Sir Richard Champernowne (1344-1419) was an English landowner and administrator who held lands at

Modbury Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish council has ...

, Dodbrooke, Bridford, and East Portlemouth in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

and at

Aston Rowant Aston Rowant (anciently ''Aston Rohant'') is a village, civil parish and former manor about south of Thame in South Oxfordshire, England. The parish includes the villages of Aston Rowant and Kingston Blount, and adjoins Buckinghamshire to th ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

Origins

Born on 29 June 1344 at the manor of Suddon in the parish of

Wincanton Wincanton ( or ) is a town and electoral ward in Somerset, southwest England. The town lies off the A303 road, a main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry. In the 2021 census the civil parish had a populatio ...

and baptised in the parish church of Wincanton, he was the son of Sir Thomas Champernowne, a member of the Champernowne family who had been landowners in Devon for many generations, and his wife Eleanor Rohant, daughter and heiress of Sir Roger Rohant. His sister Cecily Champernowne married Simon Fleming.

Career

In his public life, he served as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Devon in 1368, in 1381, and again in 1387. In 1386 was appointed by Thomas Brantingham, the

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

, to demarcate the disputed border between Devon and

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. In his private life, he and his second wife obtained in 1404 permission from the

Pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

to have a portable altar and to choose their own

confessor In a number of Christian traditions, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Anglicanism, a confessor is a priest who hears the confessions of penitents and pronounces absolution. History During the Diocletianic Persecut ...

. He made his will on 26 February 1419, asking to be buried beside his second wife at Dodbrooke, and it was proved at

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

on 3 April 1419.

Family

About 25 April 1369, when he was 25 years old, he married Alice Astley, daughter of Thomas Astley, 3rd Baron Astley, and his wife Elizabeth Beauchamp. Their children included: :Alexander Champernowne (died 1441), who before November 1384 married Joan Ferrers, daughter of Martin Ferrers. :Joan Champernowne (died 1419), who married first Sir James Chudleigh (died 1402), of Ashton, and secondly Sir John Courtenay (died 1406), of Powderham. After Alice died, by 13 August 1394 he had married Catherine Daubeney, daughter of Sir Giles Daubeney and his wife Eleanor Willington, and their children included: :Richard Champernowne (died 1418), later knighted, who married Isabel Bonville, daughter of Sir John Bonville and his wife Elizabeth FitzRoger. :Margaret Champernowne (died 1434), who married Robert Hill, of

Shilstone Modbury is a large village, ecclesiastical parish, civil parish and former manor in the South Hams district of the county of Devon in England. Today due to its large size it is generally referred to as a "town" although the parish council has ...

, son of Sir Robert Hill.Vivian makes her the aunt rather than the daughter of Sir Richard. :John Champernowne, who married Margaret Spriggy, daughter of John Spriggy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Champernowne, Richard 1344 births 1419 deaths High sheriffs of Devon People from South Hams (district)