Ruxford


Ruxford is an historic estate in the parish of Sandford, near Crediton in Devon.

History

Pre-Norman Conquest

Hroces Ford is recorded in the Anglo Saxon Charters.

Courtenay

The inquisition post mortem dated 8 June 1404 of Thomasia
de Raleigh, heiress of Raleigh, Pilton in North Devon and of many other estates, and wife of John Chichester of Donwer, records that "the aforesaid Manor of Rokesford is held of Philip Courtenay as of his manor of Bradninch by knight-service". This was Philip Courtenay who had been Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall in Cornwall 1388-1391. The feudal barony of Bradninch, with its member manors including Ruxford, was held before and after Courtenay's brief tenure by the Duchy of Cornwall.

De Raleigh & Chichester

The estate of Ruxford was held for several generations by the de Raleigh family from the Courtenay family. The eventual heir of de Raleigh was the Chichester family. The de Raleigh family subinfeudated Ruxford to de Sully. The inquisition post mortem of Sir John Chichester of Raleigh dated 2 January 1569 lists Ruxford as held by him from Queen Elizabeth "as of her Manor of Bradninch", which is the last surviving record of its dependency from the feudal barony of Bradninch.
Sully
Effigies of Sir John de Sully, KG, and his wife Isobel exist in Crediton Parish Church. Sully was lord of the manor of Iddesleigh, but was said by Westcote to have had his seat at "Rookesford, lately the land of Chichester and alienated to Davye", i.e. Ruxford, in the parish of Sandford about 1/2 mile north-west of Crediton. He held Rokysforde from the overlord John de Raleigh of Raleigh in the parish of Pilton, as is evidenced in the latter's deed of 1362 now held in the North Devon Record Office. The heir of John de Raleigh by marriage to his daughter Thomasine was the Chichester family of Raleigh. According to Hoskins the estate of Ruxford is recorded in a charter dated 930 in which a large estate was granted to the canons of Crediton Church. The existing farmhouse known as Ruxford Barton was rebuilt in 1608 by the Chichester family, as is evidenced by a strapwork cartouche in plaster-work displaying the arms of that family with initials and date 1608, in the principal bedroom on the first floor of the parlour wing.

Davie

In 1618 Ruxford Barton was purchased from Sir Robert Chichester, Bart, KB, by Emmanuel Davie, a "clothier of Crediton", a cousin of the Davie family of Creedy, Sandford. The deed of conveyance is summarised as follows:
In about 1620 a plaster escutcheon was affixed inside the house showing the de Via arms of the Davie family impaled with the arms of Northcote, the arms of the family of his first wife Katherine Northcote.