Flete (anciently Flete Damarell) in the parish of Holbeton in Devon is an historic manor. In 1810 it was called "one of the finest estates in the county of Devon".Risdon, p.387 The present manor house known as Flete House was built in the 19th century incorporating some elements of an earlier Tudor house on the site.Cherry & Pevsner, p.450

Descent

Brictwold Before the Norman Conquest of 1066 it was held by the Anglo-Saxon Brictwold.Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) Domesday Book, (Morris, John, gen.ed.) Vol. 9, Devon, Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985, 28,11

d'Aumale The Domesday Book of 1086 lists FLUTES as the 11th of the 17 Devonshire holdings of Robert of Aumale (fl. 1086), one of the Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief of King William the Conqueror, who held it in demesne. He was also known as d'Amarell, Damarell,Pole, p.511 etc., and his name was Latinised to de Albemarle,As the name appears in the Domesday Book de Albamara,Risdon, p.191 etc. Thus the manor became known as Flete Damarell.

It continued in the Aumale family, called by Risdon, Tristram (died 1640) "A fruitful family in former times", until late in the reign of King Edward III (1327–1377), thus for a period of about 290 years. Thirteen members of the family received the honour of knighthood

Holland By 1420 the manor was in the hands of King Henry IV's nephew, John Holland, 2nd Duke of Exeter.

Chalons In 1420 the manor was granted to Sir Robert Chalons and his wife and their male heirs. His wife Blanche, daughter of Sir Hugh Waterton, died in 1437 and Sir Robert in 1445. Their son Henry was already dead, so their heir was his son John, who died childless in 1447.

Holland The grant to the Chalons family having expired, the manor therefore reverted to the heirs of John Holland, who also died in 1447.

Hill Flete descended subsequently to the Hill family.Pole, p.308 The most prominent family of that name, descended from the judge Sir Robert Hill, a Justice of the Common Pleas in 1392, was seated at Shilston in the parish of Modbury (very close to Flete) from the reign of King Richard II (1377–1399)Vivian, pp.486–7, pedigree of Hill of Shilston until the 17th century.Pole, p.312, note

Prideaux

Flete descended subsequently to the Prideaux family. This prominent and widespread family, founded in the 11th century at Prideaux Castle near Fowey in Cornwall, had a branch seated at Orcharton, about 1 mile from Modbury (2 miles east of Flete), from the 14th century to 1590, when Sir Robert Prideaux sold OrchartonVivian, p.617, pedigree of Prideaux to Sir John Hele (died 1608),Prince, p.650; Pole, pp.311–12 a serjeant-at-law, Recorder of Exeter (1592–1605) and a Member of Parliament for Exeter, who also purchased the manors of Yealmpton and Wembury,Risdon, p.200 and whose effigy survives in Wembury Church. Sir John Hele's younger brother, Thomas Hele (died 1613) of Exeter, acquired Flete.

Hele

Thomas Hele (died 1613) According to Pole, Flete was a dwelling of Thomas Hele (died 1613) of Exeter, Sheriff of Devon in 1600–1. He was the third son of Nicholas Hele of South Hele by his second wife Margaret Dune, daughter of Richard Dune of Holsworthy in Devon. Thomas Hele's mother survived her husband and remarried to Elizeus Warwick of Holbeton in Devon, in which parish Flete is situated.Vivian, pp.461,464, pedigree of Hele Thomas Hele married Julian Smith, a daughter of John Smith of Exeter.Vivian, p.464 He had several brothers, the youngest being Sir John Hele (died 1608), a serjeant-at-law, Recorder of Exeter (1592–1605) and a Member of Parliament for Exeter, who purchased several manors including Yealmpton, Wembury, and Orcharton near Modbury, and whose effigy survives in Wembury Church.

Thomas Hele (1568–1624) Thomas Hele (died 1613) was succeeded by his eldest son and heir, Thomas Hele (1568–1624) of Flete who married Bridget Champernowne, a daughter of Sir Henry Champernowne (1538–1570),Vivian, pp.163,165 (Champernowne), 466 (Hele) lord of the manor of Modbury in Devon. He was Sheriff of Devon in 1618.Vivian, p.466

Sir Thomas Hele, 1st Baronet (–1670) Sir Thomas Hele, 1st Baronet (–1670), created a baronet in 1627, a Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle and for Okehampton.

Sir Samuel Hele, 2nd Baronet (died 1672) Sir Samuel Hele, 2nd Baronet (died 1672), eldest surviving son and heir of the 1st Baronet by his second wife Elizabeth Elwes/Elways da. of Edward Elwes/Elways of London. His elder half-brother, who predeceased their father, was Thomas Hele (1630–1665) of Wigborow, Somerset, a Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle in Devon from 1661 to 1665. In 1668 Samuel married Mary Hungerford, a daughter of Anthony Hungerford of Hungerford Castle in Wiltshire, by whom he had one daughter and sole heiress, Jane Hele, the wife of Sir Arthur Shene, Baronet. As he died without male children the baronetcy devolved to his younger brother Henry.

Sir Henry Hele, 3rd Baronet (died 1677) Sir Henry Hele, 3rd Baronet (died 1677), younger brother and heir of the 2nd Baronet. He married Susan Eliot, a daughter of John Eliot of St Germans, Cornwall, . He died childless, when the baronetcy became extinct.

Richard Hele (died 1682) Rev. Richard Hele (died 1682) (son of Richard Hele (died 1679), 6th son of Thomas Hele (1568–1624) of Flete), Rector of Helland, Cornwall,HOP;Vivian, p.466: "St Helens" who inherited Flete following the death of his cousin the 3rd Baronet in 1677. Although he was not in succession to the baronety, which had become extinct, he called himself a baronet. He married Judith Cary, a daughter of Dr. George Cary (died 1680), Professor of Sacred Theology, Lord of the manor of Clovelly, Devon, and Dean of Exeter.

