By 1549 the Granville family, besides changing the spelling of their name yet again, had established themselves in both manors of Bideford and Stowe, with branches of the family overseeing each. Richard Greynfelde (d 1549/50) was clearly based in Bideford, as he left his mansion house in the town to his grandson Sir Richard Grenville (1542-1591).

The Exeter Records for 1565 demonstrate that Bideford’s shipyards could already produce a ship of 250 tons, making East-the-Water one of the most significant ship-building centers in the west.