Thomas Courtenay, 5th earl of Devon was born, presumably in Devonshire, in 1414. As the only surviving son of Hugh de Courtenay, 4th Earl of Devon, Courtenay inherited the earldom on his father’s death in 1422. He may have been a ward of the all-powerful Duke of Exeter.[1] In August of the same year, as a teenager, he was amongst a noble entourage of 300 who attended Henry VI's coronation at Paris.[2] Only a quarter of the nobility, impliedly the elite, left England to attend upon the new king of England and France. Devon had already been knighted at Henry VI's Westminster coronation on 5 November 1429.[3]
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Parliament was summoned, as tradition required, on the death of a monarch; Henry V's will being read to the Lords assembled.[4] Devon was granted livery to enter his lands without needing proof on 20/1 February, 1433, for a fine of privilege amounting to 1000 marks.[5] On 1 May 1424, his estates were delivered into the hands of his uncle, John, Lord Talbot, and his mother the Dowager Countess Anne (d. 1441) during the minority in exchange for 700 marks pa.[6] It was the practice to purchase a licence for patronage from the Crown to marry Royal Wards to compensate for its duration of stewardship. The Crown and Duke Humphrey of Gloucester's retinue had established a commission to examine the profitability of wardships in the southwest.[7]
The new earl found the political situation in Devonshire increasingly stacked against his own interests as a coalition of the greater gentry, focused on Sir William Bonville and the earl’s cousin, Sir Philip Courtenay of Powderham, who threatened the Courtenays’ traditional dominance of the county. Despite links via his wife, Margaret Beaufort, to the ascendant ‘court party’ dominated by Cardinal Beaufort and John Beaufort, 1st earl of Somerset and Marquess of Dorset by Margaret Holland, daughter of the Earl of Kent, Courtenay failed to rectify his situation and instead resorted to violence, beginning in 1439. With the decline of Beaufort power, Courtenay became increasingly associated with Richard, duke of York
Anne Talbot her brother, John Talbot.[8] along with a series of local gentlemen and lawyers, were given the keepings and maintenance of Courtenay's estates, parks and castles.[9] The dowager countess received her dower third, including the primary Courtenay residence at Tiverton Castle, while a group of the dead earl’s intimates were enfeoffed with another considerable group of estates to satisfy his debts and the terms of his will.[10] It seems that their combined stewardship was far from satisfactory, as the government noted that his estates were ruinous and his deer parks so dilapidated that he was permitted to hunt in royal parks.[11] This may have been for his part in Sir Thomas Rempston's expedition into Normandy the previous winter where they garrisoned the town of St. James-de-Beuvron. The Chronicler de Beaucourt remarked that the French were routed by an enemy twenty times its inferior in numbers. It became known as the route of St James. The unexpected victory, led Jean V, the King of France to submit to Henry VI at Paris the following summer, after Suffolk had led a campaign to capture Rennes and overrun Brittany.[12] Meanwhile the Earl of Suffolk held the bishopric town of Avranches.[13]
Courtenay was given leave to enter his estates in 1433[14] and, based on his family’s history and his own position as leading landowner of the county, probably expected to take his place as the leader of regional society. However, his mother’s longevity meant that her dower portion and the other Courtenay estates which had been estranged under his father’s will were not in his hands – Courtenay himself was forced to live at Colcombe (near Colyton) as his mother had possession of Tiverton Castle.[15] His income of £1500 pa was not considered rich with nobles of comparable rank. But the restoration of comital rank, had in 1355 meant the return of the Honours of Plympton and Okehampton, the most valuable of the estates. In addition the Coker estates in Somerset had brought a royal manor with reversions, increasing contact with the Court.
This was partly compensated for by his advantageous marriage to Margaret Beaufort with the links to the ‘court party’ which this brought – Courtenay began to serve on Westcountry commissions and was granted an annuity of 100 pounds for his services.[16] One of these grants, however, brought to the surface tensions which may have been lingering for some time. Bonville's estates were being seriously attacked by the summer 1439. The pirate-soldier, Sir Hugh Courtenay, a cousin looted merchant vessels along the coast, and led brigands with Thomas Carminow, after a long dispute with the Earldom. The Court despatched a Privy Councillor, Sir John Stourton to extract a promise of good behavior from Devon, who was reluctant to attend London.[17]
In 1441, Courtenay was appointed as Steward of the Duchy of Cornwall, a nearly identical post as Royal Steward for Cornwall which had been granted to Sir William Bonville in 1437, for life.[18] A week later in May 1441, the warrant was retracted. Disputes arose between the two which contemporary records portray as reaching the status of a private war. Two men wearing Devon livery attacked Sir Philip Chetwynd, a friend of Bonville, on the road to London. Apparent evidence that the Council's arbitration of November 1440 had failed.[19]
These events were complicated by Bonville's second marriage in 1430 to Elisabeth Courtenay (d.1471), daughter of 11th earl of Devon. Courtenay and Bonville were summoned before the King in December 1441, and were publicly reconciled.[20] Tensions remained however and this may have been a factor in the crown’s requests to both Courtenay, who initially refused, and Bonville to serve in France – Bonville as seneschal of Gascony from 1442-6 and Courtenay at Pont-l'Évêque in Normandy in 1446.[21] This is one of the few times that Courtenay served abroad, for he had refused in March 1443, seemingly preferring to spend his time bolstering his position in Devon or at court. While Bonville was abroad, the King released Devon from his debts, including the recognisance for good behaviour, probably remitted by the influence of father-in-law, John Beaufort, Earl of Somerset.[22]
1445 marked a fleeting high point in Courtenay’s fortunes, with his appointment as High Steward of England at Queen Margaret’s coronation on 25 May.[23] Only the year before, March 1444, Bonville had identified himself with Suffolk, at Margaret's bethrothal in Rouen.
