Matford (alias Matford Dinham) is an historic estate in the parish of
Alphington, near
Exeter, Devon. It should not be confused with Matford in the parish of
Heavitree, almost immediately opposite on the other side of the
River Exe.[1]
The Devon Hotel occupies the site of the former Matford House at the junction of Old Matford Lane and the A379 Exeter By-Pass. Close by is Matford Bridge, the crossing point over the Matford Brook on the road between Alphington and Exminster.
Descent
The descent of the estate of Matford-Dinham was as follows:
Dinham
Matford-Dinham was formerly a seat of the
Dynham family,[2] whose main seats were
Nutwell and
Hartland, on the south and north coasts of Devon respectively.
Hurding
Matford was later held by the Hurding family. The heiress of the family was Margery Hurding, who married Richard Northleigh.[3] A mural monument survives in the south aisle of Alphington Church to Elizabeth Hurding (died 1 April 1680) daughter of John Hurding.[4]
Northleigh
Richard Northleigh of Northleigh in the parish of
Inwardleigh, near
Okehampton, Devon, where the family had long been established, married Margery Hurding, heiress of Matford, by whom he had two sons: Raymond Northleigh, the eldest son, who inherited Northleigh, and continued the senior family line there, and Robert Northleigh, 2nd son, who was the founder of the branch of the family seated at Matford.[6]
Robert Northleigh (2nd son), who married Johanna Woode, daughter of John Woode of Harston,[7] in the parish of
Brixton.[8]
George Northleigh (d.1585) (son) who in 1583 married Alice Hockmore (d.1604), daughter of Gregory Hockmore (d.1571)[9] of Buckland Baron, in the parish of
Combe-in-Teignhead (formerly in Stoke-in Teignhead)[10] by his wife Alice Cruce (d.1613), whose monument survives in
Combe-in-Teignhead Church,[11] a daughter and co-heiress of William Cruce.[12]
Robert Northleigh (1582-1639) (son), who married Johanna Tothill, one of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Henry Tothill (d.1641) of
Peamore, Exminster,[13]Sheriff of Devon in 1623.[14] A memorial tablet dated 1639 in memory of Master Robert Northleigh of Matford Dinham, survives in Alphington Church.[15] The Devon historian
Tristram Risdon (d.1640), in his Survey of Devon, reported Matford to be "the mansion of a branch of the name of Norley, who married a co-heir of Tothill",[16]
Henry I Northleigh (1612-1675) (son), who in 1639 at Wolborough married Lettice Yard, a daughter of Edward Yard (1583-1612),
lord of the manor of
Churston Ferrers, Devon. His ledger stone survives in the floor of Alphington Church.[17]
Henry II Northleigh (1643-1694) (son) of Peamore House, thrice MP for
Okehampton.[18] he married Susanna Sparke, who survived him and remarried to his cousin Edward Yard (d.1735) of Churston Ferrers (great-nephew of Lettice Yard), MP for
Totnes in 1695 .[19] Henry's white marble mural monument survives in the north aisle of Alphington Church. At about this time the Northleighs abandoned Matford for nearby Peamore, after which it fell into ruin. In 1799 the Devon topographer Rev.
John Swete (d.1821) visited the area and noted in his journal that the ancient mansion of Matford Dinham "a century ago of respectability among the mansions in the neighbourhood, is now on the verge of ruin and desolation, by an anticlimax it has pass'd from the hands of the gentleman to those of the farmer and is now become the habitation of a family or two of labourers, dilapidated and overspred with huge volumes of ivy, it will perhaps soon become untenantable".[20]
^Confusion noted by Worthy, Charles, History of the suburbs of Exeter, p.183 of text in the
Lysons brothers' work Magna Britannia with Matford in the parish of
Heavitree, almost immediately opposite on the other side of the river, at one time the seat of Sir George Smith
^Gray, Todd & Rowe, Margery (Eds.), Travels in Georgian Devon: The Illustrated Journals of The Reverend
John Swete, 1789-1800, 4 vols., Tiverton, 1999, Vol.4, pp.160-1
^Risdon, pp.194-5;
Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.325
^Risdon, Tristram (d.1640), Survey of Devon, 1811 edition, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.142
^Vivian, p.472, pedigree of Hockmore of Buckland Baron, denoted by "MI";
Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.283
^Vivian, p.584, pedigree of Northleigh; p.472, pedigree of Hockmore of Buckland Baron
^Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.584, pedigree of Northleigh of Northleigh; p.729, pedigree of Tothill of Peamore
^Risdon, 1810 edition, list of Sheriffs; Inscription on monument to daughter Grace Tothill in Exminster Church
^Gray, Todd & Rowe, Margery (Eds.), Travels in Georgian Devon: The Illustrated Journals of The Reverend
John Swete, 1789-1800, 4 vols., Tiverton, 1999, Vol.4, pp.160-1
Matford (alias Matford Dinham) is an historic estate in the parish of
Alphington, near
Exeter, Devon. It should not be confused with Matford in the parish of
Heavitree, almost immediately opposite on the other side of the
River Exe.[1]
The Devon Hotel occupies the site of the former Matford House at the junction of Old Matford Lane and the A379 Exeter By-Pass. Close by is Matford Bridge, the crossing point over the Matford Brook on the road between Alphington and Exminster.
