Ilsington  Records


ILSINGTON PARISH consisted  of   7563 acres of land, including the scattered hamlets of Haytor-Vale, Higher Brimley, Sigford, Leveton, Harford, Cold-East, and Knighton-Beaumont.
In the C19th it contained about 600 acres of modern plantations ;  1080 acres of open common, among the rugged hills of Dartmoor.

Domesday 1086  and Ilsington, had  35 households & Ingsdon, had 53 households were held by Ralph Paynell   a Norman landowner, partisan of William II of England, and sheriff of Yorkshire .  He  held both & Ingsdon in part with one Osbert Sacey.
His son  Gervase "Baron of Dudley married Isabelle BEAUMONT dau of Robert Beaumont who held  in Devon Ashford,  Braunton, Landcross,   Loxhore & Lower  Loxhore,  Shirwell  & Whitestone .

William Beaumont (1427–1453) was lord of the manor of Shirwell in North Devon and a substantial landholder in Devon His Inquisition Post Mortem in Barnstaple  5 March 1412 showed that amongst numerous other lands he held in several counties in Devon he held, by knights fee from the king ,
Ilsington and Ingsdon, 8 messuages and 4 carucates, held by John Dynham, knight, as 2 knights fees.   Bishopsteignton and Newport, 20s. rent, of the bishop of Exeter of his manor of Bishopsteignton, service unknown;
the advowsons of Parkham, Shirwell and Landcross, and jointly with his wife Isabel
 the advowson of Heanton Punchardon with the advowson of the chantry there; annual values Parkham £30, Heanton Punchardon £12, Shirwell £10, Landcross £4, chantry of Heanton Punchardon 40s.  
DRO. C 137/60, no.66; 77, no.25; 87, no.37

INGSDON HOUSE. Meller, H., 2011, Down and Out, Some Lost and Forgotten Devon Country Houses, 17-18, Figure 6 (Article in Serial). SDV347477.

A large Georgian house in a setting inhabited since pre-Conquest times.
Sold to an order of nuns who converted it into a school inthe 1930's. It was later adapted into an approved school which closed after a fire in 1977. The granite piers are all that remain of Ingsdon which demolished & replaced by four detached executive houses. 

Ilsington Church & Alms Houses 




Robert Pomeroy & his wife Elizabeth Beaumont daughter of John Beaumont of Ingsdon married when she was about 19 possibly around the time her father died in 1471.
They had 2 sons Sinclere & John and on 16 Nov 1481 they settled  on their eldest son Sinclair &  themselves an entail  for  the Manor of Ingsdon for their lives.
Their 2nd son John has property settled on him in 1500  Barnes or Burns Place at Over Ingsdon-this may have been Burns Farm which lies on the other side of the lane  which lead to the Ingsdon estate.

 
Robert died  in 3 Jan 1517 Elizabeth died before him.

  Sinclair Pomeroy son of Robert & Elizabeth/Isabell,  dates unknown, married Joanna Yonge & died before his father in 1517 . Meantime he had a son John  born about 1490 , whose wife was  Elizabeth  family name uncertain 
They had  3 daughters were  Joanna,  Elizabeth & Anna & a son Hugh, mentioned as son and heir  aged 13 years in 19 Dec 1532  who married Barbara Southcote  continuing the Pomeroy line  at  Ingsdon.  John  died 1532  son Hugh died in Mar 1602 at Ilsington 

 2nd son John of Burns Place  or Burns Farm married  wife unknown  had sons Christopher,  Robert & Henry
Christopher who was buried in Ilsington in 1590 but had  been in  Walthan Abbey in Essex . How do we know this?

see further down the page

 Litigation 1599 Plaintiffs:  Christopher Pomerye of Waltham Abbey, Essex, son of John Pomerye. Defendants: Hugh Pomerye, son of John Pomerye.

 Isabel/Elizabeth  found by AML 

Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Early Proceedings . C 1/153/58  Date: 1486 - 1515

John Pomeray, son of Syncler, son of Isabel Beaumount, deceased. v. Robert Pomeray, esquire, late husband of the said Isabel.

