Warleigh, Bickleigh

Warleigh is a historic estate within the parish of Bickleigh (formerly Tamerton Foliot) in Devon,[1][2] about 6 miles from Plymouth.

[3] The boundary walls of the garden are made from red brick and date from the 18th century and are Grade II listed.

[4] The red brick dovecote to the east of the main house dates from the early 18th century and is Grade II listed.

[10] Pole states elsewhere that during the reign of King Henry III a certain Sampson Folliot held the manor of Coffinswell, which later passed to the Coffin family.

As Pole stated: "By this match of Bonvile's daughter the estate of Copleston was greatly augmented"[21] Anne Bonville was heiress, from her maternal grandmother Leva Gorges, to the manor of Tamerton Foliot[22] and her father John Bonville was, through his mother, the grandson and heir of Martin Ferrers.

[29] The couple's monument, erected in 1617 and repaired in 1894, survives in St Mary's Church, Tamerton Foliot,[30] inscribed in Latin as follows: As related by Prince, John IV Copleston murdered his godson, possibly an illegitimate son, which "most unfortunate occurrence in this place of Tamerton...in all probability hastened the extinction of the name and family here and at Copleston also".

[31] The godson had been sent abroad for his education and when he returned home to England overheard his godfather's private conversation and reported it amongst his circle of friends, which action soon found its way by gossip back to his godfather, whose indignation was "exceedingly enkindled" and who exclaimed: "Must boys observe and discant on the actions of men and of their betters?

Copleston fled, and implored all his influential friends at the royal court to procure him a pardon from Queen Elizabeth, which eventually he received, but not without having had to pay a large fine which necessitated the sale of thirteen of his manors in Cornwall.

[41] Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Baronet (c. 1633–1692), eldest son, died of gout at Warleigh and was buried at Poltimore.

Richard de Radclyffe was Seneschal and Minister of the Royal forests in Blackburnshire and accompanied King Edward I (1272–1307) in his wars in Scotland and received from him a grant of free warren in all his demesne lands at Radcliffe.

[51] The descent of the Radcliffe family of Warleigh was as follows:[52] In 1741[53] the estate was purchased by Walter I Radcliffe (1693–1752) of Franklin, Devon, baptised at St Thomas's near Exeter, whose wife Admonition Bastard (born 1701) (4th daughter of William Bastard (1667–1704) of Gerston, East Alvington, Devon, by his wife Anne Pollexfen, daughter and heiress of Edmund Pollexfen of Kitley, Yealmpton, Devon[54]) was a great-granddaughter of Gertrude Copleston (d.1658),[55] the heiress of Warleigh, being a granddaughter of Sir William Bastard (d.1690), of Gerston, MP for Bere Alston, Devon (1678–9), by his wife Grace Bampfylde, a daughter of Sir John Bampfylde, 1st Baronet (1590–1650) by his wife Gertrude Copleston (d.1658), heiress of Warleigh.

[56] Walter I Radcliffe was the third son and (following the deaths of his two elder unmarried brothers) eventual heir of Jasper II Radcliffe (d.1704) of Hockworthy Court, Hockworthy, and Franklyn, Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1696, by his wife Jane Andrews, daughter of Solomon Andrews of Lyme Regis, Dorset.

[57] A very large oil painting by Thomas Hudson (1701–79) titled The Radcliffe family: Walter Radcliffe of Warleigh, Devon, his wife Admonition and their family, property of the Berger Collection[58] founded by the mutual funds manager William Merriam Bart Berger (d.1999) of Denver, Colorado, USA, is on display in the Denver Art Museum, formerly displayed in the Assembly Rooms, Bath, Somerset, and on occasion at nearby Dyrham Park.

[57] He was the typical eighteenth-century gentleman, and made a Grand Tour of Europe, maintained a house in London, and was twice painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

[57] He was predeceased by three younger brothers, including William Radcliffe (d.1760) who was killed in action at the Battle of Warburg in Westphalia, during the Seven Years' War.

His 5th son was Jasper FitzGerald Radcliffe (1867–1916), DSO, Lieutenant-Colonel of the Devon Regiment, killed in action in World War I.

[63] The house and 111 acres of land was purchased in 1998 by David Piper (1950–2014), a property developer and hotel owner,[64] who having been twice divorced, in 2002 placed an advertisement for a wife in the International Herald Tribune newspaper, which brought him to international prominence having been the subject of 1,000 newspaper articles and 20 hours of television and radio broadcasting.

The advertisement was as follows: He told the BBC that he had received replies from Frankfurt, Munich, Verona, Strasbourg, Denmark, Somalia and Niger, but said "What I would really like is someone from South East Asia; I happen to like that part of the world".

In 2014 Warleigh House was refurbished and briefly operated as a three-bedroom luxury hotel by its owner Kris Clayton.

Engraving circa 1830 titled: "Warleigh House, Devonshire, the seat of Walter Radcliffe Esquire" . View from south-east. This is the house then occupied and shortly before remodelled by Rev. Walter III Radcliffe
Warleigh House, view from entrance to carriage drive
Arms of Foliot of Warleigh: Barry argent and gules, a bend sable [ 7 ]
Arms of Copleston: Argent, a chevron engrailed gules between three lion's faces azure
Arms of Copleston, detail from 15th century Copleston Prayer Desk [ 12 ] in St Andrew's Church, Colebrooke
Monument to John Copleston(d.1608) and Susanna Pollard his wife. St Mary's Church, Tamerton Foliot, north wall of chancel
"Fatal Oak", oil painting circa 1900 by "S.G.M.", depicting the Copleston Oak next to St Mary's Church, Tamerton Foliot, next to which the murder occurred
Arms of Bampfylde, Bampfylde Baronets and after 1831 Barons Poltimore : Or, on a bend gules three mullets argent
Arms of Radcliffe of Warleigh: Argent, a bend engrailed sable a canton of the first charged with a horse's head sable [ 48 ]
The Radcliffe family: Walter Radcliffe of Warleigh, Devon, his wife Admonition and their family , portrait circa 1742 by Thomas Hudson (1701–79). Berger Collection, Denver Art Museum ; sold in 1996 by the Radcliffe Chattels Settlement
Portrait circa 1757/8 of Walter II Radcliffe (1733–1803) of Warleigh by Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792), Collection of National Trust , Saltram House , Devon. John Parker, 1st Baron Boringdon (1734/5-1788) of Saltram, near Warleigh, was a childhood friend of Reynolds, born nearby, and commissioned him to paint several portraits of his friends and family. A view of the river and Warleigh House are depicted to the left, revealed by a drawn back curtain [ 61 ]