A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



Englishman. His name constantly crops up as a land-grabber of the most 

 valuable portions of manors bestowed on others, none daring to dispute the 

 acts of one so closely allied to the king. 



On the Mortain fief merging in the crown on John's accession in 1 199, 

 the Mortain vavassours became tenants-in-chief and their fiefs became baronies 

 or honours. In 1227^ Henry III bestowed the Mortain fief on his brother 

 Richard earl of Cornwall and it descended to his son Edmund, who died with- 

 out issue in 1300,* when it reverted to the crown. In 1307 Edward II gave 

 it to his favourite, Peter de Gaveston, who had married Edmund's widow. 

 Gaveston met his death 19 May, 13 12. Ultimately it was constituted an 

 appanage of the heir to the throne, and as the duchy of Cornwall it still re- 

 tains certain quasi-royal privileges. It is characteristic of all the honours 

 which grew out of this fief that they consist of small or Mortain fees, a 

 Mortain fee being roughly described as f of an ordinary fee,' but being really 

 f of such a fee.* With the honour of Mortain went also the estates held in 

 chief by Richard son of Torolf ^ and the royal demesne-manor of South 

 Tawton.^ 



The chief vavassour of the count of Mortain in Devonshire was Reginald 

 de Valletort, whose fief is known as the honour of Trematon, from Trematon 

 Castle, its chief seat in Cornwall. It is described in 11 66 as consisting of 

 59 small fees'' and included, besides the estates held in Devonshire and Cornwall 

 by Reginald de Valletort at the time of Domesday, the ancient demesnes of 

 Maker, Sutton and Kingstamerton,^ also one estate then held by Hugh de 

 Valletort under the count,® viz. Batson, and one, Spriddlecombe, held by 

 Donne — probably the same Donne who held in chief Newton St. Cyres and 

 Nutwell. It continued in the Valletort family until 1270, when Roger 

 granted it to Richard, king of the Romans and duke of Cornwall, and the 

 heirs of his body.'" It was unsuccessfully claimed in 1 3 1 5 by Corbet and 

 Pomeray as representing co-heiresses." Another honour which grew out of 

 the Mortain fief was the Cornish honour of Cardinan and Botardel. 

 It consisted of all the Devonshire and Cornish estates held in 1086 by 

 Richard son of Turold or Torolf, whether held of the king in chief, such as 



■ Oliver, Hist. Exeter, 184 ; Trans. Devon. Assoc, xxxiv, 576. ' Inq. p.m. 28 Edw. I, No. 44. 



' Lib. Niger, 85, 98, 99. 



* For proof of this see Trans. Devon. Assoc, xxxiv, 570. In 1346, when an ordinary fee paid 40 shillings, 

 a Mortain fee paid 25 shillings {Feud. Aids, 385). 



' Exchequer Domesday, 113, compared with Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), \%^ and b. 



^ John as count of Mortain confirmed the grant of Alison in South Tawton to Canonsleigh Priory, 

 c. 1 190 (Oliver, Mon. p. 228). 



' Lib. Niger, 131. 



' Mr. Whale, in Trans. Devon. Assoc, xxxiii, 376, suggests that Valletort's one fee in Lib. Niger (p. 128) 

 was Clyst St. Laurence ; but apart from the fact that Clyst St. Laurence was only half a fee it was held 

 of the honour of Odcombe {Testa de Nevill (Rec. Com.), 200 ; Inq. p.m. 8 Edw. II, No. 56). Feud. Aids, 

 340, shews Sutton, Makerton, and Kingstamerton held by John de Vautard of the earl of Cornwall 

 (successor to the earl of Mortain) for i fee. Inq. p.m. 2 Ric. II, No. 57, names Makre, Sutton, and Kings- 

 tamerton I fee among 'fees belonging to Trematon Castle.' 



° Geldroll, fol. 6<)b, B 2, shows that the Hugh of the survey is Hugh de Valletort. See Testa de Nevill 

 (Rec. Com.), i92<j. 



"• Cal. Anc. D. A 10,842-4. Abbrev. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 324. 



" Peter Corbet had married Beatrice, one of the sisters of Roger de Valletort. See his Inq. p.m. 1 1 Edw. II, 

 No. 52 and 15 Edw. II, No. 34, and Trans. Devon. Assoc, xviii, 204. Henry de la Pomeray was grandson of 

 Hawise de Valletort. They were found to be next heirs in Inq. p.m. 27 Edw. I, No. 32, and claimed it as 

 such in 1 300 {Abbrev. Plac. 3 3 Edw. I, Easter, Rot. 5), but in 1 3 1 5 judgment was given against them {Abbrev. 

 Plac. 9 Edw. II, Easter, Rot. 120). 



570 



