Earl of Devon
Encyclopedia
The title of Earl of Devon was created several times in the Peerage of England
Peerage of England
The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Peerages of England and Scotland were replaced by one Peerage of Great Britain....
, and was possessed first by the de Redvers (de Reviers) family, and later by the Courtenays
House of Courtenay
The House of Courtenay was an important dynasty in medieval France originating from the castle of Courtenay in the Gâtinais , going back to the 10th century. The dynasty descended from Athon, the first lord of Courtenay, apparently himself a descendant of the Counts of Sens and from Pharamond,...
. It is not to be confused with the title of "Earl of Devonshire", held along with the title of Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
, by the Cavendish family, although the patent for the creation of those peerages used the same Latin words, Comes Devon.
Close kinsmen and powerful allies of the Plantagenet kings, especially Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
, Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
, Henry IV of England
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
and Henry V of England
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
the Earls of Devon were perhaps unfairly treated with suspicion under the Tudors, partly because one of them had married Catherine of York
Catherine of York
Catherine or Katherine of York was the ninth child and sixth daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. From birth to death, she was daughter to Edward IV, sister to Edward V, niece to Richard III, sister-in-law to Henry VII and aunt to Henry VIII.-Early life:She was born in Eltham...
, a younger daughter of Edward IV of England
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
, bringing them again very close to the royal line of succession. During the Tudor period all of them but the last were attainted, and there were several recreations and restorations. The last recreation was to the heirs male of the grantee, not (as would be usual) the heirs male of his body. When he died unmarried, it was assumed the title was extinct, but a much later Courtenay, whose common ancestor was seven generations before this Earl, successfully claimed the title in 1831. During this period the de jure Earls of Devon were made baronets and Viscounts.
During this time, an earldom, now called for distinction the Earldom of Devonshire, was created twice: once for Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy, who had no legitimate children; the second time for the Cavendishes, now Dukes of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
. Unlike the Dukes of Devonshire, the Earls of Devon were strongly connected with the county of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. Their seat is Powderham Castle
Powderham Castle
Powderham Castle is located south of Exeter, Devon, England. The Powderham Estate, in which it is set, runs down to the western shores of the estuary of the River Exe between the villages of Kenton and Starcross....
, near Starcross
Starcross
Starcross is a riverside village with a population of 1,780, situated on the west bank of the estuary of the River Exe in Teignbridge in the English county of Devon...
on the River Exe
River Exe
The River Exe in England rises near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, near the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lies in Devon. It reaches the sea at a substantial ria, the Exe Estuary, on the south coast of Devon...
.
The Earl of Devon has not inherited the original Barony of Courtenay
Baron Courtenay
The Barony of Courtenay, called Baron Courtenay, was created in 1299. The Earldom was confirmed by King Edward III and conferred on Hugh de Courtenay, Earl of Devon's summons to be a Lord of Parliament during his father's lifetime on 23 April 1337...
or the Viscountcy of Courtenay of Powderham (1762–1835); nevertheless, his heir is styled Lord Courtenay by courtesy.
The ancient Earldom
The first Earl of Devon was Baldwin de ReviersBaldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon
Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon was the son of Richard de Redvers and his wife Adeline Peverel.He was one of the first to rebel against King Stephen, and was the only first rank magnate never to accept the new king. He seized Exeter, and was a pirate out of Carisbrooke, but he was driven out...
(Redvers, Revieres), son of Richard de Redvers
Richard de Redvers
Richard de Redvers was a Norman nobleman, from Reviers in Normandy, who may have been one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England from 1066...
who was one of the principal supporters of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. A few early documents suggest that Richard de Redvers was created the first Earl of Devon, and although in the past this caused disagreement over the numbering of the Devon earls, the point is now settled. Baldwin de Reviers was a great lord in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, one of the first to rebel against King Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
. He seized Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, and was a pirate out of Carisbrooke
Carisbrooke
Carisbrooke is a village on the south western outskirts of Newport, Isle of Wight. It is best known as the site of Carisbrooke Castle. It also has a medieval parish church. St. Mary's Church , began life as part of a Benedictine priory, established by French monks about 1150...
, but he was driven out of England to Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
, where he joined the Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
. She made him Earl of Devon after she established herself in England, probably in early 1141.
