Spurway is a historic

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of Oakford in Devon. It was the seat of the de Spurway (later Spurway) family from before 1244 until the mid-20th century. The derelict buildings of Spurway Barton are in a remote location above a wooded combe.

History

Spurway was for several centuries two separate manors, East Spurway and West Spurway. East Spurway is listed as ''SPREWE'' in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086 as one of the 99 Devonshire holdings of

Geoffrey de Montbray Geoffrey de Montbray (Montbrai, Mowbray) (died 1093), bishop of Coutances ( la, Constantiensis), also known as Geoffrey of Coutances, was a Norman nobleman, trusted adviser of William the Conqueror and a great secular prelate, warrior and adminis ...

Bishop of Coutances The Roman Catholic Diocese of Coutances (–Avranches) (Latin: ''Dioecesis Constantiensis (–Abrincensis)''; French: ''Diocèse de Coutances (–Avranches)'') is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in France. Its mother church is the Cathe ...

,Thorn, Part 2, 3:74 who was one of the tenants-in-chief in Devon of King

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

. Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

of 1066 it was held by an

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...

named Algar. In the

Book of Fees The ''Book of Fees'' is the colloquial title of a modern edition, transcript, rearrangement and enhancement of the medieval (Latin: 'Book of Fiefs'), being a listing of feudal landholdings or fief (Middle English ), compiled in about 1302, but f ...

of 1302 it is recorded as a possession of the

feudal barony of Barnstaple From AD 1066, the feudal barony of Barnstaple was a large English feudal barony, feudal barony with its Caput baroniae, caput at the town of Barnstaple in north Devon, England. It was one of eight feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed i ...

. In the record of

Feudal Aids Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

between 1284-1431''Inquisitions and Assessments Relating to Feudal Aids with other Analogous Documents Preserved in the Public Records Office AD 1284-1431'', HMSO, 1899-1920, 6 Vols. it is listed as ''Estsprewey'', i.e. "East Spurway", held from Geoffrey de Camville (died 1308),

feudal baron of Barnstaple From AD 1066, the feudal barony of Barnstaple was a large feudal barony with its caput at the town of Barnstaple in north Devon, England. It was one of eight feudal baronies in Devonshire which existed in the Middle Ages. In 1236 it comprised ...

, with member estates within the manor listed as ''Challewille'' (probably today's "Chawlmoor" Wood and copse) and ''Falwarigge'' (today's "Valeridge". West Spurway is listed as ''ESPREWEI'' in the

among the 27 Devonshire holdings of

Walter of Douai Walter of Douai (Old Norman: ''Wautier de Douai'') (born c.1046, died: c.1107) was a Norman knight, probably at the Battle of Hastings, and a major landowner in South West England after the Norman Conquest, being feudal baron of Bampton in Devon an ...

,Thorn, Part 2, 23:14 another of King William's tenants-in-chief. His tenant was Hermer. Before the Norman Conquest of 1066 it was held by an Anglo-Saxon named Wulfric.Thorn, Part 1, 23:14 In the Book of Fees of 1302 it is recorded as held by Ivo de Servinton. This estate is listed in the record of Feudal Aids between 1284-1431 as ''Westsprewey'', held from John de Mandeville of Coker in Somerset. At some time before 1244 the manor, or perhaps one of the two parts, came into the possession of the Spurway family which remained seated there until the middle of the 20th century. Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, London, 1959 (first published 1954), p.446

References

{{Reflist

Sources

*Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) ''Domesday Book Vol. 9: Devon'', Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985. Former manors in Devon