William Courtenay, 1st Viscount Courtenay (11 February 1709 – 16 May 1762), also ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' (; ; ) describes practices that are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. The phrase is often used in contrast with '' de facto'' ('from fa ...

'' 7th

Earl of Devon Earl of Devon is a title that has been created several times in the Peerage of England. It was possessed first (after the Norman Conquest of 1066) by the Redvers family (''alias'' de Reviers, Revieres, etc.), and later by the Courtenay famil ...

, was a British peer. He was the son of William Courtenay, 6th Earl of Devon and 2nd

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

Courtenay, and Lady Anne Bertie.

Life

Sir William Courtenay was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

and graduated from

Magdalen College Magdalen College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and one of the strongest academically, se ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

in 1731 with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

. He succeeded to the title of 3rd

Courtenay and ''de jure'' to the title of 7th

on 10 October 1735. He was awarded the honorary degree of

Doctor of Civil Law Doctor of Civil Law (DCL; ) is a degree offered by some universities, such as the University of Oxford, instead of the more common Doctor of Laws (LLD) degrees. At Oxford, the degree is a higher doctorate usually awarded on the basis of except ...

by Magdalen College in 1739. He held the office of Member of Parliament for

Honiton Honiton () is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, Devon, River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 12,154 (based on 2021 census). History The ...

as a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

between 1734 and 1741 and for

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 ...

from 1741 to 6 May 1762, when he was created 1st

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

Courtenay of

Powderham Castle Powderham Castle is a fortified manor house in Exminster, Devon, south of Exeter and mile (0.4 km) north-east of the village of Kenton, where the main public entrance gates are located. It is a Grade I listed building. The park and gar ...

Marriage and children

He married on 2 April 1741 Lady Frances Finch (d.1761), daughter of Heneage Finch, 2nd Earl of Aylesford by his wife Mary Fisher (1690-1740), daughter and heiress of Sir Clement Fisher, 3rd Baronet (d.1729) of

Packington Hall Packington Hall is a 17th-century mansion situated at Great Packington, near Meriden in Warwickshire, England and is the seat of the Earl of Aylesford. It is a Grade II listed building. History Packington Hall was built in 1693 for Sir Cl ...

, Warwickshire. They had the following children: * William Courtenay, 2nd Viscount Courtenay (30 October 1742 - 14 October 1788) *the Hon. Charlotte Courtenay (d. 1826), married

Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn, Privy Council of the United Kingdom, PC, King's Counsel, KC (3 February 1733 – 2 January 1805) was a Scottish lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1761 and 1780 when he was ...

*the Hon. Frances Courtenay (d. 1828), married Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet

Death and burial

He was buried on 31 May 1762 at Powderham,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Residences

His seats in Devon were

, which he greatly remodelled, and Forde House,

Wolborough Wolborough is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Newton Abbot, in the Teignbridge district, in the county of Devon, England. Today the village forms a southern suburb of the town of Newton Abbot. The parish of Wolborough his ...

, near

Newton Abbot Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the River Teign in the Teignbridge, Teignbridge District of Devon, England. Its population was 24,029 in 2011, and was estimated at 26,655 in 2019. It grew rapidly in ...

. His

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of Terraced house, terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type o ...

in Exeter was the site of the present

Devon and Exeter Institution The Devon and Exeter Institution is a subscription library in the City of Exeter, in Devon, United Kingdom, founded in 1813 for "The general diffusion of science, literature and the arts". It is situated at 7, Cathedral Close, Exeter, in a build ...

at 7 Cathedral Close, on the north side of the Cathedral Green. It was at one time, like Forde, home of the Parliamentary general, Sir

William Waller Sir William Waller JP (c. 159819 September 1668) was an English soldier and politician, who commanded Parliamentarian armies during the First English Civil War. Elected MP for Andover to the Long Parliament in 1640, Waller relinquished ...

, whose daughter Margaret Waller was the wife of Courtenay's great-grandfather

Sir William Courtenay, 1st Baronet Sir William Courtenay, 1st Baronet (7 September 1628 – 1 August 1702) was an English politician. Origins Courtenay was the eldest son and heir of Francis Courtenay (d. 1638) of Powderham Castle by his second wife Elizabeth Seymour, daughter ...

(d.1702). Parts of Waller's building survive at the rear and the gatehouse range fronting the Close. The old hall and kitchen were demolished in 1813 to make way for the Institution and in their place and on the former courtyard are now situated the libraries.

Overmantel in Exeter townhouse

Overmantel ''circa'' 1750, in the former townhouse of Courtenays of Powderham, now the home of the

, 7 Cathedral Close, Exeter. The left-hand painted panel shows the arms of William Courtenay, 1st Viscount Courtenay (1711-1762)

impaling Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in response to "crimes again ...

the arms of Finch, the family of his wife. The

sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction "left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see dex ...

supporter is one of the Finch heraldic griffins, the dexter one is the Courtenay boar. The Courtenay motto is shown underneath: ''Ubi lapsus quid feci'' ("Where did I slip what have I done"). The panel on the right shows the arms of Bishop

Peter Courtenay Peter Courtenay may refer to: *Peter Courtenay (bishop) (c. 1432–1492), English bishop and politician *Sir Peter Courtenay (KG) (1346–1405), soldier and knight *Sir Peter Courtenay (died 1552), of Ugbrooke, Sheriff of Devon in 1548/9 *Peter Co ...

(1432–1492), Bishop of Exeter and Winchester, of the Powderham family. His arms (Courtenay with each point of the label charged with three

plates Plate may refer to: Cooking * Plate (dishware), broad, mainly flat vessel commonly used to serve food * Plates, tableware, dishes or dishware used for setting a table, serving food and dining * Plate, the content of such a plate (for example: ...

for

difference Difference commonly refers to: * Difference (philosophy), the set of properties by which items are distinguished * Difference (mathematics), the result of a subtraction Difference, The Difference, Differences or Differently may also refer to: Mu ...

) are impaled by the arms of the

See of Winchester The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 660 AD, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered the Kingdom of Wessex, many times its present size. Today it is most of th ...

. The whole is circumscribed by the

Garter A garter is an article of clothing comprising a narrow band of fabric fastened about the leg to keep up stockings. In the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, they were tied just below the knee, where the leg is most slender, to keep the stocking f ...

. The supporters are: dexter, the Courtenay dolphin, sinister, the Courtenay boar. The motto beneath is: ''Quod verum tutum'' ("What is true is safe").

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Courtenay, William Courtenay, 1st Viscount 1709 births 1762 deaths People educated at Westminster School, London Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Courtenay, William, 3rd Baronet Courtenay, William, 3rd Baronet Courtenay, William, 3rd Baronet Courtenay, William, 3rd Baronet Courtenay, William, 3rd Baronet Courtenay, William, 3rd Baronet Viscounts in the Peerage of Great Britain Peers of Great Britain created by George III Earls of Devon (1553 creation)