William de Reviers, fifth Earl, (and son of the first Earl) had only two children who left issue. His son Baldwin died at the age of sixteen, 1 September 1216, leaving his wife Margaret pregnant with the sixth Earl. King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
forced her to marry Falkes de Breauté
Falkes de Breauté
Sir Falkes de Breauté was an Anglo-Norman soldier who earned high office by loyally serving first King John and later King Henry III in First Barons' War. He played a key role in the Battle of Lincoln Fair in 1217. He attempted to rival Hubert de Burgh, and as a result fell from power in 1224...
. She was rescued at the fall of Bedford Castle
Bedford Castle
Bedford Castle was a large medieval castle in Bedford, England. Built after 1100 by Henry I, the castle played a prominent part in both the civil war of the Anarchy and the First Barons' War. The castle was significantly extended in stone, although the final plan of the castle remains uncertain...
in 1224. She was divorced from him, as having been in no true marriage; she is understandably, if mistakenly, called Countess of Devon in several records. The fifth Earl's youngest daughter, Mary de Reviers, known as "de Vernon" was eventually sole heiress of the 1141 Earldom; she married Pierre de Preaux and then Robert de Courtney. Robert was Baron of Okehampton.
The 7th Earl died in 1262, leaving no children. His sister, Isabella de Fortibus
Isabella de Fortibus
Isabella de Fortibus was the eldest daughter of Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon. At the age of 11 or 12 she became the second wife of William de Fortibus who owned land in Yorkshire and Cumberland and was the count of Aumale in Normandy. When he died in 1260 part of his estates were...
was widow of William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle
William de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle
William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry III of England, notably in the Mad Parliament of 1258.He married:# Christina William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle (died 1260) (Latinised as de Fortibus) played a conspicuous part in the reign of Henry...
, and became also Countess of Devon in her own right. Her children predeceased her; she had no grandchildren.
Her lands passed to her second cousin once removed, Hugh de Courtney, great-grandson of Mary and Robert de Courtney above. He was summoned to Parliament in 1299, by which he became styled Lord Courtney. He had difficulty collecting the Third Penny of the County of Devon, but was confirmed as 9th Earl in 1335; some would call this a new grant, rather than a confirmation.
Three of the eight sons of the tenth Earl had descendants (another, William Courtenay
William Courtenay
William Courtenay , English prelate, was Archbishop of Canterbury, having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London.-Life:...
, was Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
and Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
). Sir Hugh de Courtenay
Hugh Courtenay (KG)
Sir Hugh Courtenay, KG was an English knight.He was the eldest son of Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon by his wife Margaret de Bohun, 2nd Countess of Devon, and was probably born at Tiverton Castle....
(1327–1349) was one of the founding members of the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
, but he and his only son
Hugh Courtenay (died 1374)
Hugh Courtenay was an English soldier.He was the only child of Sir Hugh Courtenay, eldest son of Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon, and his wife Elizabeth de Vere...
died before his father. Sir Edward de Courtenay, the third son, also died before his father, but left two sons, Edward, the 11th Earl, and Hugh. We will return to the descendants of Sir Philip de Courtenay to whom his father left Powderham Castle
Powderham Castle
Powderham Castle is located south of Exeter, Devon, England. The Powderham Estate, in which it is set, runs down to the western shores of the estuary of the River Exe between the villages of Kenton and Starcross....
.
The 14th Earl fought on the losing, Lancastrian, side at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
. He was captured, attainted
Attainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
, and beheaded.
After that, the Yorkists made Humphrey Stafford, a distant cousin of the Earl of Stafford (and nephew of another Archbishop), their agent in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. On 17 May 1469, he was created Earl of Devon, since the post was vacant. He was a "three month's Earl": He was sent to fight "Robin of Redesdale
Robin of Redesdale
Robin of Redesdale, sometimes called "Robin Mend-All", was the leader of an insurrection against King Edward IV of England. His true identity is unknown, but it is thought he could have been either Sir John Conyers of Hornby or his brother Sir William Conyers of Marske...
", one of the commanders of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
, divided his own forces, and was captured and executed at Bridgwater
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is the administrative centre of the Sedgemoor district, and a major industrial centre. Bridgwater is located on the major communication routes through South West England...
, 17 August 1469. He had no children, so the second creation of the Earldom was then extinct.
When Warwick won, and arranged the Readeption of Henry VI
Henry VI of England
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realm was governed by regents. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the violent dynastic civil wars, known as the Wars...
