him 57 manors centred on Trematon Castle[5] After the Count's rebellion his landholdings reverted to the king and were re-granted as separate feudal baronies to several of his larger tenants.

[citation needed] His tenant was Ralph Spridel, who also held La Forsen, probably[10] a constituent part of the Domesday Book manor of Spredelestone.

The canting arms of Cockworthy Argent, a chevron between three cocks gules[30] were displayed impaled by Fortescue in a 16th-century stained glass window in Spridleston Hall, with several other similar heraldic shields, all in about 1838[31] removed to the parish church of Buckland Filleigh[32] in Devon, a seat of another branch of the Fortescue family which had inherited Spridleston by marriage.

[41] Thomas Lane (1741/2–1817), of Coffleet in Devon, purchased Spridleston in 1785 from Richard Inglett Fortescue of Buckland Filleigh.

[50] His only child died young and he thus bequeathed his fortune to his nephew, which included the manors of Brixton English,[51] Teignwick and Bradley in Newton Abbot.

[52] Veale was a friend of Sir Joshua Reynolds, born and raised at Plympton, near Plymouth, in Devon, and owned several paintings by him.

[53] In 1762 Reynolds brought his London friend Samuel Johnson to Devon for a holiday, and introduced him to friends, including Veale, with whom they lodged at Coffleet the nights of September 2 and 4, having in the interval stayed at nearby Kitley with William Bastard[54] (1727–1782) (father of Edmund Bastard (1758–1816) a Member of Parliament for Dartmouth).

[55] Veale had a particular interest in religion (as did Samuel Johnson) and was admitted a member of the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge in 1752.

[47] He is said to have been a lavish spender and to pay his debts he sold Bradley in 1841 and in 1848 mortgaged Coffleet to the trustees of the adjoining Kitley Estate.

Richard Lane made notes on the history of Spridleston which survive, dated 1838, recording the estate at 345 acres.

Derelict house at Spridleston, with high-status granite-sculpted door and window openings
Map showing Fortescue seats in South Devon. The earliest recorded English seat of the Fortescue family was Whympston in the parish of Modbury. The most prominent Fortescue seat was Castle Hill, Filleigh in North Devon, seat of Earl Fortescue until 1958
Canting arms of Ferrers: Argent, on a bend sable three horse-shoes or . The name was Latinized as de Ferariis , from the Latin noun ferrarius (from ferrum , "iron"), meaning an iron-worker or blacksmith [ 8 ]
Arms of Fortescue: Azure, a bend engrailed argent cottised or . Latin canting motto : Forte Scutum Salus Ducum ("A Strong Shield is the Salvation of Leaders") [ 18 ]
Arms of Falwell: Gules, on a bend wavy argent three water bougets sable , [ 19 ] as seen in Buckland Filleigh Church
Arms of Cockworthy: Argent, a chevron between three cocks gules , [ 26 ] as seen in Buckland Filleigh Church
Ancient heraldic stained glass moved in about 1838 from Spriddleston to Buckland Filleigh Church. Showing the arms of Fortescue impaling the arms of various wives. Rev. Richard Lane (d.1858) of Coffleet, Vicar of Brixton, and owner of Spridleston, noted as follows: "The windows in the front of the house were ornamented with a variety of armorial bearings in painted glass which were taken down a few years since and given to John Inglett-Fortescue late of Buckland Filleigh who placed them in his parish church" [ 27 ]
1797 watercolour of Buckland Filleigh House, Devon (south front), by Rev. John Swete (died 1821). The house burned down the next year (1798) and was rebuilt circa 1810 by John Inglett Fortescue (died 1841) (son of Richard Inglett Fortescue) in the neo-classical style, which building survives today
Thomas Lane (1741/2 -1817), 1762/4 portrait by Sir Joshua Reynolds , Stourhead House , Wiltshire
Arms of Lane: Per pale gules and azure, three saltires argent
Arms of Thomas Lane, being Lane with an inescutcheon of pretence for Tothill of Peamore, Exminster and of Bagtor : Azure, on a bend argent cotised or a lion passant sable [ 44 ] Engraving on a silver tray made in 1973 by Crouch and Hannam silversmiths, London