Sir Francis Buller, 1st Baronet

Buller was born at Downes House in the parish of Crediton in Devon, a younger son of James Buller (1717–1765), of Downes and of King's Nympton Park, both in Devon and of Morval in Cornwall, a Member of Parliament for Cornwall, by his second wife Lady Jane Bathurst, daughter of Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst. As his elder brothers inherited the substantial family estates, Buller as a younger son was obliged to make his own fortune, which he achieved both from his brilliant legal career and from having married a wealthy heiress.

Detail from monument in Brixham Church to Sir Francis Buller, showing arms of Buller with a baronet's canton of the Red Hand of Ulster, with inescutcheon of pretence of Yarde (of 4 quarters: 1: Argent, a chevron gules between three water bougets sable (Yarde); 4: Argent, on a bend sable three horse-shoes or (Ferrers of Churston-Ferrers)) for his heiress wife Susanna Yarde (1740–1810)

In 1763, at the age of 17, he married a wealthy heiress, namely Susanna Yarde (1740–1810), only daughter and sole heiress of Francis Yarde (1704–1750) of Ottery St Mary in Devon, the fifth son of Edward Yarde (1669–1735), of Churston Court in the parish of Churston Ferrers, a Member of Parliament for Totnes in Devon 1695–1698.[12] Susanna was the niece and heiress of John Yarde (1702–1773)[13] of Churston Court, which thus became Buller's residence until he purchased Lupton House, one mile to the south. By his wife he had children including:

• Edward Buller, first-born son and heir apparent, who predeceased his father without children and was buried in the cemetery of St Andrew's Church, Holborn,[14] City of London, near Gray's Inn.
• Sir Francis Buller-Yarde-Buller, 2nd Baronet (1767–1833), second and eldest surviving son and heir,[15] who in compliance with the will of his maternal great-uncle John Yarde (1702–1773) assumed the surname Yarde in lieu of his patronymic, but later by royal sign manual added the additional surname Buller.[16] He was the father of:
  • John Yarde-Buller, 1st Baron Churston (1799–1871), eldest surviving son, who was raised to the peerage in 1858;
  • Sir Edward Manningham-Buller, 1st Baronet (1800–1882), second surviving son, created a baronet in 1866, whose descendant was created Viscount Dilhorne in 1964.[17]

Mural monument to Sir Francis Buller, in the Buller Chapel in St Mary's Church, Brixham, Devon

In the late 1790s Buller was in poor health, suffering from frequent attacks of gout and other ailments. He died during the night of 4/5 June 1800 after suffering an acute breakdown in his health during a game of piquet at his house in Bedford Square in London, shortly before had intended to resign his legal position.[2] He was buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church, Holborn, City of London, near Gray's Inn.[6] A mural monument to him survives in the Yarde-Buller Chapel, north transept of St Mary's Church, Brixham, the parish church of Lupton House, inscribed in Latin as follows:

M(emoriae) S(acrum) Francisci Buller Baronetti per plus quam septemdecem annos Banci Regis deinde per sex annos Banci Communis Justiciarii viri memorabilis qui in causis discendis acumine et diligentia in indagando jure industria et in interpretando solertia nimini cessit. Natus in parochia Crediensi 28 die Martii 1746 obiit Londini 4 die Junii 1800 et sepultus est in caemeterio Divi Andrea prope Hospitium Grayense juxta reliquias Edwardi Buller filii primo-geniti

which may be translated as:

"Sacred to the memory of Francis Buller, Baronet, for more than seventeen years a Justice of the King's Bench, thereafter for six years of the Common Pleas, a memorable man who in cases to be decided ceded to no man in sharpness and diligence in researching the law and in industry and interpretation with skilfulness. He was born in the parish of Crediton on the 28th day of March 1746 he died in London on the 4th day of June 1800 and was buried in the cemetery of St Andrew's near Gray's Inn next to the remains of Edward Buller his first-born son".

Sculpted below in low relief is a sword of justice crossed by a beam of a set of scales of justice. At top is shown a shield of the Buller arms with inescutcheon of pretence of Yarde (of 4 quarters) for his heiress wife Susanna Yarde.

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Courtney, William Prideaux (1886). "Buller, Francis". In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 7. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
• Hemery, Eric (1983). High Dartmoor. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 978-0-7091-8859-9.
• Lundy, Darryl. "FAQ". The Peerage.
• Milton, Patricia (2006). The Discovery of Dartmoor, a Wild and Wondrous Region. Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 978-1-86077-401-0.
• Oldham, James (2004). "Buller, Sir Francis, first baronet (1746–1800)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/3914. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
• Vivian, J.L., ed. (1887). The Visitations of Cornwall: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1530, 1573 & 1620; with additions by J.L. Vivian. Exeter: William Pollard.
• Vivian, J.L., ed. (1895). The Visitations of the County of Devon, Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564, & 1620. With additions by Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. Vivian. Exeter: Henry S. Eland.