Nicholas Eveleigh (died 1618)

Nicholas Eveleigh (1562–1618) of Parke in the parish of Bovey Tracey in Devon, was an utter barrister, and served as Steward of the Stannary Court of Ashburton, Devon. He died aged 56 when the roof of Chagford Stannary Courthouse collapsed, killing him and nine others. His "sumptuous" monument survives in Bovey Tracey Church.

He was the 5th son of John Eveleigh of Holcombe in the parish of Ottery St Mary, a Justice of the Peace for Devon from 1564, and a feodary (an officer of the Court of Wards) for Devon, in which capacity he served on several commissions and patents regarding wardships and inquisitions post mortem, on many of which he was joined by William Peryam. According to Pole, John Eveleigh acquired the manor of Holcombe having forclosed on a loan by mortgage made by him to the previous owner, a member of the Moore family, which became forfeited to him. He made Holcombe his seat, and was succeeded there by his eldest son and heir George Eveleigh. According to Zmarzly (2007) "(John) Eveleigh is an example of a man who, once he was named a JP, became part of the landed gentry and thereby a man of quality".

Nicholas's mother, his father's second wife, was Joane Southcott, a daughter of John Southcott (died 1556) of Indio in the parish of Bovey Tracey, Devon, a Clerk of the Peace for Devon, who rebuilt the house at Indio - in the words of the Devon historian Pole (died 1635): "Bwilded a fayre howse & dwelled theire". Southcott was steward of Thomas Cromwell by which relationship he obtained several monastic holdings in Devonshire on favourable terms.

Nicholas's eldest brother George Eveleigh of Holcombe was a Roman Catholic, as is witnessed by a warrant issued at the Quarter Sessions of Easter 1605, to search the houses of "George Eveleigh and Thomas Babington, of Ottery St. Mary, upon credible information of great resort made to them in the night season and other unlawful times of Recusants, Papists, and other persons ill-affected to his Majesty". These persons "that repaired thither were suspected of being Semynaries, Jesuites, or massing Priests, and to bringe with them Popishe bookes, vestments, and other unlawful reliques".

Nicholas was the brother-in-law of Edwin Sandys (died 1629), of Northbourne, Kent, married firstly to his sister Margaret Eveleigh (he married secondly Anne Southcote, a daughter of Thomas Southcote of Bovey Tracey). Sandys was many times a Member of Parliament for various constituencieds including Plympton Erle and was the second son of Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York and at the University of Oxford Sandys' tutor was Richard Hooker, author of the Ecclesiastical Polity, whose lifelong friend and executor Sandys became. Sandys attended the Middle Temple at the same time as Nicholas Eveleigh. Sandys was admitted to new chambers on 26 November 1591 and on 1 December 1595 relinquished his place in the latter on 18 May 1596 to Nicholas Eveleigh, who had been admitted to the Temple on 11 November 1590; The following record survives:

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