Foliot The Foliot part of the village's name derives from the Foliot family, John Foliot being a half-brother of
William the Conqueror and recipient of large amounts of land for services rendered during the Norman conquest. Some of these historical family names such as Bampfield Way and Copleston were used as street names in the new
Southway Estate not far from the Village of Tamerton Foliot.
Gorges The manor then passed into the hands of the
Gorges family, one of whose members. In 1262, Ralph de Gorges had 2-1/2 knight fees in Tamerton Foliot, holding it under
Baldwin de Redvers, Earl of Devon. William Gorges died without male heirs in 1294, at the time holding Tamerton of Hugh de Courtney with the fees of Petristavi, Midelton and Horsewell. His heir was his brother Thomas. Thomas Gorges, born about 1264, died in 1304. John de Gorges, born about 1299. One member of the family has a recumbent stone effigy in St Mary's Church. The effigies have been much damaged in the various fires which the church has suffered, most recently in 1981, when the roof of the north aisle fell over this area. The effigies are variously believed to be William de Gorges (d. 1346) or according to Raymond Gorges who wrote a history of the Gorges family in 1944, John Gorges of Warleigh House, lord of the manor of Tamerton Foliot, who flourished in the early 15th century. Formerly the Gorges heraldic
canting arms of the
Gurges, which is Latin for "whirlpool" could be seen on the front of the
jupon of the knight in the form of 3 concentric annulets. No trace remains today. The armorial was borne in 2 forms, as 3 concentric annulets or as a whorl,
blazoned thus: "Argent, a gurges azure". It was thus a blue device on a white background. The whorl form can be seen as one of the quarterings on the escutcheon on the funerary monument to John Copleston, Esquire (d. 1608).
Copleston The Devon historian
Tristram Risdon (d. 1640) wrote concerning the parish of
Colebrooke: In this
tything is Coplestone, which hath given name to a numerous family who for their fair possessions, their port (sic) (report?) and the respect they lived in, were intitled "the Great Coplestones" besides dignified with the name of "
Whit Spurrs", some time a title of great note and in these western parts of much esteem. Of this name are many branches sprung who flourished in this county The Devon historian Sir
William Pole (d. 1635) stated the honour accorded to this family as "
Silver Spurr", similar to Risdon's appellation, and added that it was connected to the fact that although they were a great county family which had married well, unusually no member of the family had ever been knighted. For his great revenue one member of the family, Raphe Copleston (d. 1491), was called 'The Great Copleston'. The principal junior branches of the Copleston family were seated at the Devon manors or estates of: Bowden,
Instow,
Upton Pyne, Kingdon, Woodland,
Weare Giffard,
Eggesford and
Bicton. Copleston House was stated by Prince (d. 1723) to be "all in ruines". The present Copplestone House, situated about 1/2 mile south-east of Copplestone Cross, was rebuilt after 1787 in the Georgian style by Robert Madge, who had purchased the estate at that date. It is thought to be on a different site to the old mansion of the Copleston family, but does incorporate some of the older fabric. The descent of Copleston of Tamerton Foliot was as follows:
Philip Copleston (fl.1472) Philip Copleston of Copleston,
Sheriff of Devon in 1472. He married Anne Bonville, daughter and heiress of John Bonville (1417–1494) of
Shute, nephew of the great
William Bonville, 1st Baron Bonville (1392–1461) of Shute. As Pole stated: "By this
match of Bonvile's daughter the estate of Copleston was greatly augmented." Anne Bonville was heiress, from her maternal grandmother Leva Gorges, to the manor of Tamerton Foliot and her father John Bonville was, through his mother, the grandson and heir of Martin Ferrers.
Raphe Copleston (d. 1491) Raphe Copleston (d. 1491) (son), according to Vivian (1895) called "The Great Copleston", on account of his great revenues.
John III Copleston (1475–1550) John III Copleston (1475–1550) (son) of Copleston, "The Great Copleston" according to
Prince (d. 1723). He was co-heir of his great-grandfather John Bonville. of
Powderham), which marriage was childless; secondly he married Jone Paulet, daughter of Sir
Hugh Paulet (bef. 1510 – 1573) of
Hinton St George, Somerset,
Governor of Jersey.
