The Devil Comes to Dartmoor
Page 19
1596
Birth of Mary Fitz at Walreddon
1591
Sir Richard Grenville, the privateer, grandfather of Sir Richard Grenville of the English Civil War, dies heroically on his ship Revenge, under fire from the Spanish fleet.
1599
George Cutteford, customs officer, marries Grace Halse, daughter of Nicholas Halse and they settle in Plympton
John Fitz murders Nicholas Slanning
1600
Birth of Sir Richard Grenville
1601-1603
English Lords violently suppress the uprisings at the Munster Plantations in Ireland
1603
Queen Elizabeth I dies; James VI of Scotland becomes King James I of England and Scotland
Sir William Courtenay the younger dies on his return from the uprisings in Ireland
1605
John Fitz murders Daniel Alley and commits suicide
Mary Fitz becomes a ward of the 9th Earl of Northumberland, and is taken to Syon House
Gunpowder Plot discovered, 9th Earl of Northumberland imprisoned
Mary Fitz taken to London to live with Lady Hatton
1606
Sir Alan Percy purchases Mary Fitz’s wardship
1608
Mary Fitz married off to Sir Alan Percy
1607
George Cutteford established as an attorney in Tavistock
1611
Sir Alan Percy dies, Bridget Courtenay dies
1612
Mary Fitz marries Thomas Darcy; Thomas Darcy dies
October: Mary Fitz marries Sir Charles Howard
1613
Mary has her first child, Elizabeth, who dies young
1614
Mary has her second child, Mary, who eventually marries into the Vernon family and settles in London
The ‘Addled Parliament’ of King James I
1616
Death of William Shakespeare
1617
Frances Coke, daughter of Lady Hatton, forced to marry Sir John Villiers, insane younger brother of the Duke of Buckingham
1619
Sir Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and Lord High Treasurer, arrested and imprisoned for embezzlement
1620
Charles Howard and his wife Mary separate
The Pilgrim Fathers sail from Plymouth on the Mayflower to the New World
1622
Mary has her third child, George Halse, son of George Cutteford
1623
The Halses vacate Walreddon, taking George Halse with them
1625
King James I dies; King Charles I ascends to the throne
King Charles I marries the Catholic Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry IV of France
1626
Sir Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk dies in London, the title passing to his eldest son Theophilus Howard
Sir Charles Howard dies in Tavistock
Plague kills hundreds in Tavistock
Sir Francis Courtenay appointed Lord Warden of the Stannaries
1627
Mary Howard takes her brother-in-law, Theophilus Howard, to court
1628
King Charles I reluctantly signs Parliament’s Petition of Right, designed to protect subjects from any taxation not authorised by Parliament
George Villers, Duke of Buckingham, assassinated by naval lieutenant John Felton
Sir Richard Grenville marries Mary Howard (née Fitz)
George Cutteford the younger purchases Tiddy Brook Farm in Whitchurch, and enters the Middle Temple in London
George Cutteford the elder and his family take up residence at Walreddon.
1629
While debating the Petition of Right, King Charles I dismisses Parliament, and then arrests nine members of the House of Commons for offences against the state, declaring that habeas corpus does not apply to the King
1630
Mary gives birth to a son, called Richard Grenville after his father
Richard Grenville arrested and imprisoned for assault against Edward Courtenay
Sir William Courtenay, trustee of the Fitz estates, dies in London, during the investigation
The Earl of Pembroke, co-trustee to the Fitz estates, dies
George Halse is discovered by the Court of Wards, declared to be the son and heir of Sir Charles Howard, and made a ward of Sir Francis Trelawney at Lamerton
1631
Richard Grenville released from prison
Mary gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Grenville, and leaves for London to escape her abusive husband
Mary Howard and Sir Richard Grenville formally separate
1632
Sir Richard Grenville and George Cutteford imprisoned in the Fleet prison in London, on separate charges
1633
King Charles I appoints Archbishop Laud, a Catholic sympathiser, to quell the rise of Puritanism
1638
Sir Francis Courtenay dies. Sir William Courtenay, his son, becomes a ward of his mother, who marries Amos Ameredith
Parliament challenges King Charles I’s right to levy Ship Money on inland towns
King Charles I demands that the Book of Common Prayer be used in the Scottish Kirk. Subsequent riots and the formation of the National Covenant, expelling the bishops from Scotland. Scottish forces invade the north of England
1639
Sir Richard Grenville returns to London, and sues Theophilus Howard
1640
Charles recalls Parliament to raise funds for a war on Scotland
The Earl of Strafford leads an army against Scotland, but the army mutinies, leaving English land in Scottish hands
Theophilus Howard, Earl of Suffolk, dies
Sir Richard Grenville reclaims Fitzford
1641
Parliament has Strafford executed for treason
Revolt and uprisings in Ireland. Protestant English settlers driven from their homes, and Parliament sends an army to quell the uprising
Sir Richard Grenville sent to fight in Ireland
John Pym prepares the Grand Remonstrance, a list of Parliament’s grievances against the King since his reign began
1642
King Charles I has five members of the House of Commons, including John Pym, arrested.
