The Fortescues are an ancient family, whose roots can be traced back to Norman times. He was the eldest son of Bartholomew Fortescue, Esq., lord of the manor of Filleigh and of several other manors, by his wife Ellen More, daughter of Maurice More of Moor Hayes in Cullompton, Devon. He was a great-grandson of Sir John Fortescue, chief justice.
Hugh I Fortescue, Sheriff of Devon in 1583, who married Elizabeth Chichester, a daughter of Sir John Chichester of Raleigh. He was buried in Weare Giffard Church, where exists his monument erected by his grandson Hugh Fortescue, who married in 1612 at Petrockstowe Mary Rolle of Heanton Satchville, Petrockstowe. Their grandson was Hugh Fortescue, MP, who married Bridget Boscawen, daughter of Hugh Boscawen by his wife Lady Margaret Clinton the senior co-heiress to the Barony of Clinton.
He died on 30 June 1570 at Filleigh, and was buried in Filleigh Church, where two monumental brasses exist in his memory.
Monumental brasses
Two monumental brasses which formerly adorned a tomb-monument of Richard Fortescue exist in Filleigh Church, having been removed from their original setting in the old parish church of Filleigh, demolished c. 1730 to make way for landscaping surrounding the Palladian mansion of Castle Hill, which was a re-modelling of Richard Fortescue's ancient manor house. Both are now affixed within Victorian wooden frames on the north wall of the nave of the new parish church of St Paul, built in 1732 some half mile away from its former location next to the manor house. There are two heraldic escutcheons on each brass, in poor condition with parts torn away.
Brass of Richard Fortescue
The right-hand brass on the nave wall depicts Richard Fortescue as a heavily bearded figure dressed in armour kneeling towards the left at a prie-dieu, with his helmet and gauntlets on the floor. It is inscribed below in Gothic script:
"Here lyeth Richard Ffortescue of Ffylleygh, Esquier, who dyed on the last daye of June in the yere of oure lorde god 1570"
On either side are two escutcheons. That on the dexter shows the arms of Fortescue in the first quarter with three other quarterings. The escutcheon is surmounted by a crest, apparently a plain shield, in Latin scutum, alluding to the Latinizedfamily namede Forti Scuto meaning " a strong shield". In the 2nd quarter are the arms of Denzil : Sable a crescent with a mullet issuing from between its horns argent . The arms in the 3rd quarter are the arms of Filleigh: Gules, a fess vairee between 6 crosses formee or. In the 4th quarter are the arms of Walter Treawyn of Weare Gifford, by marriage to whose daughter and heiress, according to Tristram Risdon, the Fortescues had acquired Weare Giffard: Argent, on a bend vert between six crosses crosslet fitchee gules three crozier heads or. The shield to the sinister shows Fortescue, with quarterings as at dexter, impaling Morton: Quarterly, 1st and 4th: Gules, a goat's head erased or; 2nd and 3rd: Ermine,. These are the arms of his wife's family. They are the same arms borne by Joan Morton's kinsman, John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury 1486 to 1500. The heraldic overmantel now at Simonsbath House originally from Weare Giffard Hall, both former Fortescue residences, appears to confirm the blazon. A framed handwritten note, c. 1900, made by a member of the Fortescue family hangs by the side of the Simonsbath House overmantel and states the arms to be of Morton.
