John Lake - Manor House, Coffinswell, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4SW

H I S T O RY The names of Coffinswell and those of its neighbouring villages originated from the estates that existed very soon after the Anglo-Saxon period of 1066. In 1086 the Doomsday Book names a manor at Willa or Willie. Its springs and wells give rise to two streams, Aller Brook and Doddawell, later known as Beersbrook which run through the village. Coffinswell was named after the unfailing springs of clear water that provided a good location for the homes of estate labourers. This view is supported by the Oxford Dictionary of Place Names, which confirms the name as ‘The spring or well of the Coffyn family; Coffyn-His-Well’. Manor House was indeed home to Lord ‘Coffyn’ and to this day, still enjoys the free spring water from ‘his-well’ albeit via a bore hole with modern filters rather than the actual well!