Sir William Courtenay (c. 1529 – 29 September 1557) was a landowner in Devon and de jure 2nd Earl of Devon. He was the son of George Courtenay (d. 1533) and Catherine, daughter of Sir George St Ledger of Annery. He succeeded his grandfather Sir William Courtenay, of Powderham in 1535. He was knighted in 1553 and MP for Plympton in 1555.[1]
William Courtenay | |
|---|---|
 Arms of Courtenay, Earls of Devon: Quarterly 1st & 4th, Or, three torteaux gules (Courtenay); 2nd & 3rd: Or, a lion rampant azure | |
| Born | c. 1529 |
| Died | 29 September 1557 (aged 27–28) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | MP, soldier |
| Spouse | Lady Elizabeth Paulet |
| Children | Sir William Courtenay Jane Courtenay |
| Parent(s) | George Courtenay Catherine St Leger |
Marriage and issue
editAround 28 November 1545, he married Lady Elizabeth (c. 1533 – 4 Nov. 1576), daughter to John Paulet, 2nd Marquess of Winchester and his first wife, Elizabeth Willoughby, by whom he had a son and a daughter:[1][2][3]
- Sir William Courtenay (1553 – 24 June 1630), married firstly, around 18 January 1573, Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland; secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Sydenham of Combe Sydenham in Somerset and widow of Sir Francis Drake; thirdly, Jane, daughter of Robert Hill of Yarde, Somerset.[4][5]
- Jane Courtenay, married, around 20 January 1573, as his first wife, Sir Nicholas Parker of Willingdon.[2][6]
Death
editHe took part in the battle of St. Quentin in August 1557 in Picardy, France, and died on 29 September 1557.[7] His widow later married Sir Henry Ughtred, son of Sir Anthony Ughtred and his second wife, Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Jane, third consort of Henry VIII.[8][9]
In 1831, a decision of the House of Lords determined that he had succeeded his sixth cousin once removed (Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon) as de jure 2nd Earl of Devon in 1556.[1]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c Hawkyard 1982.
- ^ a b Vivian 1895, p. 247.
- ^ Richardson III 2011, p. 311.
- ^ Foster 1887, p. 339.
- ^ Hasler 1981.
- ^ Foster 1887, p. 1018.
- ^ Hawkyard 1982: "He took part in the siege of St. Quentin, but contrary to tradition he was not killed or, probably, even wounded in action."
- ^ Fuidge 1981.
- ^ Richardson III 2011, pp. 111–112, 311.
References
edit- Colby, Frederic Thomas, ed. (1872). The Visitation of the County of Devon in the Year 1620. Publications of the Harleian Society. Vol. VI. London: Harleian Society.
- Foster, Joseph, ed. (1887). London Marriage Licences, 1521-1869. From Excerpts by the Late Colonel Chester, D.C.L. London: Bernard Quaritch.
- Fuidge, N. M. (1981). "Ughtred, Henry (by 1534-aft. Oct. 1598), of Southampton and Ireland". In Hasler, P.W. (ed.). Members. The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1558–1603. Historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- Hasler, P.W. (1981). "Courtenay, Sir William I (1553-1630), of Powderham, Devon". In Hasler, P.W. (ed.). Members. The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1558–1603. Historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- Hawkyard, A.D.K. (1982). "Courtenay, Sir William II (1529/30-57), of Powderham, Devon and London". In Bindoff, S.T. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558. historyofparliamentonline.org.
- Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G. (ed.). Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Vol. III (2nd ed.). CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1461045205.
- Vivian, J. L. (1895). The Visitations of the County of Devon, Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564, to 1620, with additions by J. L. Vivian. Exeter: H.S. Eland.