442 o :k e 
with the fmal) townlhips of Barleythorpe and Leighfields, 
in the fuburbs, was eftimated at 1709 perfons, and the 
houfes at 367 in number. 
Burleigh-houfe, the feat of the earl of Winchelfea, is 
fituated about two miles to the nortili-eaft of Okeham, on 
an eminence near the village, whence it derives its name. 
This noble manfion is conftruCted of freeftone, which was 
brought from Clipftone, the mod northerly point of the' 
county, and is of an oblong form; the fouth and north 
fronts being 196 feet in length, and thofe facing the eaft 
and weft 96 feet, each fubtending fide refembling its op- 
polite both in elevation and defign. On the fouth fide 
the grand terrace commands a fine profpeCt of a rich coun¬ 
try ; and this appendage is thought to exceed every thing 
of the kind in the kingdom. Each end of it leads by fe- 
veral flights of fteps into an extenfive vale, flcirted by hang¬ 
ing-woods. The grand entrance to this manfion, which 
is placed on the north front, is at once Angular and grand. 
Anoblecourt is entered by two handfome lodges, Atuated 
about 800 feet in a ftraight line from the half-door; to the 
left of which is ranged a very extenfive and uniform row 
of ftables, and on the right are other fuitable offices. From 
this court, a beautiful circular colonnade, fupported by 
Doric columns, runs up to the houfe. On the flrft floor 
of this edifice is a noble painted room, called the faloon, 
which is no lefs admired for magniflcence and fine pro¬ 
portion than for its paintings, which reprefent the hiftory 
arid wars of Julius Cxfar. Thefe were executed by Lanl- 
croon, pupil of Verrio. The library here is very exten¬ 
five ; and contains, befides a 1 valuable collection of books, 
feveral curious preparations in anatomy and natural hif¬ 
tory, together with many valuable family-pictures. Wilkes's 
JJiretSory. 
O'KEHAM, a townlhip of America, ir» Worcefter- 
county, Maflachufetts : fifteen miles north-weft of Wor- 
cefter; incorporated in 1762 ; and containing 801 inha¬ 
bitants. 
OKEHAM'PTON, vulgarly Ock'ington, a borough 
and market-town in the county of Devon, is fituated in a 
valley near the river Oke, furrounded by hills. At the 
time of the Domefday-furvey, it was held by Baldwin de 
Brioneys, a Norman, whofe exertions in the fervice of the 
Conqueror were rewarded by the office of hereditary fheriff 
of Devonlhire, and a large grant of land, which he con- 
ftituted into the barony of Okehampton, and built a caftle 
here (anno 1058) for his principal refideiice. In the reign 
of Henry II. the barony became veiled in Reginald de 
Courtenay, by his marriage with Hawile, a defcendant 
and co-heirefs of Richard, eldeft fon of Brioneys ; and 
continued in the polfeffion of the Courtenays till the time 
of Edward IV. when their attachment to the caufe of 
Henry VI. rendered them the objeCts of Edward’s ran¬ 
cour: earl Thomas was beheaded at Pontefradl, after the 
battle of Tovvton-field, in the year 1461 ; his brother John 
fell in the field of Tewkefbury. Their pofielfions were 
confifcated to the crown ; and Okehampton caftle was 
conftituted a royal fortrefs, till Henry VII. reftored it to 
the Courtenay family, with thc-irother honours and eftates; 
but his relentlefs fuccelfor, having difcovered a fecret 
correfpondence between Henry de Courtenay and cardinal 
Pole, by one all of tyranny deprived de Courtenay o-f his 
head, and by another, reduced the magnificent caftle of 
Okehampton to ruins, and devaftated its noble and ex¬ 
tenfive park. The remains of the caftle became the pro¬ 
perty of the Mohuns, from whom they defcended to 
Chriftopher Harris, efq. of Heynes. The ruins of the 
caftle are fituated about one mile lbuth-weil of the town, 
on a high mafs of rock ; the extenfive area which they 
include, the folidify of their ftructure, and the advan¬ 
tages offituation, prove that this fortrefs, before it was 
difmantled, mult have been ftrong and important. A 
lofty keep rifes magnificently from a large conical eleva¬ 
tion, which is oppofed on the other fide of the ftream by 
a fteep wooded bank. The river Oke meanders through 
the valley, and runs immediately beneath the ruined walls, 
1 
OKE 
The parifn-church, like the caftle, is fituated on an 
eminence, at fome diftance from the town. In the market¬ 
place is an old chantry-chapel, the only building within the 
town worthy notice. The population of the parilh, in the 
year 1811, as ftated in the pariiamentary-furvey, was 1440 
perfons, occupying 227 houfes. The chief lupport of the 
inhabitants is derived from the manufacture of ferges, and 
the expenditure of travellers ; the turnpike-road from 
Exeter to Launcefton, Falmouth, See. palling through the 
town. 
