Hugh Courtenay (died 1471)

Courtenay's presence at the Battle of Tewkesbury, fighting for the Lancastrian cause, is narrated by Cleaveland (1735)[2] as follows:[3] In 1471, 11th Edward IV, on Easter day Queen Margaret wife of Henry VI and her son Prince Edward landed at Weymouth, and went from thence to an abbey near called Cerne, and while they were there Edmund, Earl of Somerset, John, Earl of Devonshire, and many others came unto them, and welcomed them to England.

And so it was in a little time Prince Edward's army was put to flight, and the Duke of Somerset and many others fled for sanctuary to Tewksbury Church, and in a day or two after were taken out and beheaded, but whether Sir Hugh Courtenay died in battle, or was amongst those who took sanctuary, it is not said, but it is highly probable that he was killed at the time, either in the field or afterwards and was buried at Tewksbury.He married Margaret Carminow, a daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Carminow of Boconnoc, by his wife Joan Hill, a daughter of Robert Hill.

He and his wife are said by Rogers (1877)[10] and by Hoskins (1954),[11] to be represented by the surviving effigies[12] in the canopied tomb in the south aisle of Ashwater Church in Devon, which displays the arms of Courtenay and Carminowe,[13] although the manor of Ashwater descended from Carminowe to the Carew family, not to Courtenay.

[15] Concerning the heraldry in Ashwater Church, Rogers states:[16] In the east window of the aisle of Ashwater Church, in which the effigies occur, are the arms of Carew impaling Carminow ; and on a similar shield the dexter impalement of which is now blank (but was doubtless originally filled by the arms of Carminow), impaling, quarterly Courtenay and De Redvers, thus indicating that both heiresses Joan and Margaret Carminow contributed to the rebuilding of the aisle.

[5] On the death of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon, in 1556, the actual heirs to his estates were the following descendants of the four sisters above:[17]