PEDIGREE OF CHERLETON, LORD OF POWIS. Sir John de Cherleton, Lord of Cherleton and of Pontesbury, co. Salop, Hawys (Gadarn) sister and heiress of Griffin ap Owen 1307. Lord of Powys jure uxoris June 25, 1309. Ob. circa Dec. 1353. | de la Pole, Lord of Powys. Predeceased her husband. John de Cherleton (II), son and heir, summoned to Parl. as "Johanni de Cherleton." Defs Aug. 30, 1360. | Maude, daughter of Roger Mortimer, first Earl of March. (Dug. dale's Baron.) Owen de Cherleton, Lord of Lydham, co. Salop. Ob. s. p. John de Cherleton (III) son and heir, was 26 years of age at Easter (April 5) 1360. Joane, daughter of Ralph Stafford, Summoned to Parl. as " Johanni de Cherleton de Powys." Ob. July 13, 1374. Sir John Grey, knight, created Earl of Tankerville in Normandy, 6 Henry V. Ob. 9 Henry V (1421-2). Earl of Stafford. Joan dau. and coheir, aged John Tiptoft, Lord Tip-Joice, dau. and coheir, PEDIGREE OF THE LORDS MOWTHEY. William de la Pole, Lord of Mawddwy, co. Merioneth, fourth son of Griffin ap Wenwynwyn, Gladusa, or Wladousa, and of Great Saredon, co. Stafford, occurs 1278-1299. Defs. 1311.* occurs 1311-1320. Jane, daughter and coheir of Sir Wm. Sir John Burgh, Knt., Lord of Jane. ob. 1471. ..... occurs as relict of Sir (1474-5). Isabella, third Thomas Sir John Lyngen, ON THE BUT MORE ESPECIALLY DR. PETER COURTENAY, SOMETIME BISHOP OF EXETER, AND AFTERWARDS BISHOP OF WINCHESTER. BY FRANCIS JOSEPH BAIGENT, ESQ. THE 'HE many gallant and knightly deeds recorded in the annals of the house of Courtenay, and the desperate fidelity with which they adhered to the fortunes of the royal house of Lancaster, are well known to all. We should not, however, be so dazzled by the chivalry of some members of this great house, as to overlook others who achieved for themselves distinction in a far different arena. It is to these, or at least to a few of these, that I wish to direct your attention. Within the period of a century, no fewer than three members of this great Devonshire family wore the mitre and wielded the episcopal staff, one of whom attained the highest rank, and ruled from the primatial chair of Canterbury. Of two of these I shall say not little; but of the third, who received the mitre and pastoral staff as bishop of this city,— the city of his native county, and whose name is so familiar to all Exonians as the donor of the great" Peter bell," I shall speak even more at length. The first of these prelates is WILLIAM COURTENAY, son of Hugh Courtenay, the second of that name, Earl of Devon, and his countess, Margaret, daughter of Humphry de Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Essex, and granddaughter of king Edward I. He was born in the manor house of Exminster, and there baptized in St. Martin's church. Adopting the ecclesiastical profession he was collated to a canonry in Exeter cathedral. He became chancellor of the University of Oxford in 1367, and canon of Ampleforth, in the metropolitan cathedral church of York, on the 24th of March, 1368-9. A few months later he was promoted to the bishopric of Hereford, by papal provision and dispensation, he being at that time only in the twenty-eighth year of his age.1 The bull of Pope Urban V, on his provision, is dated at Viterbo, August 17, 1369, the seventh year of his 1. Registrum venerabilis in Christo patris domini Willielmi de Courteney, Dei gratid, Herefordensis Episcopi, qui vicesimo octavo ætatis suæ anno, per sanctissimum in Christro patrem ac dominum nostrum dominum divina providencia papam Urbanum quintum, de consilio et assensu sanctæ Romanæ ecclesiæ Cardinalium, dispensatione super ætatis defectu præoptento Herefordensi fuit præfectus ecclesia in Episcopum et pastorem.—Heading to the first volume of his Episcopal Register in the Bishop's Registry at Hereford. pontificate, and he is therein called Master William Courtenay, canon of York, and a Bachelor of Laws. He soon afterwards received the solemn rite of consecration,2 and the spiritualities of the see, March 13th, 1369-70,3 and the temporalities on the 19th of the same month, and was enthroned on the 15th of September, 1370.5 He made his profession of obedience before archbishop Wittlesey in his great chamber at Lambeth Palace on the 13th of November the same year, in the presence of Master Richard de Warington, the archbishop's chancellor, and John de Barton the registrar, as well as many other persons then and there present. Whilst bishop of Hereford he paid frequent visits to his venerable parents at Tiverton Castle, and rendered valuable service in the performance of episcopal functions for Thomas de Brantyngham, bishop of Exeter.7 After governing the diocese of Hereford for a period of six years, he was translated on the 12th September 1375 by pope Gregory XI to the bishopric of London, void by the translation of Simon de Sudbury to the archiepiscopal see of Canterbury. The king granted him the restitution of its temporalities on the 2nd December 1375,9 and he received the spiritualities from the archbishop on the following day.10 In 1376, King Edward III, at the instigation of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, had unjustly seized the temporalities of the illustrious William de Wykeham, bishop of Winchester. The king having desired the