Okehampton lies in a valley, about a mile from 
the borders of Dartmoor, from whence the inhabitants 
have great part of their fuel, efpecially in a dry fummer, 
which is cut from the earth there, and is called peat and 
turf. It is diftant from Exeter twenty-two miles, Ply¬ 
mouth thirty, Launcefton twenty, Lifton fixteen, Bide¬ 
ford twenty-fix, Crediton eighteen, Bow ten, Morton 
thirteen, Chumleigh fixteen, Chagford nine, Hatherleigh 
feven. North Tawton feven, and from London 195. 
Here is a market weekly on Saturdays; fairs, March 23, 
May 17, July 6 , and Auguft 5. 
Okehampton is an ancient borough and barony; and 
we find in Domefday-book that there were then four 
burgefles and a market. This town was again raifed to 
a borough, according to the modern acceptation of the 
word, by James I. In 1648 it was again admitted to fend 
members to parliament, as it had formerly done in the 
reigns of Edward I. and II. 
The ftate of this borough is lingular: its conftitution 
is partly feudal and partly corporate. Previous to king 
James’s charter, the portreeve of the borough had always 
made the return; but, from the date of the charter, 1623, 
the mayor had always taken upon himfelf that office. 
A Mr. Hawkes, an ingenious attorney of this place, chole 
to revive, in his own perfon,. the office of portreeve at the 
general election of 1790, which had lain dormant for 167 
years, and in that capacity to take the poll, and make a 
return to parliament of John William Anderfon, and 
John Townlon, efqrs. as being duly eleCted to reprefent 
the borough. The portreeve had formerly been chofen 
by the homage of a court-leet of the lord of the manor, 
at Michaelmas in every year; but, the charter giving the 
corporation a power to make bye-laws, it was cautioufly 
and cunningly provided, by one of the firft aCts of the cor¬ 
poration, that the mayor for the time being Ihould be 
prefented to the homage, to be chofen portreeve alio for 
the year of his mayoralty. Thus were the feudal and 
corporate offices united in one perfon. This junction of 
the offices took place in 1623, and has continued with 
but one exception ever fince. Mr. Plawkes was duly 
chofen by-the homage, at the Michaelmas court-leet of 
1789; and appeared to have a very ftrong claim to ex- 
ercife the powers of returning-officer. The mayor alfo 
chole to aft the fame part with Mr. Hawkes the portreeve : 
he took a poll, admitted votes which Mr. Hawkes re¬ 
jected, and rejected votes which Mr. Hawkes admitted, 
and concluded by returning Col. St. Leger and Robert 
Ladbroke, efq. By this lait return, the numbers were 
ftated to be, for 
Col. St. Leger . . 168 I Mr. Townfon . . 69 
Mr. Ladbroke . . . 167 | Mr. Anderfon . . .68 
Although, by the return of Mr. Hawkes, Townfon ap¬ 
peared to have 102, and Anderfon 101, and St. Leger and 
Ladbroke to be in a minority. This double return came 
to a hearing before a committee of the houfe of com¬ 
mons, on Friday, the 4th of February, 1791 ; when the 
queftion at ifiue, between Thomas Bridgman Luxmore 
the mayor, and John Hawkes the portreeve, as to the 
right of exercifing the powers of returning-officer, came 
firft to be argued. The committee, after hearing the 
evidence, determined, ift. “ That the portreeve is not 
the proper returning-officer for the borough of Oke¬ 
hampton.” 2d. “ That the mayor is the proper return¬ 
ing-officer.” By this decilion, St. Leger and Ladbroke 
became the fitting members, and Townfon and Anderfon 
became 
