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The History of a Country House Hotel in South Devon

Long before anything like a country house hotel was ever thought of in South Devon,
the original manor which must
now be beneath the existing building, dominated this quiet valley.

Recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, Buckland (then spelt using the Saxon Bocheland
meaning free of any feudal service to a lord) remained as one unit or manor up to 1921.

19th Century Oil Painting of Buckland - photo courtesy of Betty Warnes

11th and 12th Centuries.
After the Norman Conquest, Buckland was divided into two parts and passed to Walter de Clavil and
Goscelm respectively, they owned between them 59 manors in Devon.

Goscelm's Buckland passed to Richard de Lomene at some time during the 12th century
and he in turn conveyed it to William de Morlegh. Risden a distinguished local historian writing in 1608
places the arrival of the Tout-Saints in the reign of Richard I (1189-1199).

13th to 18th Centuries.
In 1238 the manor was in the ownership of Lucas de Tuz Seinz, the spelling of the surname was varied
by the Devonians, but its origin is in a village in Normandy. Seine-Inferieure and its meaning is not 'all-saints'
but 'tout-sain' or all heal, from the plant Tutsan, renowned for its healing properties.

During the 14th century the Tout-Saints family decided to make regular worship more accessible for the local people, who formerly had to attend the parish church at Loddiswell 4 miles away. The chapel named St. Peter's
was subsequently built on the top of the hill above the house.

The 14th century saw the ownership pass to the Hills and then subsequently during the 16th century
by marriage to the Coles. Alice Cole took Buckland as her dowry when she married George Southcote,
in whose family the house remained for the next two hundred years.

During the civil war 1642 -1649, George Southcote sided with Royalists, rival armies marched across
South Devon leading George to flee to Exeter. He survived and became Sheriff of Devon in 1653.
John Southcote later to be knighted, rebuilt the house at the end of the 17th century, an original flagstone
floor from the old house can be seen in some of the basement store rooms.

18th to the Early 20th Century.
William Clark a 'beerbrewer' purchased Buckland from the Southcotes in 1793, his son, William John
inherited the house and it remained in the family until sold to the Brunskill's in 1855. They carried out
substantial alterations, including removal of the parapet, a steeper pitched roof and the covering over of the internal courtyard. The stair paneling probably came from Carfax Church in Oxford when
it was demolished in 1899.

Mrs. Hilda Brunskill - Bantham Beach c.1898

Hubert Brunskill

The Brunskill's put the estate on the market 1921 and the house with the land to the South was bought by
Col. Charles Warden, the last surviving officer to carry the Colours into battle in the Zulu war of 1879.
His widow then sold Buckland to Mr. and Mrs. Prime who converted it to a hotel in 1956.

 

Devonshire Map by John Speed dated 1627 featuring Buckland
See www.antique-maps-online.co.uk

Today.
The present owners Mark and Julia Trumble have carried out an extensive program of improvements, sympathetic to the character and historical background of the building.
The elegance of this Queen Anne style hotel,
together with breathtaking views and its unparalleled peace and tranquility make
Buckland Tout Saints Hotel, 'Somewhere Special'.

Bibliography: The History of Buckland-Tout-Saints by Ray Freeman.
Available to purchase from the Hotel.

For any other aspects of this Country House Hotel in South Devon search here

For a location map of the hotel click here ... Map

 

Contact us using the numbers below or E-mail:

© This website and its contents are the copyright property of
Buckland-Tout-Saints Hotel
Goveton, Kingsbridge, Devon, TQ7 2DS. UK.
Telephone: +44 (0)1548 853055. Fax: +44 (0)1548 856261
or USA Freephone 1.800.435 8281

 

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