Downes, Crediton
Downes House is situated about one mile east of Crediton in Devon. The house is an 18th-century Palladian re-modelling of an earlier house. It was classed Grade II* listed on 20 May 1985. Nearby is the site of a Roman villa, revealed by crop-marks as a rectangular enclosure containing a winged-corridor structure. In 2012 the estate comprised 1400 acres, including the Home Farm (419 acres), Fordton Barton (203 acres), Uton Barton (327 acres), Dunscombe Farm (246 acres) and other land 110 acres and parkland. History. Gould. The estate of Downes was purchased in 1692  by Moses Gould (1668–1703), eldest son and heir of William Gould (1640–1671) of Hayes (i.e. Floyer Hayes in the parish of St Thomas, Exeter) and Dunscombe, MP for Dartmouth in 1671. The Gould family was descended from a certain John Gold, a crusader present at the siege of Damietta in 1217 who for his valour was granted in 1220 by Ralph de Vallibus an estate at Seaborough in Somerset. Moses married twice, firstly in 1690 to Anne Prust (died 1691), daughter and heiress of Mr Prust of Rawley. The marriage was childless. Secondly Moses married Susanna Kelland, daughter and co -heiress of John Kelland of Painsford, MP for Totnes. His eldest son and heir was William Gould (1697–1726), of Downes, who married Elizabeth Quicke, daughter of Andrew Quicke of Newton St Cyres. William and Elizabeth left no sons, only two daughters as co-heiresses (a third daughter Frances Gould (1720–1720) having died an infant): Buller. The ancient family of Buller is descended from Ralph Buller of Word in Somerset, sixth in descent from whom was Richard Buller who settled in Cornwall and married the heiress of Tregarrick. The estate of Morval was inherited by John Buller (1632–1716), MP, of Shillingham  near Saltash, in Cornwall, from his wife Anne Coode, the daughter and sole heiress of John Coode of Morval. The descent of Downes in the Buller family was as follows: