Ancient Castles, and Sites of Castles, and Castellated Mansions.
The remains of Lidford castle, in which was formerly the prison of
the stannaries, are near the church. The castle, of which the walls are
standing, was a plain embattled building, about 48 feet square, with an
outwork on the north side of it, projecting forwards to the edge of a steep
precipice: there are no remains of the walls upon this outwork.
At Dartmouth are the remains of an ancient castle, and of a circular
tower called Paradise Fort. The walls of King's Weare castle are standing;
and there are the ruins of a fort opposite Dartmouth castle.
What remains of Afton castle, some time the seat of the Aftons,
afterwards of the Stucleys, is a square embattled building with a small
tower at one corner; the windows are of the later Gothic. Berry Pomeroy castle, the seat of the Pomeroys, appears to have been a very large
mansion. It has an ancient gateway, with a round tower at one corner:
the arms of Pomeroy were, not many years ago, to be seen over the gateway. The greater part of the mansion, which stands on the brow of a
steep hill, among woody scenery, was probably built or altered by the
Seymours: it has large transom windows, in the style of the sixteenth
century. This mansion is in ruins and much overgrown with ivy.
Figure 18:
View of Berry Pomeroy Castle
Compton castle, the seat of the Comptons, and afterwards of the
Gilberts, is still standing, converted into a farm-house. There are small
remains of Gidley castle, the old seat of the Prous family: an apartment,
22 feet by 13, with remarkably thick walls, has a vaulted chamber under
it, with pointed arches. At Hemiock are considerable remains of the
castle, which was a seat of the Dynhams. The east entrance has a pointed
doorway, and there are remains of five of the towers, some of them covered
with ivy; one of them is about 20 feet in height. An old moorstone
doorway, made use of in building the farm-house, was not part of the
castle, but brought from a distance.
Figure 19:
View of Compton Castle
At Exeter, Plympton, Oakhampton, and Tiverton, were castles, all
of which had belonged to the earls of Devonshire. Exeter and Tiverton
castles were dismantled as fortresses after the civil war. Plympton had
been destroyed at a much earlier period. The whole that remained
of Exeter castle was taken down about the year 1774, except a lofty
gateway, with circular and segment arches, rudely constructed, still to be
seen in the garden of Edmund Granger, Esq. At Plympton there
remains only some of the walls of the keep, the internal diameter of
which was 40 feet; the walls were about eight feet and a half thick,
and, in some parts, they are now about 12 feet high. The vallum on the
west side of the castle is 100 paces from east to west, and about 67 from
north to south; very high and deep. On the north side is a deep moat:
the vallum on the south side also is very deep. There are but small
remains of Oakhampton castle, which is about half a mile from the town
of that name. Part of the site of Tiverton castle is occupied by
a modern mansion. Within the site, at the south-west angle, is a
square tower, with Gothic windows. It is commonly called the chapel,
but has a fire-place. At the south-east angle is a small round tower, quite
perfect: on the east side a gateway, groined, in the style of the fourteenth
century, the outer arch pointed, and ornamented with roses. On the
other sides, the lower parts of the walls only are remaining.
Figure 20:
Remains of Exeter Castle
Ancient Mansions.
Bradfield Hall, in the parish of Uffculme, the seat of the Walronds,
is a perfect ancient mansion, probably of the early part of the sixteenth
century. It consists of an irregular building in the centre, with two
wings very much projecting. The hall has a roof of five obtuse arches
of timber, with angels at the springings; and a cornice enriched with
quatrefoils and other ornaments. The drawing-room which adjoins the
hall, has a pannelled ceiling, richly ornamented with pendents: it is
wainscotted, and has pilasters, much enriched with carving: the dining
room has a similar pannelled ceiling. In the drawing-room, are the arms
of Walrond, and the alliances of that ancient family, with which the outside of the house also is decorated.
The hall at Buckland abbey-house was fitted up in 1576, with wainscotting, in the style which prevailed at that time. The drawing-room is
fitted up also with wainscotting in small pannels, and Corinthian pilasters.
The frieze, which enriched an ancient outside window, with three mullions
and tracery, is at one end of this room, and a similar one in an adjoining
passage.
At Chudleigh are several walls and arches which belonged to the
Bishop of Exeter's palace at that place. There are remains also of the
Bishop's palaces at Bishop's Tawton and Paignton.
Figure 21:
Old Mansion at Bradley
Bradley, the seat of the Yardes, near Newton Bushell, is an ancient
mansion of the fifteenth century. (fn. 1) It originally formed a quadrangle,
but two of the sides have been taken down: the chapel and hall remain,
and the gateway. Collacombe, the old seat of the Tremaynes, is of the
Elizabethan age, with transom windows, one of which is 20 feet in height,
and contains 3200 panes of glass. One of the chimney-pieces bears the
date of 1574. The vicarage-house at Colyton was built by Thomas Brerewood, vicar, in 1529, as appears by an inscription over the door, with the
device of the vicar, a bundle of briers bound together, and the arms of
Bishop Voysey, who probably was a benefactor to the work. Over the
window of a sitting-room is this inscription: "Peditatis totum, Meditatio
totum."
Dartington hall, formerly the seat of the noble family of Holland,
appears to have been built in the reign of Richard II., whose cognizance
occurs in the porch. It consisted of two quadrangles: the outer quadrangle, 245 feet by 157, is nearly complete; the north side is now occupied
by a barn and stables. The great hall, which, with its appendages,
separated the two quadrangles, is about 69 feet by 38; the height of the
side-walls 30 feet, of the roof 50 feet. The principal apartments, which
lay to the west of the hall, and formed the inner quadrangle, have been
taken down, except the western wall, with arched windows, which formed
part of a gallery, 100 feet in length.
The palace at Exeter is a very ancient structure; the chapel appears to
have been built in the reign of Henry III. It is probable that the palace
was finished by Bishop Quivil, who had a licence for embattling it in 1290.
The spacious hall, which has been divided into several rooms, was probably
roofed by Bishop Grandisson, whose arms, with those of his brother-inlaw, William, Earl of Salisbury, were lately discovered painted on the
beams. The rich chimney-piece, erected by Bishop Courtenay, in the
reign of Edward IV., has been engraved for the Vetusta Monumenta,
published by the society of Antiquaries.
Ford House, near Newton Abbot, was built by Sir Richard Reynell, in
the reign of James I. Fulford House is a fine old mansion, built by Sir
John Fulford, about the middle of the sixteenth century. The great hall
is ornamented with carved work. At Mohun's Ottery, are some remains
of the mansion built in the reign of Henry VI., but the chapel and hall were
pulled down a few years ago. The door-way and some ancient windows still
remain. Morwell House, said to have been a country seat of the Abbots
of Tavistock, exhibits considerable remains of its original state. It is built
in a quadrangular form. Opposite to the porter's lodge, are the hall and
parlour; from these projected the kitchen and offices, which have been
destroyed: on the east side is the chapel. At Pinhoe are some remains of
an ancient mansion, on an estate which belonged successively to the families of Street and Cheney. Sydenham House, in Maristow, formerly a
seat of the Wise's, now occasionally the residence of J. H. Tremayne,
Esq., is an ancient structure of the early part of the seventeenth century,
occupying three sides of a quadrangle. Whiddon, in Chagford, formerly
the seat of the Whiddons, appears to be about the same age.