Bernard Luxton was baptised
on October 16, 1705 at Brushford.
Bernard variously described
as a yeoman and butcher married Margery Cockwell
by licence at Exeter St Edmunds on June
29, 1736. The couple had eight children at least
four of whom died young.
In The Exeter Record office
there are at least four property deeds which
relate to Bernard and his family. They
are dated
March 25, 1757,
July 5, 1757,
March 27, 1760
April 5, 1760.
One reeds Bernard Luxton
yeoman paid £140 on March 25, 1757 for
a 99 year lease determinable on three lives
on a messuage called West Rew Brushford then
in the possession of Humphrey Morice of Werringyon
esquire who retained timber rights on the property.
It was agreed that Bernard paid a rental
of £1.15.0 (a quarter year?) and the heriot
of a best beast (or 40 shillings) before his
heir could enter into the estate.
The three lives were for Bernards' surviving
sons, Robert, then 16, John 14, and George aged
12. One of these sons, John died in 1761 aged
about 18 years.
| 01
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| John
Luxton 1736 - John was baptised at
Brushford on Sept 17, 1736
John died aged 2 and was buried at Brushford
on May 4, 1738
|
| 02
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| Joan
Luxton 1737 - Joan was baptised Feb
7, 1737 at Brushford
Joan died age 5 and was buried at Brushford
on Jan 20, 1741
|
| 03
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| Robert
Luxton 1739 - See main menu
|
| 04
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| Frances
Luxton 1741 Frances was baptised
at Brushford on Nov 2, 1741
Frances never married and died at the
age of 41 in July 1782 - she was buried
at Brushford on July 6, 1782
|
| 05
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| John
Luxton 1743 - John was baptised at
Brushford on July 12, 1743
John never married and died at only 18
years of age - John was buried at Brushford
on Aug 27, 1761
|
| 06
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| George
Luxton 1745 -George was baptised at
Brushford on Dec 26, 1745
No more information
I have
seen a site with a Bernard Luxton born
1745 showing Bernard and Mary as parents
and baptised on the same date as George
- is this a twin? - needs checking
|
| 07
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| Thomas
Luxton 1748 - Thomas was baptised
at Brushford on June 13, 1748
No more information
|
| 08
- Child of Bernard Luxton (1705)
and Margery Cockwill |
| Joan
Luxton 1750 - Joan was baptised at
Brushford on July 29, 1750
No more information
|
Brushford Church and Parish
- Taken from a church leafet
St Mary the Virgin is the parish
church of Brushford, Devon. Set high above the
River Taw, isolated at the end of a narrow lane,
this is one of the smallest Devon churches.
It looks out across and agricultural landscape
to Dartmoor, about 15 miles to the south-west.
The land has been occupied
since time immemorial. When the Roman empire
reached its zenith, the Taw formed part of its
weston-most boundary, with a chain of forts
along the bank. The earthworks of one such are
still visible by the river at Brushford. Following
the Norman conquest, the land was held by Baldwin,
Sheriff of Devon, builder of Okehampton Castle.
It passed to Espek family who eventually bequeathed
it in 1150 to Hartland Abbey in north Devon.
Ownership reverted to the Crown
after Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.
The land passed through the hands of various
favoured courtiers before substantial parts
was purchased by Bernard Luxton, a yeoman
farmer from the nearby parish of Winkleigh.
The transaction is recorded in the patents rolls
of Elizabeth I for 1566. The Luxtons
prospered: in 1591, they bought the advowson
of Brushford church; over the centuries, they
acquired more lands; they enlarged the manor
house - Brushford Barton - which lies immediately
to the south of the church, and remained in
residence there until 1922. The name recurs
frequently inside the church on plaques and
stained glass windows and many of the graves
outside.
The local economy has always
been agriculture with only a brief interlude
from 1498 when a licence was issued to the Earl
of Devon and associates to work a mine. This
was primarily for lead but also produced precious
metals, mainly silver, for the Royal Mint. Remnants
of old earth workings are still visible. The
decline in agriculture in the 19th century caused
many residents of Brushford to leave the land
and emigrate to North America, Australia and
elsewhere. From a low of about 50 in the early
20th century, the parish population is now around
120.
Brushford church has been altered
many times over the years. The origins of the
current building are Norman. As so often happens,
there may well have been an earlier Saxon foundation
but no traces of such are evident. The walls
of nave and chancel are Norman; the north chancel
window and undecorated south doorway are also
late Norman, from about the time when Hartland
Abbey acquired the property. There were major
redevelopments in the Tudor period, presumably
financed in part by the Luxtons. The
tower with a typical 16th century window was
added or rebuilt. Originally, it was surmounted
by a spire but this burnt down in 1693 probably
struck by lighting - and it was replaced with
the present slate-hung cap. The nave has a barrel
vaulted ceiling with decorated Tudor bosses.
The unusual screen, which has
been dated 1520, was installed between nave
and chancel. Thought to be the work of immigrated
Breton craftsman, it comprises ogee curves with
delicate tracery like Breton dentelle lace and
has linenfold panelling below. A few similar
screens exist in France, notably at Morlaix,
but this type of workmanship is unknown elsewhere
in Britain apart from the two other local churches:
Colebrooke and Coldridge. The screen was damaged,
probably at the time of the Reformation when
many such church artefacts in Britain with Catholic
associations were vandalised. No doubt Brushford
church with its dedication to the Virgin Mary
would have been and obvious target for extremists.
Parts of the tracery have been smashed and three
statuettes have been removed from plinths on
the central archway. We are fortunate that so
much has survived.
The pulpit was installed in
the 17th century and the further extensive renovations
took place in the 19th century, for example,
much of the stained glass, the tiled floor and
the pews. It was also during this period, probably
when John Luxton was the incumbent of
Brushford and Bondleigh parishes, that the Norman
font was replaced and moved to Bondleigh church,
where it can still be seen.
Originally there were three
bells in the church tower. They were made in
the late 14th Century by William Dawe of Exeter
who was also known as William the Founder of
London. The two largest bells - the Treble and
the Tenor - eventually cracked. They were brought
down to the floor of the Church and then moved
to their present position in the nave in 1996.
The remaining bell remains in the tower and
is still rung for services.
The Church has two small but
exquisite pieces of sliver: a paten of 1470
and a chalice of 1571 made by John Jones of
Exeter. There is a photograph of them in the
nave. These are used regularly for services,
which are usually held on the first Sunday of
each month.
|