clergy assembled in convocation to grant him a subsidy, bishop Courtenay stood up as the vindicator of Wykeham. He held up before the reverend assembly a written statement of the injuries sustained by the good bishop, and pleaded with fervid eloquence on behalf of a man oppressed and condemned without fair trial, and concluded by adjuring them to refuse any subsidy until satisfaction should be made to the injured prelate." This was unanimously resolved upon by the entire house of convocation, and justice was speedily obtained. A few months after this, the Duke of Lancaster came to open words with bishop Courtenay in the cathedral church of Saint 1E Registro Reverendissimi Dñi, Dñi. Will. Wittlesey Archiepiscopi Cantuariensis. Fol. 25. ? I have not been able to discover any particulars of his consecration or its date; however, it is quite certain that he was consecrated the same year. The following is a copy of the heading to the second volume of his Episcopal Register:-Registrum Venerabilis in Christo patris ac domini domini Willielmi de Courtenay Dei gratiá Herefordensis Episcopi, de ordinibus per ipsum celebratis, sub anno ab incarnatione Domini secundum cursum et computacionem ecclesiæ Anglicana Millesimo CCCmo Septuagesimo, et consecrationis ejusdem venerabilis patris primo. 3 E Registro ipsius apud Hereford. Fol. 2. 5 Registr. ipsius. 6 * Prima Patent., anno 44 Edw. III, memb. 23. E Registro Will. Wittlesey Archiepi. Cantuar. Fol. 58. 7 E Registro Dãi Dñi Thomæ de Brantyngham Exoniensis Episcopi. SE Registro Reverendiss. Dãi Dñi Simonis de Sudbury Archiepis. Cantuar. Fol. 21 b., et 22 a. 9 Secunda Patent., anno 49 Edw. III, memb. 7. 10 E Registro Simon. de Sudbury Archiepis. Cantuar. Fol. 22. "Wharton's Historia de Episcopis Londinensibus. 8vo. London, 1695. P. 137. M M your Paul's, London.1 "Sir, you are too bold," cried the duke; "you put your confidence in birth and kinsmen; but they cannot help thee; nay, they shall do enough if they save themselves. I will humble thy proud order in the land." "Nay, my lord,” replied the undaunted Courtenay, "I rely on no mortal man; but I will boldly speak the truth in the name of the living God in whom I trust." "Would that I could drag him down by his hair!" whispered the enraged duke to his partisans. The words ran through the crowd, hitherto mute with suppressed emotion; but now from nave and choir and aisles rose up the indignant voices of the men of London, and cried that they would defend their bishop that day. The duke hastily quitted the church, and proposed in parliament to deprive the city of its privileges. "Two days had not passed ere every bed and hanging in the duke's house was pierced with the stabs of bills and javelins, and the forgiving bishop of London was summoned to save the duke's palace of the Savoy from utter demolition by an armed multitude" of enraged citizens.2 Bishop Courtenay sat about the same number of years at London, whence he was promoted by pope Urban VI to the archiepiscopal chair of Canterbury on the 9th September 1381. Simon de Sudbury, archbishop of Canterbury and chancellor of England, having been barbarously murdered by the insurgent populace on the 14th June 1381; on the twelfth of the following month the king issued his licence to the prior and convent of Canterbury to proceed to another election. They assembled for that purpose in their chapter-house on the 31st July, and unanimously elected bishop Courtenay to the vacant archiepiscopal see. He received the royal assent to his election on the 5th August, and was shortly afterwards appointed lord high chancellor, and had the great seal of England delivered to him on the 10th of the same month.5 On the 23rd October, the king granted him the restitution of the temporalities of the archbishopric of Canterbury. Nevertheless, on the 9th September, before the presentation of his postulation, pope Urban VI issued his bull of provision, and in virtue of this bishop Courtenay was translated to the archiepiscopal and primatial see of Canterbury. He received the apostolic mandates at Croydon on 'Harleian MS. No. 6,217, p. 20. 3 Prima Patent., anno 5 Ric. II, memb. 36. 5 Rotul. Claus., 5 Ric. II, memb. 25 in dorso. 2 Walcott's Life of Wykeham, p. 59. • Prima Pat., anno 5 Ric. II, memb. 29. Prima Pat., 5 Ric. II, memb. 17. The first folio of his Archiepiscopal Register is headed :-Incipit Registrum reverendi in Christo patris domini Willielmi Courteney nobilis viri domini Hugonis Courteney Comitis Devoniæ filii, olim Herefordensis postea Londoniensis episcopi, deinde vero vacante Cantuariensis ecclesia per obitum bonæ memoriæ domini Simonis de Sudburiá Archiepiscopi Cantuariensis, quem populus insurgens juxta turrim Londoniensem nequiter decapitavit anno Domini Millesimo Tricentesimo Octogesimo primo, in archiepiscopum Cantuariensem ultimo die mensis Julii anno prædicto, a priore et capitulo ecclesive Cantuariensis unanimiter postulati, et ante præsen tationem postulationis suæ sanctissimo in Christo patri domino Urbano divinâ providenciâ Papæ sexto factam, per eundem dominum Urbanum de consilio fratrum suorum dominorum Cardinalium et Apostolicæ potestatis plenitudine, Quinto Idus Septembris anno Domini supradicto, ad dictam ecclesiam Cantuariensem, translati. |