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MEAVY
MEAVY a village and parish in the hundred of Roborough near the sources of the river Plym about 7 miles from Tavistock and 9 miles north from Plymouth -& about 1 mile from Yelverton. The parish of 3,351 acres includes Ringmoor Down, Brisworthy, and, the small village of Loveton.
It lies about 10 miles from Holne near Ashburton on the other side of the moor as the crow flies . Today that's about 17 miles by road but was less on foot when there were no roads.
In the deanery of Tamerton is the manor of Good-a-Meavy, once called God Meavy, near Roborough. This belonged anciently to the family of Pomeroy & was by the 19th century the property of Joseph Scobell, Esq.
Charter: Meavy, 19th January 1474 in Latin
1) John Bonvyll of Comb Ralegh, Esq
2) Thomas Pomeroy and Agnes his wife and Richard Pomeroy and John Pomeroy their sons
Premises: Premises: messuages lands and tenements in West Grobbeton and Wasond and tithing of Mewy to hold
All the messuages lands and tenements in west Grobbeton and Wasond and tithing of Mewy to hold for their lives successively at a rent of 33s. 4d and suit at court of Mewy and the best best as a heriot: tenants to have firebote, housbote, folbote and haybote and to keep the tenement in repair.
Witnesses: Adam Byrde, Robert Seller and John Mede.
Dated at Meavy: Monday before Christmas. 14 Edward IV. 1471
Two seals.
Charter: Meavy, 19th January 1474
1) John Bonvyll of Comb Ralegh, Esq
2) Thomas Pomeroy and Agnes his wife and Richard Pomeroy and John Pomeroy their sons
Premises: Premises: messuages lands and tenements in West Grobbeton and Wasond and tithing of Mewy to hold
All the messuages lands and tenements in west Grobbeton and Wasond and tithing of Mewy to hold for their lives successively at a rent of 33s. 4d and suit at court of Mewy and the best best as a heriot: tenants to have firebote, housbote, folbote and haybote and to keep the tenement in repair.
Witnesses: Adam Byrde, Robert Seller and John Mede. Dated at Meavy: Monday next before Christmas. 14 Edward IV. 1471 Two seals. Latin.
Firbot was the right of a tenant to a reasonable amount of wood from his land for fires in his house and in the houses of his servants.
Folbot & Housbot do not appear in the dictionary - Possibly they are similar to Pannage & Tillage which were the legal right to pasturing and ploughing the land - & these related to the right to maintain ones house .
Haybot was wood or thorns allowed to a tenant or commoner by law for repairing hedges or fences.
The Plymouth Leat
Plymouth needed a water supply and this was first resolved in 1585 through the construction of the Plymouth Leat - this six foot trenc ran 18 miles between the River Meavy and Plymouth. The Lord Mayor of Plymouth at tge time was Sir Francis Drake, & he credited with leading the construction of this leat, including getting permission from parliament for its construction.
It began at a point now under water at Burrator Reservoir, emergeing some 10m lower than the typical reservoir water level. It was one of the first municipal water supplies in the country.
Thei project took 4 months to complete and brought a supply of clean, clear, moorland water into the very heart of the town. In 1871, it was lined with granite in an effort to reduce seepage and improve the flow. It can still be seen today .
Grobberton or Wasound
Wasound - West Down Shaugh Prior
Maybe another mine
Wasound - probably West Down in Shaugh Prior
When the population of the moorland declined dramatically following the Black Death in 1348 many farms in the lowlands were left without tenants. Most surviving moorland farmers took the chance to move onto better land in the lowlands .
In the C19th census shows a West Down Farm with 7 cottages associated with it and in Shaugh Prior village there were blacksmiths, millers, shopkeepers, shoemakers and innkeepers
Below West Down Tor
Plymouth Leat
Mallet Papers Title Deeds : Meavy & elsewhere Z13/1/5
source DRO here
Item Lease for 80 years: Meavy, 24th June 1521
Details. 1) Humfrey Bonevyle 2) Alice Pomeray, the wife of Richard Pomeroy and Johan their daughter ( Does this indicate that 1521 Richard was dead??)