, he also had the Earldom of Devon restored to John Courtenay, brother of the 14th Earl. When Edward IV prevailed again, the next year, all the legislation of Henry VI's second reign was cancelled, including this restoration. The fifteenth Earl died fighting on the losing side of the Battle of Tewkesbury
Battle of Tewkesbury
The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses. The forces loyal to the House of Lancaster were completely defeated by those of the rival House of York under their monarch, King Edward IV...
, a few weeks later. If the Earldom and Barony of Courtenay
Baron Courtenay
The Barony of Courtenay, called Baron Courtenay, was created in 1299. The Earldom was confirmed by King Edward III and conferred on Hugh de Courtenay, Earl of Devon's summons to be a Lord of Parliament during his father's lifetime on 23 April 1337...
had not been forfeited at the change of reign, they would (by modern law) have gone into abeyance
Abeyance
Abeyance is a state of expectancy in respect of property, titles or office, when the right to them is not vested in any one person, but awaits the appearance or determination of the true owner. In law, the term abeyance can only be applied to such future estates as have not yet vested or possibly...
among his sisters.
Tudor Earls
Sir Edward Courtenay, grandnephew of the 11th Earl, fought on the winning side at the Battle of Bosworth. Later that year, he was created Earl of Devon, the third creation. He had been under attainderAttainder
In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura is the metaphorical 'stain' or 'corruption of blood' which arises from being condemned for a serious capital crime . It entails losing not only one's property and hereditary titles, but typically also the right to pass them on to one's heirs...
by Richard III's
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
Parliament, and, still later in 1485, he was restored to "the honours lost by his attainder". It is not clear what honours he had had, but this may have been intended to restore the ancient Earldom of Devon. He died in 1509.
William Courtenay, his only son, married Catherine of York
Catherine of York
Catherine or Katherine of York was the ninth child and sixth daughter of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. From birth to death, she was daughter to Edward IV, sister to Edward V, niece to Richard III, sister-in-law to Henry VII and aunt to Henry VIII.-Early life:She was born in Eltham...
, a younger daughter of Edward IV, around 1495. This made him suspicious to Henry VII
Henry VII of England
Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
and he was imprisoned in 1503 and attainted in 1504, for (never proved) complicity in the conspiracy of Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk
Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk, 6th Earl of Suffolk , Duke of Suffolk, was a son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk and his wife Elizabeth of York.-Family:...
. He did not, therefore, inherit his father's title, but was gradually forgiven under the new reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. This had got as far as a restoration of lands and a new grant of the Earldom of Devon, when he died suddenly of pleurisy in June 1511.
Henry Courtenay, his only surviving son, inherited his father's Earldom. In 1512, his father's attainder was reversed, making him heir to his grandfather's earldom; thus becoming second Earl of both the third and fourth creations; and in 1525 Marquess of Exeter
Marquess of Exeter
Marquess of Exeter is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1525 for Henry Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon...
. Unfortunately, in 1538, he was tried, convicted, attainted and beheaded, for conspiring with the Poles and Nevilles against the government of Thomas Cromwell in the aftermath of the Pilgrimage of Grace
Pilgrimage of Grace
The Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising in York, Yorkshire during 1536, in protest against Henry VIII's break with the Roman Catholic Church and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, as well as other specific political, social and economic grievances. It was done in action against Thomas Cromwell...
. At this point, all his titles were forfeited: the Marquessate, the Earldoms of the third and fourth creation, and (if revived) the ancient Earldom also.
Edward Courtenay
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1553 creation)
Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon was the only son of Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter and his second wife, Gertrude Blount...
, his only surviving son, was a prisoner in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for fifteen years, from his father's arrest to the beginning of Mary's
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
reign, when he was released and created, as the fifth creation, Earl of Devon. (This patent differed from the other patents in granting the Earldom to his heirs male forever, rather than the "heirs male of his body".) He was proposed as a prospective bridegroom for the Queen, his cousin, and after Mary married Philip of Spain, he was considered a match for Mary's sister, Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. This made him a threat to Mary's reign; Edward was also implicated in Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's Rebellion was a popular uprising in England in 1554, named after Thomas Wyatt the younger, one of its leaders. The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English...
and again locked up in the Tower. In 1555 he was permitted to go to Italy, where he died in Padua in 1556, quite possibly poisoned. With his death, unmarried, the male line of Sir Edward de Courtenay was extinct; and the Earldom with it, or so everybody thought.
