Sir William Courtenay ( – 29 September 1557) was a landowner in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

and ''de jure'' 2nd

Earl of Devon Earl of Devon was created several times in the English peerage, and was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the de Redvers (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.) family, and later by the Courtenay family. It is not to be con ...

. 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 William Courtenay ( 134231 July 1396) was Archbishop of Canterbury (1381–1396), having previously been Bishop of Hereford and Bishop of London. Early life and education Courtenay was a younger son of Hugh de Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon ( ...

, of Powderham in 1535. He was knighted in 1553 and MP for

Plympton Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Plym ...

in 1555.

Marriage and issue

Around 28 November 1545, he married Lady Elizabeth ( – 4 Nov. 1576), daughter to

John Paulet, 2nd Marquess of Winchester John Paulet, 2nd Marquess of Winchester ( – 4 November 1576), styled The Honourable John Paulet between 1539 and 1550, Lord St John between 1550 and 1551 and Earl of Wiltshire between 1551 and 1555, was an English peer. He was the eldest son ...

and his first wife, Elizabeth Willoughby, by whom he had a son and a daughter: * Sir

(1553 – 24 June 1630), married firstly, around 18 January 1573, Lady Elizabeth, daughter of

Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland, 13th Baron de Ros of Helmsley, KG (23 September 152617 September 1563) was an English nobleman. Origins He was the son and heir of Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland and his wife Eleanor Paston. Career Li ...

; secondly, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir George Sydenham of

Combe Sydenham Combe Sydenham is an historic manor in Somerset, England. The 15th-century manor house, called Combe Sydenham House is in the parish of Stogumber, Somerset and is situated just within the boundary of Exmoor National Park. It is a Grade I list ...

in Somerset and widow of Sir

Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

; thirdly, Jane, daughter of Robert Hill of

Yarde Nettlecombe is a civil parish in the English county of Somerset. The parish covers a rural area below the Brendon Hills, comprising the small hamlets of Beggearn Huish, Torre, Woodford Yarde, together with more isolated individual farms and home ...

, Somerset. * Jane Courtenay, married, around 20 January 1573, as his first wife, Sir Nicholas Parker of Willingdon.

Death

He took part in the battle of St. Quentin in August 1557 in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

, France, and died on 29 September 1557. His widow later married Sir

Henry Ughtred Sir Henry Ughtred or Oughtred ( – June 1599) was a merchant and shipbuilder during the reign of Elizabeth I. One of his ships, the ''Leicester'' sailed with Sir Francis Drake against the Spanish Armada. He was elected MP for the seat ...

, son of Sir

Anthony Ughtred Sir Anthony Ughtred or Oughtred, Knight banneret ( – 6 October 1534) was as an English soldier and military administrator during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Ughtred fought in Ireland, the Anglo Scottish border and both on ...

and his second wife, Elizabeth Seymour, sister of

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, third consort of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. 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 Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon (c. 1527 – 18 September 1556) was an English nobleman during the rule of the Tudor dynasty. Born into a family with close royal connections, he was at various times considered a possible match for the ...

) as ''de jure'' 2nd

in 1556.

Notes

References

* * * * * * *

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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Courtenay, William 1529 births 1557 deaths Year of birth uncertain Members of the Parliament of England for Plympton Erle English MPs 1555 16th-century English landowners Earls of Devon (1553 creation)