John Davie

Arms of John Davie (died 1710) of Orleigh Court: A ship with two masts or the sails trussed up and twisted to the masts argent adorned with flags charged with the cross of England on a chief of the second three cinquefoils pierced gules; crest: A mount vert thereon a lamb passant argent in the mouth a sprig of cinquefoil gules slipped vert. Above the Davie mural monument in Buckland Brewer Church, North Devon Colonial House (now the Royal Hotel), East-the-Water, Bideford, built by John Davie, in which original decorative plaster ceilings survive, of significant architectural and historic importance. In front is moored the ship Kathleen and May The arms of Davie appear as one of about 10 sculpted in stone on the frieze of the Mercantile Exchange (now called Queen Anne's Walk) in Barnstaple built in 1708 on the quayside. John Davie may therefore have been a contributor to the building costs, and was possibly a user of the Exchange. The arms of Incledon and Clevland also appear, two of his sons-in-law John Davie (1640–1710) of Orleigh Court in the parish of Buckland Brewer, Devon, England, was a prominent tobacco merchant from Bideford, Devon. His Bideford town house which he built in 1688, was Colonial House, now the Royal Hotel, in which survive several 17th-century decorative plasterwork ceilings, said by Pevsner & Cherry (2004) to be amongst the best in Devon, and a grand staircase.

Origins John Davie was the son of John Davie by his wife Marie Sutton who were married in 1638. The Devon topographer Rev. John Swete wrote in 1797 of the family's origin: "The family of Davie is supposed to have assumed its appellation from de Via, or de Way, their antient seat in or near the parish of Harwood (possibly Horwood, 3 miles east) three miles south east of Biddeford. The place also where this name long flourished was Uppecott in the parish of Beauford near Great Torrington which hereditarily descended unto it from Gilbert (surnamed thereof) who owned it in Edward II's reign. Of this stock is Sir J. Davie of Creedy".

Career He was active in the tobacco trade, of which Bideford was one of the main centres in England. In 1682 he was an alderman and took statements in the Bideford witch trial. In 1684 he bought Orleigh Court in the parish of Buckland Brewer, near Bideford.

Marriage and progeny He married Mary Luscombe (died 1709) by whom he had the following progeny: Joseph Davie (died November 1723), who inherited Orleigh Court. His grandson was John III Davie (died 1793) who in 1763 married Eleanora Basset, sister and heiress of Col. Francis Basset (died 1802) of Heanton Court, lord of the manors of Heanton Punchardon and Umberleigh, the last male member of the senior line of the Basset family, one of the leading ancient gentry families of North Devon. John III's son was Joseph Davie Basset (1764–1846), who in accordance with the requirements of his maternal inheritance adopted the surname Basset. He sold Orleigh in 1807 and in 1825 built Watermouth Castle in the parish of Berrynarbor, Devon, as his new residence. Henrietta Maria Davie, who on 6 May 1700 married Walter Moyle, MP. Anne Davie, who in 1704 married Commander William Clevland (1664–1734), Royal Navy, of Tapeley in the parish of Westleigh, near Bideford, and was the mother of John Clevland, Secretary to the Admiralty and William Clevland who became King of the Banana Islands. Mary Davie (1680–1710), who in 1698 at Bideford married Henry Incledon (1671–1736) of Buckland House in the parish of Braunton, Devon. Her elaborate mural monument, displaying the arms of Davie, survives in Braunton Church.

Mural monument

A mural monument to John Davie (died 1710) and his wife Mary survives, affixed high on the west wall of the North Aisle Chapel ("Orleigh Chapel"), in Buckland Brewer Church, Devon. On a large central white marble roundel is inscribed the following Latin text, now partly worn-away, transcribed by W.H. Rogers:

Which may be translated into English literally as follows:

On a tablet underneath is inscribed: