Maker Vicarage is situate in the hundred of East, and hath upon the
east Plymouth Harbour and St. Nicholas Island, north Millbrook and
East Anthony, south and west Rame and St. John’s.
In the Domesday Book 20 William I. 1087, this district was taxed in
Cornwall by the name of Macret-tone.
In the Inquisition into the value of Cornish Benefices 20 Edward I.
1294, made by the Bishops of Lincoln and Winchester, Ecclesia de
Macre, in decanatu de Estwellshire 100_s._ Vicar ejusdem 53_s._ 4_d._
In Wolsey’s Inquisition 1521, it is rated by the name of Meker 23_l._
11_s._ The patronage in Edgcumbe, the incumbent Mitchell, and the
parish rated to the 4_s._ per pound Land Tax 1696, 143_l._ 11_s._
Part of Maker, and those lands called Mount Edgcumbe, were formerly
the lands of Durneford of Devon, of which family, Stephen Durneford
was Sheriff of Devon 6 Henry V. 1413, and of Cornwall 7 Henry V. 1419,
whose great granddaughter, (the issue male failing) the sole heir of
the family, was married to Sir Piers Edgcumbe, Knight, Lord of
Cotehele in Cornwall by long inheritance, and of East Stonehouse in
Devon, whose ancestor Peter Edgcumbe, Esq. 12 Henry VI. 1443, was
certified by the Commissioners to be one of the gentry of the county
of Devon. He was the father of Richard Edgcumbe, afterwards knighted,
Sheriff of Devon 2d Henry VII. 1487, when John Tremayne was Sheriff of
Cornwall; the which Mr. Edgcumbe was a gentleman that hazarded his
life and fortune in espousing the Earl of Richmond’s case and title to
the Crown in opposition to King Richard III. He then lived at Cotehele
aforesaid in Calstock parish; and being discovered to be one of that
faction or party, he was forced to abscond and retire into the thick
woods that then were and still are about Cotehele; nevertheless, King
Richard, having notice of his absconding, ordered his officers to make
diligent search for him, and in all probability had taken him, had he
not rescued himself from their pursuit by an unparalleled accident, as
Mr. Carew in his Survey of Cornwall, p. 114, (page 270, Lord
Dunstanville’s edition), informs us, viz. “at such tymes as those
searchers were in his woods, and himself hid in a secret hole of the
sea cliffe, the tide being full up, he put a small stone into his
wearinge cap and threw it into the sea, which swimming in the water
the winds and waves tossed it to and fro that it soone came to those
seekers’ sight and observation.”
Whereupon they concluded he had leapt into the sea and drowned himself
for fear of their discovery and being taken by them, and so left over
further quest after him, which gave him opportunity soon after in a
small ship to waft over the British Channel to Britany to the Earl of
Richmond, with whom afterwards he returned again into England, and was
engaged with him in the battle of Bosworth Field in Leicestershire,
where King Richard’s army was overthrown and himself slain upon the
spot. When soon after the said Mr. Edgcumbe was by King Henry VII.
knighted and made one of his Privy Council; and as a further reward of
his good services, rewarded with the whole estate and lands of
inheritance of Sir Henry Trenoweth, of Bodrigan, Knight, of a very
great value, then forfeited by attainder of treason on the part of
King Richard III. against King Henry VII.; as also with the Castle and
Lordship of Totnes in Devon, with much other lands of John Lord Zouch,
then also for the same fact forfeited by attainder of treason against
King Henry VII.
This Sir Richard Edgcumbe, Knight, married Tremayne, and had issue
Peers, afterwards knighted, that married Durneford’s heir aforesaid,
and had issue Richard, afterwards knighted, that married Tregian, of
Walveden, who had issue Peter, that married Margaret, daughter of Sir
Andrew Luttrell, Knight, in the latter end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign,
who gave for his arms, Gules, on a bend Ermine between two cottices
Or, three boar’s heads couped. Sir Richard Edgcumbe, Knight, Privy
Councillor to King Henry VII. as Mr. Carew saith, in the place where
he hid himself in Cotehele woods aforesaid, built a chapel to the
honour of Almighty God, in testimony of his thankful remembrance of
God’s preserving him from the hands of his enemies then at his heels.
