Family Branch: Combe

The “Combe” branch of the Pinsent family was the first to achieved any social prominence. John Pinsent of Combe was a wealthy man who owned a farm on Hatherdown Hill near Bovey Tracey in the Teign Valley, and he may have had an interest in a tin mine at Owlacombe in the mid 1500s. He was most likely the man who applied to the College of Heralds for a Coat of Arms and graduated from being a “yeoman” to a “gentleman.”

One of John’s sons, another John, seems to have been a merchant and Inn keeper in the nearby market town of Chudleigh. It was he who established the Pynsent line that led to the baronetcy discussed in: “The Pynsent Baronetcy: The Trials and Tribulations of a Litigious Family: 1687-1765″. John had two other sons: Hugh – whose legal woes triggered at least one of his sons to go into law, and George, whose interests seem to have led to at least one of his sons going into the church.

Their lives, and those of several others are touched on briefly in Trials and Tribulations and they are expanded upon here. Sadly, John’s last known male descendant died in 1765, ending the baronetcy – although it was illegally assumed by a Irish cleric! This is, for now at least, thought to be a broken branch.

Note that whereas the linkages made in developing the other Family Branches (Devonport, Hennock, Tiverton, Bristol, Teignmouth, Bovey Tracey and Australia) are reasonably well established, this cannot be said for the Combe Branch. Although the individuals described here certainly existed, their parentage may change if new information comes to light.

More Information

For the closer look at how the Combe family lived, “notable members” (marked with a ““) include full biographies. Family members marked with “” are discussed in their fathers’ biographies.

Notable Members of the Branch

Diggory Pinsent, 1629 – xxxx.
Edward Pinsent, vicar of Loddiswell, 1611 – 1652.
Ellis Pinsent, merchant in the City of Exeter, Devon, 1619 – 1691.
George Pinsent, xxxx – 1598.
George Pinsent, constable of Topsham, 1586 – 1632.
Hugh Pinsent, farmer, Ilsington, Devon, 1540 – 1626.
John Pinsent, farmer, Combe, Bovey Tracey, xxxx – 1575.
John Pinsent, xxxx – xxxx.
John Pynsent, merchant and inn keeper, Chudleigh, Devon, 1532 – 1615.
John Pynsent, merchant in Chudleigh, 1571 – 1643.
John Pinsent, landholder in Bere Ferrers, 1594 – 1654.
John Pinsent, vicar of Digswell in Hertfordshire, 1668 – 1725.
John Pinsent, rector of Great Easton, Essex, 1704 – 1776.
Jonas Pinsent, lawyer and solicitor in West Country and London, 1575 – 1637.
Jonas Pinsent, clerk of the Court of King’s Bench, Bovey Tracey, Devon, 1609 – 1658.
Jonas Pinsent, 1637 – xxxx.
Jonas Pinsent, 1645 – xxxx.
Richard Pinsent, 1642 – xxxx.
Robert Pinsent, rector of Cotleigh, Devon, 1579 – 1631.
Thomas Pinsent, gentleman of Woodland, 1615 – 1690.
William Pinsent, 1580 – 1664.
William Pinsent, 1622 – 1677.

All Members of the Tree