Complete Peerage Correction: Maud Camoys, wife of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon
Douglas Richardson
Complete Peerage, 4 (1916): 325-326 (sub Devon) has a brief account of
the life history of Sir Edward Courtenay (born c. 1357, died 1419),
Earl of Devon, nicknamed "the Blind Earl." Regarding his marriage, the
following information is provided:
"He married Maud, said to be daughter of Thomas Camoys, Lord Camoys."
Presumably the Thomas, Lord Camoys intended is the Sir Thomas Camoys,
2nd Lord Camoys, who succeeded to the family estates in 1372, and who
died in 1421. If so, it would seem odd that Maud, wife of Earl Edward
Courtenay, was this man's daughter, as Earl Edward Courtenay and Sir
Thomas Camoys were of contemporary age to one another. Sir Thomas
Camoys was also one of Earl Edward's liveried personnel in 1384-5.
No date is given for the marriage of Edward and Maud Courtenay, but an
ancient petition copied below found in the National Archives catalogue
makes it is certain that Edward and Maud were married before 9
September 1385, when license was granted by the king for Edward
Courtenay, Earl of Devon, to enfeoff various lands in Devon, Hampshire,
Somerset and Dorset to the Archbishop of Canterbury and others, until
they have levied 2000 marks from the estates, when they will re-enfeoff
them to the Earl and Maud, his wife.
Elsewhere, I find that an early visitation of Sussex identifies
Elizabeth [recte Maud], wife of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, as a
daughter of Ralph Camoys, Lord Camoys, by _____, daughter of Hugh le
Despenser, Earl of Winchester [Reference: Benolte et al., Vis. of
Sussex 1530 & 1633-4 (H.S.P. 53) (1905): 29-30]. This information
is ignored by Complete Peerage, perhaps for the simple reason that
Ralph Camoys, 1st Lord Camoys, died in 1336, which makes it impossible
for him to be Maud Courtenay's father.
So, who then was Maud Courtenay's father? A potential clue to her
parentage is found in a multi-part article entitled "The Liveried
Personnel of Edward Courtenay, earl of Devon, 1384-5," written by
Martin Cherry, which article appeared in Devon & Cornwall Notes and
Queries, 35 (1983): 151-158, et seq. In this article, Mr. Cherry
indicates that Earl Edward Courtenay made a payment of 50s. out of his
manor of Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire in 1382-3 to Elizabeth Camoys. Mr.
Cherry supposes that this Elizabeth Camoys was Elizabeth Louches, first
wife of Sir Thomas Camoys, 2nd Lord Camoys, but this need not
necessarily be the case. More than likely, the Elizabeth Camoys in
question was Sir Thomas Camoys' widowed mother. She would also
theoretically be the mother of Maud Courtenay as well.
Actually mystery seems to shrouds the identity of Sir Thomas Camoys'
mother. It is known for certain that Sir Thomas Camoys' father, Sir
John Camoys, married (1st) before 1330 Margaret Foliot, younger
daughter of Sir Richard Foliot, Lord Foliot. Margaret was born about
1313-1314, she being aged 11 or 12 in 1325 [Reference: Complete
Peerage, 5 (1926): 541-542 (sub Foliot)]. While many have believed that
Margaret Foliot was the mother of Sir John Camoys' son and heir, Sir
Thomas Camoys, Margaret Foliot certainly died childless. This is
inferred from the fact that the entirety of Margaret's Foliot
inheritance eventually passed to her sister, Margery Foliot, wife of
Sir Hugh Hastings, and thence onto Margery Hastings' descendants.
Research indicates that Margaret Foliot, wife of Sir John Camoys, was
still living as late as 1345, when she and John conveyed the manors of
Cowesly, Mosely, Brantingham, and Riplingham and the advowson of
Stanfeld, all in Yorkshire [Reference:
http://users.qconline.com/~kemmy/book/kemmis04.html].
Complete Peerage provides no further particulars regarding Sir John
Camoys' life or his subsequent wife who was evidently the mother of Sir
Thomas Camoys. Whoever Sir John's second wife was, she was evidently a
near kinswoman of William le Latimer, K.G., 4th Lord Latimer (died
1381), whose will names her son, Sir Thomas Camoys, as his cousin
[Reference: Nicolas, Testamenta Vetusta 1 (1826): 108]. As for Sir
John Camoys' subsequent life, I find that in 1359 the King being on his
way to the war in France gave authority in his absence to John de
Camoys and others for an array of men in Norfolk. In the same year,
Sir John de Camoys was directed to raise 150 archers in Norfolk for the
passage of the King into France and subsequently 50 armed horse in
addition [Reference: Ibid.]. Elsewhere, I have found that Sir John
Camoys was living as late as 5 May 1362, when he witnessed a deed
involving property in Norfolk. Thus, it would seem Sir John Camoys was
a resident of Norfolk in the later period of his life. He was
evidently deceased sometime before 1372, when, as stated above, his son
and heir, Sir Thomas Camoys succeeded to the family estates. If Sir
John Camoys was survived by a widow, she could well be the Elizabeth
Camoys who was granted 50s. in 1382-3 by Earl Edward Courtenay.