An Interregnum
Since there was no Earl of Devon, James I granted the title in 1603 to Charles Blount, 8th Baron Mountjoy, whose aunt had been the last Earl's mother. He died without legitimate issue three years later, and the King gave (or rather sold) the Earldom to William Cavendish, 1st Baron Cavendish.Meanwhile, the heirs of Sir Philip de Courtenay of Powderham lived quietly under the Tudors, as country gentlemen, became baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
s in 1645, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
; and gained the title of Viscount Courtenay of Powderham in 1762, ten days before the death of the first Viscount.
In 1831, the senior living Courtenay of this line was William Courtenay, the third Viscount, an aged rake, living in Paris, having fled a bill of indictment. Should he die unmarried, the viscounty would become extinct, while the baronetcy would be inherited by his third cousin, another William Courtenay, who happened to be Clerk Assistant to Parliament. This William Courtenay persuaded the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
that "heir male" in the last creation of the title had meant "heir male collateral", and that his cousin was therefore 9th Earl of Devon, and his ancestors had been de jure Earls of Devon back to 1556. William Courtenay duly succeeded his cousin as 10th Earl in 1835, and from him the later Earls are descended. (A madman, John Nichols Thom
John Nichols Thom
John Nichols Thom, or Mad Tom, was a Cornishman, a self-declared messiah who, in the 19th century led the last battle to be fought on English soil.-Early life:...
, claimed to be "Sir William Courtenay" in 1832, and stood for Parliament twice, proclaiming his right to the Earldom and the political platform of the extreme Philosophical Radicals. He organized an agricultural rising outside Canterbury in 1838, and was shot during its suppression.)
The inconvenience, since 1831, of having two Earls for the same county, has been dealt with thus: The Cavendish Earls, who were elevated to a Dukedom in 1694, had been spelling their title Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
; the ancient Earls had usually been Earls of Devon. This is due in part to the differences between English and "law Latin", the language in which royal decrees were traditionally written. This has now become the difference between the two peerages, and it is convenient to call the Blount Earl (1603–06) Earl of Devonshire also.
Earls of Devon, First Creation (1141)
- Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon was the son of Richard de Redvers and his wife Adeline Peverel.He was one of the first to rebel against King Stephen, and was the only first rank magnate never to accept the new king. He seized Exeter, and was a pirate out of Carisbrooke, but he was driven out...
(c. 1095–1155) - Richard de Redvers, 2nd Earl of DevonRichard de Redvers, 2nd Earl of DevonRichard de Redvers, 2nd Earl of Devon was Earl of Devon from 1155 until his death. He married Denise, one of the daughters and coheiresses of Reginald, Earl of Cornwall. He was High Sheriff of Devon from 1154–1157....
(d. 1162) - Baldwin de Redvers, 3rd Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 3rd Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 3rd Earl of Devon was Earl of Devon from 1162 until his death. His birth is not attested; but he had a younger brother, and he was invested with the Earldom between the Pipe Rolls of 1185 and 1186, so he should not have been much over twenty-one.He married the heiress of Raoul,...
(d. 1188) - Richard de Redvers, 4th Earl of DevonRichard de Redvers, 4th Earl of DevonRichard de Redvers, 4th Earl of Devon was Earl of Devon from 1188 until his death.He inherited the title on the death of his elder brother Baldwin de Redvers, 3rd Earl of Devon, who died childless. On his own also childless death the title passed to his uncle, William de Redvers, 5th Earl of...
(d. c. 1193), brother - William de Redvers, 5th Earl of DevonWilliam de Redvers, 5th Earl of DevonWilliam de Reviers, 5th Earl of Devon was the son of Baldwin de Redvers, 1st Earl of Devon and Adelise Baluun. William de Redvers is also William de Vernon, because he was brought up at Vernon Castle, in Normandy, the seat of his grandfather.He took part in Richard the Lion-Hearted's second...
(d. 1217), uncle - Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle was the son of Baldwin de Redvers and Margaret FitzGerold and grandson of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon.-Family and children:...
(1217–1245), grandson - Baldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of DevonBaldwin de Redvers, 7th Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle was the son of Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon and Amicia de Clare, daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford. He succeeded at the age of ten....
