Editing Great Torrington (section)

==Descent of the manor==
The manor of Great Torrington was granted by [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]] to [[James Bassett (clergy)|James Basset]] (1526–1558),<ref name="Alexander, p.64">Alexander, p.64</ref> [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]], a younger son of [[Sir John Bassett]] (1462 – 31 Jan 1529) of [[Umberleigh]]. James's son Philip Bassett sold it to Sir John Fortescue ({{circa|1531}}–1607) of Ponsbourne,<ref name="Alexander, p.64"/> near [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]], Hertfordshire, the eldest son of [[Adrian Fortescue (martyr)|Sir Adrian Fortescue]] (1476–1539), descended from Richard Fortescue, younger brother of [[Henry Fortescue (Lord Chief Justice)|Henry Fortescue]] ([[fl.]] 1426), [[Chief Justice of the Common Pleas|Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas]] in Ireland and of [[John Fortescue (judge)|Sir John Fortescue]] (ca. 1394–1480), [[Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales]].<ref>Vivian, Heralds' Visitation of Devon, 1895, p.353</ref> [[Denys Rolle (1614–1638)|Denys Rolle]] (1614–1638) of nearby [[Stevenstone]] in the parish of [[St Giles in the Wood]], acquired the [[Lord of the manor|lordship of the manor]] of Great Torrington from his descendant Sir William Fortescue.<ref name="Alexander, p.64"/> Denys Rolle (1614–1638) founded the [[Charity school|Bluecoat School]] in Torrington<ref>Alexander, J.J. & Hooper, W.R., History of Great Torrington, Sutton, 1948, p.64</ref> The fountain and clock in the square were given in 1870 by [[Mark Rolle]] (1835–1907)<ref name="Alexander, p.64"/> A number of family portraits were given to the town by the heirs of Mark Rolle, some of which remain on display in the Great Torrington Town Hall, some of the more valuable ones having been sold, including a portrait of [[John Rolle Walter]] (c.1714–1779) by [[Pompeo Batoni]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/exeter-wins-bid-to-save-rolle-s-portrait-7389882|title=Exeter wins bid to save Rolle's portrait|newspaper=Exeter Journal|date=17 November 2008|access-date=16 December 2021}}</ref>