Churston Ferrers, Devon
Churston Court Hotel, Churston Ferrers, stands next to the church and retains the unique atmosphere of the ancient manor house of the 15c Ferrers family                    
During early Norman times the Manor House would have been converted into stone from its original timber and the early stone chapel erected close by. The doorway for the Lord to access the chapel still exists together with the Norman south porch and priest's room above. Here the visiting monk from Totnes could rest his head before continuing his journey on foot to St. Mary's, Brixham, via Monk's Bridge. The people of the village and Manor would never had entered the Lord's Chapel, but gathered round the village cross in sunshine or rain to be given Mass, in Latin, by the same monk.
During the Norman 12th &amp; 13th centuries Churston Court was used as a dower house (the widow of the owner of the Manor being of the Nonant, later Bozun, families of Totnes). In 1303 Alice Bozun, daughter of William, married Hugo de Ferrers of Bere Ferrers, near Plymouth, and Ferrers wasa added to the village name .   After Hugo died in 1310 the Manor House continued being the seat of succeeding Ferrers 
In 1405 Joan Ferrers, heiress of Churston Ferrers, married Richard Yarde of Bradley Manor within the Parish of Highweek, now a part of Newton Abbot. The name of Yarde had come to Churston and was to remain here for the next 350 years  However Bradley Manor was the early focal point of the family, with little attention paid to Churston Court. 
Gilbert Yarde, as Lord of the Manor, lived here  during the latter years of the century.   By his death in 1492 certainly the church and highly likely the Court also, had undergone major reconstruction. This is the period in which the present building began to take on its present identity, and after his death or just before, the chapel was given to the local parishioners as a perpetual curacy to St Mary's Higher Brixham.   It had its own churchwardens in the 17c &amp; in 1953 was described by the Archdeacon of Totnes as a 'parish by tradition'. 

During the late 17c the interior of the Court was remodelled, resulting in its present day ground-floor layout and moulded panelling either side of the entrance hall.
During 1763 the three centuries of Yarde family leadership over the Manor of Churston Ferrers finally came 
to an end, yet the name Yarde was to continue, through marriage. Susanna, only child of Francis Yarde, 
married 17 year old Francis Buller. Eventually Francis, his son, would take on the name Yarde Buller. Judge 
Buller  In 1788 status probably determined that Churston Court was no longer of suitable eminence and he purchased nearby Lupton House as his seat.   Churston Court now became the residence of the elder son.
Judge Buller died in 1800 and his son became known as Francis Buller Yarde Buller. His son, John, having 
resided at Churston Court became 1st Baron Lord Churston of Churston Ferrers &amp; Lupton in 1858. 
&quot;Sir J.B.Yarde Buller, Bart., is lord of the manor of Churston Ferrers, and his eldest son resides at Churston Court, the ancient seat of the Yardes, which has lately been modernised, and has tasteful grounds, approached by a fine avenue of lofty elms.&quot; Whites Devon 1850 

1st Baron Lord Churston died in 1871 and was succeeded by his son, to become 2nd Baron Lord Churston. 
The Dowager Lady Churston, widow of the 2nd Baron Lord 
Churston, lived here  following World War 1.   Her butler, Arthur, used to drive the pony &amp; trap down to the bathing house to light the fires before returning to the Court to pick up the Dowager.  <a href="https://www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/2S0m9f8cVN">www.flickr.com/gp/52219527@N00/2S0m9f8cVN</a>
The daughter of The 3rd Lord Churston, Joan Yarde Buller, married Prince Ali Khan in 1936 in Paris, but their marriage did not survive.  Parents of the present Aga Khan 
he 4th Baron Lord Churston followed along the line of many of the gentry of the 1920's and married into the London theatrical set through Betty du Pre. 

After nearly 1,000 years the Manor House of Churston Ferrers finally came to the end of its aristocratic identity with its sale from the Churston estate in 1967. 
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churston ferrers churstonferrers church devon