Premises: a little messuage which Richard Blackeford and Tomasia his wife held in Mew [Meavey] and the reversion after Henry Blackaford of certain 'piteis'.
Suit to grantor's court of Mewy. Tenants to have firebote in the wood called Clokewood.
Rent: 3s. 4d. for the messsuage and 20d for the reversion of the 'piti'. Heriot: Best Beast.
Witnesses: Robert Wydeslade, John Medylton, John P...y, Richard Agecombe. Dated at Ivebridge. 13 Henry VIII (1522)
Mallet Papers DRO
Title Deeds: Meavy & elsewhere Z13/1/9
Item Lease for 90 years or lives of lessees: Meavy, 24th March 1548
details. 1) Humfrye Bonvile of Ivebridge, gent. 2) Richard Moys and Thomasyn his wife
Premises: tenement in Mewy which John Pomeroy formerly held, except and reserving such ground as John Adecote now holds.
Suit of Court and mill. Consideration: £113. 132s. 4d. Rent: 26s. and four harvest days' work at Humfry's mansion place at Ivebridge. Heriot: Best Beast.
Dated: 2 Edward VI. Fragment of Seal.
Earlier records found in Plymouth Box 8 May 2025
Repository: Plymouth Archives, The Box Ref 710/1
Title: Shaugh Prior: Trowlesworthy, Deed
• description: Gift 1) Bauldwin de Riparis, Earl of Devon. 2) Sampson de Traylsworthy [Trowlesworthy].
Trailisworthy, bounded by Pynekkes Lake to Thickestone Lake to Blackbrook as far as Black Brocke falls into Plyme and the foot of Blackbroke common, Bickly wood. Rent: 4s. Witnesses: Richard de Meavy, Robert de Spineto, Roger de Cadworth, Walter Pomeray de Goodamevy, Alexander de Hemerdon, then bailiff of Plympton, Thomas de Challeswiche, Simon -Ellewille. [with two copies, one dated to the 16th century].
• Date: Mid 13th century Item a Manuscript
• Repository: Plymouth Archives, The Box Ref 733/3307/22
• Title: Meavy, Loveton, Deed
• description: Quitclaim
1 Reginald Pomeray of Godemevy [Goodameavy in Meavy] and Alicia, his wife
2 Maurice de la Fenne and Eleanor(?) his wife Land in Loddertonne [Loveton in Meavy] as the dowry of Eleanor for the term of her life.
• Date: 14 Sep 1285 Item Manuscript
• Repository: Plymouth Archives, The Box Ref 733/3307/30
• Title: Meavy, Land in Goodameavy, Deed
• description: Gift
1 Richard Pomeray, son and heir of Roger Pomeray of Godemewy [Goodameavy, in Meavy]
2 William de Lolleworth Land in Godemewy between River Mewy and La Rederlyne on the east.
• Date: 28 Nov 1334 : Item Manuscript
The Place
Tavistock on the river Tavy & Meavy are accessible to Plymouth, the main port of the area, via long established roads , originally these were just trackways, following thevalley of river Meavy.
overview.
The manor of Meavy (alias Meavy Church, Mewy, etc.) in Roborough Hundred was held in 1086 at the time of Domesday Book by Robert le Bastard, or by Juhel de Totnes. It was later held by de Meavy family from the reign of Kings Henry III to Richard II. whose feudal overlord was the de Pomeray family, feudal barons of Berry Pomeroy. Subsequently passed to the Milliton family,
Richard Strode (d.1552) of Newnham, about 6 miles south, married Agnes Milliton, daughter of John Milliton of Meavy. Meavy was later one of the residences of Sir William IV Strode (1562–1637), and later became the seat of the latter's 2nd son William Strode (1594-1645), MP.
A junior branch of the Crymes family of Crapstone, Buckland Monachorum, was resident in the parish of Meavy. Risdon: "The manor of Buckland was bought by one Grimes, of London, who built a house upon the same, which descends to his posterity, and is now inherited by that name".
