Membury, Devon

Historic estates

• Yarty, long the seat of the Fry family.
• Waterhouse, anciently the seat of the de la Water family, which family, as was usual, had taken their surname from their seat. It was so named from its closeness to the River Yarty and "took the name of the water adjoyining & floatinge under it". Isabell Water, daughter and heiress of William Water, married Nicholas Hele, a younger son of Nicholas Hele of Hele, in the parish of Cornwood, Devon. His grand-daughter was the heiress Emma Hele, who by her marriage to Christopher Perry brought Waters to her son William Perry who married a daughter of John Fry of adjoining Yarty. After a few generations the family became extinct in the male line on the death of William Perry, who according to Pole: "wasted all his estate except this only", which sole possession he bequeathed to his four sisters and co-heiresses. They sold it to William Fry of adjoining Yarty, who amalgamated it with his other local estates and according to Pole: "made a very lardge & profitable & commodious demesnes, replenished with pastures, meadows, arable land, woode & water & all comodities belonginge unto hospitality". The arms of Perry of Waters were: Quarterly gules and or, on a bend argent three lions passant azure.