Besides Sir Thomas Camoys, Sir John Camoys and his second wife were
presumably parents of the Hugh Camoys, esquire, who was another of the
liveried personnel of Earl Edward Courtenay in 1384-5.
Comments are invited.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
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Source: National Archives Catalogue
(http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp)
SC 8/183/9116
Scope and content
Petitioners: Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon.
Addressees: King.
Places mentioned: Exe Island, Devon; Old Lymington, Hampshire; New
Lymington, Hampshire; Nywenham Courtenay (Newnham Barton), Devon;
Whitewell, Devon; Bruckland, Devon; Trill, Devon; Houndbeare, Devon;
Colyton, Devon; Yardbury, Devon; Heathayne, Devon; Pool Anthony, Devon;
Tiverton, Devon; Ponsford, Devon; Cullompton, Devon; Crewkerne,
Somerset; Ebrighton (Ibberton), Dorset; Whitford, Devon; Colyton
hundred, Devon; Battisford, Devon.
Other people mentioned: William [Courtenay], Archbishop of Canterbury;
Robert [Braybrooke], Bishop of London; Thomas [Brantingham], Bishop of
Exeter; Walter Clopton; John Hulle; John Wadham; John Isaak; John
Barnburgh; Margaret [Courtenay, Countess of Devon], widow of Hugh
Courtenay; Hugh Courtenay, Earl of Devon; Elizabeth de Veer (Vere);
Henry Cornu; Maud [Cornu], wife of Henry Cornu; Maud [Courtenay,
Countess of Devon], wife of the petitioner.
Nature of request: The Earl of Devon requests licence to enfeoff
various lands in Devon, Hampshire, Somerset and Dorset to the
Archbishop of Canterbury and others, until they have levied 2000 marks
from the estates, when they will re-enfeoff them to the Earl and Maud,
his wife.
Endorsement: [None]
Covering dates [1385]
Note The requested licence was granted on 9 September 1385.
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Source: A2A Catalogue (http://www.a2a.org.uk/error/access.asp)
Norfolk Record Office: Hare Family, Baronets of Stow Bardolph,
Reference: Hare 1504 191 x 6
Deed of Grant
Creation dates: 5 May 1362
Physical characteristics: Seal tag
Scope and Content
John Simond of Ayschelee (Nhts). to Sir Richard de Walkefar', Kt., Sir
Richard de Causton, Kt., Sir John Camoys, Kt. & others
Lands and tenements in Fyncham and Stradesete
Thursday after Invention Holy Cross. 36 Ed III
Douglas Richardson
As a followup to my original post on Maud Camoys, wife of Edward
Courtenay, Knt., Earl of Devon, I can add that Maud and Edward were
married before 31 May 1383, when a fine was recorded which settled
various manors and lands in Cornwall and Devon on them for the life of
Maud, with reversion after the death of Maud to the Earl and his heirs
"quit of the heirs of Maud." [Reference: Cornwall Feet of Fines, 2
(1950): 67-68].
Elsewhere, I find that Maud Camoys, wife of Edward Courtenay is
identified as a daughter of Sir John de Camoys in Sussex Arch. Coll., 3
(1850): 94. This source, however, mistakenly refers to Maud as
Elizabeth. Complete Peerage overlooked or ignored this information.
Sir John de Camoys' first wife, Margaret Foliot, appears to have died
childless sometime before 30 September 1360, when an inquisition was
taken which shows that Sir John de Camoys, aged 40, was then holding
the manor of Grimston, Norfolk jointly with Hugh de Hastings, aged 25,
as co-heirs of Richard Foliot. Sir John de Camoys was holding his
share "for life by the law of England after the death of Margaret, late
his wife." [Reference: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, 10
(1921): 502].
It has been presumed by modern authorities that Sir John de Camoys' son
and heir, Sir Thomas Camoys, was of age in 1372, when he was found to
be the heir to certain lands of his uncle, also named Sir Thomas Camoys
[Reference: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, 13 (1954): 150-151].
The inquisition in question, however, of the elder Sir Thomas' does not
mention the age of the younger Thomas. The earliest I show that the
younger Sir Thomas Camoys was operating as an adult is in 1378, when he
he disputed the advowson of Broadwater, Sussex with Adam de Hartingdon
[Reference: VCH Sussex, 6 pt. 1 (1980): 77]. If so, it would seem that
the younger Sir Thomas Camoys was born in or before 1357, not 1351 as I
earlier thought. If correct, this would mean that Sir Thomas Camoys
was virtually the same age as his brother-in-law, Edward Courtenay,
Earl of Devon, who was born about 1357.
Best always, Douglas Richardson, Salt Lake City, Utah
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