Yeo Vale House to be Knocked Down - 17th December 1971

Farmer Mr Norman T Westaway was given permission by Bideford Rural Council to demolish historic Yeo Vale House, Alwington, a ruin. The owner of the house cannot be found.

Skittler Married

A Fairy Cross skittler, Mr Brian Charles Daniel, third son of Mr and Mrs F Daniel, of Woodbine Cottage, Alwington, and Miss Cynthia Jane Weeks, elder daughter of Mr and Mrs E Weeks, of Meadow Vale, Merton, were married at Merton Parish Church. The Rector (Rev. W J G Nelson) officiated.

There were four bridesmaids - Misses Venus and Rosalind Weeks, Syliva Braund and Ruth Daniel. Best man was Mr Gail Riddell.

Gazette article dated 12 February 1965

Lieut-Col E C Pine-Coffin of ‘Cleave Barton’, Durrant Lane, Northam, who, on Monday, became president of the Royal North Devon Golf Club, is a member of one of the oldest families in the country.

Until Portledge House became a hotel in 1947 it had been their seat since 1200. Col Pine-Coffin, in addition to owning the Portledge estate, is lord of the manor of Alwington, Goldworthy and Monkleigh. Like many of his forebears – a Coffin, of Portledge, was with Henry VIII on the Field of the Cloth of Gold – he was a professional soldier. From 1915 until the end of

At the January meeting of the Alwington WI, the President (Mrs N Westaway) welcomed the Misses M Allin, J Becklake and M Pickard as new members.

Final arrangements were made for the birthday party in February.
Names were taken of members able to accept the invitation to the Dolton and Dowland WI party in March. An unusual and interesting talk on ‘Witchcraft’ was given by Mr Ian Kelway, of the County Education Dept. Mrs Allin thanked the speaker on behalf of the members. Tea hostesses were Mrs Kistenmacker and Mrs Taylor.
The competition – six ginger biscuits – was judged by Miss

A collection has been made in the parish towards sending a parcel to each man from Alwington who is now serving in His Majesty's Army and Navy, as a token of remembrance from the parish.

Miss A Lott collected £15 17s. 8d., Mr G Bailey £6 7s., Mr R Pennington £4 4s. 6d.; Proceeds of entertainment, £6 - total amount £32 9s. 2d. A committee has been appointed to select the parcels and forward to each man.
Gazette article dated 2 March 1918

Alwington

For the four best cottage allotments prizes have been awarded as follows: - Bailey, Woodtown, 1; J Daniel, Spamone, 2; J Beer, Woodtown, 3; T Glover, Woodtown. 4. The scheme was promoted by Major Kirkwood. Mr G Sleep, head gardener at Hartland Abby, was the judge, assisted by Messrs Sherriff and Luxton. Mr Sleep and Mr Sherriff also visited the school garden and commended the boys for their work, which as they said deserved a much better piece of ground.

Gazette article dated 30 July 1918

A pig was given to be cut up for prizes for a whist drive held at Alwington Village Hall on Friday to aid the village hall repair fund.

There were 25½ tables and the duties of the MC were carried out by Mr L G Elston. Door stewards were Mrs Taylor, Miss M Hillman and Mr T Headon.
Prize winners were: Mrs S Brend; Mrs J L Parsons; Mrs V Headon; Mrs E Metherell; Mrs D Cornish; Mrs C Hedden; Mrs Rawle; Mr K Poole, Mr R Stoneman; Mrs H M Butler; Mr R Poole; Mr P Colwill; Mr E

Two mothers of Brownies, who had themselves been Girl Guides in the original Company, were among the many parents and friends attending the first enrolment held by the 1st Alwington Girl Guides and Brownie Company since it was re-formed last December.

Three members of the 1st Weare Giffard Guide Company formed the colour party and the ceremonies of enrolment were performed by the District Commissioner Mrs Coham-Fleming, assisted by Mrs P Metherell, Guide Captain, and Mrs J Hopper, Brown Owl.
The nine Girl Guides enrolled were Valerie Bailey, Wendy Beer, Janet Daniel, Mary Kay, Rosina Kay, Ann Lewis, Sylvia Martin,

One of Devon’s oldest country families – the Pine-Coffins – provides the new High Sheriff of Devon.

Lieut-Col John Pine-Coffin who lives with his wife, son and two daughters at West Drydon, Fairy Cross, will be the third member of his family to hold this centuries old office.
The first of these was in the reign of King Henry VIII, and the second in the reign of King James II.
The Queen followed tradition at a Privy Council at Buckingham Palace when she used a gold handled bodkin to prick the names of the Sheriffs for the ensuing year for all the

Standing in a lovely and typically Devonshire combe, leading to Bideford Bay, is Portledge House, one of the ever diminishing number of estates in England which have remained for centuries in a family retaining the original name – in this case that of Coffin.

The estate is now owned by Colonel Claude Pine-Coffin of the Indian Army.
There are many branches of the Coffin family in America who look upon Portledge House as their ancestral home. Some sixty-three years ago there was a notable gathering there of the ‘Clan Coffin’, as it was called. A reader of the Bideford Gazette into