Potheridge (''alias'' Great Potheridge, Poderigge, Poderidge or Powdrich) is a former

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

estate in the parish of Merton, in the historic

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Shebbear, 3 miles south-east of

Great Torrington Great Torrington (often abbreviated to Torrington, though the villages of Little Torrington and Black Torrington are situated in the same region) is a market town in Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on high ground with steep drops down to ...

, Devon, England. It is the site of a former grand mansion house re-built by

George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (6 December 1608 3 January 1670) was an English military officer and politician who fought on both sides during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. A prominent military figure under the Commonwealth, his support ...

(1608–1670) ''circa'' 1660 on the site of the former

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

occupied by his family since at the latest 1287.

Regnal year A regnal year is a year of the reign of a sovereign, from the Latin meaning kingdom, rule. Regnal years considered the date as an ordinal, not a cardinal number. For example, a monarch could have a first year of rule, a second year of rule, a t ...

16 Edward I per Pole, Sir William (died 1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.382 It was mostly demolished in 1734 after the death of the widow of his son

Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle (14 August 1653 – 6 October 1688) was an English Army officer, politician and colonial administrator who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1667 to 1670 when he inherited hi ...

(died 1688). The surviving section forms the present Great Potheridge farmhouse, a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

, inside which some remnants of the former mansion remain, including a grand staircase, two massive 17th-century classical-style doorcases and a colossal relief-sculpted wooden

overmantel The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ...

. The latter depicts within a wreath of flowers, against a background of an elaborate antique trophy of arms, five

putti A putto (; plural putti ) is a figure in a work of art depicted as a chubby male child, usually naked and very often winged. Originally limited to profane passions in symbolism,Dempsey, Charles. ''Inventing the Renaissance Putto''. University ...

, two of which, in flight, hold between them a crown, an allusion to Monck's central role in the Restoration of the Monarchy. The chapel "of Grecian architecture", i.e. classical, was in ruins in 1770 and was almost entirely demolished before 1822, with only the west wall left standing. In 1879, the stables were still standing and were said to "give the visitor some idea of the magnificence of the ancient building". In 2014 Great Potheridge, with 6 acres of land remaining of the former estate, is used as an outdoor activity centre for young people, operated by Encompass Training. It is today known as "Great Potheridge" to distinguish it from the nearby house, formerly on the estate, known as "Little Potheridge".

Descent of the manor

Domesday Book

In the ''

'' of 1086 the estate of ''Porrige'' (Potheridge) was listed as the 36th of the 176 Devonshire holdings of Baldwin de Moels,

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

. His tenant was ''Alberi'' (Aubrey), who also held from him the estates of Stockleigh and Woolladon, both also in today's Meeth parish. The tenant prior to the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

was ''Ulf''.

de Estaneston

Later as recorded in the

Book of Fees The ''Book of Fees'' is the colloquial title of a modern edition, transcript, rearrangement and enhancement of the medieval (Latin: 'Book of Fiefs') which is a listing of feudal landholdings or fief (Middle English ), compiled in about 1302, bu ...

it was

held Held may refer to: Places * Held Glacier People Arts and media * Adolph Held (1885–1969), U.S. newspaper editor, banker, labor activist *Al Held (1928–2005), U.S. abstract expressionist painter. *Alexander Held (born 1958), German television ...

from the feudal barony of Okehampton by Ralph de Estaneston.

