A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



portarius^ janitor^), and Haimeric the bowyer {de archa, foL 472/^, or de 

 arcis, fol. 4691^). Dr. Round has identified Nicolas with Nicolas de la Pole.* 

 His successor in most of his holdings in 1286 was Robert, son of Pagan.* 

 Godbold had Doddescombe for his successor at the same date.' Fulcher had 

 Briwere, represented by Chaworth and Mohun in 1286.* William the gate- 

 keeper, who held Bicton by the service of keeping the gate of Exeter gaol,'' 

 had Ralf de Normant in 1258.^ Subsequent tenants of Bicton bore the name 

 of Arblaster or le Balister.^ Haimeric the bowyer had William de Toriton 

 for successor.^" Altogether the king's military officials had thirty-nine manors 

 assessed at 27J hides containing some 12,500 acres, most of which went to 

 the honour of Plympton. 



Of the king's household officials only two had estates in Devon, William 

 the usher {hostiarius), and Ansger, either the king's kitchen-master [coquus), 

 or his hearth-keeper {focarius)?^ William had eleven manors, some of them 

 probably held by the doubtful title of an alleged exchange, assessed at 9 hides 

 with a cultivated area of over 5,000 acres, besides which he was also under- 

 tenant of the abbot of Tavistock at East Raddon, and of Baldwin the sheriff 

 at Hele Poer and Woodington. In all these manors Briwere represented him 

 at a later date," and two of them, Mariansleigh and Tormoham, were given 

 by Briwere to religious houses. William's undertenant Richard is represented 

 by Speccot ^' at Sutton Lacy ; Ralf Boty {Botinus) is represented at Black- 

 borough Boty by the family of Boty. All William's estates were afterwards 

 held of the honour of Plympton. Ansger's single estate of Gatcombe passed 

 to Prowse, who held it of Pomeray.^* It was assessed at i hide, and had an 

 area of approximately 350 acres. 



The English thegns in Devon were a fairly numerous class, twenty-one 

 in all, holding among them fifty-two manors assessed at 27 hides, with an 

 area of more than 20,000 acres essarted from the forest. They were either 

 Englishmen who, having possibly rendered some signal service to the king, 

 were allowed to continue in possession of their estates, such as perhaps 

 Godwin, Donne, and Odo Edric's son, or else Englishmen whose services were 

 required in estate-management or as attendants on the king when hunting. 

 Colvin was a reeve, or bailiff ; Alvric, who held Skeridon and Hockner farm, 

 was probably a huntsman, as he had to find a pair of arrows for the king 

 whenever he came to hunt in the forest of Dartmoor." Their estates are 

 also found held of divers honours. Colvin, Alward Merta, Godwin, and 

 Godric of Calverleigh held manors which were afterwards incorporated in 

 the honour of Gloucester." Ansgod's estate of Meddon, Adret's at Manaton, 

 and Saulf 's at Mowlish went to the honor of Berry," Godeva's at Torbryan and 



' GeldroU, fol. 68, A. 12. 



' Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), p. 1<)U. ' F.C. H. Warn, i, 280. 



* Feud. Aids, i, 313, 318, 339. 



' Ibid. pp. 312, 346, 34.8. Trans. Devon Assoc, xxix, 266, n. 49. 



° Ibid. pp. 312, 319, 339. ' Testade Nevill {Ktc. Com.), p. I98<». 



* Inq. p. m. 43 Hen. Ill, No. 1,18; Cal. Inq. f. m. Hen. Ill, No. 420. 



' Inq. p. m. I Edw. I, No. 3. Feud. Aids, i, 325, 365. " Feud. Aids, \, 313. 



" Exeter Domesday, Somerset, fol. 477^, names Ansger ' focarius.' 

 " Trans. Devon Assoc, xxx, 405. Feud. Aids, i, 321. " Feud. Aids, i, 330. 



"Ibid. 1,330. 



" This, at least, was the tenure by which David be Seyredun subsequently held, ' et ita tenuerunt ante- 

 cessores sui post conquestum' ; Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), p. 195 <?. 

 '« Ibid. 177^, 178«. "Ibid. 182^. 



394 



