FitzWarin The family of FitzWarin (
alias FitzWarren) appears to be the earliest recorded holder of the manor of Brightley, in the 12th century. The family was a branch of the
FitzWarin family, powerful Welsh
Marcher Lords of
Whittington Castle, Shropshire and of
Alveston, Gloucestershire, which shares very similar arms. The Devon historian
Tristram Risdon (died 1640) stated that Brightley became the residence of William
Filius Warini (i.e. Latin for "son of Warin", French
fils de contracted to
fitz) in the reign of
King Richard I (1189–1199), and stated him to be the son of "Fulk FitzWarren", who had inherited it from his father in the time of
King Henry II (1154–1189). and the feudal barony of Bampton and their share of the feudal barony of Barnstaple passed in the 15th century to their descendants the Bourchier family which made its principal residence at
Tawstock in Devon, ancient seat of the barons of Barnstaple, about 6 miles north-west of Brightley. The Bourchiers were created
Earls of Bath in 1536, and were highly influential in Devon. According to Risdon, Brightley passed from the de Brightley family via the family of Carew to the family of Coblegh.
Coblegh of Coblegh family of Brightley:
Gyronny of eight gules and sable, between two cobs argent on a bend engrailed of the last three hurts. The Cobley family of Brightley was the leading family resident within the manor and parish of Chittlehampton, but were not
lords of the manor of Chittlehampton. Two
monumental brasses commemorating the Cobley family are set into two stone slabs measuring 65" × 25" set into the floor of the parish church immediately below and to the west of the pulpit. The more southerly one comprises a brass plaque only, measuring 17 1/4" × 3" (44 × 8 cm). The son of Henry Coblegh (died 1470) by his wife Alice was John Coblegh whose monumental brass lies adjacent to the north. John married twice, firstly to Isabella Cornu, secondly to Joan Pyne (possibly of the Pyne family of
East Down), as his brass records. John Coblegh is recorded in the
Lisle Letters as one of the Devonshire notables who were given a deer by
Honor Plantagenet, Viscountess Lisle (died 1566) from the park of her nearby manor of
Umberleigh. He also features further in the Letters. There exists in Chittlehampton church a slab monument of John Coblegh (died 1542) and his wife Joan Fortescue. Their only child and sole heiress was Margaret Coblegh who married Sir Roger Giffard (died 1547), thus Brightley, together with other estates including
Tapeley in the parish of
Westleigh, passed to the Giffard family.
Giffard a crescent in chief argent''. The pedigree of Giffard (pronounced
Jiffard) is given as follows in the
Heraldic Visitations of Devon:
Sir Roger Giffard (died 1547) Sir Roger Giffard (died 1547) was a younger son of the Giffard family of
Halsbury in the parish of
Parkham, 4 miles south-west of
Bideford. He was the third son of Thomas Giffard (1532/3) of Halsbury, but the eldest by his second wife Anne Coryton, daughter of John Coryton of
Newton Ferrers in the parish of
St Mellion, in Cornwall. Several monuments exist to the Coryton family in the Church of St Melanus, St Mellion. Thomas's eldest son by his first marriage was heir to Halsbury and the senior line of the family remained seated there until the death of John Giffard of Halsbury (died after 1666), the last in the male line, who bequeathed the estate on Roger Giffard (1646–1724) a younger son of the junior Brightley line. Sir Roger Giffard had 14 children by his wife Margaret Coblegh, including: • John Giffard (died 1585), eldest son and heir (see below). • Hugh Giffard, third son, married Johanna (or Joane) Bampfield, widow of Sir Richard Pollard of
Way,
St Giles in the Wood and a sister of Richard Bampfield (1526–1594) of
Poltimore,
Sheriff of Devon in 1576, whose monument exists in St Mary's Church, Poltimore. • Roger Giffard (1533–1603), fourth son, who purchased
Tiverton Castle after the death without children of
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (died 1556). His mural monument exists to the north of the high altar in St Peter's Church, Tiverton, next to the castle. On the death without male children of his grandson Roger Giffard (b.1605), of Tiverton, the property passed to Robert Burgoyne, the husband of his only daughter Joan Giffard. • Jane Giffard (died 1596), the wife of Amias Chichester (1527–1577), founder of the family of Chichester of
Arlington, a junior line of the prominent Chichester family of
Raleigh, Pilton. • Wilmot Giffard, wife of Lewis Fortescue (died 1595), younger brother of
Richard Fortescue (c. 1517 – 1570),
MP, of Filleigh. • Mary Giffard (died 1598), wife of John Wykes (c. 1520 – 1591), of
North Wyke in the parish of
South Tawton, Devon, whose effigy exists in the Wyke Chapel in St Andrew's Church, South Tawton. He is known locally as "Warrior Wykes", and commanded a horse regiment as indicated by the spurs on his effigy. He fought at Havre de Grace and was wounded. He built much of the surviving mansion house of North Wyke, including its chapel, on the corbel of the upper eastern window of which are sculpted the arms of Wykes (three Danish battle-axes) and Giffard.
