Colyton is a town in Devon, England. It is located within the East Devon local authority location. It is 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) from Seaton and 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 population at the above census was 4,493. Colyton initially looked like an old town around 700 AD and attributes in the Domesday Book as 'Culitone'. The third code of law of King Edmund I was provided at Colyton in about 945. This helped to stabilize feudal society, by specifying clearly its four columns: royalty, lordship, household, and neighbourhood. It became a vital agricultural centre and market town with a corn mill, saw mill, iron shop and also an oak bark tannery that is still working. Positioned 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometres) to the north of the town was Colcombe Castle, now demolished, a previous seat of the Courtenay household, Earls of Devon. Complying with the attainder of the Marquis of Exeter the Courtenay lands escheated to the Crown, and those within Colyton were marketed back for £1,000 to numerous homeowners of Colyton church, as detailed in an act recorded in the Letters and also Papers of Henry VIII dated 6 January 1547, summarised as "John Clarke and others. Grant in free socage, subject to leas and so on (defined), for l,000 l, of the adhering to lands (extents given) in the church of Colyton, which are parcels of Colyton estate, Devon, and came from Henry Marquis of Exeter, attainted". This was the beginning of the Feoffees of Colyton, that remained to hold in usual numerous homes in the church. The community has actually been called "one of the most rebellious community in Devon" as a result of the variety of its citizens that joined the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685.