"In Norman
times Powderham belonged to the Bohuns, by a female
descendant of whom it was carried by marriage, about
the middle of the fourteenth century, to Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon. The Courtenays possessed vast estates in this county : many
of them have passed away long since, but Powderham has
remained to the present day in their possession."
Extract from "The land we live in" (Open
Library)