John Giffard (died 1585) John Giffard (died 1585), son and heir of Sir Roger Giffard (died 1547), married Mary Grenville, daughter of Sir
Richard Grenville (c. 1495 – 1550), lord of the manors of
Stowe, Kilkhampton in Cornwall and
Bideford, Devon, MP for
Cornwall in 1529. Mary was the sister of Roger Grenville, believed to have been the captain of the
Mary Rose in the sinking of which at Portsmouth he drowned in 1545, and was thus aunt of his son the heroic sea captain Sir
Richard Grenville (1542–1591) of the
Revenge. She survived her husband and remarried Arthur Tremayne of
Collacombe. in the parish of
Northam, near Bideford. Arthur left a son and heir to his grandfather, Col.
John Giffard (1602–1665), and eight other children including his second son Rev. Arthur Giffard (1605–1666), appointed in 1643 Rector of Bideford by his cousin Sir
John Granville (1628–1701) (created
Earl of Bath in 1661), but forcefully ejected by the Parliamentarians during the
Civil War. The Devon biographer Rev.
John Prince (1643–1723) served under him at Bideford as a young curate and thus had personal knowledge of the family and included his brother Col. John Giffard (died 1665) as one of his
Worthies of Devon.
Col. John Giffard (1602–1665) Col.
John Giffard (1602–1665), grandson of John Giffard (died 1622), was a Colonel of Royalist forces in the
Civil War, who married in 1621 Joan Wyndham, daughter of
Sir John Wyndham (1558–1645) of
Orchard Wyndham, near
Williton, Somerset. He had a daughter Grace, whose effigy exists in Chittlehampton Church, and at least two sons, John Giffard (1639–1712), his heir, and Roger Giffard (1644–1724).
John Giffard (1639–1712) John Giffard (1639–1712), son and heir of Col. John Giffard (1602–1665), married twice: • Firstly to Susannah Bampfylde, of
North Molton. Their son John Giffard (died 1704) married Margaret Clotworthy, daughter of Roger Clotworthy of Rashleigh. This marriage produced only a daughter Margaret (died 1743), who married John Courtenay (died 1732), the last in the male line of Courtenay of
Molland. The arms of Giffard are shown on the mural monument to John Courtenay in Molland Church as an
escutcheon of pretence within the Courtenay arms, denoting her status as an heraldic heiress. • Secondly to Frances Fane, by whom he had at least two sons, Henry Giffard (1675–1709) an officer in the Royal Navy, who married Martha Hill, daughter of Edward Hill, Judge of the Admiralty and Treasurer of
Virginia. His brother and John Giffard's 4th son was his heir Caesar Giffard (died 1715) who married Mary Melhuish. They had a daughter Rachel Giffard who married Thomas Colley (died 1762). The executors of the will of Caesar Giffard sold the manor of Chittlehampton in 1737 to Samuel Rolle of
Hudscott, within the parish of Chittlehampton. The property comprised 1,300 acres and was sold for £9,550.
Giffard Monument (1625) This monument situated against the north wall of the north transept serves as a memorial to five generations of the Giffard family of Brightley, the principal manor within the parish of Chittlehampton. It was erected in 1625 by John Giffard (1602–1665), then a young man, shown kneeling at the bottom right, ostensibly as a monument to his grandfather John Giffard (died 1622), whose heir he was and who is represented by the main recumbent effigy. The young John's father Arthur Giffard (died 1616), who died during his own father's lifetime and thus never inherited Brightley, is shown kneeling opposite his son at the bottom left, praying before a book placed on a
prie dieu. Two
renaissance-style stone medallions showing faces in profile sculpted in relief are positioned above the recumbent effigy and, as is indicated by the heraldry, represent on the left Sir Roger Giffard (died 1547) who married Margaret Cobleigh, heiress of Brightley, and on the right his son John Giffard (1524-1623), who by his wife Mary Grenville, was the father of John Giffard (died 1622), the recumbent effigy below him. On a panel directly above the recumbent effigy is an inscription in Latin, translated into English thus: "Here lies John Giffard, Esquire, a man of outstanding piety, probity, prudence and providence, who from Honor his wife, from the family of Erle, received a most plentiful progeny. However with Arthur his firstborn having died with his father still living, he substituted for him as his heir John the son of Arthur. Thus with his family splendidly and successfully settled, with his sons and with the sons of his sons sufficiently provided for and with John his heir having been allied in marriage to the most select Joan from the illustrious stock of
Wyndham of Somerset, already a seventy-year-old, he departed from the living. With his urn having been touched (2
Kings 13:21), those famous names once upon a time dead seemed as if to have risen up again: Roger Giffard, knight, sprung from the family of
Halsbury, who had as his wife Margaret the daughter and heiress of John Cobleigh of Brightley; John Giffard, esquire, whom Mary was the wife (of), the daughter of Richard Grenville, knight; and of the greatest hope Arthur Giffard who received for his wife Agnes, the daughter of Thomas Leigh, esquire. John Giffard, his most sorrowful grandson, placed here this monument, a symbol of most pious observance". Atop in Latin are the words translated as "The angels carried him into Abraham's bosom". ==Notes==