William Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon

The Right Honourable The Earl of Devon PC
William Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon, albumen print, 1870s by John Watkins, National Portrait Gallery, London
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 10 July 1866 – 26 June 1867
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Earl of Derby
Preceded by	George Goschen
Succeeded by	John Wilson-Patten
President of the Poor Law Board
In office 21 May 1867 – 1 December 1868
Monarch	Victoria
Prime Minister	The Earl of Derby Benjamin Disraeli
Preceded by	Gathorne Hardy
Succeeded by	George Goschen
Personal details
Born	(1807-04-14)14 April 1807 London, England
Died	18 November 1888(1888-11-18)(aged 81) Powderham Castle,Devon, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Lady Elizabeth Fortescue
Children	4, includingEdward Courtenay, 12th Earl of Devon
Parent(s)	William Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon Harriet Leslie Pepys
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Occupation	Politician

William Reginald Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon, sculpted byEdward Bowring Stephens(1815–1882),Northernhay Gardens,Exeter

William Reginald Courtenay, 11th Earl of DevonPC(14 April 1807 – 18 November 1888), styledLord Courtenaybetween 1835 and 1859, was a British politician who served asChancellor of the Duchy of Lancasterfrom 1866 to 1867 and asPresident of the Poor Law Boardfrom 1867 to 1868.

Background and education

Devon was the eldest son ofWilliam Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devonand his first wife Harriet Leslie Pepys, daughter ofSir Lucas Pepys, 1st Baronet.He was educated atWestminster Schooland atChrist Church, Oxford,and was called to the Bar,Lincoln's Inn,in 1832.

Political career

In 1841 Devon was elected to Parliament forSouth Devonas aTory.However, when the Tories split over theCorn Lawsin 1846, he joined thePeelites.In 1849 Devon was appointed poor-law inspector and retired from theHouse of Commons.He then served as secretary to thePoor Law Boardfrom 1850 to 1859. The latter year he succeeded his father and took his seat in theHouse of Lords.

He had returned to theConservative Party(the official name of the Tory Party since the 1850s) before his succession, and when the party came to power in 1866 under theEarl of Derby,Devon was appointedChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster(although without a seat in the cabinet) and admitted to thePrivy Council.He remained in this post until May the following year, when he becamePresident of the Poor Law Board.However, in contrast to his predecessor in the post,Gathorne Hardy,he was not included in the cabinet this time either. Devon continued asPresident of the Poor Law Boarduntil theConservativeslost power in December 1868. After this he stopped taking an active part in politics.

Apart from his participation in national politics, Devon was heavily involved in local affairs and charitable causes in his home county ofDevon.Regarded as the most influential man in the county, he notably served as a director and later as chairman of the Bristol and Exeter Railway. Known as "the good earl", a statue of him was erected inExeter,paid for by public subscription. Lord Courtenay was a member of theCanterbury Associationfrom 27 March 1848 until 21 April 1852, when he resigned.He was appointedHonorary Colonelof the1st (Exeter and South Devon) Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corpson 2 June 1877.

Marriage and progeny

Effigy of Elizabeth, Countess of Devon (d. 27 Jan 1867), onchest tomb,byEdward Bowring Stephens(1815–1882) in St Clement's Church, Powderham, against the east wall of the south transept. A plaster cast exists in the chapel attached to Powderham Castle

In 1830 Lord Devon marriedLady Elizabeth Fortescue(d. 27 January 1867), daughter ofHugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Fortescue.Her tomb chest with a full-length recumbent alabaster effigy byEdward Bowring Stephensis situated in St Clement's Church, Powderham, against the east wall of the south transept, with a plaster cast in the chapel attached to Powderham Castle, in an ogee arched alcove in the north wall of the chancel. They had three sons and one daughter. He was succeeded in the earldom by his youngest but only surviving sonEdward:

• William Reginald Courtenay (28 Oct 1832 – 21 Nov 1853), died aged 21. A large granite memorial cross exists in the north churchyard of St Clement's Church, Powderham, inscribed on the west side of the base: "William Reginald Courtenay eldest son of Lord & Lady Courtenay, born Oct 28 1832 died Nov.r 21 1853. In memory of their first born and much beloved child this cross is erected by his sorrowing parents". Underneath was added later in metal lettering: "Edward Baldwin 12th Earl of Devon Born 7 May 1836 Died 15 Jan.r 1891". On the north side is inscribed: "William Reginald XI Earl of Devon. Born April 14, 1807 Died Novr. 18 1888". On the east side is inscribed: "Sorrow not even as others which have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. I Thess. IV 13.14". On the south side is inscribed: "Elizabeth Countess of Devon Died Janr. 27th 1887", and underneath in metal lettering: "Agnes Elizabeth Viscountess Halifax Born 1 May 1838 Died 4 July 1919".
• Hugh Courtenay (10 Nov 1833 – 13 Mar 1835), died young.
• Edward Baldwin Courtenay, 12th Earl of Devon(7 May 1836 – 15 Jan 1891)
• Lady Agnes Elizabeth Courtenay (1 May 1838 – 4 July 1919). She married on 22 April 1869Charles Lindley Wood, 2nd Viscount Halifax(1839–1934) of Monk Bretton, son ofCharles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifaxof Monk Bretton by Lady Mary Grey.

