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Summary

Bagtor House; a small Domesday manor developed into a mansion. Large house. 16th century, remodelled in the very early 18th century; minor 19th century additions at rear. Stone rubble with slated roofs. John Ford, dramatist, born here in 1586.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II*) 1240450: BAGTOR HOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• National Monuments Record: SX77NE18
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 445025
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX77NE/28

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANOR HOUSE (Constructed, Medieval - 1066 AD (Between) to 1539 AD (Between))
• FARMHOUSE (Built, XV to XVI - 1500 AD (Between) to 1599 AD (Between))

Full description

Reichel, O. J., 1912, Early Descents of the Manors in the Wonford Hundred, 319 (Article in Serial). SDV38843.

Reichel, O. J., 1912, The Domesday Hundred of Wenford or Wonford, 278,281,284,288,300,310 (Article in Serial). SDV38842.

A medieval farmstead and site of the domesday Manor of Bagathora. Early descents of ownership given.

Gover, J. E. B. + Mawer, A. + Stenton, F. M., 1932, The Place-Names of Devon: Part Two, 475 (Monograph). SDV337894.

Documented in 1086, and frequently from 1220 to 1333.

Seymour, D. J., 1955 - 1958, The Smaller Manor Houses of Medieval Devon, 9 (Article in Serial). SDV6523.

Seymour refers to a Georgian front to a mediaeval house.

Hoskins, W. G., 1959, Devon and its People, 415 (Monograph). SDV337613.

Bagtor, a small Domesday manor, developed into a "mansion" and became the seat of John Ford in Henry VIII's time. John Ford, dramatist, born here in 1586. House appears late 17th/early 18th century, but beside it a 16th century moorland farmhouse may be that in which he was born.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1960, SX77NE18 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV283253.

(31/03/1960 & 13/05/1960) Bagtor House is at SX 7656 7517 and Bagtor Barton at SX 7656 7520. (Names provided by current owner and occupier of Bagtor Barton).
The main part of Bagtor House is Georgian. The outbuildings at the rear appear older but contain no architectural features to indicate a mediaeval origin. There are several pieces of window heads of 15th century type lying in the garden indicating the existence of an older house.
The farmhouse to the north, Bagtor Barton, is of little architectural interest.
See ground photographs A0/60/14/2 and 3.

Alcock, N. W., 1981, Cruck Construction: An Introduction and Catalogue, 110 (Report - non-specific). SDV342504.

Jointed cruck recorded (citing Miss E. Gawne).

Department of Environment, 1986, Ilsington, 41 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV282617.

Bagtor House. Large house, 16th century, remodelled very early 18th century; minor 19th century additions at rear. Stone rubble with slated roofs. Front range roof has deeply coved eaves-cornice and is hipped at each end; small rendered chimneystack in each gable end. Rear wing has large projecting stone stack in left wall.
L-shaped plan, the front range remodelled in 18th century; it has a large entrance hall flanked by two main rooms with the main staircase in a projecting turret behind the hall. Front range has complete sets of raised bolection-moulded panelling in both ground storey rooms, in the second storey room over the entrance hall and in the small dressing room adjoining it on the left. Symmetrical main front 7 windows wide with centre doorway approached by a flight of stone steps. Windows and doorway all appear to have late 19th/early 20th century detail. Two storeys. See List for full details.

Cherry, B. + Pevsner, N., 1989, The Buildings of England: Devon, 507-8 (Monograph). SDV325629.

Bagtor House. C16th, remodelled very early in the C18th. Minor C19th alterations to the rear. Grade II*.

Ordnance Survey, 2013, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV350786.

English Heritage, 2013, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV350785.