Descent
The descent of the estate of Matford-Dinham was as follows:
Dinham
Matford-Dinham was formerly a seat of the
Dynham family,[2] whose main seats were
Nutwell and
Hartland, on the south and north coasts of Devon respectively.
Hurding
Matford was later held by the Hurding family. The heiress of the family was Margery Hurding, who married Richard Northleigh.[3] A mural monument survives in the south aisle of Alphington Church to Elizabeth Hurding (died 1 April 1680) daughter of John Hurding.[4]
Northleigh
Richard Northleigh of Northleigh in the parish of
Inwardleigh, near
Okehampton, Devon, where the family had long been established, married Margery Hurding, heiress of Matford, by whom he had two sons: Raymond Northleigh, the eldest son, who inherited Northleigh, and continued the senior family line there, and Robert Northleigh, 2nd son, who was the founder of the branch of the family seated at Matford.[6]
Robert Northleigh (2nd son), who married Johanna Woode, daughter of John Woode of Harston,[7] in the parish of
Brixton.[8]
George Northleigh (d.1585) (son) who in 1583 married Alice Hockmore (d.1604), daughter of Gregory Hockmore (d.1571)[9] of Buckland Baron, in the parish of
Combe-in-Teignhead (formerly in Stoke-in Teignhead)[10] by his wife Alice Cruce (d.1613), whose monument survives in
Combe-in-Teignhead Church,[11] a daughter and co-heiress of William Cruce.[12]
Robert Northleigh (1582-1639) (son), who married Johanna Tothill, one of the two daughters and co-heiresses of Henry Tothill (d.1641) of
Peamore, Exminster,[13]Sheriff of Devon in 1623.[14] A memorial tablet dated 1639 in memory of Master Robert Northleigh of Matford Dinham, survives in Alphington Church.[15] The Devon historian
Tristram Risdon (d.1640), in his Survey of Devon, reported Matford to be "the mansion of a branch of the name of Norley, who married a co-heir of Tothill",[16]
Henry I Northleigh (1612-1675) (son), who in 1639 at Wolborough married Lettice Yard, a daughter of Edward Yard (1583-1612),
lord of the manor of
Churston Ferrers, Devon. His ledger stone survives in the floor of Alphington Church.[17]
Henry II Northleigh (1643-1694) (son) of Peamore House, thrice MP for
Okehampton.[18] he married Susanna Sparke, who survived him and remarried to his cousin Edward Yard (d.1735) of Churston Ferrers (great-nephew of Lettice Yard), MP for
Totnes in 1695 .[19] Henry's white marble mural monument survives in the north aisle of Alphington Church. At about this time the Northleighs abandoned Matford for nearby Peamore, after which it fell into ruin. In 1799 the Devon topographer Rev.
John Swete (d.1821) visited the area and noted in his journal that the ancient mansion of Matford Dinham "a century ago of respectability among the mansions in the neighbourhood, is now on the verge of ruin and desolation, by an anticlimax it has pass'd from the hands of the gentleman to those of the farmer and is now become the habitation of a family or two of labourers, dilapidated and overspred with huge volumes of ivy, it will perhaps soon become untenantable".[20]
^Confusion noted by Worthy, Charles, History of the suburbs of Exeter, p.183 of text in the
Lysons brothers' work Magna Britannia with Matford in the parish of
Heavitree, almost immediately opposite on the other side of the river, at one time the seat of Sir George Smith
^Gray, Todd & Rowe, Margery (Eds.), Travels in Georgian Devon: The Illustrated Journals of The Reverend
John Swete, 1789-1800, 4 vols., Tiverton, 1999, Vol.4, pp.160-1
^Risdon, pp.194-5;
Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p.325
^Risdon, Tristram (d.1640), Survey of Devon, 1811 edition, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.142
^Vivian, p.472, pedigree of Hockmore of Buckland Baron, denoted by "MI";
Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p.283
^Vivian, p.584, pedigree of Northleigh; p.472, pedigree of Hockmore of Buckland Baron
^Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.584, pedigree of Northleigh of Northleigh; p.729, pedigree of Tothill of Peamore
^Risdon, 1810 edition, list of Sheriffs; Inscription on monument to daughter Grace Tothill in Exminster Church
^Gray, Todd & Rowe, Margery (Eds.), Travels in Georgian Devon: The Illustrated Journals of The Reverend
John Swete, 1789-1800, 4 vols., Tiverton, 1999, Vol.4, pp.160-1