Goodleigh village as approached northward from LandkeyGoodleigh village
Goodleigh is a village,
civil parish and former
manor in North
Devon, England. The village lies about 2+1⁄2 miles (4 km) north-east of the historic centre of
Barnstaple. Apart from one adjunct at the south, it is generally a linear settlement.
The parish church of St Gregory is a grade II* listed building[1] with surviving ancient parts but was largely rebuilt in 1881.[2]
Combe, Goodleigh, in the 17th century a seat of a branch of the Acland family
Combe was the residence of a junior branch of the
Acland family,[4][5][6] which originated in the 12th century at the estate of
Acland, 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km) to the south in the parish of
Landkey. Two[7] 17th–century mural monuments survive in Goodleigh Church to members of the Acland family of Combe. The descent was as follows:[8]
James I Acland of Combe,[9] who married Margaret Markham of Barnstaple. James was the younger son of Anthony Acland (d.1568) of
Hawkridge, Chittlehampton, the younger son of John V Acland of
Acland, Landkey. The senior line of this family, of
Flemish origin and first recorded at Acland in 1155, later became
Acland Baronets and from the 18th century were one of the wealthiest and most prominent land-owning families in Devon, seated at
Killerton in Devon and at
Holnicote in Somerset.
Thomas I Acland (d.1635), eldest son and heir, who married Katherine Palmer (d.1622, buried Goodleigh) of Barnstaple.[10]
James II Acland (1630–1655), grandson, who died without progeny. His mural monument survives in Goodleigh Church. He was the son and heir of Thomas II Acland (1609–1633) (whose mural monument survives in Goodleigh Church), (son and heir apparent of Thomas I Acland (d.1635) (whom he predeceased)) by his wife (whom he married at
Braunton) Agnes Shepherd. Agnes survived him and remarried to Rev. Josias Gole.[11]
Yeotown House, Goodleigh. Remodelled in neo-gothic style circa 1807 by Robert Newton Incledon (1761–1846) and demolished within his lifetime[12]
Yeotown is situated in the sequestered wooded valley of the small
River Yeo, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south-west of the village of Goodleigh. The mansion house formerly owned by the Beavis family was remodelled in about 1807 in the neo-gothic style by Robert Newton Incledon (1761–1846), husband of Elizabeth Beavis and eldest son of
Benjamin Incledon (1730–1796) of
Pilton House, Pilton, near Barnstaple, an
antiquarian and genealogist and
Recorder of the Borough of Barnstaple (1758–1796). It was demolished during his lifetime and today only one of the large gatehouse survives, since converted into a farmhouse known as Ivy Lodge.
^Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959 (first published 1954), p.401
^Risdon, Tristram (d.1640), Survey of Devon, 1811 edition, London, 1811, with 1810 Additions, p.332: "The Aclands have for a long time been lords of land in this parish"...(i.e. Goodleigh)..."which one of them gave to a younger son that married the heir of Hawkridge". In fact as shown by Vivian, p.3, the estate of
Hawkridge in the parish of
Chittlehampton had been inherited by the Aclands several generations earlier
^For the pedigree of this family see
Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.7
^Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, p.7, (mis-spelled as "Corfe in Com Somerset"). The village of Corfe is in Dorset, and an estate called Corfe exists in the parish of
Tawstock, Devon. James's daughter Joane is known to have married in Goodleigh Church, which seems to confirm her father's residence in that parish