Dunsland

Dunsland is a historic manor and former house in the parish of Bradford (or Cookbury) near Holsworthy in Devon, England. It was successively a home of the Arscott, Bickford, Coham and Dickinson families and in fact although the ownership records are incomplete, it is very likely that the estate passed in an unbroken line from the time of the Norman Conquest until 1947. The house was destroyed by fire in 1967, just after extensive restoration by the National Trust.

A manor named Donesland in Devon appears in the Domesday Book, and is believed to refer to Dunsland. Before the Norman Conquest it was held by Wulfric, but in 1086 it was held by Cadio from Baldwin the Sheriff.

The 17th-century Devon historian Tristram Risdon stated that "Dunsland now Dunskind", in the parish of Bradford, was held by Richard Cadiho in 1242 or 1243, and remained held by the Cadiho family for eight generations. Risdon further stated that the last in the male line to live here was Robert Cadiho who left his lands to his daughter Thomazin. She was said to be the wife of John Daubernon, described as "warden of the stannary, and of the fees of the duchy of Cornwall" and who was "chosen one of the knights for the shire" in 1356 or 1357.

Risdon states that the manor then passed to the Batten family and then via Philippa, the daughter and heir of Humphrey Batten, to the Arscot family of which, at the time he was writing, the owner was Arthur Arscot.

In his work The Visitations of the County of Devon of 1895, J. L. Vivian set out a pedigree chart for the Arscotts of Dunsland. It starts with a John de Dunsland, passes through the Cade and Dabarnon families to the Battyn family, of which Humphry Battyn (died 15 November 1522) was the last. Vivian states that Humphry Battyn left his lands to his daughter Philippa and her husband John Arscott (died 1 May 1563) who was a lawyer of the Inner Temple, the son and heir of John Arscott (died 1541) of Arscott by his wife Margerie Floyer.

...
Wikipedia