William Courtenay (died 1557)

Sir William Courtenay (c. 1529 – 29 September 1557) was a landowner in 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 Kt.
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	MP, soldier
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Paulet
Children	Sir William Courtenay Jane Courtenay
Parent(s)	George Courtenay Catherine St Leger

Marriage and issue

Around 28 November 1545, he married 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,[4] 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.[5]
• Jane Courtenay, married, around 20 January 1573,[6] as his first wife, Sir Nicholas Parker of Willingdon.[2]

Death

He 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.[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

1. Hawkyard 1982.
2. Vivian 1895, p. 247.
3. Richardson III 2011, p. 311.
4. Foster 1887, p. 339.
5. Hasler 1981.
6. Foster 1887, p. 1018.
7. 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."
8. Fuidge 1981.
9. Richardson III 2011, pp. 111–112, 311.

References

• Colby, Frederic Thomas, ed. (1872). The Visitation of the County of Devon in the Year 1620. Publications of the Harleian Society. 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. III (2nd ed.). CreateSpace. ISBN 1461045207.
• 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.

External links

• 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. at historyofparliamentonline.org