On This Day in Wembury
24 December 1846 — Coffleet Estate Sale Notice Issued
On this day, a legal notice was drawn up in Exeter announcing that the Coffleet Estate, spanning the parishes of Brixton, Yealmpton, and Wembury, would be offered for sale in the spring of 1847 (unless sold privately beforehand). The estate comprised nearly 1,000 acres, the Manors of Brixton English and Spriddlestone, and the mansion house of Coffleet, overlooking the River Yealm about two miles from its mouth. The property was described as both highly fertile and picturesque, producing an annual rental of nearly £2,000.
The notice stressed the advantages of its location: close to Plymouth and the developing South Devon Railway, and ideal for a wealthy yachtsman seeking a country seat with private access to the estuary.
Historically, Coffleet was associated with the Pollexfen Bastard family, who held extensive estates in South Devon. Though the grand house did not survive into the modern era, the sale illustrates how Wembury and Yealm-side estates were entering a period of transition in the mid-19th century, with traditional aristocratic holdings increasingly coming under the hammer.
Source: Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, 26 December 1846 (notice dated 24 December 1846).
