He was created a baronet in 1644 by King Charles I but disdained the newly invented variety of title, perhaps on political grounds, and never took out a patent.

The country party's candidate was unsuccessful, but the government supporters admitted that in a clean election Courtenay's campaign had been very moderate.

[2] After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, Courtenay funded a lavish reception at Forde House, Wolborough, for William of Orange and his council, who had just landed nearby at Torbay.

The chair on which the future King William III sat during his first Council of State at Forde is now displayed in the Dining Hall of Powderham Castle.

Forde became the couple's main home, possibly due to the damage suffered by Powderham Castle during the Civil War, it having been captured on 25 January 1646 from the Royalist garrison by the parliamentarian forces under Col. Robert Hammond.