The death of Cardinal Beaufort (d. 1447) seriously weakened that house's cause at court. Courtenay felt sufficiently confident to challenge the titular supremacy and precedence of the earl of Arundel which would lead to acute embarrassment when his case was rejected in 1446. But fortified from his distance of the reputed murder of Duke Humphrey and Lord Say's plot to assassinate the King on 20 July 1447. This may have prompted Devon to oppose the 'Court party', serve with his friend the duke of York during the Cade Rebellion. In addition Bonville, determined to wrest parliamentary patronage from the Courtenay interest, had been raised to the peerage as Baron Bonville of Chewton Mendip. Devon switched allegiance to York, who with Norfolk took control briefly of London. He remained loyal to York during the Parliament of November 1450, when they invoked the support of the Commons to raise taxation. Having rescued Somerset from an angry London mob, York himself had to flee, taking refuge on the Earl of Devon's barge rowing down the Thames.
The deaths of John Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, in 1444, and Cardinal Beaufort in 1447 removed Beaufort leadership of the ‘court’ party, leaving William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk as the most influential figure in national politics [24] While there is no evidence of direct antagonism between Courtenay and Suffolk, Sir William Bonville enjoyed links with de la Pole, marrying his daughter to William Tailboys, one of Suffolk’s closest associates. Perhaps the most dramatic illustration of this was Bonville’s elevation to the peerage as Baron Bonville of Chewton Mendip in 1449.[25] As such, it is hardly surprising that Devon began to become associated with Richard, duke of York, who had assumed the leadership of the ‘opposition’. The parlous state of national politics (whether the king was a vindictive factionalist or an inane non-entity is largely irrelevant in this context) combined with what seems like a reckless and violent element in Courtenay’s own character, leading to a campaign of violence against Bonville and the Suffolk-aligned Earl of Wiltshire. Courtenay and his troops attempted to capture Wiltshire near Bath before returning to besiege Bonville in Taunton Castle. The arrival of the duke of York (whether to suppress or aid the disturbances is uncertain) caused the two sides to make peace which, unsurprisingly, had no real meaning.[26] York then embarked on his abortive attempt to take control of royal government by force, his only allies being Courtenay and his sometime-associate, Lord Cobham.
In the westcountry Devon hounded Bonville into the ground; chasing the enemy into Taunton Castle, which was besieged.[27] The duke of York arrived to lift the siege and imprison Bonville. But the new Baron was quickly released. York's and Courtenay's humiliation by Henry VI and Suffolk at the Dartford meeting in 1452, led to the confirmation of Bonville as Constable of Exeter Castle, marking a low ebb in Devon's fortunes: the biggest threat to his position as the premier noble and landowner in the county.[28] This exploit ended with the disgrace of all three 'Yorkists' forced to submit to royal mercy in March. The King had issued an arrest warrant on 24 September 1451, drafted by Somerset, to be enforced by Wiltshire and Bonville. The risings prompted commissions for Buckingham and Bonville on 14 February 1452. A direct summons without delay was ordered by Royal Proclamation on 17 February to bring Devon and Lord Cobham[29] to London. Two days later, demonstrations were held by Devon's army at Yeovil and Ilminster, converging with York's on London.[30]
Courtenay was charged with treason and briefly imprisoned in Wallingford Castle,[31] before appearing in the Lords. His disgrace and political isolation allowed his Devonshire rivals to consolidate their position, further undermining his decreased standing in the county.[32] Bonville acquired all royal commissions in the south-west.