Meavy was purchased by Sir Francis Drake, 3rd Baronet (1642–1718), of Buckland Abbey in the parish of Buckland Monachorum, who sometimes resided at the manor house west of St Peter's Church, in which survives the "Drake Aisle" or manorial chapel. The external stonework is inscribed with the date "1705" and the "Drake star" from his coat of arms. His mother was Susan Crimes, a daughter of William Crimes (or Grimes), of Buckland Crimes and a sister of Elizeus Crimes.
Meavy in 1474 we have:-
Thomas Pomeroy and Agnes his wife and Richard Pomeroy and John Pomeroy their sons and Alice Pomeray, the wife of Richard Pomeroy and Johan their daughter
STRAYS from Powley
John Pomeroy 1474-96 appointed on a Devonshire commission to enquire into wool and other shipments , lead, tin, which should be going to Calais.
Wills
1548 Roger Pomery of Meavy, missing Will
Following on from Mallet Papers Title Deeds : Meavy & elsewhere Z13/1/5
Letter of Attorney: Buckland Monachorum, Meavy, Sampford Spiney, Sheepstor, Walkhampton, 3rd June 1409
Repository Devon Heritage Centre.
Reference number Z13/1/2. Previous reference DD 49030 dated 3rd June 1409
Description 1) Elizabeth, widow of William Dymmok
2 Benedict Faysmond
Premises: to take possession of messuages, lands, tenements, dovecotes, cornmills and fulling mills and all her
other possessions in the Manors of Mewy and Knolle near Walkhampton and in the tithings and hamlets of Mewy, Shittestorre, Bokeland Abbatis and Sampforde Spynee, and to deliver seisin to John Dymmok, son and heir of Elizabeth according to the form and effect of the Charter made to him.
Witnesses: John Ralegh, Richard Mewy, James Beancombe, John Langham, Peter Fay.
Dated at Ivybridge: Monday after the Feast of Holy Trinity. 10 Henry IV.
Thomas Pomeroy and Agnes his wife and Richard Pomeroy and John Pomeroy their sons and Alice Pomeray, the wife of Richard Pomeroy and Johan their daughter
Thisdoes not appear to be Thomas P & his young wife Agnes Kelloway from the cadet armorial line at Ingsdon whose marriage settlement was 1478 ;
their sons are recorded as Henry & Richard (b 1492) who married 1st Eleanor Coker & 2nd Anne Wykes widow Artur in 1544.
SWHT / DRO
Goodmeavy is in Roborough MUCH LATER
• The Manor and Lordship of Goodmeavy with the capital messuage, a tenement heretofore called the Tynmill now Doubts House, a tenement called West Cadworthy otherwise Cadaver and lands (field names given) culminating in the possession of Joseph May Ward of Meavy.
• The mansion house of Goodmeavy was conveyed to Martin Ryder of the Middle Temple in 1672. By 1748 it was in the possession of Samuel Ryder of Tavistock who mortgaged the Manor and other properties to Thomas Brent of Plymouth. The Rev. Samuel Ryder of Falmouth and Thomas Brent sold the property in 1760 to Joseph May of Plymouth.
• Bundle also includes the sale of a house called Willake and lands by Richard Webbe to William Harper of Plymouth, 1664 and the sale of two tenements called Virgells and West Cadworthy from Webbe to Alexander Webbe, 1673.
Listed II Goodameavy Barton is circa late C16 with C17 alterations and C20 modernisation; the Manor House is a C18 building remodelled in the early C19 and extended later in the C19.
Burrator Reservior was completed in 1898
... this had not been a populous area and in the end only a few roofless buildings disappeared below the water, along with a couple of muddy lanes and a section of the original Plymouth Leat - some ruined buildings can still be glimpsed around the shores of the lake.
A building loss, which would probably not be permitted today, was that of Longstone Manor, the home of the Scudamore family which dated from the Middle Ages.
By marriage, this had become the home of the Elford family, still remembered for their association with the name of nearby Yelverton (formerly known as "Ye Elford Town"). This is now a range of roofless, deserted buildings safely out of the water on the shores of the Reservoir.
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