Manor of Otterton
The Manor of Otterton was a medieval manor in East Devon, England.
Descent of the manor
The church at Otterton, dedicated to St Michael, belonged to the monastery of Mont Saint-Michel at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. After passing through ownership by Syon Abbey in the 15th century, the manor with the advowson was bought by Richard Duke at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Duke converted some of the monastic buildings into a mansion, part of which still exists to the north of the present-day church, which was rebuilt in 1869–71 at the sole expense of Lady Rolle to the design of Benjamin Ferrey. In 1786 the manor of Otterton, with several other manors, was sold by the heirs of the Duke family for the huge sum of £72,000 to Denys Rolle of nearby Bicton, and of Stevenstone, the largest landowner in Devon.The descent of the manor of Otterton was as follows:
Duke
Richard Duke (c. 1515–1572)
Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the manor with the advowson, formerly the property of Otterton Priory, was purchased on 5 February 1540 from the crown by Richard Duke, Clerk of the Court of Augmentations, MP for Weymouth in 1545 and for Dartmouth in 1547 and Sheriff of Devon in 1563–64. His position thus gave him an advantage in bidding for ex-monastic lands. The purchase comprised a large part of the country surrounding the estuary and lower course of the River Otter. He made Otterton Priory his home and it continued as the principal residence of the Duke family, which held the estate until 1786 when it was sold to Denys Rolle of Bicton, thus making him eventually the largest landowner in Devon. The estate remains largely intact as the core landholding of Baron Clinton's 55,000-acre Devon estate, whose family was the heir of the Rolles. The catalogue entry of the record of the grant in the Patent Rolls is summarised as follows:To Richard Duke and Elizabeth his wife, granting in fee, for £1,727.14.2. the manors of Otterton and Budlegh alias East Budlegh, which belonged to the late Monastery of St. Saviour and Saints Mary and Bridget, Syon, Middlesex; the advowsons of the vicarages of Otterton and Harpford alias Harford and Fen Ottery; and the churches and rectories of Otterton and Harpeford, and all lands etc. in Otterton, Normeston, Houghton, Pasford, Patteston, alias Pytteston, Harpeford alias Harford, Fen Otery, Otterton, Bykton and Budleigh alias East Budleigh belonging to the late monastery; also, the Water of Oter with the fishery of the same, the free warren, view of frankpledge and wreck of the sea in Otterton and Budleigh and all messuages, lands, etc. in Otterton, East Budleigh, Budleigh, Pasford, Houghton, Patteston alias Pytteston, Normeston, Pynne, Stouton, Bykton, Harpeford alias Harford, Fen Otery, Saltern, Tudwill, Polehaye Knoll and Daldyche etc., as Agnes Jorden late Abbess of the said monastery formerly held. Rent: £9. 12s.
Great Seal, in green wax, broken.
In 1542 he acquired the manor of Templecombe in Somerset and in 1544 Brownsea Island in Dorset. In 1546 with his brother John Duke he acquired Collaton Abbot, Devon and received by royal grant for himself Upper Budleigh and with his brother other manors in Devon and Somerset. In 1550 Duke purchased from Sir Andrew Dudley, KG, the "lordships and Manors of Bishops Teignton, Radway and West "Teyngmouth" and the rectories and church of Bishops Teignton and Radway". A chief rent of £20 was payable to Dudley after the death of "John, Bishop of Exeter", presumably Bishop John Vesey. The purchase included the manor of "Lyndrygge".
Richard Duke's eventual heir was his nephew Richard Duke.
Richard Duke (died 1607)
Richard Duke, nephew, son of his brother John Duke "of Pinne", who thus inherited Otterton and his other lands. Richard Duke married twice: firstly to Martha Parker, daughter of John Parker, a merchant of London; and secondly to Katherine Prideaux, the daughter of John Prideaux of Nutwell, MP for Devon in 1554 and sergeant-at-law. A monument thought to date from the late 16th century survives in Woodbury Church showing on a tomb chest two recumbent figures said to be of a Prideaux and his wife.Richard Duke (1567–1641)
Richard Duke, son and heir by father's first marriage. His monumental brass plaque survives in Otterton Church. He married Margaret Bassett, a daughter of Sir Arthur Bassett, MP, of Umberleigh, Devon, by his wife Eleanor Chichester. An elaborate stone monument sculpted with strapwork decoration, showing the prominent date "1589" exists against the east wall in the south transept of Otterton Church. At its top it shows the arms of Duke impaling Bassett, with the Duke crest above, mutilated. The date 1589 appears to refer to the date of their marriage.Brass coffin-plate
A monumental brass coffin plate of Richard Duke survives in Otterton Church, now affixed to the west wall, originally affixed to his coffin within the Duke family vault in the church. The Latin inscription is as follows:
Memoriae sacrum Rici Duke Ar qui obiit 19 Apr Ano Dni 1641. reliquit filios 5, filias 2..
At the top is an escutcheon with the arms of Duke impaling Basset, with the crests of the respective families above. On the left of the shield are shown his 5 sons, kneeling, and to the right his 2 daughters also kneeling. In the right margin, under a winged hourglass, is a human skull holding in its teeth a cloth inscribed: Omnis caro foenum. His sons included the following, of whom it is presumed only five survived childhood:
- Richard Duke, eldest son and heir.