Parliament take control of the militia. Charles attempts to secure an arsenal in Hull, but is forced to retire to York, establishing his headquarters there as the country heads for Civil War
August: War is declared. Royalists versus Parliament
Plymouth declares for Parliament and prepares fortifications to defend itself against a lengthy Royalist siege
October: Battle of Edgehill results in stalemate
King Charles establishes his new capital at Oxford, which is besieged by Parliament
1643
Sir Richard Grenville returns from Ireland and declares his support for Parliament
Royalists have victories at Braddock Down and Nantwich
Parliament take Lichfield, Reading, Wakefield and Gainsborough
Royalist take Ripple Field, Tewkesbury, Chewton Mendip, Chalgrove Field, Lansdowne Hill, Bristol and Yorkshire, retake Lichfield and Gainsborough and hold Newark, Devises and Cornwall
Royalists take Exeter after a long siege
First battle of Newbury, Parliamentarian victory
1644
Earl of Dorset appointed King’s Lord Chamberlain
March: Sir Richard Grenville dramatically changes side, returning to the King’s forces. The King sends him into Devon to recruit for the Roya
list army
March: Sir Richard expels George Cutteford and his family from Walreddon and imprisons George Cutteford at Lydford Gaol
April: Sir Richard Grenville arrests Sir William Courtenay and sends him to be imprisoned at Rougemont Castle
June: Queen Henrietta Maria gives birth to a daughter at Exeter, and flees to France
July: George Cutteford transferred to Rougemont Castle in Exeter. Writes his will
September: Battle of Lostwithiel, a Royalist Victory
September: Joseph Grenville, son of Sir Richard Grenville, hanged in Plymouth as a traitor
November: George Cutteford hearing before the King’s commissioners, in the Chapter House at Exeter
November: Attempt at peace settlement, with the Treaty of Uxbridge, brought by Sir John Maynard to the King Charles I
1645
Sir Richard Grenville’s final major attack on Plymouth fails
Siege of Taunton; Sir Richard Grenville wounded and returns to Exeter.
April: George Cutteford dies
June: Battle of Naseby, Parliament victory
July: Sir William Courtenay wounded at the Battle of Bridgewater
1646
April: Exeter falls to Parliament
April: George Cutteford, the younger, dies
King Charles I surrenders to the Scots, who subsequently hand him over to Parliament and imprisonment
Oxford surrenders to Parliament
1649
Rump Parliament established, and all those in favour of negotiating with the King expelled
1649
30 January: King Charles I executed at Whitehall Palace, London. Formation of the Commonwealth
1652
Earl of Dorset dies
1653
Oliver Cromwell appointed Lord Protector of the Commonwealth
1655
George Howard marries Mary Burnby, who dies in childbirth. The baby dies months later
1656
Court of Wards abolished
1658
Oliver Cromwell dies
1660
Restoration of the Monarchy. King Charles II crowned in London
George Howard nominated as an MP for Tavistock with Sir William Russell, his uncle, and at the same time nominated to represent Bere Alston with his old friend Sir John Maynard. George Howard chooses to represent Tavistock
1665
Grace Cutteford finally signs the lease for the Walreddon estate over to George Howard for the sum of £300
1671
George Howard dies
Mary Howard dies. The Fitz estates are bequeathed to Sir William Courtenay
1677
John Cutteford appointed as Warden of Sackville College
1680
John Cutteford dies
1690
Sir John Maynard, attorney to King Charles I, serjeant-at-law to Oliver Cromwell and to King Charles II, dies
Family Trees
References
BOOKS
Alford, Revd D.P., The Abbots of Tavistock (W. Brendon & Son, 1891)
Baring-Gould, S., Devonshire Characters and Strange Events, (The Bodley Head, 1908)
Bray, Mrs A.E., Traditions, Legends, Superstitions, and Sketches of Devonshire on the Borders of the Tamar and the Tavy, (J. Murray, 1836)
Cook, K., Whitchurch Parish (Tavistock and District Local History Society, 2002)
Dacre, M., Devonshire Folk Tales (The History Press, 2010)
Davies, S., Unbridled Spirits - Women of the English Revolution: 1640-1660 (The Women’s Press, 1999)
Du Maurier, D., The King’s General (Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1946)
Edward, J. et al, Dutkanicz D. (ed), Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and other Puritan Sermons (Dover Publications, 2005)
Eliot-Drake, Lady, The Family and Heirs of Sir Francis Drake, Volume 1, (Smith Elder & Co, 1911)
Fox, J., The King’s Smuggler: Jane Whorwood, Secret Agent to Charles I (The History Press, 2010)
Fraser, A., The Weaker Vessel (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1984)