(1236–1262) - Isabel de Redvers, 8th Countess of DevonIsabella de FortibusIsabella de Fortibus was the eldest daughter of Baldwin de Redvers, 6th Earl of Devon. At the age of 11 or 12 she became the second wife of William de Fortibus who owned land in Yorkshire and Cumberland and was the count of Aumale in Normandy. When he died in 1260 part of his estates were...
(1237–1293), sister
Earls of Devon, First Creation of the Courtenay line
- Hugh de Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon of the Courtnay lineHugh de Courtenay, 9th Earl of DevonHugh de Courtenay was the son of Hugh de Courtenay of Okehampton and Eleanor le Despenser, daughter of Lord Hugh le Despenser, the significant advisers to King Edward II. He was grandson of John de Courtenay of Okehampton by Isabel de Vere, daughter of Hugh, Earl of Oxford...
(1276–1340) (cousin; declared Earl 1335) - Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (1303–1377)
- Edward de Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon (1357–1419), grandson
- Hugh de Courtenay, 4th Earl of Devon (1389–1422)
- Thomas de Courtenay, 5th Earl of DevonThomas de Courtenay, 5th Earl of DevonThomas Courtenay, 5th earl of Devon was born, presumably in Devonshire, in 1414. As the only surviving son of Hugh de Courtenay, 4th Earl of Devon, Courtenay inherited the earldom on his father’s death in 1422. He may have been a ward of the all-powerful Duke of Exeter...
(1414–1458) - Thomas Courtenay, 6th Earl of DevonThomas Courtenay, 6th Earl of DevonSir Thomas Courtenay, 6th Earl of Devon was the eldest son of Thomas de Courtenay, 5th Earl of Devon by Margaret Beaufort, the royal blooded daughter of John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset and Margaret Holland, daughter of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent....
(1432–1461) (attainted 1461) - John Courtenay, 7th Earl of DevonJohn Courtenay, 7th Earl of DevonJohn Courtenay was a son of Thomas de Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon and Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Devon.He was the younger brother of Thomas Courtenay, 6th Earl of Devon. He married Laura Bourchier although they have no known descendants. It was his brother who knighted him on 29 December...
(1435–1471) (restored 1470; forfeited 1471), brother
Earl of Devon, Second Creation (1469)
- Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of DevonHumphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of DevonHumphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon was a dominant magnate in south-western England in the mid-15th century, and a participant in the Wars of the Roses. A distant relative of the earls of Stafford, Humphrey Stafford became the greatest landowner in the county of Dorset through fortunes of...
(1439–1469) (granted May 1469; forfeited August 1469)
Earl of Devon, Third Creation (1485)
- Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of DevonEdward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1485 creation)Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon KG was an English peer and member of the House of Lords.A loyalist of the House of Tudor, he fought alongside Henry VII at Bosworth and had been one of his original companions in France. There he went to pay homage to the future King of the Lancastrian affinity...
(d. 1509) (forfeited at his death by son’s attainder; restored 1512 to his grandson)- Heir male to John Courtenay above; attainted 1484; restored to lands and honours then lost in 1485; if this was intended to restore the first Earldom, it was also forfeit 1538/9).
Earls of Devon, Fourth Creation (1511)
- William Courtenay, 1st Earl of DevonWilliam Courtenay, 1st Earl of DevonWilliam Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon was the son of Sir Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Elizabeth Courtenay....
(1475–1511) (attainted 1504; restored to the rights of a subject 1511; new creation two days later; died the next month without investiture, but buried as an Earl.) son of Edward above. - Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, 2nd Earl of DevonHenry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of ExeterHenry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York, and grandson of King Edward IV of England.He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay...
(1498–1539) (heir to both 3rd and 4th creations after 1512; attainted 1538/9) son of William above.
Earls of Devon, Fifth Creation (1553)
- Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (1527–1556) (also restored in blood, but not honours, 1553; fifth creation dormant 1556†) son of Henry above.
Earls de jure
- William Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (1529–1557), distant cousin of Edward above,
- William Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon (1553–1630)
- Francis Courtenay, 4th Earl of Devon (1576–1638)
- Sir William Courtenay, 5th Earl of Devon, 1st Baronet (1628–1702) (created 1644)
- Sir William Courtenay, 6th Earl of Devon, 2nd Baronet (1675–1735) grandson of prec.