ILSINGTON SX 77 NE 3/67 Bagtor House 23.8.55 GV II*
Large house. C16, remodelled very early C18; minor C19 additions at rear. Stone rubble with slated roofs. Front range roof has deeply coved eaves-cornice and is nipped at each end; small rendered chimneystack in each gable-end. Rear wing has large projecting stone stack in left wall. In its rear gable wall is another very large projecting stone stack with thatch weatherings and tapered top; small block attached to its north-west corner also has a projecting stone stack in right-hand gable, the granite cap tapered and moulded.
Plan: L-shaped plan, the front range remodelled in C18; it has a large entrance hall flanked by 2 main rooms with the main staircase in a projecting turret behind the hall. Rear wing at left-hand side is mainly C16 with 3 ground storey rooms, the kitchen occupying the farthest room; original stair turret to left, leading out of kitchen, and C18 back stair adjacent to front range. Attached to the north-west corner of wing is a small C16 block of 1-room plan. Small C19 additions have been made at either side of the main staircase, in the angle of the wing with the room at its north-west corner, and on the left side of the wing.
Exterior: 2 storeys; some of the C19 additions single storeyed. symmetrical main front 7 windows wide with centre doorway approached by a flight of stone steps. Windows and doorway all appear to have late C19 or early C20 details. windows have mullioned-and-transomed wood casements, probably imitating the Old originals, but moulded and with higher transoms. Doorway has panelled double doors with fanlight over; flanking panelled pilasters and entablature in early C19 manner. Rear wing has C19 wood casement windows, with glazing-bars, on both sides, except for right-hand second storey window facing the courtyard; this has a lightly moulded mullion-and-transomed wood casement of the early C18. In the right-hand wall of the courtyard, where an old lean-to formerly stood, are 4 small rectangular recesses, sometimes thought to be bee-boles, but more likely to be poultry roosts. Leading out of the same side of the courtyard is a flight of old, shallow, worn stone steps.
Interior: front range has complete sets of raised bolection-moulded panelling in both ground-storey rooms, in the second-storey room over the entrance-hall and in the small dressing-room adjoining it on the left. The panelling is in 2 heights with moulded dado-rail, except for the main second-storey room which has a third set of small panels on the top. The right-hand ground-storey room, which seerns to have been the most important, has a wooden bolection-moulded chimneypiece with pulvinated frieze and moulded cornice; this was brought back from a room in the rear wing by the present owner. Doorways at either side and in opposing wall have bolection- moulded wood architraves and doors with 6 raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panels. Rear wall has an open-fronted segmental-headed recess with panelled back and shaped shelves. Window shutters have raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panels. Detail in other panelled rooms is similar, but with simple moulded architraves to the doors. No other chimneypieces of this date remain, except for a white marble bolection- moulded one in the left-hand ground-storey room, which was brought from a house in Hereford. The right-hand second-storey room has 2 heights of raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panelling and a dentilled cornice. Tne left-hand second-storey room nas a simple box-cornice without panelling, although it is possible tnat this has been boarded in. Entrance-hall has 3 doorways with eared architraves, 2 of them within a C20 inserted lobby with an imitation C18 doorway of the same type. In rear wall the wide entrance to the main staircase has a tall round-arched opening to left, with moulded architrave and keyblock, and raised-and-fielded ovolo-moulded panelling to right. The floor above (to judge from a small portion examined by raising an upstairs floor board) has moulded beams and joists of mid C16, the joists with run-out stops. Main stair is of wood with an open well, cut strings with shaped step-ends, turned balusters, and a moulded handrail ramped up over square newels. The C18 back stair has flat shaped wood balusters of sinuous profile, square newels with moulded caps, and a moulded handrail. In the rest of the rear wing the 2 farthest ground-storey rooms have chamfered upper-floor beams with step- stops. The kitchen has a wide gable-fireplace with canted sides and chamfered wood lintel with step-stops. At the back, on left side, is an oven with brick domed roof; opening has stone frame with curved head. On right side is a C19 cloam oven with a brick surround. The room nearest the main range has fireplace in side-wall with hollow-moulded granite jambs; later curved lintel of granite. Room over kitchen (reputedly the birthplace of John Ford, the early C17 dramatist) has moulded late C16 or early C17 panelling on all but the rear wall; this was also panelled until mid C20. Gable-fireplace with chamfered wood lintel having convex stops. Stair turret is reputed to have had stone steps until replaced by wood in C20. At stairhead is a wood rail with flat column-shaped balusters and a moulded handrail. Slit window (blocked) in right-hand wall. The 1-room block at north-west corner has a blocked fireplace with heavy granite lintel; a large piece of late C16 or early C17 panelling is lying loose against the wall. The room above has a square-headed late C16 or early C17 fireplace with ovolo-moulded jambs and lintel of granite.
Roof: Roof of main range has trusses with the collar pegged to the face of the principal rafters, probably C18 or early C19; roof of rear wing is C20. The owner and occupier at the beginning of C18 was Thomas Tothill. The gatepiers to the east entrance are separately listed, as are the former home farmhouse (Bagtor Barton) and its outbuildings. All these items make an excellent group with Bagtor House. Sources: information from the owner, Mrs A L Perrin. W G Hoskings, Devon, 1954, p.415.
Listing NGR: SX7655175172

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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