lO Davis's video: Legend of St Blaise Haccombe House Haccombe Newton Abbot Devon

THE PERILOUS WAGER Haccombe House, a nondescript late Georgian mansion of red sandstone, is situated about three miles south-east of Newton Abbot. At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the manor of Haccombe was held by Stephen de Haccombe under the renowned Baldwin de Brioniis, Sheriff of Devon. About the year 1400 the estate came into the possession of the Courtenay family, and shortly after the death of Sir Hugh Courtenay, in 1425, it passed to the ancient family of Carew through the marriage of Sir Hugh's younger daughter and heiress, Joan, to Sir Nicholas Carew who died in 1469. The Carew family have continued to hold the manor of Haccombe right up to the present day. In the extensive grounds surrounding Haccombe House stands the little church of St. Blaise, which was consecrated by Bishop Grandisson of Exeter in the year 1328. Fastened to the door in the south porch of the building are two ancient horse-shoes which are closely connected with a very interesting local tradition. The following brief reference to the tradition has been taken from the book Worthies of Devon,” which was published in 1701 : — “ Here may be seen two of the four shoes of a horse ; which a gentleman of this family swam a prodigious way into the Sea, and back again, upon a Wager of a Manour of land, and won it ; for which the horse was deservedly manumitted from all future Services ever after, and his Shooes fastned to the Church door ; where some of them remain in perpetuam rei memoriam.” It appears that four horseshoes were originally nailed to the door radially, but two of them and part of the third have disappeared. The one remaining intact is six inches in length and four and a half inches in width, and it possesses eight nail holes. An early version of the tradition relates that, at some period during the sixteenth century, a dispute arose between the Carews of Haccombe and the Champernownes of Dartington about the ownership of a certain valuable manor. Each of the two great landowners claimed that the manor was his own property, and after there had been much argument about the matter for a considerable time, both men decided to settle the dispute by the outcome of a very unusual and extremely hazardous wager. It was mutually agreed that each man should mount the best steed in his stable, and then they would ride together to Tor Bay, and the one who was able to swim his horse farthest out to sea would become the owner of the manor in question. In due course the two men set forth together to commence their epic contest, For a long time they breasted the waves side by side, but at length Carew began to. gain the lead, and after a while he drew far ahead of his rival. Suddenly he heard a frantic shout for help, and looking back he beheld Champemowne struggling in the water — his horse having expired under him. Carew at once went to his rival's aid, and having rescued him, turned his horses's head towards the far-distant shore. The return journey was desperately perilous. The gallant horse was greatly exhausted, and it now had to carry a double burden, but in spite of this, with the most remarkable strength and courage, it fought its way through the waves, and at last managed to reach the shore safely. Carew was filled with admiration of the wonderful feat performed by his horse, and he announced that, as a reward for winning him the manor, the brave animal should do no more work for the rest of its life. From then onwards the horse lived in the greatest ease and comfort until it eventually died of old age. Its shoes, which had been removed when the horse was put to grass, were fixed to the door of Haccombe Church in memory of the high courage and endurance of a very valiant steed. It is well-known that the majority of legends and traditions have a background of historical fact, therefore, in spite of the suggestion put forward by some writers that the horseshoes were nailed to the door of Haccombe Church as a protection against the evil power of witchcraft, the foregoing tradition may well contain a considerable amount of truth. By J. R* W. COX HEAD 1959