page_title: Speccot, Merton
section_title: Stevens
hierarchical_section_title: Speccot, Merton / Descent / Stevens
caption_attribution_description: Christiana Maria Rolle (1710-1780), daughter of John Rolle (1679-1730), MP, of Stevenstone, Devon, and sister of Henry Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (1708-1750). She married Henry Stevens (1689-1748) of Smythacott in the parish of Frithelstock and of Cross in the parish of Little Torrington, Devon. Her inscribed ledger-stone survives within Frithelstock church. Inscribed in grey paint lower right hand corner "Hudson pinxit". Portrait by Thomas Hudson, collection of Great Torrington Almshouse, Town Lands and Poors Charities. 49" * 39". Formerly in the collection of Hon. Mark Rolle (d.1907) of Stevenstone, given by his heir Lord Clinton.
context_page_description: Speccot is an historic estate in the parish of Merton in Devon, England. It was the seat of the de Speccot family, one of the oldest gentry families in Devon, which founded almshouses at Taddiport, near Great Torrington, Devon, in the 13th century. It is situated about one mile south-west of Potheridge, the seat of the Monck family from before 1287 to the late 17th century, who were thus close neighbours of the de Speccot family for many centuries. The present farmhouse known as "Speccot Barton" is Victorian and although no obvious traces of an earlier house survive, is marked "On Site of a Mansion" on the First Edition Ordnance Survey 25 inch map of 1880-99. The estate is today operated as a family-run sheep farm with six holiday cottages to let. A smaller house known as "Little Speccot" is situated on the approach lane to Speccot Barton.
context_section_description: In 1737 Speccot was purchased from the Rolles by their relatives the Stevens family of Cross, Little Torrington. Henry Stevens (1689-1748), described in his will as "of Smithcott" in the parish of Frithelstock, but who built the existing mansion of Cross between 1744 and 1748, married Christiana Maria Rolle (1710-1780), a daughter of John Rolle (1679-1730), MP, of Stevenstone, in the nearby parish of St Giles in the Wood, and sister of Henry Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (1708-1750). Portraits of Christiana and of her brothers John Rolle Walter (1712-1779), and Denys Rolle (d.1797), successively owners of the Stevenstone estates, were painted by Thomas Hudson and were given in the early 1900s by Lord Clinton to the Great Torrington Town Lands and Poors Charity. They are on public display in Great Torrington townhall. A "beautifully drawn map" was made of Speccot in 1765 by Malachy Hitchins (1741–1809) for its then owner Richard Stevens of Winscott, Peters Marland. Richard II Stevens (1702-1776) of Winscott, was MP for the Rolle family's pocket borough of Callington in Cornwall between 1761 and 1768. His mural monument exists in Peters Marland Church. He was one of the two sons of Richard I Stevens by his wife  Elizabeth, and his brother was Henry Stevens (1689-1748) of Cross, in the parish of Little Torrington. Richard II Stevens (d.1776) married Elizabeth (1707-1760), of unknown family, by whom he had three sons who pre-deceased him without progeny and two daughters who were also without progeny. His daughter Elizabeth Stevens (1727-1792) married firstly Robert Awse of Horwood House in the parish of Frithelstock, and secondly John II Clevland (1734-1817), seven times MP for Barnstaple, of Tapeley near Bideford. Winscott passed after Cleveland's death to  the descendants of Richard's elder brother, Henry Stevens (d.1748), of Cross, thus re-uniting the three Stevens estates.
caption: Christiana Maria Rolle (1710-1780), wife of Henry Stevens (1689-1748) of Cross and Smythacott. Portrait by Thomas Hudson, Great Torrington townhall
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