Notes for Hugh (2nd Earl of Devon) de COURTENAY:
He was destined to become a great soldier in the Hundred years war in service of King Edward III. On 11 August 1327, still only 23 years old he was made knight banneret, and joined the elite group of knights who protected the King's body. He was made a founding and 12th Knight of the Order of the Garter in 1348 on its investiture at Windsor Castle. Courtenay fought with the heroes of Crecy on 26 August 1346 in the famous of the encounters in France. The victory formed the basis for Courtenay's inclusion as a Knight of the Garter in 1348, by personal invitation of the King himself.
(The Most Noble Order of the Garter is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England, founded in 1348. The Order is dedicated to the image and arms of St. George as England's patron saint, and is presently bestowed on recipients from British and other Commonwealth realms; after peerages, it is the pinnacle of the honours system in the United Kingdom. Membership in the order is limited to the Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and no more than twenty-four members, or Companions)
Hugh, a badly behaved fellow, was self-important and puffed up. In 1335 The King granted his wish to be elevated to the earldom of Devon. No sooner he was bragging to the peasant folk in Devonshire that he was the only font of justice. Courtenay was summoned to Parliament on the assumption of Edward III to full authority over the usurper Roger Mortimer. The writ issued on 23 April 1337 described him as Hugoni de Courteney juniori styled as Lord Courteney. Two years later he defended the coasts of Cornwall with some distinction from the invasion fleet of France. On the death of his father, Hugh, the following year he was granted livery and extensive land ownership in Devon. He was probably present at the Battle of Neville's Cross, in which Henry Percy and Ralph Neville utterly defeated the Scots King David II on 17 October 1346. As the second Courtenay Earl he was honoured in the jousting tournament that took place at Lichfield, one of the many in celebration of Crecy, on 9 April 1347, in which the King himself also took part. As a Knight of the Garter he was given special permission to build the White Friars at Fleet Street, London, which became an impressive religious house near the Palace of Whitehall. Following the completion of this project he returned to Devon, on appointment as Joint Warden of Devon and Cornwall in 1352. In 1361 he and his wife benefited from the will of her deceased brother, Earl of Hereford, greatly increasing his land holdings.
After a full career he died at Exeter on 2 May 1377 Buried at Exeter Cathedral
Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon was invested as a Knight Banneret in 1327. He fought in the Scottish Wars. He fought in the French Wars. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Lord Courtenay [E., 1299] on 23 April 1337, in his father's lifetime. In 1339 he repulsed a French descent on Cornwall. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Devon [E., 1335] on 23 December 1340. He held the office of Joint Warden of Devon and Cornwall in 1352. He held the office of Chief Warden of Devon in 1373. Charles Mosley, editor, Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes (Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003), volume 1, page 1122. Hereinafter cited as Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 107th edition. Holmes, G. Estates of Higher Nobility in Fourteenth Century England, Cambridge, 1957, p. 58.
Mortimer, Ian Edward III (London 2007). Oliver and Jones's Genealogy of Courtenay (see the website).* Ormrod, W. M. The Reign of Edward III (Tempus Publishing 1999).