Named in the wills of his father and brother william. Admon. with will attached granted 21 Feb. 1784 to his son Charles George Cutcliffe, Prin. Reg. Exeter. 1753 John Cutcliffe by mariage settlement settled lands in Witheridge and Delbridge (Thelbridge) in strict settlement.
date and place of Christening, marriage and name of wife.
"The Rev. John Cutcliffe, born in 1716, was educated at Tiverton Grammer School, and subsequently at Exeter College, Oxford, where he commenced his career in Feb. 1734-5. He was devisee under his father's will of the Manor of Witheridge and his estate in that parish and the parish of Dellridge. Rector of Ashreignay, co. Devon, and married Mary Gould, by whom at his death, (17th January, 1784), he left one son and a daughter."
Also the following document written by John Usmar, titled, "Coombe. Witheridge, & the Cutcliffe Family": The Rev J.A.C Castlehow identified Coombe in the Exeter Domesday of 1086 as follows: "The Bishop of Countances has a manor called Coma, which Brongar held on the day on which King Edward was alive and dead and it rendered geld for one virgate. This can be ploughed with on Plough. And Drogo holds this of the Bishop. On it he has one plough and he has there one serf and 10 head of cattle and 8 swine and 30 sheep and 2 acres of coppice and 3 acres of meadow and it is worth yearly 5 shillings and when the Bishop recieved it it was worth 3 shillings. Also, the Rev Castlehow noted William Mouncil at "Comb Mouncell" in 1243, William de Monteaux at "Combe Monteaux" in 1276, the le Marchant family there in 1302, 1303, 1316, and a connection between the Martin and Marchant families with Combe Monceaux in 1326. There is a Deed of Release of 1367-8 from Richard de Brankescombe to Robert Cutteclyve o lands including "Votheliswyke", identified as today's Buddleswick in the neighbouring parish of Thelbridge. In 1479 nearby lands were "feoffed" by "Richard Cutteclyf of Northcote, gent., to Richard Cutteclyff of Trentham in the County of Stafford, gent.. A deed of "Feoffment to Uses" dated 24th February 1498 from "Richard Cuttlyff the elder" to Richard Chichester, Thomas Cutclyff of Wytherygge". This is the earliest connection I have found between the Cutcliffes and Witheridge. By 1505 the family are believed to have come into possission of lands including Damage Barton, Morthoe, N. Devon, where they remained until 1922. Included in these lands was property in the parishes of Witheridge and Thelbridge: these may have been their's before their arrival at Damage. In 1637 the Inquisition Post Mortem on Charles Cutcliff included Combe, described as "3 messuages, gardens, orchards, 60 acres of land, 10 of meadow, 60 of pasture, 4 fo wood and 40 o down etc called Come Monceaux" It also included the farms called Heiffers and Myncham Bradford; the latter may be today's Menchine. The Cutcliffe possissions remained as one unit until 1745 when, under the will of Charles Cutcliffe, the main body of land was left to his eldest son Charles, but the Witheridge and Thelbridge property, including Combe, passed to his Second surviving son John, Rector of Ashreigney. The closer connection between the family and Witheridge may be said to have begun at this point, although it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that we can be sure of Curcliffes living at Coombe. As to Thelbridge (or Delbridge as some old documents and maps show it) the Land tax returns show no Cutcliffe ownership of Buddleswick in 1780 or afterwards. They do however show "Rev Mr. Cutcliffe" as part owner of Chapmer (today's Chapner). By 1797 the farm had been sold to Jocob Cobley. In the Tithe Apportionment for Thelbridge in 1840 there is not land in Cutcliffe ownership. Nor in 1840 is there confirmation of Menchine ownership. The Rev John's son, Charles George married a South Molton girl, Hannah Elworthy. There is a deed of marriage settlement dated 10th September 1785 by which Charles' father guarantees L500 and the farm "Heiffers" to Hannah in the event of Charles' death. The Land Tax assessment for 1780 shows "Heiffers" ("Heavers" in the document) as being then owned by the Rev John Cutcliffe and rated a L3, 12s per annum, whereas Coombe, also owned by the Rev John, was rated at L5, 8s, (for comparison Dart Raffe was also rated at L5, 8s). Both the sons of Charles and Hannah