Sir William Mohun (ca. 1540 – 6 April 1588) of

Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...

in the parish of

Lanteglos-by-Fowey Lanteglos (Old kw, Nant Eglos, meaning ''church valley'') is a coastal civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the east side of the tidal estuary of the River Fowey which separates it from the town and civil parish of ...

and of

Boconnoc Boconnoc ( kw, Boskennek) is a civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of the town of Lostwithiel. According to the UK census 2011, 2011 census the parish had a population of 9 ...

, both in Cornwall, was a

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 ...

Origins

He was the son and heir of Reginald Mohun (1507/8–1567) of Hall and Boconnoc, by his wife Jone Trevanion, daughter of Sir William Trevanion and sister of Sir Hugh Trevanion.Vivian, 1895, p. 566 His great-grandfather William Mohun of Hall had married Elizabeth Courtenay, one of the greatest heiresses of her time, one of the four eventual co-heiresses of

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 ...

(1527–1556) the last of the mediaeval Courtenay

Earls 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 ...

. The Mohun share of the Courtenay inheritance included Boconnoc in Cornwall and

Okehampton Castle Okehampton Castle is a medieval motte and bailey castle in Devon, England. It was built between 1068 and 1086 by Baldwin FitzGilbert following a revolt in Devon against Norman rule, and formed the centre of the Honour of Okehampton, guarding a ...

in Devon, and other remnants of the

feudal barony of Okehampton The feudal barony of Okehampton was a very large feudal barony, the largest mediaeval fiefdom in the county of Devon, England,Thorn & Thorn, part 2, chapter 16 whose ''caput'' was Okehampton Castle and manor. It was one of eight feudal baronies ...

, one of the earliest possessions of the Courtenays.

Ancient origins

The Mohuns of Hall were a junior branch of the Mohun family, and were descended from John Mohun (d. 1322) of

Dunster Castle Dunster Castle is a former motte and bailey castle, now a country house, in the village of Dunster, Somerset, England. The castle lies on the top of a steep hill called the Tor, and has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period. After ...

in Somerset,

feudal baron of Dunster Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...

by his wife Anne Tiptoft.

Career

He entered

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1559 to study law. He was elected

for St Germans (1563–1567) and

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

(2 April 1571 – 29 May 1571). He was appointed

Sheriff of Cornwall Sheriffs and high sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list: The right to choose high sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall. The Privy Council, chaired by the sovereign, chooses the sheriffs of all other English counties, oth ...

for 1572 and 1578, knighted in 1583, and then re-elected MP for Cornwall again in 1584 and 1586. He served as

Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall. Since 1742, all the Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Cornwall. *John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford 1552–1554 *John Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Bath 1556–? ...

from 8 August 1586 to 7 December 1587.

Marriages and children

He married twice: *Firstly to Elizabeth Horsey, the daughter of Sir John Horsey (d. 1564), MP, by whom he had two sons and one daughter including: **Reginald Mohun, eldest son and heir. In 1628 his descendant John Mohun (1595–1641) was elevated to the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

by King Charles I as

Baron Mohun of Okehampton Baron Mohun of Okehampton was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 15 April 1628 for John Mohun, formerly a Member of Parliament for Grampound, Cornwall. The family was formerly seated at Hall in the parish of Lanteglos-by-Fow ...

, Pole, Sir William (d.1635), Collections Towards a Description of the County of Devon, Sir John-William de la Pole (ed.), London, 1791, p. 11 in recognition of his ancestor having inherited

as his share of the Courtenay inheritance. *Secondly he married Anne Reskimer, a daughter and co-heiress of William Reskimer and widow of John Trelawny (d. 1568) of Menheniot, by whom he had a further three sons and two daughters. Anne survived him and remarried thirdly to Sir William Lower.

Death and burial

He died in 1588.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohun, William 1540s births 1588 deaths High Sheriffs of Cornwall Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for St Germans Lord-Lieutenants of Cornwall Year of birth uncertain English MPs 1563–1567 English MPs 1571 English MPs 1584–1585 English MPs 1586–1587