ANTIQUITIES OF OKEHAMPTON. 55 



It has been observed that few of the ancient fortresses of this 

 country are of a date older than the conquest. Dugdale attri- 

 butes the weak defence made by the Saxons in many cases to the 

 want of such strong holds. William however on finding himself 

 seated on the throne of this realm, immediately built many new 

 ones, and altered and repaired such as he found already existing. 

 His reasons for this are obvious ; they not only strengthened his 

 hold over a newly subjected country, but also served to defend 

 his followers from the power or despair of such as had been spoiled 

 by them. This too has occasioned the mixed architecture often 

 observable in their construction ; for " when the Normans," says 

 a late writer on the subject, " found the remains of an ancient 

 building on a site which suited them they often added their own 

 work.'' It has been remarked to me that while the castle of Oke- 

 hampton exhibits, in some of its lower features, the obtuse Saxon 

 arch, the upper part displays that pointed style, since known as 

 the Norman Gothic. But the Saxon origin of this edifice — if it be 

 Saxon — ^has at least escaped the notice of antiquaries. William of 

 Worcester, who wrote his Itinerary towards the close of the 15th 

 century calling it " prevobile" a place of more than common dis- 

 tinction, says that it was built by Thomas de Courtenay the first 

 earl of Devon, who bore that surname. It is most probable that 

 the building received large repairs only from that noble. 



De Brionys then was invested with the honor of Okehampton : 

 he also held the shrievalty of the county, an office that was made 

 hereditary in his family. These were holden by the service of 93 

 knights ; of whom we may suppose him bound to keep not a few 

 in watch and ward at his castle here. Land was sometimes held 

 on easier tenure ; — John de Penguite, who was probably a tailor, 

 had, not long after this date, 60 statute acres in Cornwall, on 

 condition that he should make and mend the king's grey coat 

 whenever he came into the county. De Brionys was succeeded 

 by his son, Richard Fitz Baldwin, sometimes called De Redvers, 

 who died without issue. A heiress of this house, the Lady 

 Hawise, who seems to have held the manly office of sheriff, being 

 left a ward of the crown, was bestowed by Henry on liis vassal 

 Reginald de Courtenay. Their son, Robert de Courtenay, 

 married into the family of Rivers, or Redvers, earls of Devon ; and 

 on that line becoming extinct in Edward the first's time, his 

 descendant succeeded to the title. But Thomas de Courtenay 

 having espoused the cause of Margaret of Anjou, was made pri- 

 soner by Edward IVth., at Towton field and beheaded at York : 