were bapitsed in South Molton church, Charles John on 23rd July 1786 and John Elworthy on 17th June 1789. With this generation we can place Cutcliffes actually at Coombe. Charles John married a Witheridge girl, Mary Besley, on 11th May 1811 in Witheridge church, where thier two sons wre bapitsed, John Elworthy on 17th July 1816, and George on 17th May 1825. Their father was a Witheridge churchwarden form 1817 to 1830 and again in 1833. The Listed Building description of Coombe House dates it as "early 19th century", so it may well have been built by Charles John about the time of his marriage in 1811. It was built on the site of an older farmhouse; in the 1970's an old bread oven was descovered, which may have been part of that older house. In the Tithe Apportionment of 1840 Combe is shown as belonging to Charles John Cutcliffe, and to comprise 168 acres. Also recorded is Newhouse, of 275 acres (it then included what latter became Broadridge), in the joint ownership of Charles John Cutcliffe and Francis William Cutcliffe. By the time of the 1841 census the family no longer lived at Coombe. In 1851 Charles John is recorded as being a land agent and surveyor, living in Back Lane, South Molton, as a widower with his daughter Mary Ann. Near him, in Broad Street, lived his brother John Elworthy, surgeon, with his wife and two children. Not until 1882 would there be Cutcliffes back at Coombe. In the intervening years the house is occupied either by a tenant or a bailiff. In Trewman's Exeter Flying Post of May 29th 1861 is the following advertisement: "To be let by Tender for the term of 14 years from Lady Day 1862 determinable by either party at teh end of the first 10 years on biving 12 months notice". "A desirable messuage and farm called Coombe and Cannington situate in Witheridge aforesaid and now in the several occumpations of Messrs White and Mogford, consisting of a good dwelling house with convenient outbuildings, 4 labourers' cottages and gardens and about 169 acres of arable, meadow, orchard and pastureland. The taker will have to discharge the Land Tax, Tithe Rent Charges, all other outgoings, and to keep the the premisses in repair (except the walls and timber work of the roofs) on being found rough timber. The estate is desirably situated both for markets and manure. It adjoins good roads and is capable of much improvement. Mr. Joseph Dinner, of Witheridge, will show the lands any Monday or Thursday, and full particulars may be obtained of either J.E Cutcliffe Esq, surgeon, Silverton, or Charles John Cutcliffe Esq of South Molton." The 1891 census for Witheridge shows George Cutcliffe and his wife Mary at Coombe with the younger members of their family - Grace (b 1860), Edith (b 1864), Gertrude (b 1865) and Montagu (b 1869). George had been Actuary and Secretary to the Clerical and Medical and Genersal Assurance Company in London for 24 years. In June 1882 he retired and was presented with an engraved salver "In token of the salver is the Cutcliffe crest of three pruning knives. George decided to spend his retirement at Coombe, and may have been responsible for the late 19th centruy chimney pieces in the house, and for the very fine range of farm buildings behind the house, refered to in the Listed Building description as "late 19th century". George Cutcliffe took an active part in local affairs. This aspect of his life is covered in a separate paper, based on reports in the South Molton Gazette. He died after a long illness in 1900. His widow and two daughters continued to live at Coombe until Mary died in 1917. The estate was sold in 1919. Coombe was bought by Mr. Counter, who two or three years later sold it to Mr. William Cox. The family however did not lose touch with Witheridge, and in the1930s Ernest Cutcliffe, son of George Cutcliffe's brother John, and his family paid visits, staying either in Cypress House, West Street, or with James and Ethel Woollacott at West Yeo. In 1940 Ernest bought Coombe and the family were back after a break of 21 years. Ernest's son Michael and his wife Sue and their daughters lived there for a number of years beforethe property was finally sold in the early 1980s. The connectio of the Cutcliffes with Witheridge goes back certainly to 1497, and with Coombe to 1637. These few notes are an attempt to record so lond an association.