The King’s madness and York’s appointment as Protector in 1453/4 resulted in a partial rally in Courtenay’s fortunes, including re-appointment to the commissions of the peace in the south-western counties, the key barometer of the local balance of power.[33] He was a member of the Council until April 1454.[34] Devon was bound over to keep the peace with a fine of 1000 marks, but ignored its restrictions. Threatened by the Council on 3 June, he was forced on 24 July to make a new bond.[35]
This was, however, the end of Courtenay’s links with York, whose increasingly tight links with the Neville earls of Salisbury and Warwick led to an alignment with Bonville rather than the earl. This culminated in the marriage of Bonville’s grandson to Salisbury’s daughter, Katherine. Devon did not endear himself to Somerset either Courtenay and his sons repeatedly disrupted the sessions of the peace in Exeter across 1454/5, which did not assist Protector Somerset in portraying himself as the guardian of law and order. Courtenay was present at the First Battle of St Albans, and was wounded.[36] Indeed, York still considered him at least neutral as the duke’s letters sent to the king on the eve of battle were delivered to Courtenay and thence to the king.[37] Perhaps inspired by the way the Nevilles and York had ended their respective feuds with the Percies and the duke of Somerset in the battle, Courtenay returned to Devon and commenced a campaign of violence against Lord Bonville and his allies, who were now attached to Warwick's affinity.
The violence began in October 1455 with the horrific murder of Nicholas Radford, an eminent local barrister,[38] recorder of the city of Exeter and one of Bonville’s councilors. Several contemporary accounts record this and the ensuing mock-funeral and coronary inquest (accompanied by the singing of highly inappropriate songs) in tones which suggest shock and horror, even with the blunted sensitivities of the fifteenth century.[39] Among the murderers was Thomas Courtenay, the earl’s son and later successor.[40] Parliament, meeting in November, reported 800 horsemen and 4,000 infantry running amok across Devonshire. On the 3rd November, Devon, his sons, Thomas Carrew of Ashwater and a considerable force of 1000 men occupied the city of Exeter, which they continued to control until 23 December.[41] Not before he had warned the populace that Bonville was approaching with a "great multitude" to sack the city. On 3 November Bonville's men from Shute Manor had looted the earl's house at Colcomb, promising Sir Philip Courtenay his support. Dozens of men violated consecrated ground: Radford’s valuables were extracted from the cathedral. Radford's house in Exeter was also robbed. Village adherents with Bonville connections were assaulted by Devon's men. Powderham Castle, home to the earl’s estranged cousin, Sir Philip Courtenay (d.1463), an ally of Bonville, was besieged on the 15th November, the earl’s weaponry now including a serpentine. Bonville attempted to relieve the castle but was repulsed as Devon threatened to batter down its walls.[42] Finally, battle was joined directly between Bonville and Courtenay at Clyst Bridge, just south east of Exeter on 15 December 1455. While it seems that Bonville was put to flight, the number of dead or wounded is entirely unknown. Two days later Thomas Carrew with 500 of Devon's retainers pillaged Shute, seizing a bounty of looted goods. Courtenay and his men left Exeter on 21 December and shortly afterwards submitted to York at Shaftesbury. Early in December the King dismissed Devon from the Commission of Peace, and citizens of Exeter instructed not to help his army of "misrule" in anyway.[43]
Devon was incarcerated in the Tower. Originally, the government planned to bring him to trial for treason but this was abandoned once the King returned to his senses in February 1456, and York removed as Protector. Devon was also returned to the commission of the peace for Devonshire-–this is seemingly the work of Queen Margaret of Anjou who had taken personal control of the court. Despite being banned from entering leading armed men into Exeter and holding assemblies, 500 men under John Courtenay entered the High Street on 8 April 1456. Local rivals, Philip Courtenay and Lord Fitzwarin were prevented from exercising commission as JPs, forced to leave the city. Wiltshire, Bonville's patron and Sir John Fortescue, Chief Justice arrived with a large entourage to investigate a commission of oyer et terminer. They rejected Devon's petition to have Bonville's sheriff removed.[44] Two years later his sons, Thomas and Henry were absolved of the murder of Nicholas Radford.[45]
Devon was restored to the Bench of JPs and made Keeper of the Park in February 1457[46] and of the Forest of Clarendon on 17 July 1457.[47] He then received a summons to appear with York before the King in London. Travelling to the meeting, maybe to be held at Windsor Castle, he stopped at Abingdon. Thomas Courtenay died at the Abbey of Abingdon on 3 February 1458. Historians have postulated that he may have been poisoned by the Prior. The Earl wanted to be buried in the chantry of Exeter Cathedral.
He was succeeded by his eldest son, Sir Thomas, who was beheaded as a Lancastrian after the Battle of Towton, the earldom being forfeit by act of Attainder. The Earl's will was granted probate at Lambeth on 21 February 1458.[48] An inquest took place in 1467[49] On the national stage, Courtenay became increasingly alienated from his former ally, York, and instead cultivated links with Queen Margaret. This new alliance was sealed by the marriage of Courtenay’s son and heir, Sir Thomas, to the Queen’s kinswoman, Marie, the daughter of Charles, Count of Maine. As such, it seems unlikely that Courtenay’s death in 1458 was the result of poisoning ordered by the Queen as one contemporary commentator asserted.
| Preceded by Hugh de Courtenay |
Earl of Devon 1422–1458 |
Succeeded by Thomas Courtenay |