Colleton, Chulmleigh


Colleton is a hamlet and former manor in the civil parish and ecclesiastical parish of Chulmleigh, in the North Devon district of Devon, England. It is situated on the north side of a valley containing the River Taw. Its nearest town is Chulmleigh, which lies approximately to the south-west. It consists of the grade I listed Colleton Barton and Colleton Mill, the former manorial mill, with another former industrial building situated at the approach to the bridge over the River Taw.

History

Descent of the manor

Cole

According to Pole, the earliest recorded holder of the manor was the Cole family, which presumably gave its name to the settlement "Cole's town/ton". The arms of "Cole of Coleton" according to Pole were: Argent, three ravens sable. Risdon stated it to have remained in the possession of that family for many generations, until during the reign of King Richard II it passed by inheritance to an heir general of the Bury family.

Bury

The manor passed to the Bury family, the descent of which was as follows:

"His brother Hugh, abusinge his simplicyty, enjoyed the profits of his land & kept him as a prisoner & wastfully consumed and sold the land. But John, having stollen from his brother, secreatly maried on Mongey's daughter & had issue Humfry which was secreatly brought upp from the knowledge of Hugh Byry which Humfry, when hee came to full age, sued for ye land & after much trowble concerninge the validyty of the divorce betwixt his father & his first wief, at length recovered back all the land which was sold by his unkle Hugh".

Thus, secondly John V Bury married secretly a daughter of "Mountjoy", alias "Mongey", by whom he had issue. On his death in 1574 his younger brother Hugh Bury was declared his heir, in ignorance of the existence of John's second marriage and son Humphry.
: Argent, three bear's heads erased sable muzzled or
Above are shown the arms and crest of Bury alone.
The last male member of the Bury family died in 1804, when the Bury estates passed to:

"REAR-ADMIRAL BURY, of whose professional life a slight sketch is here submitted to the public, is the son of a private gentleman, and descended from a family of the name of Incledon, in the north of Devonshire. In addition to his paternal name of Incledon, he, about five years ago, assumed that of Bury. Mr. Incledon's entrance into the navy was in the year 1772; he was made a lieutenant in 1778; and he served as second of the Agamemnon, Captain Caldwell, of 64 guns, in Admiral Rodney's memorable action with the Count de Grasse, on the 12th of April, 1782. In that engagement, the Agamemnon suffered severely: Lieutenant Incledon was wounded; as was also Lieutenant Brice, who subsequently died of his wounds; and fourteen seamen were killed, and twenty-two wounded. Mr. Incledon was promoted to the rank of commander, in the year 1789, in consequence of his being first lieutenant of the Magnificent, of 74 guns, Captain Richard Onslow, and attending on his Majesty at Weymouth. On his promotion, he was appointed to the Childers sloop. On the 22d of November, 1790, he was promoted to the rank of post captain; and, at the capture of the French West India Islands, by Admiral Sir J. Jervis, and General Sir C. Grey, in 1794, he commanded the Ceres frigate, of 32 guns".

His tenant in the early 19th century was the father of Edward Ashworth, the West Country's leading ecclesiastical architect, who was born at Colleton Barton and lived there until 1822.
Incledon_Bury had three daughters, Jane, who died young, Lucy, wife of Stephen Bencraft, a banker from Barnstaple, and Penelope, heiress of Colleton.
The arms of the Martin family of Colleton are: Argent, two bars gules overall a chevron or thereon three talbots passant of the second.
Colleton Barton has been owned since 1987 by Simon and Grania Phillips, who have carried out much restoration work and have been rearing Red Ruby Devon cattle on the estate since about 2000.

Buildings

Gatehouse and chapel

The Gatehouse is probably C15, remodelled in circa C16 or early C17, with minor alterations probably of the early C19 and was repaired in C20. Formerly occupying the upper floor was a chapel dedicated to St. Edmund of Canterbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, licensed in 1402 by Bishop of Exeter Edmund Stafford. The building is orientated on an east-west axis, thus suited for religious usage. The former entrance was up a steep staircase on the north side.