Richard Hele (1679–1709) Richard Hele (1679–1709),Eveline Cruickshanks / Richard Harrison, biography of Hele, Richard (1679–1709), of Flete House, Holbeton, Devon, published in History of Parliament: House of Commons, ed. D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, 2002 Died 1709 per Risdon, p.387; Will dated 1709, proved 1711/12 per Vivian, p.466 MP for West Looe in Cornwall, son and heir of Richard Hele. He married a lady of the Deane family, who predeceased him, having produced an only son and heir James Modyford Hele (died 1716), who died a minor. Richard Hele appears to have had some premonition that his son would die young, as he bequeathed Flete to his close friendHoP biography James Bulteel (1676–1757) of Tavistock, MP, in the event his son should die without children.Prince, John, (1643–1723) The Worthies of Devon, 1810 edition, London, p.273

Bulteel

James Bulteel (1676–1757) James Bulteel (1676–1757) of Tavistock in Devon, was a Member of Parliament for Tavistock 1703–8 and 1711–15, He married Mary Crocker, daughter and heiress of Courtenay Crocker (died 1740), of Lyneham, Yealmpton, and thus had two important estates in his ownership: Lyneham and Flete.

James Courtenay Bulteel (1720–1746) James Courtenay Bulteel (1720–1746), eldest son and heir apparent, who predeceased his father. In 1738, aged 18, he matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford. He died aged 26 and was buried at Yealmpton,Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, "Copy of burial entry of James Courtenay Bulteel at Yealmpton", dated 1746, ref: 74/124/9 leaving a one-year-old son, Courtenay Croker Bulteel.

Courtenay Croker Bulteel Courtenay Croker Bulteel matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford in 1764, aged 19. According to John Swete, he died while young at his seat of Lyneham, when Flete passed to his uncle John Bulteel.Gray & Rowe, Vol.2, p.19

John Bulteel (1733–1801) John Bulteel (1733–1801) of Membland (adjacent to Flete) in the parish of Holbeton, second son of James Bulteel (1676–1757) and heir to his young nephew Courtenay Croker Bulteel (died pre-1800), of Flete and Lyneham. Having inherited his paternal estate of Flete from his young nephew Courtenay Croker Bulteel of Flete and Lyneham, Yealmpton, John Bulteel made Flete his own residence and installed one of his sons at Lyneham. He sold Membland to Peter PerringPrince, John, (1643–1723), The Worthies of Devon, 1810 edition, London, p. 273. , who had made a fortune in the East Indies.Gray & Rowe, vol. 4, p.13

John Swete visited John Bulteel at Flete ("Fleet") in June 1793 and recorded in his travel journal that Bulteel showed him in what manner he had contrived, in the erection of his handsome front, not to destroy the principal part of the old Mansion; which I had remember'd about 20 years ago, a very venerable and extensive pile of Buildings – from the room in which we had been sitting at the Eastern extremity of the new front I was conducted through two others, to the other end on the West – which I found was lighted at both its extreme parts (for it was of an oblong form) preserving in the modern front a uniformity in its windows with the rest of the Building; and retaining at the opposite end an old semicircular window, with its stone mullions – through this, I perceived another similar bow correspondent – separated from each other by a doorway &c that in its antient state had formed the Western entrance.

John Bulteel married Diana Bellenden, a daughter of the Scottish Lord of Parliament John Bellenden, 3rd Lord Bellenden (1685–1741). A mural monument to John Bulteel survives in Holbeton Church showing two oval escutcheons the one at dexter showing the arms of Bulteel: Argent semée of billets gules, a bend of the lastIn 1660 the Garter King of Arms confirmed to John Bulteel (died 1669) of Westminster (a Member of Parliament for Lostwithiel in Cornwall, from 1661 to 1669. and between c.1658 and 1667 he Secretary to Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon, Lord Chancellor to King Charles II) the right to bear arms as follows: Argent semy of billets and a bend gules, with crest: Out of a crowne gules two wings argent billetté of the first.(Balliol College Archives & Manuscripts, Conroy Collection: Catalogue 1 - 17, 9C.3) with inescutcheon of pretence of Croker of Lyneham (Argent, a chevron engrailed gules between three crows proper), the one at sinister showing Bulteel quartering Croker, impaling: Gules, a stag's head and neck couped between three cross crosslets fitchy within a double tressure flory counter-flory or (Bellenden). Above both shields is the crest of Bulteel: Out of a crown gules two wings argent bilettée of the first.

John Bulteel (1763–1837) John Bulteel (1763–1837), eldest surviving son and heir, Sheriff of Devon in 1807. In 1788 he married Elizabeth Perring (1766–1835), daughter and sole heiress of Thomas Perring (1732–1791), a merchant of the City of London and elder brother of Peter Perring (1743–1796) who had purchased Membland from John Bulteel's father.(See: Membland). Her first cousin and neighbour was Sir John Perring, 1st Baronet (1765–1831), of Membland, a banker and Mayor of London, who inherited Membland from his uncle Peter Perring. The ancestor of Thomas and Peter Perring was Philip Perring (died 1716) of Modbury, Devon, a clothier and serge maker.Scarratt, Anne, The Woollen Industry of Modbury, The Modbury Group, 2005–13; details regarding the Perring family and their cloth business in Modbury Elizabeth's mural monument survives in Holbeton Church, showing in relief sculpture of white marble, a lady in classical Greek attire mourning over a casket.

John Crocker Bulteel (1793–1843)