William de Widworthy
Sir William de Widworthy (fl. 1240–1272) was a knight during the reign of Edward I of England, based in Widworthy in the Colyton Hundred, Devon. He was the earliest lord of the manor recorded by the Devon historian Sir William Pole (died 1635).Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, pp.144–5
Activity
In 1240, William was one of a dozen knights bound by oath to the Sheriff of Devon who set out to settle a land boundary dispute between Richard of Cornwall and four local knights. The party journeyed from Okehampton Castle across Dartmoor, including Cawsand Beacon, Hound Tor and all the way to Dartmeet.{{cite book|title=History of St. Mary's Abbey of Buckfast : in the county of Devon : A.D. 760-1906|last=Hamilton|first=Adam|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofstmarys00hami/page/112/mode/2up?q=%22william+de+widworthy%22|pages=111-113|publisher=Buckfast Abbey}}
In 1246, de Widworthy was witness to a deed for a transfer of land relating to Buckfast Abbey.{{cite book|title=The history of the family of Yea|last=Monday|first=Alfred James|year=1885|url=https://archive.org/details/historyfamilyye00mondgoog/page/n18/mode/2up?q=%22william+de+widworthy%22|pages=2-3|publisher=Oxford University Press}}
Holdings
de Widworthy's holdings included the 1272 acquisition of the village of Lustleigh, which stayed in the de Widworthy family until 1413.{{Cite book |last=Worthy |first=Charles |url=https://archive.org/details/devonshireparish02wort/page/194/mode/2up |title=Devonshire parishes; or, The antiquities, heraldry and family history of twenty-four parishes in the archdeaconry of Totnes |publisher=William Pollard & Co |year=1887 |location=Exeter |pages=183–194}}
He was also noted as the holder of Culm Davy in the 13th century Book of Fees.{{cite book|last=Pole|first=Sir William|title=Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon|year=1791|page=202}}
Issue and descent
William's heir was Hugh de Whitworthy, and his daughter and heir was Alice.{{cite book|title=A view of Devonshire in MDCXXX, with a pedigree of most of its gentry|url=https://archive.org/details/aviewdevonshire00westgoog/page/246/mode/2up?q=%22william+de+widworthy%22|pages=246-247|last=Wastcote|first=Thomas|year=1845|publisher=W Roberts}}
The family married with Sir William Prouz of Gidleigh Castle.{{cite book|title=The chorographical description, or, survey of the county of Devon, with the city and county of Exeter.|first=Tristram|last=Risdon|year=1714|url=https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_the-chorographical-descr_risdon-tristram_1714/page/64/mode/2up?q=widworthy}}
References
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