Gaunt, P., The Cromwell Gazetteer (Alan Sutton Publishing, 1987)
Gillespie, K., Domesticity and Dissent in the Seventeenth Century: English Women’s Writing and the Public Sphere (Cambridge University Press, 2004)
Gowing, L., Domestic Dangers in Oxford Studies in Social History, 1996
Gowing, L., Common Bodies: Women, Touch and Power in Seventeenth Century England (Yale University Press, 2003)
Greeves, Dr T., ‘The Great Courts or Parliaments of Devon Tinners 1474-1786’ in Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Vol. 119, pp. 145-167, 1987
Greeves, Dr T., ‘Lydford Castle and Its Prison’ in Dartmoor Magazine, No. 79, pp 8-10, 2005
Heritage House Group, Powderham Castle (Heritage House Group Ltd, 2006)
Hill, C., The World Turned Upside Down (Penguin Books 1972)
Hodgson-Wright, S., Women’s Writing of the Early Modern Period 1588-1688: An Anthology (Edinburgh University Press, 2002)
Hynes, K., Haunted Plymouth (The History Press, 2010)
Jeffrey, K. (ed), Audley End (English Heritage, 1997)
Keble-Chatterton, E., King’s Cutters and Smugglers 1700-1855, (George Allen & Company, 1912)
McCann, M., The Wilding (Faber & Faber, 2010)
Mildren, J., Castle of Devon (Bossney Books, 1987)
Miller, A.C, ‘Lady Howard and Sir Richard Grenville’ in Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Volume 101, 1969
Miller, A.C., ‘Lady Howard and her Children’ in Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Volume 102, 1970
Miller, A.C, ‘The Impact of the Civil War on Devon and the Decline of the Royalist Cause in the West of England 1644-5’ in Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association Volume 104, 1972
Miller, A.C, ‘The Puritan Minister John Syms’ in Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries, Volume 33.5, 1975
Miller, A.C., Sir Richard Grenville of the Civil War (Phillimore and Co, 1979)
Philbrick, N., Mayflower (Penguin, 2006)
Photiou, P., Plymouth’s Forgotten War – The Great Rebellion 1642-1646 (Arthur Stockwell, 2005)
Prest, W.R., The Rise of the Barristers: A Social History of the English Bar 1590-1640 (Clarendon Press, 1991)
Purkiss, D., The English Civil War: A People’s History (Harper Perennial, 2006)
Radford, G.H., ‘Lady Howard of Fitzford’ in Report and Transactions of the Devonshire Association, Vol. XXII, July pp 66-110, 1890
Radford, R. & U., The Book of Okehampton (Halsgrove House, 2002)
Sackville-West, R. Inheritance – The Story of Knole and the Sackvilles (Bloomsbury, 2010)
Sackville-West, V., Knole and the Sackvilles (National Trust, 1991)
Sansom, C.J. , Heartstone (Pan Macmillan, 2010)
Stoyle, M., ‘Exeter in the Civil War’ in Devon Archaeology No. 6 (Devon Archaeological Society, 1995)
Stretton, T., Women Waging Law in Elizabethan England (Cambridge University Press, 1998)
Tierney,T., Cavalier and Puritan Fashions (Dover Publications, 2005)
Tinniswood, A., The Verneys (Jonathan Cape, 2007)
Toynbee, M. & Young, P., Strangers in Oxford (Phillimore Press, 1973)
Treece, M., No More The Sword (William Sessions Ltd, 2002)
Watson, J. Y., The Tendring Hundred in the Olden Time: A Series of Sketches (Kessinger Publishing, 2008)
White, P., Classic Devon Ghost Stories (Tor Mark Press, 1996)
Woodcock, G., Tavistock’s Yesterdays: Episodes from Her History, Volume 1, (Tavistock District and Local History Society 1985)
Woodcock, G., Tavistock: A History (Phillimore & Co., 2008)
ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
Held at Devon Record Office
From the Courtenay Paper
s, from London (L1508M) and Devon (D1508M)*
D1508M/Moger/388 Conveyance of Walreddon Manor and other properties from Richard Hals and his wife Anna, to Sir Francis Glanville and Edward Skitrett (Skirrett?), 1623
D1508M/Moger/399 Quitclaim by Richard Hals of Kennadon to John Macy, Yeoman, of all his right in the manor of Walreddon and related properties, 21 June 1625
L1508M/E/Legal/Court and Estate papers/39 Petition of Edward Courtenay to the privy Council re Sir Richard Grenville, dated 8 November 1630, with copy warrant issued 17 December 1630
D1508M/Moger/436 Indenture by Dame Mary Greenville, confirming the conveyance of Walreddon manor and other properties to George Cutteford and his sons, noting the original conveyance document of 30 October 1627. Indenture drawn up on 28 July 1632
L1508M/Family/Testamentary Papers/3 Inquest into the death of Francis Courtenay esq, 3 October 1639
D1508M/Moger/393 Writ of custodians of the liberties of England to Sheriff of Devon, declaring Mary Howard an outlaw because of outstanding debts, and ordering the Sheriff to seize any goods of Mary Howard, 23 November 1640