Radford in the parish of Plymstock in Devon is a historic manor and the oldest recorded seat of the prominent Harris family. It is today a low-cost housing suburb of the City of Plymouth. The 16th century manor house of the Harris family was remodelled in the 18th century and was demolished in 1937. However, various traces of the estate remain, including most notably the deerpark, now a public amenity known as Radford Park, with its large lake, an early 19th century gate-lodge at the entrance drive to the former mansion house, with gatepiers, on Radford Park Road, a bridge and boathouse with follies of a sham castle and another sham-ruin.
Descent of the manor
le Abbé
In 1242 Radford was held by William le Abbé (in English "Abbot"). Radford descended to his son Henry le Abbé of Alsemston, and then to Walter le Abbé, whose posterity, having adopted the surname de Radford remained seated at Radford for several generations.
de Radford (le Abbé) The succession of the le Abbé family at Radford, under the newly adopted surname of de Radford, commenced with Robert de Radford who was succeeded by his son Henry de Radford, who married a certain Matild by whom he had a son Walter de Radford.
Harris
Radford is the earliest recorded seat of the prominent Harris family. The earliest member of this family recorded by the Devon historian Pole (died 1635) is John I Harris, resident there during the reign of King Henry VI (1422–1461). He was followed by five Johns, namely John II Harris, John III Harris, who had two sons, John IV Harris (died 1485), the eldest son, who inherited Radford, and John V Harris, second son who married the daughter and heiress of the de Stone family of Stone in the parish of Lifton in Devon and founded the prominent junior branch of Harris of Hayne in the parish of Stowford in Devon, about 22 miles north-west of Radford. The subsequent descent of Radford was as follows:
Francis Harris (1475–1509) Francis Harris (1475–1509), who married Phillipa Grenville (died 1524), a daughter of Sir Thomas Grenville (died 1513), lord of the manors of Bideford in Devon and of Stowe in the parish of Kilkhampton, Cornwall, Sheriff of Cornwall in 1481 and in 1486. She survived her husband and remarried to Humphry Arundell of Lanherne, Cornwall, younger brother of Sir John Arundell (1474–1545), her brother-in-law.
William Harris (born 1504) William Harris (born 1504) of Radford, son, a Member of Parliament for Newport-juxta-Launceston in Cornwall in 1529. At some time before June 1527, he married Catherine Trecarrel, a daughter and co-heiress of Henry Trecarrell (alias Esse) of Trecarrell in Cornwall.
Sir Christopher Harris (c. 1553 – 1625)
Sir Christopher Harris (c. 1553 – 1625) of Radford, son, a Member of Parliament for Plymouth in 1584, knighted in 1607. He was a close friend of Admiral Sir Frances Drake, who on one occasion lodged part of his captured treasure at Radford. In partnership with John Hele (died 1608) of Wembury in Devon, serjeant-at-law and MP, Harris acquired the estate of Buckland Abbey in Devon as a seat for Drake. He owned the Armada Service, a set of 31 silver dishes now in the British Museum. He married Barbara Arscott (d.1597/8), a daughter of John Arscott of Dunsland in the parish of Bradford (or Cookbury) in Devon. His son John Harris died young and pre-deceased his father, thus Radford passed to the closest living male descendant of his only sister Jane Harris, namely his great nephew John Harris (c. 1596 – 1648) of Lanrest in Cornwall, four times elected MP for Liskeard, Cornwall.
The descent from his sister was as follows: Jane Harris in 1562/3, at Menheniot in Cornwall, married her cousin John Harris (d.1579) of Lanrest in Cornwall. Her eldest son (and thus heir apparent to his uncle) was John Harris (1564 – June 1623) of Lanrest, Recorder (or Steward) of the Borough of West Looe in Cornwall ( established in 1574) and MP for West Looe in Cornwall in 1614. However, as he predeceased his uncle by two years, he did not inherit, nor did his eldest son Christopher II Harris (1590 – November 1623) of Lanrest, a Member of Parliament for West Looe in Cornwall (1621), who also predeceaded his great-uncle by two years, having survived his father by only a few months. It was thus Christopher II's younger brother John Harris (c. 1596 – 1648) of Lanrest, MP, who gained the inheritance.