Monk

According to the Devon antiquarian, Sir William Pole (died 1635), Potheridge was the residence of the family of Monk (''alias'' Monke, Monck, etc.) from at the latest 1287. The family was recorded in ancient Norman-French charters as ''le Moigne'' (modern French ''le moine'', "the

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

") or ''de Moigne''Pole, p.382 and was Latinized as ''Monachus'', from ancient Greek ''μοναχός'' (monachos), "single, solitary" and Anglicised as "Monk", or "Monck". According to Tristram Risdon (died 1640) in about 1216 ''Roger le Moyney'' held one

fee A fee is the price one pays as remuneration for rights or services. Fees usually allow for overhead, wages, costs, and markup. Traditionally, professionals in the United Kingdom (and previously the Republic of Ireland) receive a fee in contrad ...

in the Devon parish of West Anstey and was succeeded by ''William le Moyney''. As recorded in the

''William le Moigne'' and ''Roger le Moyne'' held land in West Anstey from ''Ralph de Champeus'' who held from the feudal barony of Barnstaple.Thorn, part 2, 3:62 The family is memorialised by today's "Money Common" in that parish. Another part of Anstey was held by the feudal barony of Okehampton. The descent of the family of "Monk of Potheridge" is given as follows in the Heraldic Visitation of Devon: *William I le Mogne *Hugh le Moyne de Powdridg *William II le Moyne, dominus de Powddetridg *Peter le Moyne *Adam le Mayne (sic) *Hugh le moyne *Thomas le Moyne *Hugh le Moyne (fl. 3 Edward I, i.e. 1274) *William III le Moyne *Hugh le Moine (sic) *William IV le Moyne *William V le Moyne *William VI le Moyne *William VII le Moyne (son) (fl. 3 Henry 6) *John le Monke (son) (fl. 17 Edward IV) *Humfry Muncke (son) of Powdrich, who married Mary Champernowne *Anthony Muncke (son) of Powdriche, who married Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Edward Wood of London *Thomas Monk (son) of Powdrich, who married Frances Plantagenet, a daughter of

Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, KG (died 3 March 1542) was an illegitimate son of the English king Edward IV, half-brother-in-law of Henry VII, and an uncle of Henry VIII, at whose court he was a prominent figure and by whom he was appo ...

(died 1542), KG, (by his wife Elizabeth Grey, 6th Baroness Lisle) and widow of John Basset (1462–1528) of Umberleigh. *Anthony Monke (son) of Powdrig who married Mary Arscott, daughter of Richard Arscott of Arscott, Ashwater. *Sir Thomas Monke (1570–1627), (son) of Powdridge, MP for

Camelford Camelford () is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately north of Bodmin and is governed by Camelford Town Council. The ward pop ...

in 1626. Sir Thomas married was Elizabeth Smith, a daughter (by his first marriage) of Sir George Smith (died 1619) of Madworthy, near Exeter, Devon, a merchant who served as MP for

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

in 1604, was three times Mayor of Exeter and was Exeter's richest citizen, possessing 25 manors. His 4th son, and a subsequent heir to Potheridge, was the royalist general

(1608–1670), KG, the key figure in effecting the Restoration of the Monarchy to King Charles II in 1660. Elizabeth's half-sister Grace Smith was the wife of Sir Bevil Grenville J. Horace Round, Family Origins and Other Studies, ed. Page, William, 1930, p.164, The Granvilles and the Monks (1596–1643),

lord of the manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English Feudalism, feudal (specifically English feudal barony, baronial) system. The ...

s of

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, South West England. It is the main town of the Torridge District, Torridge Districts of England, local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bi ...

in Devon and

Stowe, Kilkhampton Stowe House in the parish of Kilkhampton in Cornwall, United Kingdom, was a mansion built in 1679 by John Grenville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701) and demolished in 1739. The Grenville family were for many centuries lords of the manor of Kil ...

in Cornwall, the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

soldier killed in action during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

in heroic circumstances at the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643. Sir Bevil's son and heir, and thus the first cousin of Sir Thomas Monk's famous son the Duke of Albemarle, was John Grenville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701), a fellow promoter with the Duke of the Restoration of the Monarchy to King Charles II in 1660, whose elevation to the peerage was largely due to the Duke's influence. *Col. Thomas Monk (born 1606), (3rd and eldest surviving son and heir), who in 1626 married Mary Gould, a daughter of William Gould of Hayes. He had two sons, who succeeded him successively, and three daughters: Elizabeth Monk, wife of General Sir Thomas Pride (died 1658) a parliamentarian commander in the

, best known as one of the Regicides of King Charles I and as the instigator of "

Pride's Purge Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England. Despite defeat in the ...

