King Athelstan According to the Devon historian
Tristram Risdon (d.1640), Umberleigh was a royal manor held in
demesne by King
Athelstan (circa 893/895-939),
King of the West Saxons from 924 to 927, and
King of the English from 927 to 939. He built at Umberleigh a palace and next to it a chapel dedicated to the
Blessed Trinity which served the royal family and household. Within the manor of Umberleigh Athelstan later founded two churches, at Bickington, now
High Bickington and at
Atherington, each of which he endowed with two hides of land. A person named
Brictric was also the pre-Conquest holder of the single possession in Dorset of the Church of the Holy Trinity of
Caen, the post-Conquest holder of Umberleigh.
Soleigney family The first subsequent
holder of the manor of Umberleigh identified by Risdon and
Pole was Asculph de Soleigny (or de Solarys;
Latinised as
Halculfus de Soleinnio), also lord of the manor of adjacent Atherington, Gilbert/Phillip de Soligny left a daughter Mabill de Soligny as sole heiress, who married Jordan de Champernon, into whose family Umberleigh passed. These ancient arms are shown in 19th-century stained glass in Atherington Church impaling the Champernowne arms. of Warwickshire, 1619 (
Wellington de Hurley):
Gules, a saltire vair. The Dering
Roll of Arms lists the arms of
Rauf de Wiltone as
Gules, a saltire vair. The Champernon family, sometimes
Latinised Campo Arnulfi ("field of
Arnulph") originated in the
Cambernon area of
Lower Normandy, and their arrival in England was associated with the Norman Conquest. Many members of the family later adopted alternate spellings such as Champernoun, Champernowne, and Chapman. The immediate line of descent from Jordan and Mabill de Champernon is unclear. According to Risdon, their sole heir was a daughter, Joan de Champernon (implying perhaps that her issue son adopted the name Champernon). However, Pole's account assigns two sons to Jordan and Mabill: Richard de Champernon, who died without issue, and Jordan de Champernon (II). At Umberleigh, William de Champernon, apparently a grandson of Jordan II, was by his wife Eva, the father of another Joan de Champernon (II), also a sole heiress. Joan II who lived during the reign of King
Edward I (1272–1307) married Sir Ralph de Willington (II; see the
following section) of Gloucestershire, but retained her maiden name, which she used in legal documents. For instance, an (undated) grant during her widowhood, confirmed by "Peter,
Bishop of Exeter" (apparently
Peter Quinel (reigned 1280–1291), gave land to
Umberleigh Chapel. It was recorded by Risdon as follows:
Johan de Campo Arnulphi salut(ate) noveritis me in viduitate mea divinae charitat(e) intuit(a) pro salut(ate) animae meae et antecessorum meorum nec non pro salut(ate) animarum Domini Will(ielmi) de Campo Arnulphi patris mei et Eve matris mei et Domin(i) Ralph de Willington, quondam viri mei et puerorum nostrorum conces(ssi) totam terram de Wiara ad sustentationem capella ad present(atio)nem nostram et haeredum ad celebrand(um) divina in capella nostra de Umberley. Hiis testibus: Joh(an)n(is) de Punchardon, Nicholao de Filleigh, Roberto Beaple, Matth. de Wollington, milit(ibus) [Which may be translated thus:] "Joan de Champernon, greetings. Know ye all that I in my widowhood, inspired by divine charity for the good of my soul and of the souls of my ancestors and not least for the good of the souls of Lord William de Champernon my father and Eve my mother and of Lord Ralph de Willington, sometime my husband and of our boys, I have granted all that land of
Wiara [possibly Wear] towards the support of a chaplain, the
presentation of whom to belong to us and our heirs, for the celebration of divine service in our Chapel of Umberleigh. With these witnesses (present): John de Punchardon (originally
de Pont Chardon, lord of the manor of
Heanton Punchardon; Nicholas de Filleigh, (lord of the manor of
Filleigh); Robert Beauple (probably lord of the manors of
Landkey and
Knowstone); Matthew de Wollington, knights" Other branches of the Champernon family were associated with three other prominent estates in Devon: •
Ilfracombe was inherited during the reign of King Richard I (1189–1199) by Henry de Champernon of "Clist Champernon" from his wife Rohais. The Ilfracombe line was itself descended from Richard de Champernon of "Clist Champernon", a brother of Jordan de Champernon II (see above). •
Modbury was inherited from the Okeston family during the reign of King Edward II (1307–1327). It was retained by the family until 1700 when it was sold by Arthur Champernowne of Modbury (born 1671/2), who died without issue some time before 1717. •
Dartington Hall was acquired by Vice-Admiral Sir
Arthur Champernowne (before 1524–1578) in 1559. Sir Arthur Champernowne was descended from Richard de Champernon, brother of Jordan II, by way of a younger son of the Champernon branch at Modbury. Jane Champernowne, the sole-heiress of Arthur Champernowne (d. 1766), married Arthur Harrington (d. 1819), who in accordance with the terms of inheritance, changed his family name by royal licence to Champernowne. Arthur Melville Champernowne (b. 1871), the great-grandson of Jane and Arthur Harrington Champernowne, held Dartington Hall until 1925, when it was sold out of the family.
Willington family The family of Ralph de Willington II (see above) originated at the manor of
Willington near
Repton in Derbyshireand later resided at
Yate, Gloucestershire. An ancestor, also Ralph de Willington (I; died pre-1242) married Olympia (died post 1242), heiress of
Sandhurst, in Gloucestershire, granddaughter of a certain Wymark, widow John Frenchevaler. In about 1200 Wymark had granted to St Peter's Abbey, Gloucester, (now
Gloucester Cathedral) 6 acres of land in Longford, within the manor of Sandhurst, for the purpose of mending the "ironwork of horses" belonging to visiting monks. The grant was later confirmed by Ralph Willington, husband of Olympia. Between 1224 and 1228 Ralph Willington and his wife Olympia built the
Lady Chapel in St Peter's Abbey, Gloucester. Ralph also held (from
Thomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of Warwick (1208–1242) as
overlord) the manor of
Poulton in Awre, Gloucestershire. Ralph II married Joan de Champernon, heiress of Umberleigh, during the reign of Edward I (1272–1307) was The descendants of Ralph II and Joan were as follows: • Ralph de Willington (eldest son), called by Risdon "a worthy warrior", was governor of Exeter Castle in 1253 and
Sheriff of Devon in 1254 or 1257. (The seat of the Sheriff of Devon was the royal castle of Exeter). He married Juliana de Lomene, daughter and heiress of Sir Richard de Lomene of "Lomen" (modern
Uplowman, near
Tiverton) and
Gittisham. • John de Willington (d.1338/9), eldest son and heir, who on 8 August 1299 obtained a royal
licence to crenellate his mansion at Yate. ==Rail transport==