Thomas Peregrine Courtenay PC (31 May 1782 – 8 July 1841) was a British politician and writer. He served as

Vice-President of the Board of Trade The office of Vice-President of the Board of Trade is a junior ministerial position in the government of the United Kingdom at the Board of Trade. The office was created in 1786 but fell into abeyance in 1867. From 1848 onwards, the office was he ...

under the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

between 1828 and 1830.

Background

Courtenay was the second son of the Right Reverend Henry Reginald Courtenay (d.1803),

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

, and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard, daughter of

Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham Lieutenant-General Thomas Howard, 2nd Earl of Effingham (1714 – 19 November 1763), styled Lord Howard from 1731 to 1743, was a British nobleman and Army officer, the son of Francis Howard, 1st Earl of Effingham. Lord Howard was appointed a dep ...

. His paternal grandmother Lady Catherine was the daughter of

Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst Allen Bathurst, 1st Earl Bathurst, (16 November 168416 September 1775), of Bathurst in the County of Sussex, known as The Lord Bathurst from 1712 to 1772, was a British Tory politician. Bathurst sat in the English and British House of Commons f ...

. His elder brother was William Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon (1777–1859).

Political career

Courtenay sat as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-so ...

from 1811 to 1832 and served under the

from 1828 to 1830. In 1828 he was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

Publications

Courtenay was also a writer and published among other works ''Memoirs of the Life, Works and Correspondence of Sir William Temple, Bart'' (London, 1836) and ''Commentaries on the historical plays of Shakspeare''.

Family

Courtenay married Anne, daughter of Mayow Wynell-Mayow, in 1805. They had eight sons and five daughters. Three of their sons gained particular distinction. Their second son the Rt.Rev. Reginald Courtenay (1813–1906) was

Bishop of Kingston The Bishop of Kingston (technically of ''Kingston upon Thames'' or, originally, of ''Kingston-on-Thames'') is an episcopal title used by an area bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Southwark, in the Province of Canterbury, England. The t ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, between 1856 and 1879. Their sixth son Richard William Courtenay (1820–1904) was a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy. Their seventh son Henry Reginald Courtenay (1823–1911) was a

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

. Courtenay drowned while sea bathing at Torquay. in July 1841, aged 59.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtenay, Thomas 1782 births 1841 deaths Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Totnes UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom