Manor of Tawstock

The historic manor of Tawstock was situated in North Devon, in the hundred of Fremington,[1] 2 miles south of Barnstaple, England.

[3] Many of the historic lords of the manor are commemorated by monuments in St Peter's Church, the parish church of Tawstock (situated to the east of the manor house) which in the opinion of Pevsner contains "the best collection in the county (of Devon) apart from those in the cathedral",[4] and in the opinion of Hoskins "contains the finest collection of monuments in Devon and one of the most notable in England".

Some of the buildings on this property are Heritage listed including St Michael's School (now a residence), the Stable Block, garden structures, the Gatehouse and other gates, and the Coach House (all Grade II).

[7] The Elizabethan mansion re-built by William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath, no longer exists apart from the gatehouse, with date-stone 1574.

Four years after Sir Bourchier Wrey, 7th Baronet, inherited the estate the house burned down in 1787 and was rebuilt by him in the Neo-Gothic style by about 1800, when Rev.

[9] The principal east front, with crenellated parapet and two end turrets, faces towards St Peter's Parish Church and has an extensive view across the River Taw to Bishops Tawton village and Codden Hill.

[20] In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as TAVESTOCHE, the 40th of 72 holdings in Devon held in demesne by King William the Conqueror.

[29] Maud married secondly Geoffrey de Camville (died 1308), of Clifton Campville, Staffordshire, who had summons to attend the king at Portsmouth, with horse and arms, to embark in the expedition then proceeding to Gascony.

[30] Camville survived her by about 29 years during which time he retained possession of the barony, including 2/3rds of the manor of Tawstock, under the curtesy of England.

James Audley thus in 1342 inherited his childless aunt Eleanor's moiety of the barony of Barnstaple, giving him possession of the whole, including 2/3rds of the manor of Tawstock.

They also inherited via the Audleys other manors formerly part of the barony of Barnstaple, including Nymet Tracy,[42] St Marychurch,[43] Kingston,[44] Marwood[45] and Upexe.

[47] Their 17th century landholdings in total comprised 36 manors in the counties of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire.

), married firstly James Cranfield, 2nd Earl of Middlesex, the issue of which marriage was soon extinct[62] and secondly to Sir Chichester Wrey, 3rd Baronet (1628–1668), whose descendants inherited the principal Bourchier seat of Tawstock.

The Tawstock House and St. Peter's church, Devon, from Codden Hill , by Thomas Bonner for Rev. Richard Polwhele 's History of Devonshire , 1797-98. (slightly cropped). 'TAWSTOCK HOUSE, To Sir Bourchier Wrey, Bart
Tawstock Court, view from south-east. Parts of the Elizabethan building, including large mullioned windows, survive in the south wing (left), which faces the surviving Elizabethan gate-house
Elizabethan gatehouse built in 1574 of Tawstock Court, viewed from south-east; a Grade II listed building
Renaissance aedicule (with (restored) date-stone "Anno 1574" above) over gateway on south facade of Elizabethan gatehouse, Tawstock Court. Contains the heraldic achievement of William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Bath (died 1623).
The "Bourchier Pew"
Arms of Audley: Gules a fret or . [ 31 ]
Arms of FitzWarin: Quarterly per fess indented argent and gules [ 35 ]
Arms of Hankford of Annery , Devon: Sable, a chevron barry nebuly argent and gules [ 40 ]
Canting arms of Bourchier: Argent, a cross engrailed gules between four water bougets sable . Badge : Bourchier knot
1589 monument to Frances Kitson (died 1586) "Lady FitzWarren", mother of 3rd Earl of Bath. South aisle, St Peter's Church, Tawstock
Arms of Wrey of Trebeigh, Cornwall, and Tawstock, Devon: Sable, a fesse between three pole-axes argent helved gules [ 74 ]
Arms of Wrey Baronets, with quarterings and crests, shown on mural monument in Tawstock Church to Sir Philip Bourchier Sherard Wrey, 12th Baronet. [ c ]
Sir Bourchier Wrey, 7th Baronet (1757–1826). 1787 portrait by Gilbert Stuart (1755–1828)