 Detention of deeds relating to the manor of Ingsdon and lands in Ilsington.: Devon.

Chancery pleadings addressed to the Archbishop. Reference:     1262M/E/29/72

Description: Agreement between Hugh Fortescue and John Rolle of the one part and Thomas Pomeroy of Engesdon of the other concerning debts on the Barton of Ingsdon, Ilsington

Date:     1653 Held by:     Devon Archives and Local Studies Service (South West Heritage Trust),  in English Reference:  C 2/Eliz/P14/10 . Description:  Pomerye v St Clere. Plaintiffs: Hugh Pomerye esq.

Defendants: Gawen St Clere, Sampson Letheby, Barbare Letheby his wife, John Keymer and Thomas Jones.

Subject: To quit plaintiff's possession. 

The manor of Engesdon, otherwise called the manor of Over Engesdon [Higher Ingsdon], in the parish of Ilsington, and divers lands, in Ilsington, Devon, the inheritance of plaintiff.

Document type: [Pleadings] Date:     Between 1558 and 1603

Held by:     The National Archives, Kew Legal status: Public Record Open Document,  

Litigation at Ingsdon found by  AML  in Court of Chancery 

Hugh POMEROY  versus . Henry POMEROY and Robert POMERY ( sons of John 2nd son of Robert Pomeroy  by Elizabeth Beaumont) 
: Manor of Ingsdon in Ilsington, and vexatious suits. 2 bills.: DEVON.

1551  Hugh POMEROY v. Henry POMEROY and Robert POMERY.: 

Manor of Ingsdon in Ilsington, and vexatious suits.

2 bills.: DEVON.. Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office: Early Proceedings, Richard II to Mary Tudor

Collection: Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal Household, Exchequer and various commissions

   Date range: 01 January 1544 - 31 December 1551   Reference:C 1/1150/73-76

   Subjects:Manors, Litigation


THOMAS  as debtor. CAs  241/281/91   1529

Debtor: Thomas Pomerey of Berry Pomeroy {Pomerey} in [Haytor Hundred] Devon, esquire, the son and heir apparent of Edward Pomerey, knight,
and Philip Carewe, the son of William Carewe of Mohuns Ottery {Mounesawtre} in [Axminster Hundred] Devon, knight. 

Creditor: Rowland Hill, citizen and mercer [merchant] of London. Amount: £300 

Before whom: Thomas Seymer, Mayor of the Staple of Westminster, and the Constables. 

When taken: 20/02/1528 First term: 12/04/1528 Last term: 12/04/1528 Writ to: Sheriff of [Devon] 

Sent by: Thomas Seymer, Mayor of the Staple of Westminster.

Endorsement: London, Middx., Devon, Somerset. 

Before the Lord King in his Chancery, returnable on the quindene of Easter next.  25th Nov 1529  

**

Hugh POMEROY  v. Henry POMEROY.: Manor of Ingesdon in Ilsington.: 1544

[DEVON.]. Mutilated.. Hugh POMEROY v. Henry POMEROY.: Manor of Ingesdon in Ilsington.: [DEVON.].. 

Court of Chancery: Six Clerks Office:   Early Proceedings, Richard II to Philip and Mary

   Collection: Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal Household, Exchequer and various commissions

   Date range: 01 January 1544 - 31 December 1551    Reference:C 1/1150/71-72



Subjects:Manors, Litigation 

Reference: C 78/102/12  Description: Pomerye v Pomerye. Date 1599

Plaintiffs:  Christopher Pomerye of Waltham Abbey, Essex, son of John Pomerye. Defendants: Hugh Pomerye, son of John Pomerye.
Subject:  of decree: Possession of a messuage and two farlings of land called Burne Place in Over Engesdone [Ingsdon, ) parish of Ilsington], Devon.
Date of decree: 26 June 41  Eliz. Date: 26 June 1599 

 Christopher Pomeroy according to Vivian &  his Visitations died in 1590 and was buried in Ilsington Devonshire -  9 years before this , suggesting he may have had a son he called Christopher.

