Combe Martin's Famous People

Last modified on December 14, 2025

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Famous Personalities in English History

Combe Martin has long been associated with remarkable figures whose lives mirror the wider currents of English history.

From reformers and priests to civil servants, local characters, and celebrated personalities, these individuals highlight the village’s enduring role in times of religious change, political upheaval, and cultural transformation.

Their stories link Combe Martin to national events while preserving a distinct heritage that continues to shape the community’s identity.

Popular:  The Earl of Rone | Silver Mining | Combe Martin Museum | John Rowbotham 1944 |

Four of the Outstanding Personalities Associated with Combe Martin

Notable People from the 16th Century

Protestant Reformer John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury 

Anglican Church literary campaigner and controversialist John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury c.1559 to 1571, is widely reported as born near Combe Martin on 24 May 1522. An intellectual, he was a leader of the Reform Movement, which sought to promote Protestant reforms in England during the 16th century.

Renowned for his arguments with Catholic Priest Thomas Harding, Jewel remains a significant figure in the Anglican Church. Jewel died at Louvain during September 1572. 

Thomas Harding (1516-1572)

English Roman Catholic priest and controversialist Thomas Harding is believed to have been born in Combe Martin. He is known for his controversy with Bishop Jewel, over Roman Catholic doctrines. The Church of England's break from the Catholic Church in 1534 led to the emergence and expansion of Protestant influence in England (The Reformation).

His efforts contributed to the Catholic response to the Reformation, and provided a voice for traditional Catholic beliefs at a time of significant religious upheaval in England.

Educated at Barnstaple school and Winchester, Harding eventually became a College Fellow at New College, Oxford, in 1536. He was primarily known for his role in defending Catholic doctrine against Protestant reformers.

Sir Richard Pollard MP (1505-1542)

Was awarded the manor of Combe Martin from King Henry VIII in 1537. Pollard was a contentious figure because of his involvement in the Dissolution of the Monasteries> between 1536 and 1540, during the Protestant Reformation which occurred under the reign of King Henry VIII and his successors.

See: POLLARD, Richard (by 1505-42), of Putney, Surr., London and Forde Abbey, Dorset. | History of Parliament Online>

Acting as an agent for Thomas Cromwell who was chief minister to King Henry VIII of England from 1532 to 1540, Pollard oversaw the dissolution and seizure of monastic properties.

Sir Richard Pollard oversaw the defacement and deconstruction of the shrines at Bury St. Edmunds, at Winchester, and at Canterbury which marked the end of a significant religious and cultural legacy associated with St. Thomas Becket.

By participating in the Dissolution, Pollard was part of a transformative period in English history. He has been called "one of the outstanding civil servants of the period", yet his actions caused significant upheaval and resentment among the affected communities.

Download our paper on The Tudor Pollard Legacy:

Overview of Notable Figures in Combe Martin's History: 

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