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BRUSHFORD’S HAMLETS
There were many secondary settlements in Brushford parish, some of which are very minor and a few
are only known from deeds or parish records such as a church seating list for 1749.1 Several were
recorded by the 14th century such as Allshire2 which has a fine farmhouse built in the early 17th
century and later enlarged,3 Langridge,4 Sowerhill5 with its two farms and their 15th or 16th-century
farmhouses,6 and Upcott.7 The last had three farmhouses in the 17th century and was described as a
village. 8 One of its early houses survives.9
Hele was recorded from the 15th century.10 A house, called Hele Manor, was built c. 1912 by Horace
Farquaharson for Captain Heathcoat Amory who kept staghounds. Nightcott was recorded in the 15th
century and described as a village in the 1680s having three farms.11
Others while not recorded until later are clearly of medieval if not older origin like Beer, recorded in
161912 but having a farmhouse dating from the 15th century.13 Knowle was recorded in 151514 and
1
SRO, D/P/brush 7/3/1.
Dickinson, F.H. (ed.), Kirby’s Quest etc. (Somerset Record Society 3, 1889), 181.
3
SRO, DD/V/DUr 2.7.
4
Below.
5
Dickinson, F.H. (ed.), Kirby’s Quest etc. (Somerset Record Society 3, 1889), 181.
6
Penoyre, J.,Traditional Houses of Som. (2005), 17; SRO, DD/V/DUr 2.1, 2.5.
7
Dickinson, F.H. (ed.), Kirby’s Quest etc. (Somerset Record Society 3, 1889), 181.
8
Highclere Castle Archives, X/A26; SRO, DD/DP box 120.
9
SRO, DD/V/DUr 2.4.
10
North Devon RO, 3704M EL2/1; Devon RO, 96M 86/9; SRO, Q/REl 41/4.
11
Cal. Inq p.m. (Rec. Com.), IV, 85; L&P Hen. VIII, XIX (1) p 380, (2), p 86; Cal. Pat. 1547—8, 268; 1575—
8, p 458; PRO, C142/474/57; Highclere Castle Archives, X/A6.
12
SRO, DD/S/HY 6/155.
13
SRO DD/V/DUr 2.2.
14
North Devon RO, 37304M ET 3/2/8.
2
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remained a smallholding until the mid 20th century15 but Claw a smallholding recorded in 1564, 16 was
later a pair of labourers’ cottages.17
A group of Sanford estate deeds in the 17th century throws light on some of the small settlements. In
1632 Henry Ayshford of Ayshford, Burlescombe, Devon let to Thomas Pryman of Brushford,
husbandman, a tenement called Poole, which gave its name to Poole Lane.18 In 1646 a cottage in
Brushford Green was let to John Coster of Brushford, clerk, his wife Joan and their sons Henry and
Robert. In 1649 Henry Haggard a yeoman from Bourton in Berkshire took a lease of East and West
Croft tenements (48 acres) in Brushford. 19 Rock was recorded in 1649 and appears to had two small
farms20 but three cottages called New Rock were added in the early 18th century.21
Evidence of new building in the parish comes from a lease of 1666 to Henry Hooper of Brushford,
thatcher, of an acre at the end of Aullerlane More adjoining Pauls bridge, Brushford on which to build
a house of two couples or more within two years. Aller land lay between Upcott and Langridge.22 In
1619 there was a house at Aller in 1619, which was repaired in 1631—2,23 and appears to have a small
farm attached.24
Some families built up a permanent connection with settlements including the Beadon family. In 1653
Robert Beadon leased Lower Langridge farm one of two farms making up the medieval settlement of
Langridge, which had a market or fair in the late 13th century and possibly a chapel.25 Later his
widow bought the neighbouring Higher Upcott farm. Their two sons retained the farms although they
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Devon RO, 547 B/P 3400.
TNA, CP 25/2/204/6 Eliz I Hil Som.; Highclere Castle Archives, X/A26.
SRO, A/AHT 174/1; ibid. D/P/brush 4/1/2.
SRO, DD/SF 2/8/2
SRO, DD/SF/3136.
Highclere Castle Archives, X/A13, 19—24, 28; Devon RO, D5331 (1669—77).
Devon RO 1148M add 1/39a.
SRO, DD/SF 2/8/10.
SRO, DD/S/HY 6/155; DD/SF 3957.
SRO, DD/SF 3117, 3136; Q/REl 41/4.
Cal. Chart. R, II. 182; SRO, DD/DP, box 120; Collinson, Hist. Som. III, 506.
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had land in Dulverton and Morebath as well.26 The Beadon family remained at Langridge, improving
the farm in the mid 18th century and eventually becoming owners by the early 20th century.27
In the later 18th century other names occur such as Langaller, recorded in 1728 and used in 1742 to
endow a school,28 Chilcott’s Tenement, later Chilcott farm, in 1766.29 The farm was later divided into
two with houses called Chilcott and West or Lower Chilcott, later absorbed into Nightcott hamlet.30 A
deed of 1782 records a tenement in Brushford called Harriford. Harriford Bridge takes Poole Lane
across River Brockey, presumably replacing an earlier ford, recorded from the 13th century, but the
house had gone by the 1880s.31 Riphay near Exebridge is not recorded until the 18th century but may
be one of the earlier Exebridge farms.32 It had a new farmhouse built in the 1850s designed by
Westminster architects Denton and Drake.33
A house of which no early record can be found is Dennington although it appears to be an AngloSaxon name. Recorded in the early 19th century and sometimes called Deniton, it lay south of
Nightcott on Dennington Lane close to the railway but had gone by the 1880s.
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26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
SRO, DD/DP, box 120.
SRO, DD/DP 8/6, 9/10; Kelly’s Dir. Som. (1906).
SRO, D/P/brush 4/1/1; Highclere Castle Archives, KK/A1.
SRO, Q/REl 41/4.
TNA, census schedules.
SRO, DD/BR/py 24; North Devon RO 3704M ET 4/5; Devon RO, 1044B add 2B/A44.
Highclere Castle Archives, Q/A7; SRO, DD/S/HY 6/155.
Highclere Castle Archives, F/H26 (plans and elevations).
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