John IV Copleston (1546/9 – 1608) John IV Copleston (1546/9 – 1608) (second son and heir, by father's second marriage) of Copleston, who married Susan Pollard, a daughter of Lewis II Pollard (d. bef. 1569) of
King's Nympton, Recorder of Exeter and Sergeant-at-Law, grandson of Sir
Lewis I Pollard (c. 1465 – 1526),
Justice of the Common Pleas. The couple's monument, erected in 1617 and repaired in 1894, survives in St Mary's Church, Tamerton Foliot, inscribed in Latin as follows: :
Johanni Coplestono Armigero huius manerie domino viro cum generis antiqui tum verae virtutis laude nobilitato: qui postquam aetatis suae annum LIX attigisset Warleiae suaviter in Christo obdormirvit, November 9, 1608. Susanna uxor amantissima quae quinque filios et totidem filias peperit in spe resurrectionis bene merenti pie posuit, September 4, 1617. ("To John Copleston, Esquire, lord of this manor, a man famed as greatly for true virtue as noble descent, who after he had reached his 59th year went to sleep gently in Christ at Warleigh, November 9, 1608. Susanna his most beloved wife who brought forth five sons and as many daughters placed this piously in well deserved hope of resurrection, September 4, 1617.")
Murder of godson As related by Prince, John IV Copleston murdered his godson, possibly an illegitimate son, which "most unfortunate occurrence in this place of Tamerton...in all probability hastened the extinction of the name and family here and at Copleston also". son and heir of Sir
John Chichester (1519/20 – 1569) of
Raleigh, from a leading family in North Devon.
John V Copleston (1609–1632) John V Copleston (1609–1632) (son), who died aged 23 without progeny and was buried at Tamerton Foliot. He was the last of the family of Copleston of Copleston and Risdon wrote of him: "The
heir male of this house was a hopeful young gentleman, lately dying issueless, who left his lands unto his two sisters, married into the families of
Bampfield and Elford". By these heirs the manor of Copleston was sold in 1659. His two sisters and co-heiresses were: • Elizabeth Copleston (born 1608), the elder sister, who married (as his 1st of 4 wives) John Elford (1603–1678) of
Sheepstor, near
Buckland Monachorum in Devon, whose ruined manor house survives on the shore of
Burrator Reservoir. Elizabeth had no male issue, only four daughters, including: • Gertrude Elford, who married Roger Wollocombe of Combe • Elizabeth Elford, who married Edmund Fortescue of London • Barbara Elford, who married Arthur Fortescue (1622–1693) of Penwarne, Cornwall, and of
Filleigh, Devon, ancestor of
Earl Fortescue :The manor of Copleston descended into the families of Wollocombe and Fortescue. • Gertrude Copleston (born 1611), the younger sister, who married in 1632 at Tamerton Foliot to
Sir John Bampfylde, 1st Baronet (c. 1610–1650) of
Poltimore and
North Molton in Devon. She was the heiress of Warleigh and of the manor of Tamerton Foliot, which the Bampfylde family retained for several generations. Her son and heir was
Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Baronet (c. 1633 – 1692), MP and
Sheriff of Devon.
Bampfield Sir John Bampfylde, 1st Baronet (c. 1610 – April 1650) of
Poltimore and
North Molton in Devon, inherited the manor of Tamerton Foliot by his marriage to Gertrude Coplestone (d. 1658), a daughter of Amias Coplestone (1582–1621) of Copleston and Tamerton Foliot and a co-heiress to her brother John V Coplestone (1609-1632). His eldest son and heir was
Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Baronet (c. 1633 – 1692), whose second son was Coplestone Bampfylde (1659–1669), a precocious scholar who died young aged 10 and whose monument survives on the south side of the chancel in St Mary's Church, Tamerton Foliot. His effigy is shown with hand on a book wearing a gown and band with a large bushy wig. Below are elaborate inscriptions in Latin and Greek.
Radcliffe In 1741 the manor of Tamerton Foliot was sold by
Sir Richard Bampfylde, 4th Baronet (1722–1767) to Walter Radcliffe, Esq., son of Walter Radcliffe, Esq., of Frankland,
Sheriff of Devon in 1696, and ancestor of the Rev. Walter Radcliffe, the proprietor in 1822, who then resided at Warleigh, the ancient seat of the lords of the manor. ==Warleigh House==