Ashbury, Devon
| Ashbury | |
| Devon | |
|---|---|
 St Mary's church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SX507979 |
| Location: | 50°45’43"N, 4°7’5"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | Okehampton |
| Postcode: | EX20 |
| Local Government | |
Ashbury is a farming hamlet in western Devon, three-quarters of a mile south of the nearest village, Northlew, five miles south-west of Hatherleigh and about six miles west-north-west of Okehampton. Its population is 65.
The village has a Church of England parish church: St Mary's.
Ashbury and Northlew Golf Club (now defunct) was in existence during the 1920s (and possibly 1930s).[1]
Name
According to Tristram Risdon (d.1640), the ancient name of the manor was Esseberry, which he rendered into Latin as sedes inter fraxinos ("a seat amongst ash-trees").[2] The Old English name may be Æsca beorg; 'Ashes' hill'.
Manor
During the reign of King Henry III (1216-1272) the manor of Ashbury was held by William le Pouer as 2 parts of a knight's fee. During the reign of King Edward II (1307-1327) it was held by Roger de Ashberry, whose family took the manor as a surname, as was usual for the age when "men were commanded to assume unto themselves local names".[2] It was later held by the Speccot family of Speccot in the parish of Merton, Devon. Subsequently it was the seat of the Walter family from Warwickshire,[3] whose pedigree is included in the Heraldic Visitation of Devon of 1620.[4]
Woollcombe
In 1685,[5] Elizabeth Walter, heiress of Ashbury, married Henry Woollcombe (d.1692), a younger son of the Woollcombe family of Pitton in the parish of Yealmpton, Devon. Although the marriage was without progeny, Ashbury descended to Henry's nephew John Woollcombe (d.1713) of Pitton, a Member of Parliament for Plymouth (1702-5)[6] and Sheriff of Devon in 1712. He also died without progeny when Ashbury descended to his younger brother William Woollcombe (d.1718) who also died without progeny, when it descended to his nephew John Woollcombe (1720-1788) of Ashbury, Sheriff of Devon in 1751, who married Mary Morth, daughter and heiress of Jeffery Morth of Talland.[7] His son was John Morth Woollcombe I (1747-1802) of Ashbury, whose son John Morth Woollcombe II (1783-1866), Sheriff of Devon in 1832,[8] was the owner in 1822[9] who died without progeny in 1866. His younger brother was Henry Woollcombe (1784-1861), Rector of Ashbury, Highampton and Pilland,[10] whose son was Henry Woollcombe (1813-1885), Canon Residentiary of Exeter Cathedral and Archdeacon of Barnstaple.[11]
The manor house, known as Ashbury House, burned down in 1877, together with all the parish registers which had been taken there by the rector for safekeeping.[12] The house was finally demolished in 1934.[13] In the parish church are monuments of the families of Walter and Woollcombe.[14]
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ashbury, Devon) |
References
- ↑ “Ashbury & Northlew Golf Club”, “Golf’s Missing Links”.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Risdon, Tristram: A Survey of Devon (1811 edition; p.256)
- ↑ Risdon, p.256
- ↑ Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.771
- ↑ Lysons, Daniel]] and Lysons, Samuel]]: 'Magna Britannia', Vol.6: Devonshire (1822)
- ↑ History of Parliament biography[1]
- ↑ Vivian, p.803, pedigree of "Woollcombe of Pitton"
- ↑ Vivian, p.803, pedigree of "Woollcombe of Pitton"
- ↑ Lysons
- ↑ Vivian, p.804
- ↑ Vivian, p.804
- ↑ http://www.devonheritage.org/Places/Ashbury/AshburyParishRegisters.htm
- ↑ Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Devon, 1952; 1989 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09596-8
- ↑ Lysons
