Revd. G.D. Melhuish - Notes on the History of Ashwater Parish and Church

Sub-manors.

The Rev. 0. J. Reichel, before quoted, tells us that before 1204 a very large part of Devonshire was a “Forest” reserved for the King’s hunting—that did not mean that it was all woodland, but that there were strict game laws, e.g., none of it might be cultivated, no man might hunt or kill deer and no dog was allowed in it unless it had been made a cripple. In 1204, Devonshire paid the King 5,000 crowns to buy off these Forest rights. After 1240, when the boundaries of Dartmoor and Exmoor Forests were defined, there was a great push in many parts of the County in the direction of cultivating and enclosing the Forest portions of the Manors. This was often done by making Sub-manors which were under the Chief Manor in some respects but were free in others Mr. Reichel says that in Clawton, Kempthorne, Leworthy, Fernhill and East Down were Manors of this sort made between 1204 and 1244, and in another place, he says “Hunscott is called a manor in Lysons” (a history of Devon written in -beginning of 19th century) I find many Estates called Manors in and after 1500 which were not properly such and had neither a Court Baron nor a Court Leet. The name seems to have been given to any landed Estate held by free and not by servile tenure The Statute Quia Emptorer, 18 Ed., i., put a stop to Subinfeudation — the purchaser no longer held of the seller, but stepped into the seller’s shoes.” Therefore a Vendor after 18 Ed., i (1290) sold the manor, or land held of that manor, but could not create a new manor. Another authority whom I have consulted, says that possibly the king had still power to create a new manor after 1290.

At any rate Hunscott became a so called manor or sub-manor, at what date I cannot say. It extended for some distance, as Viza Agitment was part of it. It belonged to the Arscotts of Tetcott in 1717, another Arscott holding it for life with remainder to his eldest son, John. Whether there was any other sub-manor in Ashwater I do not know.

Grendisworthy was named as a Manor. (Later note penned in the margin)

In later times there was a great deal of Leasing for a certain number of years or during the duration of certain lives.

The whole of the Manor of Ashwater was apparently leased about 1630 to the Short family. John Short came from Newton St Cyres. The family lived at the Barton and they had the Presentation of the Rectory for the time.

Mrs. Mary Short, widow of the elder John Short, was a ratepayer when the big Church Restoration took place in 1670 and 1677. Her son, John Short, was buried at Ashwater, and her grandson, who died young. One of her daughters, Joan, married Peter Spoure of North-Hill, and behind the organ you can see Joan Spoure’s tombstone, with the Short and Spoure Coats of Arms. The wooden carving above the Carminow Monu ment gives us in the centre the Arms of Bishop Joseph Hall and outside two shields with the Short Arms.

The Carys sold the Manorial Rights to Richard Preston, about 1820, I am told. He bought much of the Manor land, too, from the Carys or from those who happened to own it at the time, as well as some land such as Larkworthy, which never belonged to Ashwater Manor. He and his heirs held it till the great Manor Sale of 1908, when, as the present generation knows, it was split up into many fractions. The “Manorial rights” however, whatever they may be, were not sold then and still belong, if there are any, I suppose, to the Prestons.