";Risdon, p.419 Frances Monk (1633–1677), buried in Westminster Abbey, first wife of John Le Neve (1679–1741) the antiquary and author of ''Fasti Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ''; Marie Monk (1630–1659), whose monument exists in the parish church of

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

, Devon.Vivian, p.570 *Lt. Thomas Monk (died 1644) (eldest son and heir), a lieutenant to his father. He was slain during the Civil War in South Street in Exeter on the night of 9 July 1644 through some mistake as to the

password A password, sometimes called a passcode, is secret data, typically a string of characters, usually used to confirm a user's identity. Traditionally, passwords were expected to be memorized, but the large number of password-protected services t ...

, and was buried 10 July 1644 at Great Torrington. Died without progeny. *George Monk (1647–1659/69) (brother), buried at

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; , ) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1541. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Pala ...

Midlothian Midlothian (; ) is registration county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and one of 32 council areas of Scotland used for local government. Midlothian lies in the east-central Lowlands, bordering the City of Edinburgh council ar ...

, Scotland, next to the 1st Duke of Albemarle's former Scottish headquarters Dalkeith Castle. Died without progeny. *

(1608–1670), KG, (uncle) the key figure in effecting the Restoration of the Monarchy to King Charles II in 1660. He re-built the mansion at Potheridge on a grand scale, at about the same time his first cousin and colleague in effecting the Restoration of the Monarchy John Grenville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701) rebuilt

Stowe House Stowe House is a grade I listed building, listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of the Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Stowe School and is owned by the Stowe House Preserv ...

in Kilkhampton, Cornwall, about 18 miles west of Potheridge. Both houses were demolished within a few decades of their re-building. *

(1653–1688), (son & heir). He died without issue, having settled a considerable part of his estate on his cousin John Grenville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701). He lived at Albemarle House (formerly called

Clarendon House Clarendon House was a Townhouse (Great Britain), town mansion which stood on Piccadilly in London, England, from the 1660s to the 1680s. It was built for the powerful politician Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, and was the grandest priva ...

) one of the grandest of London

townhouses A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residenc ...

after which was named

Albemarle Street Albemarle Street is a street in Mayfair in central London, off Piccadilly. It has historic associations with George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, Lord Byron, whose publisher John Murray (publishing house), John Murray was based here, and Oscar ...

off

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

Mayfair Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...

. After the death in 1734 of his widow Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, who had re-married to Ralph Montagu, 1st Duke of Montagu (1638 – c. 1709), much of Potheridge House was demolished.

Granville

The ancient Grenville family (later modernised to ''Granville''), lords of the manors of

in Devon and Stowe in Cornwall, was earliest related to the Monk family through

Honor Grenville Honor Grenville, Viscountess Lisle (c. 1493–1495Byrne, vol.1, p. 305, Honor's birthyear was estimated at 1493–95 – 1566) was a Cornwall, Cornish lady whose domestic life from 1533 to 1540 during the reign of King Henry VIII is exc ...

(c. 1493/5-1566), wife of

(died 1542), KG, and mother of Frances Plantagenet, wife of Thomas Monk of Potheridge. Thomas's great-grandsons renewed the kinship to the Grenvilles through their mother Elizabeth Smith, half-sister of Grace Smith, the wife of Sir Bevil Grenville. The 1st Earl of Bath fixed the spelling of the family name to "Granville". * John Grenville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701) on whom was settled a considerable part of the Monck estates by his childless cousin

(1653–1688). * John Granville, 1st Baron Granville of Potheridge (1665–1707) (2nd son). In 1703 he was elevated to the peerage as "Baron Granville of Potheridge". He died without issue. * William Granville, 3rd Earl of Bath (1692–1711) (nephew), following whose death in 1711 aged 19 the male line of the Granville family of Stowe became extinct. The estate of Potheridge fell to the inheritance of the descendants of his aunt Jane Granville (died 1696), a daughter of the 1st Earl of Bath and wife of

Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet Sir William Leveson-Gower, 4th Baronet (c. 1647 – 22 December 1691) was an England, English politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Born William Gower, he was the second son of Sir Thomas Gower, 2nd Baronet and Frances, daughter and coheir o ...