- Robert Duke, 2nd son, who married Sarah Reynell, daughter of Richard Reynell of Creedy Widger and co-heiress of her brother Periam Reynell. Her brass coffin plate survives, now affixed to the west wall of Otterton Church.
- Arthur Duke, 3rd son
- Humphrie Duke, 4th son, Vicar of Harpford
- Basset Duke, 5th son
- Thomas Duke, 6th son
- John Duke, 7th son
- Elizabeth Duke, wife of Henry Morgan
- Frances Duke, wife of William Carmynowe of Trehannick, Cornwall.
Richard Duke (1600–1653)
Richard Duke, eldest son and heir.Richard Duke (died 1716)
Richard Duke, son and heir, who married Frances Southcott, daughter of George Southcote of Buckland-Tout-Saints. In an apparent effort to facilitate the re-election of his son as its MP, in 1681he purchased a moiety of the manor and borough of Ashburton "at the commanding persuasion" of Sir William Courtenay, 1st Baronet, of Powderham, from Hon. Lewis Watson, MP.
Richard Duke (1652–1733)
Richard Duke, son and heir, four times MP for Ashburton, 1679, 1695, 1698 and 1701. He married twice:- Firstly to Isabella Yonge, daughter of Sir Walter Yonge, 2nd Baronet, of Colyton, MP, by whom he had an only daughter and heir presumptive Elizabeth Duke, whose marriage was arranged in 1705 to Robert Rolle, MP for Callington and for Devon, heir apparent to his grandfather Sir John Rolle, KB, of Stevenstone and Bicton, Devon. This was destined to be a great dynastic marriage which would have combined two of the largest estates in Devon, yet the marriage was childless and thus the plan failed. The Rolle estate of Bicton was adjacent to Otterton, and thus the combination of the two would be advantageous from the administrative viewpoint. The Rolles did not however give up their desire to obtain Otterton, and further dynastic alliances were arranged between the two families. The Rolle desire was fulfilled in 1786 when Denys Rolle purchased for the huge sum of £72,000 the manor of Otterton, with several other manors, from the heirs of his brother-in-law the last Robert Duke of Otterton, who had married his sister Isabella Charlotte Rolle, which marriage was without issue.
- Secondly he married Elizabeth Cholwich, daughter of John Cholwich of Farringdon, by whom he had two children who died as infants:
- *Robert Duke
- *Frances Duke
Richard Duke (1688–1740)
Richard Duke, second cousin once removed, heir to Otterton under the will of the childless Richard Duke. He was the second son of Richard Duke by his wife Isabella, the son and heir of Richard Duke, the son and heir of Robert Duke, the younger brother of Richard Duke of Otterton. He died unmarried, when his heir became successively:- John Heath, his nephew,, MP for Honiton 1747–1754 and 1761–1768. He died childless.
- Robert Duke of Otterton, who succeeded to the Duke estates.
Robert Duke (died 1741)
Robert Duke of Otterton, nephew and eventual heir of Richard Duke. He was the son of George Duke of Colaton Raleigh by his wife Dorothy Ayre. He married Isabella Charlotte Rolle, sister of Denys Rolle of Bicton and Stevenstone, but the marriage was childless. His co-heirs became his five sisters:- Dorothy Duke, 1st sister, wife firstly of John Conant of Wolbrooke, Sidmouth; secondly wife of Richard Doidge of Elford Leigh, Plympton St Mary.
- Sarah Duke, 2nd sister, died unmarried
- Elizabeth Duke, 3rd sister, who married in 1746 Rev. John Yonge of Puslinch, Devon.
- Anne Duke, 4th sister, died unmarried.
- Frances Duke, 5th sister, who in 1753 married Bernard Frederick Taylor, a merchant of the City of London of Islington, Middlesex. She had three children:
- *George Duke Taylor of Otterton, only son
- *Dorothy Ayre Taylor, who married Henry Langford Brown of Combe Satchfield
- *Frances Duke Taylor, who in 1788 married Col. James Coleridge of Ottery St Mary, the brother of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, sons of Reverend John Coleridge, Vicar of Ottery St Mary. Her grandson was John Coleridge, 1st Baron Coleridge, Lord Chief Justice of England.
Rolle
Denys Rolle (1725–1797)
In 1786 the manor of Otterton, with several other manors, was sold by the heirs of the Duke family for the huge sum of £72,000 to Denys Rolle of nearby Bicton, and of Stevenstone, the largest landowner in Devon. The properties acquired from the Duke family in this transaction included:Capital messuage, barton farm and demesne lands of Otterton and the manors and lordships of Otterton, Little Otterton, Budleigh Poleslow otherwise Higher Budleigh, Budleigh Syon otherwise Lower Budleigh, Collaton Rawleigh otherwise the Lower Manor, Dukes-Collaton, otherwise Collaton Abbott otherwise The Higher Manor, Dotton otherwise Docton and Hays otherwise Powershays otherwise Dukes Hayes; 4 water grist mills in Otterton and the advowsons of the churches of Otterton Budleigh, and Harpford with the free chapels of Withecombe, Fen Ottery rectory and Sheaf of Otterton and a fee farm rent of £13. 10s., payable out of the sheaf of Sidmouth, etc.