Manor of Gittisham

Combe House, the manor house of Gittisham, since 1968 a country house hotel. Viewed from south-west
Combe House, west front
Combe House, viewed across parkland from west

Gittisham is an historic manor largely co-terminous with the parish of Gittisham in Devon, England, within which is situated the village of Gittisham. The capital estate is Combe, on which is situated Combe House, the manor house of Gittisham, a grade I listed[1] Elizabethan[2] building situated 2 1/4 miles south-west of the historic centre of Honiton and 3 1/4 miles north-east of the historic centre of Ottery St Mary.

Descent

Gotshelm

The manor of Gidesha(m)[3] is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the 15th of the 28 holdings of Gotshelm, held in chief of King William the Conqueror. No tenant is listed, suggesting he held it in demesne. His 17th holding was a certain Come, which however is supposed by Thorne (1985) to represent Coombe in the parish of Uplowman,[4] not Combe in Gittisham. Gotshelm was the brother of Walter de Claville, another of the Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief and the lands of both brothers later formed part of the Feudal barony of Gloucester.[5]

Feudal barony of Gloucester

Willington/de Lomen

The manor of Gittisham descended with most of Gotshelm's other holdings to the Feudal barony of Gloucester.[5] Combe was held from the barony by the Willington family. In the Book of Fees lands in Gittisham are recorded as held from "Ralph de Wylingthon" by "Richard de Lumene".[6]

Willington

Willington arms: Gules, a saltire vair

The de Willington family originated at the manor of Willington near Repton in Derbyshireand later resided at Yate, Gloucestershire.[7] Ralph de Willington (died pre-1242) married Olympia (died post 1242), heiress of Sandhurst, in Gloucestershire, grand-daughter of a certain Wymark, and widow of John Frenchevaler. In about 1200 Wymark had granted to St Peter's Abbey, Gloucester, (now Gloucester Cathedral) 6 acres of land in Longford, within the manor of Sandhurst, for the purpose of mending the "ironwork of horses" belonging to visiting monks. The grant was later confirmed by Ralph Willington, husband of Olympia.[8] Between 1224 and 1228 Ralph Willington and his wife Olympia built the Lady Chapel in St Peter's Abbey, Gloucester.[9] Ralph also held (from Thomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of Warwick (1208–1242) as overlord) the manor of Poulton in Awre, Gloucestershire.[10]

Beaumont

Beaumont arms: Barry of six vair and gules. These arms can be seen on the monument in Gittisham Church, Devon, to Henry Beaumont (d.1590/1) of Combe, also on the monument in Atherington Church, Devon, of Sir John Bassett (d.1529) of Umberleigh

The Beaumont family, seated at Youlston within their Manor of Shirwell in North Devon, was the heir of the Willingtons.[14]

Putt

Putt arms: Argent, a lion rampant within a mascle sable

The descent of Combe in the Putt family was as follows:

Monument to Sir Thomas Putt, 1st Baronet (1644-1686), Gittisham Church

Marker

Marker arms: Per pale argent and gules a pale counterchanged

The descent of Combe in the Marker family was as follows:[29]

Rev. Henry Marker

Rev. Henry Marker of Aylesbeare,[30] Devon, who married Margaretta Putt (d.1846), the heiress of Combe. He had progeny including:

Henry William Marker (d.1865)

Henry William Marker (d.1865), eldest son and heir, a spendthrift who kept his own pack of hounds. He fled to the Continent to escape his creditors.[29]

Richard Marker (1835-1916)

Richard Marker (1835-1916), nephew and heir, son of Rev. Thomas John Marker (d.1854) by his wife Frances Amelia Drewe, daughter of Samuel Drewe. Educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, Patron of two livings, a Justice of the Peace for Devon and Dorset and a Deputy Lieutenant for Devon. In 1865 he married Hon. Victoria Alexandrina Digby (d.1917), daughter of Edward Digby, 9th Baron Digby (1809-1889) of Minterne, Dorchester, Dorset.[34] He was welcomed by his tenants at Gittisham with much ceremony, which included his carriage being drawn from Gittisham Farm to Combe by manpower, the horses having been released from the shafts.[29] He was predeceased by his eldest son and heir apparent:[30]

Richard Raymond Kitchener Marker (1908-1961)

