Widworthy is a village, parish and former manor in Devon, England. The village is 3 1/2 miles east of Honiton and the parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Stockland (a short boundary only), Dalwood, Shute, Colyton, Northleigh, and Offwell.^[1] The parish church is dedicated to St Cuthbert. Near the church is Widworthy Barton, the former manor house, which is largely unaltered from its early 17th century form.^[2] Widworthy Court is a mansion within the parish built in 1830 by Sir Edward Marwood-Elton to the design of G.S. Repton.^[3]

History

The Domesday Book of 1086 lists Widworthy among the 27 Devonshire holdings of Theobald FitzBerner, one of the tenants-in-chief in Devon of King William the Conqueror. His tenant was a certain Oliver. His lands later formed part of the feudal barony of Great Torrington.^[4] At some time in the 13th century, John de Humfraville held the feudal barony,^[5] and had his own tenant at Widworthy. The earliest lord of the manor recorded by the Devon historian Sir William Pole (died 1635) was Sir William de Widworthy.^[6]

The manor was later inherited by the Wotton family.^[6] The last in the male line was John Wotton who left a daughter and heiress Alice Wotton, who married Sir John Chichester (1385-1437),^[7] lord of the manor of Raleigh. The manor was still in the Chichester family in the early 17th century, being then held by Hugh, according to Pole.^[6]