William Courtenay, Earl of Devon
From a Private Collection
Earl of Devon and land owner west of the Exe
By Sarah Stephenson
At Powderham
William Courtenay (1746-1835) later to become Earl of Devon; inherited Powderham Castle, in 1784. The Courtenays owned a large area of land west of the River Exe and many of his tenants would have lived in what are now parts of Alphington, Exwick, Cowick and St Thomas.
He was the subject of gossip from early in his life, referred to as a homosexual. When Courtenay was in his teens he and William Beckford a "wealthy eccentric" were found in the same bedchamber at Powderham Castle.
Courtenay maintained a bachelor lifestyle at Powderham with one of his unmarried sisters.
Indescreet behaviour
However, his behavior was often indiscreet which lead to him receiving unwanted attention from a magistrate named Morton in Exeter. By 1811 Morton had gathered enough evidence to bring Courtenay to trial on grounds of sodomy. Courtenay escaped the consequences of Morton's research, (which could have ended Courtenay's life at the hands of the executioner), on a boat from the "West of Exe" leaving for America under a pseudo name.*
In the United States
The Third Viscount William Courtenay settled in the United States where he owned a property on the Hudson River in New York State, and later in Paris where he died in 1835. In 1831 he successfully applied to have the title of Earl of Devon, created in 1553, restored to the Courtenay family and became the 9th Earl. Despite having lived abroad for so long, he was dearly loved by his tenants who insisted that he be buried in stately fashion back at Powderham.
Competition for the biggest carpet!
William was responsible for the addition of the Music Room, designed by the famous architect James Wyatt, a design that included a carpet made in the newly formed Axminster Carpet Company. It was the biggest carpet they ever made, until the Prince Regent found out about it and insisted upon having a bigger one!
*Montgomery Hyde H. (1970) The Other love: a historical and contemporary survey of homosexuality in Britain. Western Printing Services Ltd, Bristol. P72-73.
The Curator of West Exe adds:
Follow this link to find out more about sharing LGBT history: LGBT