Richard Raymond Kitchener Marker (1908-1961), grandson and heir, only child of Lt-Col. Raymond John Marker (1867-1914). Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was the historian of the Marker family and of Combe. In 1934 he married Rosemary Grace Fairholme, daughter of Edward Fairholme of The Old Vicarage, Penn, Buckinghamshire,[30] but died without progeny, when his heir (in her issue) became his first cousin Ruth Gertrude Marker (born 1923), a twin daughter of Edward Richard Marker (born 1872) (younger son of Richard Marker (1835-1916) by his wife Margaret Bagot)[30] and wife of John Trelawny (d.2006) of Vancouver, Canada.[29]

Trelawny (Marker)

Sources

References

  1. Good Stuff. "Combe House - Gittisham - Devon - England - British Listed Buildings". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
  2. Pevsner, p.282: "of Elizabethan appearance", listed building text: "Medieval origins, remodelled in the C17, C18 and C19"
  3. In the Domesday Book the last letter is omitted as indicated by a tilde
  4. Thorne, part 2 (notes), 25,17
  5. 1 2 Thorn, part 2, Chapters 24 & 25
  6. Thorn, part 2 (notes), 25,15
  7. Robinson, W.J., West Country Manors, Bristol, 1930, pp.203-206, Yate Court
  8. N. M. Herbert, 1988, "Gloucester: Outlying hamlets", A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4: The City of Gloucester. Available from British History Online. (17 September 2014) pp. 382-410
  9. N. M. Herbert, 1988, "Gloucester: The cathedral and close", A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4: The City of Gloucester. Available from British History Online. (17 September 2014) pp. 275-288.
  10. From: 'Awre', A History of the County of Gloucester (VCH): Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 14-46 . "Pulton" in the 1242 inquisition post mortem of Thomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of Warwick (1208–1242) was shown as held from him by the widow "Olimpia de Wilinton" (J. E. E. S. Sharp (ed.), 1904, "Inquisitions Post Mortem, Henry III, File 1,Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Volume 1: Henry III, Available from British History Online. (17 September 2014) pp. 1-6).
  11. Risdon, p.317
  12. Ralph de Willington Sheriff in 39 Henry III (1254) per Risdon, List of Sheriffs, p.9; 42 Henry III(1257) per Burke's A genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain, 1838, vol.4, Willington of Hurley, p.526
  13. Pole, p.212
  14. 1 2 Pole, p.166
  15. Pole, Sir William, Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon
  16. Vivian, Heralds' Visitations of Devon, 1895, p.46
  17. Beaumont, T, p.64, exact constituency not stated. No entry as yet for him in History of Parliament on-line. Quoting: "Transactions of the Devonshire Society, Vol.50, p.445"
  18. Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.408, Shirwell; also p.167, Gittesham, with omission of "of Powderham" (Neither "Sir William Courtenay" nor a daughter Joan are mentioned in Vivian's Heraldic Visitation of Devon (1895), p.246, pedigree of Courtenay of Powderham)
  19. 1 2 "PUTT, Sir Thomas, 1st Bt. (1644-86), of Combe, Gittisham, Devon.". historyofparliamentonline.org.
  20. Courthope, William John, Synopsis of the extinct baronetage of England : containing the date of the creation, with the succession of baronets, and their respective marriages and the time of death; "Daughter of Sir Richard Cholmondeley, Baronet" (non-existent person), per Prince, John, (1643–1723) The Worthies of Devon, 1810 edition, London, p.67
  21. Roberts, George, The History and Antiquities of the Borough of Lyme Regis and Charmouth, London, 1834, p.103
  22. "CHOLMLEY, Sir Richard (1580-1631), of Whitby, Yorks.". historyofparliamentonline.org.
  23. Venn, John, Alumni Cantabrigienses: A Biographical List of All Known Students, Graduates .... Richard Cholmondeley matriculated at Sidney College, Cambridge in 1635
  24. Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.457
  25. Pevsner, p.457
  26. Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p.250, Marquess of Cholmondeley
  27. Summers, Peter & Titterton, John, (eds.), Hatchments in Britain, Vol.7: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Somerset; Phillimore Press, Chichester, Sussex, 1988, p.24
  28. Risdon, Tristram (d.1640), Survey of Devon, 1811 edition, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.368
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marker, Richard R.K. (1918-1961), The History of Combe House and Gittisham Village
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 Burke, 1937, p.1525
  31. Devon & Cornwall Notes and Queries, Jan 1910-Oct 1911, p.35
  32. White's Devonshire Directory, 1850
  33. Alumni Oxonienses (George Townsend Smith matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford in 1813); Gentleman's Magazine, Vol.38, 1834, p.101
  34. Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, pp.358-9, Baron Digby
  35. "The History of Combe House Hotel Devon and Gittisham Village". combehousedevon.com.
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