Edward de Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon

Edward Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon(d.1419), "The Blind".

Contents

Origins

He was the son of Edward de Courtenay,[1] the third son among fifteen siblings of Hugh de Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon(d.1377). His father Edward died on 20 September 1372, having predeceased his own father, and having outlived his elder brothers, which made Edward heir to the earldom. Edward was born at Goodrington, Devon on 3 May 1357 to Sir Edward Courtenay(d.1372) by his wife, Emmeline Dawnay, daughter and heiress of Sir John Dawnay by Sybil Treverbin. Dawnay held large estates in Devon. After their setbacks of the 13th century, the Courtenay family was heartened by the prospect of a financially promising marriage.

Career

Like his ancestors, Edward was a soldier. He served in the Scottish wars and after some success was knighted in 1380 by the Earl of Buckingham. The following year King Richard II sent Courtenay as an emissary to escort his Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia from Gravelines harbour to London for her marriage. In 1383 he was appointed Admiral of the West, responsible for policing the seas off the coasts of Devon and Cornwall; his brother Sir Hugh Courtenay was a famed pirate. The Council believed that the Earl should protect the River Exe as French pirates had attempted several incursions into the Devonshire interior. Edward however was more of a soldier and relinquished his naval post. He was appointed to the King's Council which in 1395 attended Richard II in Westminster Hall. By 1400, the Earl was blind. He had probably contracted a disease such as leprosy or erysipelas which attacked the retina in his eyes.

Death & burial

His will was dated 29 June 1419, and he died shortly afterwards on 5 December 1419. Probate was granted in 1420.[2] Academic sources state his place of burial to have been Forde Abbey[3] but a popular legend arose stating him to have been buried at Tiverton. The Chronicles of Forde Abbey are the most credible source for the correct dates ofunreliable death of many of the Courtenay family. Other medieval sources have proved corrupted, perhaps through erroneous transcription over the centuries. Tiverton Castle remained the family's main residence until its partial demolition during the Civil War. The source for this popular belief is apparently Thomas Risdon in his Survey of Devon published in 1630. The monumental inscription reportedly seen by him there was said to include the following poem:

"Ho, ho who lies here?
I, the good Earle of Devonshire,
And Mauld my wife that was full deare,
We lived together LV yeare.
That we spent we had:
That we gave we have:
That we left we lost."

Marriage & succession

He married Maud Camoys, daughter of Thomas de Camoys, 2nd Baron Camoys(d.1372) (of the first creation of that title), by his wife Margaret, of whom the family name is unknown.[4] They had a number of children, including the following:

References

  1. ^ The Courtenay affinity, Southern History, vol.1 1979
  2. ^ Calendar of Inquisitions post mortem, 7 Henry V (1419-20).
  3. ^ The Complete Peerage, col,3, p.325-9
  4. ^ www.thepeerage.com, Baron Camoys. Much confusion exists as to the number of Camoys baronies created

Bibliography

  • M. Cherry, 'The Crown and the Political Community in Devonshire, 1377-1461' (Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Wales, Swansea, 1981).
  • M. Cherry, "The Disintegration of a Dominant Medieval Affinity: the Courtenay family", in: Southern History; 1979 & 1986.
  • G. E. Cokayne, The Complete Peearage, 1937, revised edition repositories passim.
Preceded by
Hugh de Courtenay		 Earl of Devon
1377–1419		 Succeeded by
Hugh de Courtenay