(c. 1647 – 1691).

Leveson-Gower

The Leveson-Gower family, having inherited Potheridge, quickly sold it to the Rolle family of

Stevenstone Stevenstone is a former Manorialism, manor within the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington, North Devon. It was the chief seat of the Rolle family, one of the most influential and wealthy of Devon families, from c. 1524 un ...

, great landowners in Devon. They did not however forget their Granville inheritance, and memorialised it in subsequent names and titles: Jane Granville's great-grandson was

Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Marquess of Stafford, KG PC (4 August 172126 October 1803), known as Viscount Trentham from 1746 to 1754 and as The Earl Gower from 1754 to 1786, was a British politician from the Leveson-Gower family. Sitting in ...

(1721–1803) one of whose younger sons was Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Granville (1773–1846) (younger half-brother of

George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland Order of the Garter, KG, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, PC (9 January 175819 July 1833), known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as t ...

(1758–1833)), whose son was

Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville Granville George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville (11 May 1815 – 31 March 1891), styled Lord Leveson until 1846, was a British Liberal statesman and diplomat from the Leveson-Gower family. He is best remembered for his service as Secret ...

(1815–1891),

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs may refer to: * Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Spain) *Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK) The secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, also known as the fore ...

Rolle

Potheridge was acquired from the Leveson-Gower family by the Rolle family of nearby

and of Bicton in South Devon. In 1850 it was held by the trustees of John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (c. 1750 – 1842) for the benefit of his adoptive heir Hon. Mark Rolle (1835–1907) (born Mark George Kerr Trefusis), a younger son of Charles Rodolph Trefusis, 19th Baron Clinton (1791–1866) of Heanton Satchville, Huish, the parish adjoining Merton on the south. Mark Rolle was the largest private landowner in Devon, according to the Return of Owners of Land, 1873, being the beneficial owner under the trustees of Lord Rolle's will of over 55,000 acres. The 19th Lord Clinton was lord of the manor of Merton in 1850, having inherited it with other estates from the Rolle family of Heanton Satchville, Petrockstowe, and his grandson (Mark Rolle's nephew) Charles John Robert Hepburn-Stuart-Forbes-Trefusis, 21st Baron Clinton (1863–1957) was Mark Rolle's heir and in 1947 leased his principal seat of Bicton for use as the Bicton College of Agriculture, and in 1952 Great Potheridge was being used as part of the campus buildings of Bicton College, situated some 40 miles south-east of Potheridge near the south coast of Devon. In 1968 the tenant of Clinton Devon Estates at Potheridge was Mr C.W. Lewis, a breeder of Devon cattle who farmed 500 acres.Delderfield, p.70

Gallery

File:GreatPotheridge StaircaseCeiling.JPG, Great Potheridge House, staircase ceiling c.1660-70 with plasterwork wreaths enclosing allegorical paintings with

, one riding on the back of an eagle holding a crown in its talons, the middle one of a bare breasted female File:GreatPotheridge Devon Staircase.JPG, Great Potheridge House, staircase circa 1660-70 File:Overmantel PotheridgeMerton Devon.JPG,

Overmantel The fireplace mantel or mantelpiece, also known as a chimneypiece, originated in medieval times as a hood that projected over a fire grate to catch the smoke. The term has evolved to include the decorative framework around the fireplace, and ...

at Potheridge with antique trophy of arms and crowning

References

{{coord, 50.9123, N, 4.1155, W, source:wikidata, display=title 1660 establishments in England Houses completed in 1660 Former manors in Devon George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle