PETRE

This group consists of the deeds of purchase or grant by which Sir William Petre and his descendants acquired the Western estate, mortgages, family deeds and documents relating to the sale of the estate, 16th - early 19th century, (together with a very few earlier deeds described below). The 16th and 17th century deeds until 1663 nearly all concern the building up of the estate (a few deeds relate to sales of small pieces of property). There are, however, considerable gaps in the series. There are no deeds for the purchases of the manor of Churchstow in 1546, the manor and advowson of South Brent in 1546 or Brent Moor in 1547. Survey List Number 42 in the Devon Record Office contains a calendar of title deeds for the South Brent properties and of a Royal grant of a market and fair at Brent in 1556. Similarly the purchase deeds of the manor and borough of Kingsbridge (bought probably in 1557) and of Higher Flear in East Allington (bought in 1558) are lacking. Notes in the list refer to other sources of information for these purchases.

There are no title deeds for the Gloucestershire properties or the manors of Charmouth and Osmington in Dorset. There are, however, documents relating to the sale of Osmington in 1633, in the Essex Record Office Petre collection (see p.). The manor of Harberton and lands in Somerset, bought in 1553 (see 123M/TP9a-c), disappear without further mention in the collection (apart from two copies of court roll for Ashcott of the same year). They were presumably sold, but, as with Charmouth in Dorset, the counterparts of the sale deeds are missing. For the purchases of the manors of Shute and Southleigh with Wiscombe Park (1554-1555) and of the manor and advowson of Combpyne with other East Devon lands, the manor of Wile in Dorset and the manor of Tatworthy in Somerset (1555) there are papers and drafts only. The chief deeds for the purchase of the manor and hundred of Axminster etc. in 1605 are also missing.

The only mediaeval deeds in this group relate to Kellench in Torbryan (123M/TP35-57) and a small property in Axminster (123M/TP99-112).

The early 17th century documents include the papers and deeds (123M/TP128-143) relating to the "partition" of the manor of Whitford between the three owners (one of whom was William Lord Petre) in 1622-1623. A deed of 1652 (123M/TP148) relates to the division of properties acquired by the lords of the manor of Colyton (of whom Lord Petre was one) by escheat on the attainder of John Samson a convicted murderer.

The remainder of the "Petre" title deeds chiefly relate either to Mortgages of parts, or the whole, of the Western estate (123M/TP149-156, 1663-1712; TP157-170, 1769-1790; TP174-176, 1793) or to the sale of the estate in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (123M/TP171-173, 1787-1793; TP177-180, 1794-1804; TP186-191, 1817-1826). There are considerable gaps in the record of the dispersal of the estate.

None of the counterparts of the deeds selling the lands survive in this collection and there are no documents at all for the sale of the Gloucestershire manors, the manor of Tatworth in Somerset, and Northleigh, Southleigh, and Wiscombe Park in Devon. The two family deeds are for exstinguishing estates tail in the manor of South Brent in 1808 (123M/TP181) and a release of dower of 1809 (123M/TP184). Settlements and related deeds are in the Essex Record Office Petre collection.

The miscellaneous items include:-

? a copy of the particulars for grant of the manor of Baglake, parish Longbredy, in Dorset, and of the reversion of the manor of Blunt's Hall, Essex, ?1544 (123M/TP198); the counterpart of Robert Petre's bargain and sale of the rectory of Tunstall with the chapel of Dartmouth etc., 1586 (123M/TP199); three deeds of Barlecombe in South Brent, 1522-1528 (123M/TP200-202); 15 deeds of properties in the parish of Peter Tavy, 1532-1594 (123M/TP203-217); 3 deeds of premises in Axminster, 1584-1600 (123M/TP218-220); a grant of properties in Kingsteignton, West Teignmouth and "Bykton" [?Bicton in East Devon], 1524 (123M/TB222) and 2 deeds concerning lands in Syndercombe, Somerset, and unspecified lands in Somerset, Essex, Devon and Berkshire, 1547 (123M/TB223-224).

The manor of Churchstow, formerly of Buckfast Abbey, was granted to Sir William Petre and his wife Ann on 25 January 1546 by Henry VIII, see Devon Monastic Lands: Calendar of Particulars for Grants 1536-1558, ed. J. Youings, Devon & Cornwall Record Society New Series Vol. 1, 1955, p.73.

The manor of Brent and parsonage, advowson and church of Brent were purchased from the King (partly in exchange for properties in Warwickshire and Oxfordshire) on 4 July 38 Henry VIII [1546], see Survey list number 42 in Devon Record Office.

Brent Moor was purchased by Sir William Petre from Sir Thomas Denys of Holcombe Burnell on 16 March 1 Edward VI [1547], see Survey list number 42 in Devon Record Office.

Sir William Petre was granted by letters patent of 9 November 3 and 4 Philip and Mary [1556] a Wednesday market and 2 annual fairs, one 29 September - 10 October and the other 3 - 5 May, at Brent, see Survey list number 42 in Devon Record Office.

John Drake of Musbury esq. and Bernard Drake gent, his son, obtained a licence to alienate the manor and borough of Kingsbridge, late of Buckfast Abbey, to Sir William Petre, on 7 September 1557, see Devon Monastic Lands: Calendar of Particulars for Grants 1536-1558, edited by J. Youings, Devon and Cornwall Record Society new Series Vol. 1, 1955, p. 123.

For grant of Higher Flear in East Allington late of Plympton Priory, to Sir William Petre, on 22 January 1558, see Devon Monastic Lands as above, p. 124.