Accott
| Accott | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
 Accott | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SS641325 |
| Location: | 51°4’33"N, 3°56’24"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | EX32 |
| Local Government | |
Accott is a village in northern Devon, to the east of Barnstaple.
History
Its name Accot is reputed to have come from a local landowner of the Anglo-Saxon period named Acca, but who is otherwise unknown outside the name of thee village.
Accott Manor has a Grade II listed private Chapel. The house and chapel are believed to date from the 12th century. The manor became derelict in the 1950s. The chapel is located at the western end of the manor house and it was used for Roman Catholic services when the Giffards lived there in the late 16th century following Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.
The Manor used to comprise several farms and formed part of the episcopal manor of Bishop's Tawton. A different document states that Accott was held by Richard Cotell of Drogo de Lington in 1127 after his ancestors were granted the estate by a Bishop of Exeter. Alice Cotell gave it in exchange for a sore goshawk 150 years later and a life annuity to John Giffard, whose family owned it for a further 100 years.
In 1890 cannonballs were found embedded in the wall by workmen during repairs to the manor house. They indicate that Accott may have been the scene of an engagement, probably during the Civil War (1642–1651). It was then sold by three sisters who had jointly inherited the state following the death of their two brothers who killed each other in a quarrel.
For a further 300 years the Chichester family of Hall owned the farm up until the early 20th century. The Chichester Estate had to sell of Accot for Estate Duty reasons. Both farms were bought by the Lee family, who used the manor house for storage.[1]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Accott) |