Waltham Abbey  Gateway   C12th Norman  

AJP  was curious as to what on earth Christopher was doing in Waltham Abbey ? ; until one is  remember that Ilsington is surrounded by numerous MINES;  Iron, Lead Silver, and tin  mines. All very profitable and Waltham Abbey was a centre for the production of gunpowder


1543    First gunpowder mill in England (?) erected by the Lee family at Rotherhithe.
1548 Gunpowder first used in civil engineering - dredging of the River Niemen
1561 First references to gunpowder at Waltham Abbey. Contract in Calendar of State Papers with correspondence from Marc Antonio Erizzo to John Thomworth (Tamworth), merchant of Waltham Abbey, who bought saltpetre and sulphur. Probably as a merchant, not a maker.

1590 - there is a map of Waltham Abbey (WASC 900/0) showing the Millhead Stream already in existence ...

Could Christopher Pomeroy have been acting as a merchant/  agent obtaining gunpowder to be conveyed to Devon, by sea probably because the roads of England were truly dreadful and Devon 's roads were notoriously bad...

Waltham Abbey Church / Waltham Cross

Christopher in Waltham  Abbey Essex 1545

Humfre Pomeroye burial 18 Feb 1575 Waltham Abbey fson of  Spencer Pomerye

Humfre Pomeroye burial 8 Feb 1575 son of Christopher 

Joan Pomeroye  burial 26 March 1589 

James Pommer bb 8 March 1611 son of John Pommer  at Waltham Holy Cross


Visitations has Christopher  dead  & buried 15th Aug 1590 ( Ilsington Parish record ) son Isaac buried 1642 ( Bovey Tracey Parish Records )

AML:   The DATE 1599 suggests that if Christopher WAS son of John, and brother Hugh...that in 1599 he was about 75-89  or more years old. 

BARNES PLACE:   Father (ROBERT) settled Barnes Place in Over Ingdon on his 2nd son John.  27 Apr 1500. 

\C 1/559/1 John Pomeray the elder, second son of Robert Pomeray. v. John Pomeroy the younger, son of Seyntcler, the elder son of the said Robert.: A messuage and land in Ingsdon (Eynkesdon), sometime of Elizabeth Bemond, wife of the said Robert.: Devon. 1518-1529

AND THIS:

C 1/1150/77-78 Henry, son and heir of John POMERY, v. Hugh POMERY.: Messuages and lands in Over Ingesdon (in Ilsington), late of Robert Pomery, father of the said John.: DEVON. 1544-1551

(Giving us Henry as the son and heir of  the  John Pomeroy, 2nd son of Robert, who had Barnes Place 1500.)

 Therefore, WE KNOW THAT Barnes Place in Over Ingsdon went to John Pomeroy, the 2nd son of Robert Pomeroy. 

Therefore, Barnes Place  DID not Revert to HUGH,  (who was grandson and heir of Robert. )

Subsequent records indicate that John Pomeroy 2nd son of Robert had at least 3 sons: 

 Henry, b c 1500 (C 1/1150/77-78) 

 Christopher, c 1505 d 1590; (Father of Isaac. There is a record somewhere of Isaac being helped settle his Upper Ingsdon property..???)  

 Robert c 1510, died between  1549-1551. (breach of promise suit by his widow)

 

  BICKINGTON 

 LOVE LANE (north side) Manor House GV II* Formerly known as Peacehaven. House, formerly a farmhouse. Late C16, with additions at the rear. 

This connects to Ingsdon and one of the last Pomeroy to live at Ingsdon,  Hugh , who married Frances Vaugham

There are references of 1563 and 1577 to "the manor or lordship" of Lovelane, but although this house was probably built for a gentleman there is as yet no proof that he was also lord of the manor  (J.C. Tingey, Calendar of Deeds Enrolled within the County of Devon, typescript in Westcountry Studies Library, Exeter, 1930, Nos. 642 and 1108).

  The C 19th maps in the Library of Scotland show Burn Farm and Upper Ingsdon nearby