William Courtenay (abt. 1342 - 1396)

Born about 1342 in Exeter, Devon, England

Ancestors

Died 31 Jul 1396 at about age 54 in Maidstone, Kent, England

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Biography

William de Courtney (b. abt. 1342 St Martin's, Exeter, Devon - d. 31 Jul 1396 Maidstone, Kent; bur. 04 Aug 1396 Canterbury, Kent).

Master William is the fourth son of Margaret de Bohun (d. 02 Aug 1395) and Hugh de Courtney, Earl of Devon. He is named in his mother's will and her post-mortem inquisitions.^[1]

A powerful man of his day, William succeeded the beheaded Simon of Sudbury (d. 14 June 1381) as Archbishop of Cantebury, near the beginning of the Peasants' Revolt, and became the enemy of Wyclif and the Lollard movement.^[2][3]

Dalmus (1966) states that Courtney's, "career reflects the fabric and practice of the late medieval church—such larger subjects as metropolitan visitations, episcopal convocations, clerical corruption, and papal provisions.

Few bishops exercised such great influence in public affairs—a result of Courtenay's aristocratic parentage, his own aggressiveness, and the weakness of the crown. During the closing years of Edward's reign and the minority of Richard II, Courtenay was the most outspoken of the bishops and lay lords who sought to keep John of Gaunt from gaining full control of the administration. In the late 1370's, Courtenay served on the "continual council" which practically governed England.^[4] As archbishop, his political responsibility was to preserve church prerogatives against the autocratic ambitions of Richard."

Religion

• 1361: Canon of York
• ante 1366: Canon of Wells
• 1369: Bishop of Hereford
• 1375: Bishop London
• 1381: Archbishop of Canterbury
• 31 Jul 1381 - 31 Jul 1396: Archbishop of Canterbury

Secular Occupation

• 1367: Chancellor of Oxford University
• 1381: Chancellor of England

Events

• 1377: pardon for feoffments without license made by parents re: West Coker property (see 23 Feb 1392).^[5]
• 1382: called council which condemned 24 propositions by Wycliffe and his followers and obtained a declaration from Richard II to stop them from being preached.^[3]
• 28 Nov 1386: charter witness (Great Yarmouth).^[6]
• 23 Feb 1392: Coker freeholder; livery - some property in Burrellismule within the manor of West Coker (previously part of mother's dower).^[5]
• 02 Aug 1395: mother Margaret de Bohun dies.
• 10 Aug 1395: "Bishop Stafford ordered prayers for the deceased ladies Margaret Cobham and Elizabeth Loterell, sisters of the primate William Courtney, archbishop of Cantebury, ... To encourage the faithful to pray for their departed souls, he grants and indulgence for forty days (... Register vol 1. fol. 4)."^[7]

Will

• Date: 28 Jul 1396.^[8]
• Proved: 15 Sep 1396.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ For will and p.m. inq. of Margaret de Bohun, see Dawes (1988) and Nicholas (1826).
2. ↑ Beheading of Sudbury, (Howell, 1809, p. 77).[1]
   Hasted (1801), calls Courtney the arch-enemy of Wyclif and Lollardy.[2]
   see also: Wikipedia: Peasants' Revolt, Wikipedia: Simon Sudbury, Wikipedia: Lollardy
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Buck, C. (1826). "Wickliffites," in Theological Dictionary, pp. 599. Philadelphia: Joseph Woodard. Google Books.
4. ↑ see: Appointment of the ‘continual council’, 1377. National Archives. nationalarchives.gov.uk. Digital image (primary source).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Nathan, 1957
6. ↑ Palmer, C.J. The History of Great Yarmouth, II. Google Books.[3][4]
7. ↑ Oliver, 1846, p. 155 (1st col, first to last para).[5]
8. ↑ Plantagenet Ancestry, 2011, p. 579
9. ↑ Duncan, 1898

• Beazeley (1898). The burial place of Archbishop Courtenay. Archaeological Cantiana, 23, pp. 31-54. Kent Archaeological Society. Retrieved April 12, 2018. PDF.

• "Courtney, William," (1894). Oxford Honours 1220-1894, pp. 59. Oxford: Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1894 Google Books.
  see also: Space: Oxford Honours, 1220-1894

• Dalmus, J. (1966). William Courtenay: Archbishop of Canterbury, 1381–1396. Penn State University Press. ISBN-10: 0271731214; ISBN-13: 978-0271731216.
  see synopis;[6] limited search at Hathitrust.[7]

• Dawes, M.C.B., Johnson, H.C., Condon M.M, Cook, C.A. & Jones, H.E. (1988). "Inquisitions Post Mortem, Richard II, File 70," (Margaret, widow of Hugh de Courtney, Earl of Devon). Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Richard II, 17, pp. 1-12. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. BHO.

• Duncan, L.L. (1898). The will of William Courtenay, Archbishop of Cantebury 1396. Archaeologia Cantiana, 23, pp. 55-67. Kent Archaeological Society. Google Books.

• Hasted, E. (1801). "The archbishops: Simon de Sudbury to Henry Dene." The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, 12, pp. 400-438. Canterbury: W Bristow. BHO. eBook.
  see: "60. WILLIAM COURTNEY, LL. D. bishop of London".

• Howell, T. (1809). Cobbett's Complete Collection of State Trials 1163-1820. Google Books.

• Lewis, M. (2013, June 15). "William Courtenay, Archbishop of Canterbury, Canon of York, Chancellor of Oxford University, Canon of Wells, Bishop of Hereford & London, Chancellor of England #46784, b. circa 1342, d. 31 July 1396," (citing Burke; Richardson). ORTNCA. Web.

• McHardy, A K. (1977)."Acta of William Courtenay, Bishop of London: Dec 1375 - Nov 1375 (nos 547-597)," pp. 78-84. The Church in London, 1375-1392. London: London Record Society. BHO.

• Nathan, M. (1957). The Annals of West Coker, pp. 144. Cambridge University Press. Google Books.

• Nicolas, N H. (1826). "Margaret de Courtney, Countess of Devon, January 28th, 1391," in Testamenta Vetusta, I, pp. 127-28. Parliament Street, London. Google Books.
  mirror: PDF available for download.

• Noorthouck, J. (1773). "Addenda: Bishops of London." A New History of London Including Westminster and Southwark, 899-90. London: R Baldwin. BHO.

• Oliver, G. (1846). Monasticon Dioecesis Exoniensis, pp. 155. Exeter: P.A. Hannaford. Google Books.

• Richardson, D. (2011). "Master William Courtney," in Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd ed., pp. 543-4. Google Books.

• Richardson, D. (2011 "Master William Courtenay," in Plantagenet Ancestry, 2nd ed, pp. 579. [Google Books].

• Wikipedia: William Courtenay

• Wikipedia: List of Archbishops of Canterbury#After the Norman conquest

• "William Courtenay." Encyclopedia Brittanica. Web.[8]

• Williment, T. (1827). "Description of William's arms," in Heraldic Notices of Canterbury Cathedral. Hardin, Lepard & Co.[9]

See Also

• Will of Hugh de Stafford, Earl of Stafford. (Plantagenet Ancestry, 2011, p. 579)
• Will of James le Botiller (Butler), 2nd Earl of Ormand. National Archives UK.
  Courtenay is a supervisor,

(Plantagenet Ancestry, 2011, p. 580).