Rashleigh is asurname of a prominent family fromCornwall andDevon in south western Britain, which originated in the 14th century or before at the estate ofRashleigh in the parish ofWembworthy, Devon.[3] The principal branches were:
The Rashleighs ofFowey andMenabilly were powerfulmerchants in the time ofHenry VIII andElizabeth I. Philip Rashleigh, younger son of a family fromBarnstaple inDevon, had purchased the manor of Trenant close to Fowey from the king after thedissolution of the monasteries in 1545. He went into trade, became successful but died in 1551. His two sons Robert and John founded the fortunes of the Fowey Rashleighs and their pedigree has been well documented.
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Charles Rashleigh (died 1823) was anentrepreneur. The expandingmining industry around West Polmear led him to developCharlestown, Cornwall on the south coast as a port, which was named Charlestown after him.[6]
Rashleigh-Berry was Lt. Col in the British Army stationed inPeshawar, British Indian Empire. Rashleigh-Berry participated in theSecond Anglo-Afghan War, underSir Frederick Roberts.
John Rashleigh (1554–1624) was an English merchant and Member of Parliament. He was the father ofJonathon Rashleigh and grandfather ofJohn Rashleigh. John Rashleigh was the son of Phillip Rashleigh, a merchant, shipowner and landowner fromBarnstaple. Phillip was himself the son of owner of the Rashleigh-Barton estate located inDevon which has been known to exist since 1196. After his father Phillip Rashleigh purchased the manor of Trenant in 1545, Phillip moved his family from Devon to Cornwall to take advantage of thedissolution of the monasteries by buying and re-selling the land acquired around Fowey, it was from this land that John Rashleigh commenced buildingMenabilly from land acquired in Fowey (from which Menabilly was later completed in its construction by his son Jonathan).[7]
Jonathan Rashleigh (4 July 1591 – 1 May 1675) was an English merchant and politician who sat in theHouse of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1675. He supported theRoyalist cause during theEnglish Civil War. Jonathan was also responsible for completing the construction of the family home ofMenabilly.
John Rashleigh (21 January 1619 – 13 March 1693) was an English politician who sat in theHouse of Commons from 1661 to 1679. He was the son ofJonathan Rashleigh and the grandson ofJohn Rashleigh (the merchant and MP).
This Jonathan Rashleigh (see painting to the right) was also based in Menabilly and was theSheriff of Cornwall in 1687. He was the grandson ofJonathan Rashleigh the merchant and House of Commons politician.
Philip Rashleigh (1729–1811) was a Cornishmineral expert andMember of Parliament[8] forFowey.
In theReturn of Owners of Land, 1873, MrJonathan Rashleigh ofMenabilly Estate,Par, was listed as the largest landowner in Cornwall with an estate of 30,156 acres (122 km2), or 3.97% of the total area of Cornwall.[9] The estate contains pleasure grounds and a large country house which wasDaphne du Maurier's inspiration for the houseManderley in her novelRebecca.[8]