He owned 53,000 acres including 33,000 in County Limerick.

Death

He died at his seat ofPowderham Castlein November 1888, at 81.

Portraits

Painting

An oil painting of the 11th Earl hangs at Powderham Castle, high on the south wall of the Dining Hall.

Statue

Bronze statue of 11th Earl of Devon byEdward Bowring Stephens,Northernhay Gardens, Exeter

Statue of William Courtenay, 11th Earl of Devon, by Edward Bowring Stephens (1815–1882), inBedford Circus, Exeter,where it stood from its unveiling in 1880 (having replaced Stephens'The Deerstalker) to after 1942 when it escaped WW II bombing and was placed in storage. It stands in 2013 in Northernhay Gardens, Exeter

A bronze statue was made of the Earl by the Exeter sculptorEdward Bowring Stephensand in October 1880was erected at the front of the central garden in Bedford Circus, Exeter, on the spot where Stephens' "The Deer Stalker" had formerly stood. (The latter statue now stands near the Earl's statue, both having been re-located in Northernhay Gardens). The unveiling ceremony was attended by SirStafford Northcote(1818–1887), later Lord Lieutenant of Devon 1886–7, (whose own statue in Northernhay Gardens now stands nearby) with the Mayor and Corporation, other dignitaries and the Earl himself. The statue was paid for by public subscription to the Devon Statue Fund, which had attracted 1,300 signatories for this work. A banquet was held following the unveiling ceremony. The plinth is of Cornish granite from theCheesewring Quarries,on the rear of which a bronze plaque is affixed inscribed with verse fromWordsworth'sHappy Warrior:

"Who not content that former worth stand fast,
Looks forward persevering to the last,
From well to better daily self-surpast. "

Although the Circus was destroyed by German bombing in May 1942, the statue survived intact. It was thereafter hidden from view in storage at Tan Lane until the 1950s, when it was re-erected in Bedford Street. A bronze plaque on the front of the plinth is inscribed:

"This statue stood in Bedford Circus prior to World War II. The statue was erected on this site(i.e. Bedford Street)byExeter City CouncilandDevon County Councilas part of a joint landscaping scheme ".

Following the re-development ofPrincesshayin 2005 which involved the partial demolition of Bedford Street, the statue was again removed to storage in the Belle Isles council yard. It underwent restoration by Ian Clarke Restoration, including cleansing of graffiti, and was re-erected inNorthernhay Gardens.The unveiling ceremony occurred on 9 February 2010, attended this time by only a small handful of interested parties, including the then Earl of Devon and the Lord Mayor, John Winterbottom.Its last move is recorded by an inscription on a granite slab on the ground at the front of the plinth: "Lord Devon was moved in 2010 to Northernhay Gardens from Bedford St".

Memorial chimneypiece at Powderham

The heraldic chimneypiece atPowderham Castle

The 11th Earl installed a heraldic chimneypiece in the Dining Hall atPowderham Castlein memory of his grandfatherReginald Courtenay(1741–1803),Bishop of Exeterfrom 1797 to 1803, and of his parents. The Dining Hall was built by his father the 10th Earl between 1847 and his death in 1859 and the 11th Earl completed the internal decorations in 1860 including the linen-fold panelling containing several dozen ancestral heraldic shields.It is copied from the mediaeval chimneypiece in the Bishop's Palace, Exeter, installed c. 1485 byPeter Courtenay(d.1492)Bishop of Exeter,a younger son of Sir Philip Courtenay (1404–1463) of Powderham.The armorials on the lowest row are from left to right:

• Arms of Bishop Reginald Courtenay:See of ExeterimpalingCourtenay (Grandfather of 11th Earl of Devon)
• Arms ofWilliam Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon(d.1859), impaling the arms of his wife Hariet Leslie: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Pepys, Baronets of Juniper Hill; 2nd & 3rd: Leslie, Earls of Rothes. (Parents of 11th Earl of Devon). The supporters are two of theBohun swans,which bird was used by that family, from which came the wife ofHugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon(d.1377), heiress of Powderham, as a heraldic badge. In the spandrels are two dolphins, a badge of the Courtenays. These arms can be seen on a brass plate on their monument in Powderham Church, itself a copy of the 15th-century Courtenay monument inColytonChurch.
• Arms of 11th Earl of Devon impaling arms of his wife Elizabeth Fortescue

References

• Courtney, W. P.; Matthew, H. C. G. (2006). "Courtenay, William Reginald, eleventh earl of Devon (1807–1888)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/6459.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)

External links

• Hansard1803–2005:contributions in Parliament by the Earl of Devon