- William Courtenay, 7th Earl of Devon, 1st Viscount CourtenayWilliam Courtenay, 7th Earl of DevonWilliam Courtenay, 1st Viscount Courtenay , also de jure 7th Earl of Devon, was a British peer. He was the son of William Courtenay, 6th Earl of Devon and 2nd Baronet Courtenay, and Lady Anne Bertie.-Life:...
(11 February 1709/1710 – 16 May 1762) (created Viscount Courtenay 1762) - William Courtenay, 8th Earl of Devon, 2nd Viscount CourtenayWilliam Courtenay, 8th Earl of DevonWilliam Courtenay, 8th Earl de jure of Devon was the eldest son of William Courtenay 7th de jure Earl of Devon, and Lady Frances Finch....
(30 October 1742 – 14 October 1788) - William Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon, 3rd Viscount CourtenayWilliam Courtenay, 9th Earl of DevonWilliam "Kitty" Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon was the youngest son of William Courtenay, 2nd Viscount Courtenay and his wife Frances Clack. He was baptized on 30 August 1768....
(1768–1835) (retrospectively revived 1831†)
Revived (1831)
- William Courtenay, 9th Earl of DevonWilliam Courtenay, 9th Earl of DevonWilliam "Kitty" Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon was the youngest son of William Courtenay, 2nd Viscount Courtenay and his wife Frances Clack. He was baptized on 30 August 1768....
(1768–1835) - William Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon (1777–1859), third cousin
- William Reginald Courtenay, 11th Earl of DevonWilliam Courtenay, 11th Earl of DevonWilliam Reginald Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon PC , styled Lord Courtenay between 1835 and 1859, was a British politician who served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1866 to 1867 and as President of the Poor Law Board from 1867 to 1868.-Background and education:Devon was the eldest son...
(1807–1888) - Edward Baldwin Courtenay, 12th Earl of DevonEdward Courtenay, 12th Earl of DevonEdward Baldwin Courtenay, 12th Earl of Devon , styled Lord Courtenay between 1859 and 1888, was a British peer and Conservative politician.-Background:...
(1836–1891) - Henry Hugh Courtenay, 13th Earl of Devon (1811–1904), uncle
- Charles Pepys Courtenay, 14th Earl of Devon (1870–1927), grandson
- Henry Hugh Courtenay, 15th Earl of Devon (1872–1935), brother
- Frederick Leslie Courtenay, 16th Earl of Devon (1875–1935), brother
- Charles Christopher Courtenay, 17th Earl of Devon (1916–1998)
- Hugh Rupert Courtenay, 18th Earl of DevonHugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of DevonHugh Rupert Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon DL is a British peer.Lord Devon is the son of the 17th Earl of Devon and was educated at Winchester College and graduated with a BA degree from Magdalene College, Cambridge in 1964. On 9 September 1967, he married Dianna Frances Watherston, and they have...
(b. 1942)
The heir apparent
Heir apparent
An heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
is the present holder's son Charles Courtenay, Lord Courtenay (b. 1975). Lord Courtenay has both a daughter, The Honourable Joscelyn Skye Courtenay (b. 2007), and a son, The Honourable Jack Haydon Langer Courtenay (b. 2009) (who is second in line to the Earldom of Devon) with his wife, the American actress, A. J. Langer
A. J. Langer
Allison Joy Langer Courtenay, Lady Courtenay , credited as A. J. Langer, is an American actress best known for her role as Rayanne Graff on the television series My So-Called Life.-Career:...
. Lord Courtenay is currently a practicing attorney in Los Angeles, California, USA.
†: 1553 creation was with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever, so theoretically succeeded by his sixth cousin once removed; thus the 1831 revival was to the 9th member of the family with respect to said creation.
Earl of Devonshire
While the title was supposed extinct, there were two recreations, to the families of Blount and Cavendish, of a Devon Earldom; for which see Charles Blount, 1st Earl of DevonshireCharles Blount, 1st Earl of Devonshire
Charles Blount , 8th Baron Mountjoy and 1st Earl of Devonshire was an English nobleman and soldier who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I, then as Lord Lieutenant under King James I.-Early life:...
(1603–1606) and Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire
Duke of Devonshire is a title in the peerage of England held by members of the Cavendish family. This branch of the Cavendish family has been one of the richest and most influential aristocratic families in England since the 16th century, and have been rivalled in political influence perhaps only...
.