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Summary

The probable site of the 13th century manor house of Tor Briwer is deduced from documentary records to have been located east of the church at Torre, at the corner of Belgrave Road and Church Street. Ruinous remains have been mentioned but there is no current evidence of these.

Location

Protected Status: none recorded

Other References/Statuses

• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX96SW/20
• Torbay HER: MTO19343

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• MANOR HOUSE (XIII - 1201 AD to 1300 AD (Between))

Full description

HAMBLIN, 1956, Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316739.

The exact site of the manor house of tor briwer is a matter for conjecture. William briwer was born there. The grant of a spring to torre abbey specifies, 'all the water which comes from the spring of st petrox near the kitchen in the courthouse of thorre'. Water flowed through the donor's garden to which the monks were to have access to repair the watercourse. In 1252 reginald de mohun received permission to erect a chapel in his manor of torre. The manor house must have stood outside the boundary of the abbey estate which passed from the junction of the present avenue road with the old mill road to the elfrides well, southeast of torre parish church.(watkin). A few traces of these buildings and parts of the walls are extant on the east side of tor churchyard, but there is no confirmation of this. A very early norman aula stood to the south east of torre abbey sacristy, abandoned when the canons took possession of the site in 1196.

Untitled Source (Migrated Record). SDV316742.

Blewett, o. /short description of torre abbey/(1832)45.

1400-1499, Torre Cartulary, 356, 366 (Record Office Collection). SDV316743.

Blewitt, O., 1830, The Panorama of Torquay, 216 (Monograph). SDV362566.

Lord William Brewer, the founder of Torre Abbey, is supposed to have been born at Tor.

Watkin, H. R., 1918, A Great Devonian, William Briwer. Presidential Address, 72-73 (Article in Serial). SDV136126.

William Briwer the younger granted a spring (MDV9753, formerly SX96SW/16) to Torre Abbey (MDV9672, formerly SX96SW/1) which alluded to the site of the manor when he specifiied 'all the water which comes from the spring of St Petrox near the kitchen in the courthouse of Torre' (Cartulary p.p. 356, 366). The stream flowed through the manor garden to which the monks were to have access to repair the watercourse. In 1252 Reginald de Mohun received permission to erect a chapel in the manor. The manor house site stood outside the boundary of the abbey domain which passed to the southeast of Torre parish church.

Watkin, H.R., 1922-26, The Manor of Tormohun, 134-148 (Article in Serial). SDV362720.

The site of the medieval manor or court house of Torre is identified as being on the south side of Church Street at its junction with Belgrave Road.

Watkin, H.R., 1922-26, Tormohun and other Placenames, 4 (Article in Serial). SDV361993.

Ellis, A.C., 1930, Historical Survey of Torquay, 36-38 (Monograph). SDV362462.

Summary and discussion of the evidence.

Hamblin, E. & Hamblin, E., 1955-58, Tor Hill and other Torquay Place-Names, 105 (Article in Serial). SDV362189.

Held by William of Usher at Domesday.

Russell, P., 1960, History of Torquay and the Famous Anchorage of Torbay, 7-10 (Monograph). SDV362605.

The grant by the younger De Brewer to the Canons of Torre Abbey dates to about 1230. The court house fell into disuse between 1257 and 1370, and Russell agrees with Blewitt that it stood to the east of the church.

Hamblin, E. & Hamblin E., 1971-2, Torquay Manor House and its Owners, 67-69 (Article in Serial). SDV361992.

Summary and discussion of the evidence.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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