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In the first half of the 19th century the estate was owned by two members of the Cowd family – Henry Cowd and then his nephew Gilbert.  Their family history is difficult to interpret as the same Christian names were often used for the children of different branches of the family but Gilbert was definitely, judging by his age in the 1841 & 1851 censuses, born in East Budleigh in 1782. 

The register records the baptism as, Gilbert son of Gilbert & Sarah Cowd on 27th July 1782, however I think the genealogy only makes sense if the vicar put the incorrect Christian name for his mother because his father Gilbert had married Hannah Luckis in East Budleigh in May 1776 and Henry Cowd was a witness. There was another Henry Cowd at the same time who did have a wife called Sarah (nee Parker) and several of their children were baptised by the same vicar (one child was also called Gilbert!).  

Where the Henry Cowd who owned Lee Ford was born is not clear at present but I am assuming he was brother to Gilbert Cowd’s father Gilbert.  Gilbert’s wife Hannah died in 1794 but her unmarried sister Anna Luckis was living with Henry at his death in 1816 and was a beneficiary of his Will.  

The Land Tax Record for East Budleigh Parish for 1786 shows a Henry Cowde owner and occupier of two properties (“Farfields” and ? “Courtisses”). By 1800 Henry was owner and occupier of Lee Ford and owner or part owner of at least six other properties in the parish (some were just fields).  Henry was recorded as owner of Lee Ford up to 1815 and he died in 1816 and all his “freehold estate, goods, chattels, monies and securities for money” were bequeathed to “my nephew Gilbert Cowd” who then appears in the Land Tax Record as the owner.  Their value was given as £800.

Henry and Gilbert Cowd also feature in the Littleham and Withycombe Raleigh Land Tax Records but it is not clear whether the Gilbert mentioned is the father (who died in 1799) or his son, although I think it most likely that it was father Gilbert because his son would have been too young to own property.  From 1787 a Mr Cowd (probably Gilbert) rented “Woodlands”,?”Great Cranford”, and “Haymans” and later by 1792 was occupying several other fields (e.g. “Spicers”, “Clarks”).  Henry Cowd was the owner of Withycombe Barton in Withycombe Raleigh from 1786 but seems to have rented it to J. Marchant until 1790 when John Yeo took over as occupier.  Gilbert Cowd junior inherited the property in 1816 and was still the owner in 1830 when the available Land Tax Records end. 

As was the practice, landowners usual took on apprentices.  Gilbert Cowd in 1792 indentured Margaret Beer, a poor child, for his Woodlands Estate in Littleham to teach her husbandry.  By 1809 Henry Cowd was occupying Woodlands and he indentured Thomas Stamp an eight year old for husbandry work until he was twenty-one years of age. 

When Gilbert inherited Lee Ford he owned or occupied a large amount of land but subsequently increased it because by the time of the1842 tithe assessment, in East Budleigh Parish alone, he was owner and occupier of thirty-four fields, gardens, orchards etc and owned a further thirty-three that he leased or rented to other men, he also leased eighteen further from Lord Rolle, occupying five of them himself and subletting the remainder. 

Gilbert Cowd, gentleman, married Elizabeth Hine(s), spinster, in East Budleigh in October 1810 but they appear to have been childless.  She was the sister of John Hine (see OVApedia entry) and Hine became the owner of Lee Ford when Gilbert Cowd died in July1844 at the age of sixty-one and, at least to start with, Elizabeth was living with her brother. 

Compiled and Researched by Roger Lendon, © 2012 

Information for this article came from microfiche copies of Parish Registers, Land Tax Assessments, and Devon Wills plus records of indentures at Devon County Records Office in Exeter, and the online tithe map apportionments for the local parishes. 

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