Manor of Iron Acton

The historic manor of Iron Acton was a manor centred on the village of Iron Acton in Gloucestershire, England, situated about 9 miles (14 km) north-east of the centre of the City of Bristol. The manor house, known as Acton Court is a Tudor (16th century) building which survives today, situated at some distance from the village and parish church of St Michael. It was long the principal seat of the prominent Poyntz family, lords of the manor, whose manorial chapel is contained within the parish church.

The de Acton family long held the manor of Iron Acton, from which they took their surname. Their arms were: Quarterly per fess indented argent and azure. The arms of Reynold de Acton in the Collins Roll of Arms are blazoned as Quarterly per fess indented azure and ermine. The later descent of this family as recorded in the heraldic visitation of Gloucestershire is as follows:

John Poyntz (d. 24 Feb 1376), a younger son of Nicholas Poyntz (died 1311), feudal baron of Curry Mallet in Somerset, by his second wife Matilda (or Maud) de Acton, aunt and heiress in her issue of John de Acton (died 1362) of Iron Acton. he married twice:

Robert Poyntz (1349–1439), son by his father's first marriage. He was MP for Gloucestershire in 1415 and 1417 and Sheriff of Gloucestershire 1396-7. He was steward between 1405–1416 of the estates of Anne of Gloucester (died 1438), dowager Countess of Stafford in Glos., Hants., and Wilts. and by 1439 was steward of the manor of her son Humphrey Stafford, 6th Earl of Stafford(died 1460) at Thornbury Castle. Robert's surviving ledger stone in Iron Acton Church depicts a knight, almost life-size, wearing a helmet with the body in plate armour with a skirt of traces. He wears a gorget with slight traces of chain-mail, round shoulder pieces, brasserts on the arms, gauntlets with pointed cuffs, legs in plate. His feet rest on a dog. The slab is much worn and was broken in two places in the 19th century. The ledger line contains the following inscription: Here lyeth Roberd poyntz Lord of Iren Acton and thys stepyl maked who deyde the fiftene day of Junne the year of oure Lord MCCCCXX...(last XIX worn away) of whos sowle God have mercy Amen. He built the steeple of Iron Acton Church, although the church lacks a steeple today, and none is shown in a 19th-century engraving of the church. The church tower itself appears to date from before the time of Robert, so surely cannot have been "the stepyl" referred to. It is however widely accepted that Robert erected the stone preaching cross in the church yard, which displays escutcheons bearing the arms of Acton and FitzNichol, the latter being the family of his second wife. The second slab is incised with the following words within a ledger line: Here lyeth Anne the firste wife of Roberd Poyntz of whos sowle God have mercy Amen. In the centre is shown a life-sized lady wearing a dress with tight-fitting body, low in the neck, laced from hands to waist with tight sleeves, full skirt and reticulated head-dress. The third slab retains only part of a female figure with a ledger line containing the words: ...erine the second wyfe of Robert Poyntz. The slab was re-incised with a Latin inscription to commemorate Elizabeth Poyntz(died 1631), wife of a much later Robert Poyntz.

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