William "Kitty" Courtenay, 9th Earl of Devon (c. 1768 – 26 May 1835) was the youngest son of William Courtenay, (de jure 8th Earl of Devon) 2nd Viscount Courtenay and his wife Frances Clack. He was baptized on 30 August 1768.
Courtney's siblings consisted of thirteen sisters.[1] Born fourth among his parent's children, William Courtenay was better known as "Kitty" Courtenay to family and friends. William Courtenay inherited the title of 3rd Viscount Courtenay of Powderham. Furthermore, he also retrospectively revived the title of Earl of Devon in 1831 for the Courtenay family, the title having been dormant since 1556.
With his new title, he led an excessively flamboyant lifestyle. He was responsible for the addition of a new Music Room at Powderham Castle, designed by James Wyatt, which included a carpet made by the newly formed Axminster Carpet Company.
As a youth Courtenay was sometimes named by contemporaries to be the most beautiful boy in England.[1] Courtenay was homosexual and became infamous for his affair with art collector William Beckford. In autumn of 1784 there was a argument between Courtenay and Beckford over a note which Courtenay had. There is no record of what the note said, but a houseguest who happened to be present said that Beckford's response to reading it was that he entered Courtenay's room and "horsewhipped him, which created a noise, and the door being opened, Courtenay was discovered in his shirt, and Beckford in some posture or other - Strange story."[1] Beckford was subsequently hounded out of polite English society when his letters to Courtenay were intercepted by the boy's uncle, Lord Loughborough, who then advertised the affair in the newspapers.[2]
He lived in the United States where he owned a property on the Hudson River in New York, and later in Paris. He did not marry due to his sexual orientation, and thus fathered no known children.
He died on 26 May 1835 at age 66 in Paris, France due to natural causes. He was loved by his tenants, who insisted that he be buried in stately fashion. He was buried on 12 June 1835 in Powderham.