Colyton is a town in Devon, England. It lies within the East Devon regional authority area. It is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Seaton and also 6 miles (9.7 kilometres) from Axminster. Its population in 1991 was 2,783, lowering to 2,105 at the 2011 Census. Colyton is a major part of the Coly Valley electoral ward. The ward populace at the above census was 4,493. Colyton first looked like an old town around 700 AD as well as features in the Domesday Book as 'Culitone'. The third code of law of King Edmund I was provided at Colyton in about 945. This assisted to maintain feudal culture, by specifying clearly its 4 columns: kingship, lordship, household, as well as neighbourhood. It turned into a crucial agricultural centre and market town with a corn mill, saw mill, iron factory and an oak bark tannery that is still working. Situated 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometres) to the north of the town was Colcombe Castle, currently demolished, a previous seat of the Courtenay family, Earls of Devon. Adhering to the attainder of the Marquis of Exeter the Courtenay lands escheated to the Crown, and those within Colyton were offered back for £1,000 to numerous citizens of Colyton parish, as provided in an action recorded in the Letters as well as Documents of Henry VIII dated 6 January 1547, summed up as "John Clarke and also others. Grant in totally free socage, based on rents etc. (specified), for l,000 l, of the following lands (degrees given) in the parish of Colyton, which are parcels of Colyton chateau, Devon, and also belonged to Henry Marquis of Exeter, attainted". This was the origin of the Feoffees of Colyton, that continued to hold in common different residential or commercial properties in the parish. The town has actually been referred to as "one of the most defiant town in Devon" due to the variety of its occupants that signed up with the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.