Familypedia
Register
Advertisement

CourtenayEffigiesExeterCathedral

Effigies of Margaret de Bohun and her husband Hugh de Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon, south transept, Exeter Cathedral. Two Bohun swans, the heraldic device of Bohun, are shown with their necks intertwined at Margaret's feet.

BohunSwansCourtenayEffigiesExeterCathedral

Bohun heraldic swans collared and chained with necks intertwined at feet of effigy of Margaret de Bohun.[1] The Bohun swan can be seen above the escutcheon on her father's seal formerly attached to the Barons' Letter, 1301. A lion serves as the footrest of her husband.

Lady Margaret de Bohun was born 3 April 1311 in Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Wales to Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford (1276-1321) and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1282-1316) and died 16 December 1391 of unspecified causes. She married Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (1303-1377) 11 August 1325 JL .

Margaret de Bohun, Countess of Devon was the granddaughter of King Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile, and the wife of Hugh Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon (1303-1377). Her seventeen children included an Archbishop of Canterbury and six knights, of whom two were founder knights of the Order of the Garter. Unlike most women of her day, she received a classical education and was a lifelong scholar and collector of books.

Early life

Lady Margaret de Bohun was born on 3 April 1311 at Caldecote, Northamptonshire, the third daughter and seventh child of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford (1276-1321), Lord Constable of England by his wife Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1282-1316), the youngest daughter of King Edward I and his queen. Her paternal grandparents were Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and Maud de Fiennes. She was named after her maternal step-grandmother, Margaret of France, Queen of England, the second queen consort of Edward I.

Margaret was left an orphan shortly before her eleventh birthday. On 16 March 1322 at the Battle of Boroughbridge, her father was slain in an ambush by the Welsh. Her mother had died six years previously in childbirth.

Together with her siblings she received a classical education under a Sicilian Greek, Master Diogenes. As a result, Margaret became a lifelong scholar and avid book collector.



Family Life

On 11 August 1325, at the age of fourteen, Lady Margaret married Hugh Courtenay, the future 10th Earl of Devon, to whom she had been betrothed since 27 September 1314. Her dowry included the manor of Powderham Castle near Exeter. The marriage agreement was formally made on 28 February 1315, when she was not quite four years old.[2] The first earl of Devon promised that upon the marriage he would enfeoff his son and Margaret jointly with 400 marks' worth of land, assessed at its true value, and in a suitable place.[3]

Margaret assumed the title of Countess of Devon on 23 December 1340.[4]

Margaret was the daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I. This marriage further strengthened the Courtenay family's ties to the English royal family. As was common in the medieval period, their marriage was not just a personal union but also a strategic alliance that helped to consolidate power and influence, linking two prominent noble families. Hugh and Margaret had a large family, with several sources indicating they had as many as 11 or more children, ensuring the continuation of the Courtenay Family.

The children of Hugh and Margaret de Courtenay played significant roles in various aspects of English medieval life. The Courtenay family remained influential in both the political and military spheres of England for generations. Their descendants continued to hold the Earl of Devon title and other significant positions, contributing to the political, military, and social history of England. These children included:

  1. Sir Hugh Courtenay: The eldest son, who predeceased his father. He was noted for his military service in France.
  2. Thomas Courtenay: He also had a notable military career.
  3. Edward Courtenay: Edward was a notable soldier and commander.
  4. Robert Courtenay: Died young.
  5. William Courtenay: William became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1381, reflecting the family's influence not just in politics and military but also in ecclesiastical circles.
  6. Philip Courtenay: Philip was involved in military and political affairs and held several important positions.
  7. Peter Courtenay: He had a career in both the military and in ecclesiastical roles.
  8. Humphrey Courtenay: Little is known about Humphrey.
  9. Margaret Courtenay: Married John Cobham, Baron Cobham.
  10. Elizabeth Courtenay (c1333-1395): Married 1st Sir John de Vere, the 7th Earl of Oxford. and 2nd to Andrew Luttrell (c1325-1395), by which she had issue.
  11. Katherine Courtenay: Married Thomas Engaine.





Children


Offspring of Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (1303-1377) and Margaret de Bohun
Name Birth Death Joined with
Hugh Courtenay (1326-c1349)
Margaret Courtenay (c1326-1385)
Edward Courtenay (c1329-1372) 1329 1372 Emeline Dauney (?-?)
Thomas Courtenay (c1331-c1381)
Elizabeth Courtenay (c1333-1395) 1333 7 August 1395 John de Vere (c1325-1350)
Andrew Luttrell (c1325-1395)
Catherine Courtenay (Abt 1335-1399) 1335 Exeter, Devonshire, United Kingdom 31 December 1399 William Harrington (?-?)
Joan Courtenay (c1337-?)
Philip Courtenay (c1340-1406)
William Courtenay (1342-1396)
Matilda Courtenay (?-?)
Guinora Courtenay (1348-?)
Isabel Courtenay (?-?)
Phillipa Courtenay (?-?)
Anne Courtenay (Abt 1351-?)



Siblings


Offspring of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford (1276-1321) and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (1282-1316)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Hugh de Bohun (1303-1305)
Eleanor de Bohun (1304-1363) 17 October 1304 7 October 1363 James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde (c1305-1337)
Thomas Dagworth (?-1352)
Humphrey de Bohun (1305-1305)
John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (1306-1335) 23 November 1306 Pleshey Castle, Essex, England, United Kingdom 20 January 1336 Alice FitzAlan (1314-c1385)
Margaret Basset (-aft1347)
Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford (c1309-1361) 6 December 1309 England 15 October 1361 England
Margaret de Bohun (1311-1391) 3 April 1311 Caldicot, Monmouthshire, Wales 16 December 1391 Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon (1303-1377)
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (c1312-1360) 1312 16 September 1360 Elizabeth de Badlesmere (1313-1356)
Edward de Bohun (1312-1334)
Eneas de Bohun (1314-aft1322)
Isabel de Bohun (1316-1316)


See Also

External Links

Sources

  • Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 84. Hereinafter cited as Britain's Royal Families.
  • G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant', new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume III, page 344. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
  • Cokayne, George Edward (1916). The Complete Peerage, edited by H.A. Doubleday. IV. London: St. Catherine Press. 
  • Lodge, John; Archdall, Mervyn (1789). The Peerage of Ireland: Or, A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of that Kingdom. Ireland: J. Moore. https://books.google.com/books?id=qkwTAAAAYAAJ. 
  • Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G.. ed. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. I (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. ISBN 9781461045205. 
  • Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G.. ed. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. II (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. ISBN 9781449966386. 
  • Richardson, Douglas (2011). Everingham, Kimball G.. ed. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. IV (2nd ed.). Salt Lake City. ISBN 9781460992708. 
  • Risdon, Tristram, The Chorographical Description or Survey of the County of Devon, pp. 357–360, Google Books, retrieved on 4 November 2009

Notable Ancestors

Notable Descendants

Famous descendants include:



Footnotes (including sources)

Elrondlair

  1. ^ Heavily restored. Lysons described the swans in 1822 as "the remains of two birds" (Magna Britannia, vol. 6, pp. 323–345).
  2. ^ Note: This agreement, written in French, is from the Public Record Office, London DL27/13
  3. ^ Jennifer C. Ward, Women of the English Nobility and Gentry, 1066-1500, pp. 29–30, Google Books, retrieved on 4 November 2009
  4. ^ "Person Page". http://www.thePeerage.com/p10696.htm#106957. 
Advertisement