Buckland Filleigh is a parish, there is no village or central point. Residential properties are spread thinly across the region with total population between 150 and 200.
The nearby villages of Sheepwash, Shebbear and Petrockstowe are in adjacent parishes.
For much of its history, Buckland Filleigh has been the estate property of Buckland Manor.
It is believed that the origins of Buckland Manor go back to Saxon times, but evidence of farming in the area can be traced further back to the Celtic Dumnonii tribe that populated the west country.
Following the Norman conquest of Briton, the manor became one of many properties granted by William the Conqueror to Geoffery de Montbray (c1030 ‐ 1093). These properties were ultimately returned to the crown following rebellions by Geoffery and his heirs.
The de Filleigh family inherited the estate, starting with Simon de Filleigh (1154 ‐ d.). The de Filleigh family already controlled lands in Devon, from which they took the name Filleigh.
The estate remained with the de Filleigh family to the end of the 14th century, when it passed by marriage to William Treawin (m. Elizabeth de Filleigh), and then on to Richard Denzil again by marriage (m. Joan Treawin), and again by marriage to Martin Fortescue (m. Elizabeth Denzil).
The Fortescue family, retained the estate until 1843 when it was sold to Alexander Baring (son of the founder of Barings Bank). In 1870 it was sold to William James Browne, a medical doctor turned Australian farm owner. The Browne family retained the estate until 1952 when the Manor House and the estate farms were sold off individually. A copy of the map created at the time of this sale is on kitchen wall in the Shippon cottage and behind the sofa in the Hayloft cottage. If you are in the Stable ‐ just ask if you'd like to take a look ‐ we have more copies.
The house was used as a school from 1956 to 1984, after which it was held as a private residence until 1990. From 1990 it was owned by a holiday company which fell into bankruptcy in 1996.
Currently the house and grounds are owned by Ralph Nicholson who has carried out renovations and runs the property as an event venue ‐ frequently used for weddings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manor_of_Buckland_Filleigh
http://fortescue.org/site/manor-houses/buckland-filleigh-house/
Background: Madeline Jane Taylor (2005). Buckland Filleigh, a Continuous thread. Published by Edward Gaskell, ISBN 10: 1898546800 / ISBN 13: 9781898546801