Whympston

Whympston [1] in the parish of Modbury in Devon, England, was a historic manor that belonged to the Fortescue family.

The manor of Whympston is thought to have been granted to them by King John in 1209, but according to Hoskins[2] they were already in the district in about 1140, when Ralph Fortescue donated some land to Modbury Priory at about the time of its foundation.

[13] In 1410 William and his wife, "Matilda, alias Mabilia," and his parents were granted a license by Edmund Stafford, Bishop of Exeter, for an oratory in their mansion at "Whympton".

[18] John Fortescue of Whympston, son, was a Member of Parliament successively for Totnes, Tavistock and Plympton.

Inscribed across the monument at the top of the lower (second) tier is the following Latin text, which summarises the history of the Fortescue family: Memoriale Hugonis Fortescue arm(igeris) et Elizabethae ux(oris) filiae Joh(anni)s Chichester Equit(is) itemque Joh(ann)is Fortescue eorum fil(ii) arm(igeris) et Mariae ux(oris) filiae Humphredi Speccot de Thornbury arm(igeris) Sunt hi ab Joh(ann)e Fortescue Equite Duce castri de Meaux in Gall(ia) sub H(enrico) 5.o (Quinto) oriundi qui praesepia Fortescutorum de Wimeston Devon ortus habuit fil(ium) Joh(ann)em Summum Justic(ium) et Cancell(arium) sub H(enrico) 6.o (Sexto) sepultum Ebertoniae Glocest(ria) Familia quidem perantiqua et etiamnum felici subole propagata sepulti sunt: Hugo, Aug. 2 1600; Joh(ann)es April 5, 1605: Elizabetha May 7, 1630; Maria April 11, 1637.

The country mansion called Whympston House was purchased in 1916 by the Plymouth Co-Operative Society Ltd as a holiday home for its members.

Whympston Farm, 1 mile SE of Modbury, Devon, that once belonged to the Fortescue family
Sign at entrance to Whympston Farm
Map showing some of the historic properties of the Fortescue family in South Devon
Entrance to Whympston Farm
Arms of Beauchamp of Ryme: Vair , as seen in Fortescue heraldic window in Buckland Filleigh Church [ 3 ]
Arms of Falwell: Gules, on a bend wavy argent three water bougets sable , [ 9 ] as seen in Fortescue heraldic window in Buckland Filleigh Church [ 10 ]
1638 Mural monument in Weare Giffard Church to three generations of the Fortescue family, which mentions the family origins at Whympston. South wall of south aisle chapel ("Fortescue Chapel")