His paternal grandparents were Sir John Cary (died 1395), of St Giles on the Heath in Devon, and his wife Margaret Holway.
[1] After the lands of his grandfather had been seized by King Richard II, his father had managed to regain Cockington, which passed to him about 1431.
Two-thirds he had to put in the hands of trustees for settlement of debts while one-third was reserved for his stepmother Joan,[2] who outlived him.
[1] On 1 May 1434 he was on a commission with Bishop Edmund Lacey and Sir Roger Champernowne to receive the oaths of six knights and 68 others for the keeping of the peace in Devon.
[1] Some sources also mention a daughter, Christian Cary, who married Richard Weekes (died 1483), of Honeychurch in Devon.