Sharpham is an historic estate in the parish of Ashprington, Devon. The Georgian mansion house, known as Sharpham House, overlooks the River Dart and is a Grade I listed building. The house was commenced in about 1770 by the Royal Navy captain Philemon Pownoll (died 1780) to the designs of the architect Sir Robert Taylor (1714–1788). In the opinion of Nikolaus Pevsner it contains "one of the most spectacular and daring later 18th century staircase designs anywhere in England". The park and gardens are Grade II* listed in the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens. Part of the descent of Sharpham is shown on the Palmes family heraldic pedigree roll.
Descent
Winard
Robert Winard (or Wynard) of Sharpham died without male progeny leaving a daughter and heiress Anne Winard, who married Robert French.
French
Robert French (fl. 1377–1386) of Totnes, a Member of Parliament for Totnes in January 1377, November 1384, 1385 and 1386, married Anne Winard, daughter and heiress of Robert Winard of Sharpham. In the 15th century it was owned by Robert French of Horneford in Devon, whose daughter and heiress Amey (or Maude) French married (as his second wife) Sir John Prideaux (fl. 1433).
Prideaux
Sir John Prideaux (fl. 1433) of Adeston in the parish of Holbeton and of Orcheton in the parish of Modbury, Devon married Amey (or Maude) French, heiress of Sharpham. Her daughter and heiress was Joane Prideaux, who married firstly to William Drewe, secondly to Baldwin Acland of Acland, Landkey, Devon, ancestor of the Acland Baronets. Sharpham descended thenceforth in the Drewe family as follows:
Drewe
William Drewe (died 1548), 3rd son, of Kenn in Devon, who married a certain Elinor John Drewe, son, a lawyer of Gray's Inn, who married Joane Cruwys a daughter of a member of the Cruwys family of Cruwys Morchard, Devon. John Drewe (died 1574), of St Leonard's, Devon, son and heir and heir to his grandfather. He married twice, firstly to Anne Yorke, daughter of Watkyn Yorke of Devon, secondly to a lady of the Bridges family. Thomas Drewe, son, of Sharpham and Killerton, Devon, who married Elinor Hackmore, daughter and co-heiress of William Hackmore. Edward Drewe (c. 1542 – 1598), son, of Sharpham, a Serjeant-at-Law to Queen Elizabeth I, MP for Lyme Regis 1584, twice for Exeter in 1586 and 1589 and for the prestigious seat of the City of London in 1593. He purchased the estate of The Grange in the parish of Broadhembury, the former grange of Dunkeswell Abbey, where he built himself a new mansion house. He moved his residence to The Grange and sold Sharpham to John Giles of Bowden, an adjacent estate. Edward Drewe married Bridget FitzWilliam of Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, by whom he had a son and heir Sir Thomas Drewe (died 1651) of The Grange, Sheriff of Devon in 1612, who sold Killerton to Sir Arthur Acland (died 1610) of Acland, Landkey.
Giles
John Giles (died 1606) of Bowden, an adjacent estate in Ashprington, who purchased Sharpham from Edward Drewe. He was the eldest son of William Giles of Bowden by his wife Joane Blackall (alias Blackaller) of Totnes. He married Agnes Stucley, a daughter of Sir Hugh Stucley (1496–1559) of Affeton, Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1545. Sir Edward Giles (1566–1637), Knight, eldest son and heir, of Bowden, who at the time of the writing of the Survey of Devon by Tristram Risdon (died 1640), was the owner of Sharpham. He married Mary Drew (died 1642/3), daughter and heiress of Edmond Drew of Hayne, Newton St Cyres, Devon (who bore the same arms as Drew of Sharpham but whose kinship to that family is not clear), widow of Walter Northcote. He died without children.
Yarde
The Giles family sold Sharpham to the Yarde family of Bradley in the parish of Kingsteignton. Gilbert Yard (1672/3-1707), of Sharpham, was MP for Ashburton 1705-7. He was buried at Ashprington. He was the eldest son of Gilbert Yarde (died 1692) of Bradley by his wife Elizabeth Northleigh, daughter of Henry I Northleigh of Peamore, Exminster and sister of Henry II Northleigh (1643–1694) of Peamore, three times MP for Okehampton. In 1694/5 he married Joane Blackaller (died 1725), daughter of Henry Blackaller "of Sharpham". Gilbert Yarde (born 1698), son and heir, of Sharpham, living in 1725.