Him or his father I take also to be that Edgecumbe which founded at
West Conworthy, on the west side of the river Dart, between the towns
of Totnes and Dartmouth in Devon, a priory of Benedictine monks, whose
revenues out of Zouch’s lands was valued 26 Henry VIII. when
dissolved, 63_l._ 2_s._ 10_d._ as the Monasticon Anglicanum informs
us.
At which time it was purchased of the Crown by William Harris, Esq.
father of Sir Thomas Harris, of Hayne, Knight and Sergeant-at-law,
tempore Elizabeth, who made it the place of his residence; but in the
third descent it came to be divided between the daughters and heirs of
Sir Edward Harris, Knight, the house being now comparatively
demolished. Now as from the premises it appears those gentlemen’s
estates were greatly augmented by the bounty of King Henry VII. so
after a grateful manner they have converted great sums of money
towards the service of their prince and country; and to this purpose I
find it recorded, that as
Sir Richard Edgcumbe the first was Sheriff of Devon 2d Henry VII. so
his son Sir Peers or Peter Edgcumbe aforesaid, was Sheriff of Devon
10th Henry VII. also the 13th; also the 9th of Henry VIII. also the
20th; also Sir Richard Edgcumbe that married Tregian, and built the
present house here called Mount Edgcumbe, 36th Henry VIII. also the
1st of Queen Mary; also Peter Edgcumbe his son 9th Elizabeth.
And of Cornwall Sir Peter Edgcumbe 14th and 15th of Henry VII. also
21st; also 8th of Henry VIII. also 26th. Sir Richard Edgcumbe 2d and
3d of Queen Mary, also Peter Edgcumbe 11th of Elizabeth, Richard
Edgcumbe 8th James I. in all or total sixteen times Sheriff of
Cornwall and Devon, from the year 1487 to the year 1640, which is but
150 years; the like instance of Sheriffs not to be given of any other
family in England except the Arundels, of Lanhearne, Trerice, and
Tolverne, who have been twenty times.
Richard Edgcumbe, Esq. Sheriff of Cornwall 8th of King James I. had
issue Richard Edgcumbe, Esq. created one of the Knights of the Bath,
at the Coronation of King Charles II. He married the Lady Anne
Montagu, daughter of the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Sandwich, and
had issue Richard Edgcumbe, Esq.
Finally, Mr. Carew, in his Survey of Cornwall, hath written so large a
history of this family, the magnificence of the house, and sweetness
of the dwelling, that I refer the reader thereto as not being able to
make further addition.
Half of Millbrook in this parish and of Mount Edgcumbe lands, are part
of the county of Devon, though severed from it by the Tamerworth sea
or harbour ever since King Athelstan, anno Dom. 930, separated Devon
from Cornwall, and made them several jurisdictions, which before were
but one county or regniculum; and the reason in all probability why
several parcels of land, not only here in this place, but in divers
others on the east and west side of the Tamer river, the Devonshire
side lands are annexed to Cornwall, and the Cornwall side lands to
Devon, was in all probability by reason the owners of those lands were
possessed of lands both in Devonshire and Cornwall; and it could not
in any sense consist with justice that the Cornish men should lose
their lands in Devon, or the Devonshire men lose their lands in
Cornwall, because those counties were divided by the river Tamar, and
both people under the dominion of one king.
This town of Milbrook, as I am informed, amongst others was once
privileged with the jurisdiction of sending of two Members to sit in
the Lower House of Parliament, but was divested of that privilege
_propter paupertatem, tempore_ Henry VIII. for that the town was not
able to pay their Burgesses’ salary of 4_s._ per diem whilst they sat
in Parliament; however, Mr. Carew in his Survey of Cornwall, p. 101,
tells us, that within his memory this town had near forty ships and
barks at one time pertaining to the inhabitants thereof, that followed
trade, merchandize, and fishing; but upon the breaking out of Queen
Elizabeth’s wars with Spain, the townsmen neglected their usual honest
employments and took up a more compendious though not so honest way of
gaining, and began by little and little to reduce those plain dealers
to their former undeserved plight, &c. _id est_, by piracy and
privateering at sea.
In this parish standeth Cremble Passage, the common place of
transferring passengers by boat or barge over the rapid and dangerous
waves of the Tamerworth Harbour or Sea Haven from the Cornish shore to
the Plymouth or Devonshire side or lands, wherein many persons
heretofore by the violence of the seas and wind in their passage have
lost their lives.