Page:Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries.djvu/43

This page needs to be proofread.

24 Devon Notes and Queries, 19. Monument in St. Michael's Church, Honiton. — I shall feel much obliged if any of your readers will give me some information respecting a monument in St* Michael's Church, Honiton, which was erected to the memory of Capt. George Blagdon Westcott, ** by a grate- ful sister *' ; such as, the name of this lady, whom she married, and if Capt. Westcott had other sisters or aunts and whom they married, or anything concerning^ the history of his family. Helen Saunders. 20. Tracy and Brewer. — Can any one inform me if these families are connected, and if so, how t Did one of the Brewers marry a co-heiress of Tracy ? My reason for asking is that both families seem connected in the foundation of Polsloe Priory and Tor Abbey. Polsloe Priory was founded in the reign of Henry II., Henry being himself a benefactor to it, and Dr. Tanner states that Sir William Tracy, one of the assassins of Thomas a Becket, who died in II 74, was the principal benefactor. Dr. Oliver questions this statement (Mon. p. 163), but King John's Charter, printed by Dr. Brushfield in Transactions of Devon Association, XXII. ,. 314, proves that Dr. Tanner was right. Sir William Tracy gave to the Convent Wipledeton {i.e.y Whipton in Heavitree), and Henry de Pomeroy gave the adjoining land. These gifts, with the small estate of Polesleuia, form the great manor of Polsloe, worth ^53 at the dissolution, the chief estate of the Priory. It looks as though Sir William Tracy were the founder. But about 1200 William Brewer was the patron. How came this about, unless Brewer took by heirship from Tracy ? A stronger reason is to be found in King John's Charter confirming the various grants of land to Tor Abbey (Oliver, Mon. p. 173). I refer to the words : ** and by the gift of the aforenamed William Brewer and William de Traci and Drogo de Mungirun the township of Northschillyngforde with appurtenances." Of course this William de Traci joining in a grant of land in 1196 cannot be the same person as Sir William Tracy who died in 1174; but both Whipton and North Shillingford were held in Domesday by the same tenant, William Capra, brother of Ralph de Pomeroy. Both were held by Sir William Tracy in 11 70, when he gave one