#15351, Elizabeth COURTENAY

Elizabeth was the daughter and heiress of Philip Courtenay of Loughtor, a younger son of Sir Philip Courtenay (died 1488) of Molland in North Devon.  Thus Loughtor passed into the possession of the Strode family.  The mansion house of the estate of Loughtor was situated within the parish of Plympton St. Mary, on a hill about one third of a mile north-east of Newnham, and to this site the Strode family later moved its residence, where in about 1700 a new mansion house was built, near or on the site of Loughtor House and named Newnham Park which survives today.

The Courtenay family of Molland were a junior branch of the Courtenay family of Powderham, itself a junior branch of the Courtenay Earls of Devon, feudal barons of Plympton and feudal barons of Okehampton, seated at Tiverton Castle.  A canopied effigy of William Courtenay of Loughtor survives in a mutilated state in St. Mary's Church, Plympton.

In addition to those shown Elizabeth and William had Agnes who married Yarde; Katherine who married George White; Mary who married (1) Thomas Prestwood and (2) Nicholas Martyn; Joan who married Stephen Vaughan; John who married Honor Speccott and is buried in St. Mary, Plympton; William who married Joane Darte and Elizabeth who married Walter Hele and is buried at Holy Cross Church, Newton Ferrers, Devon.

Elizabeth was a first cousin King Edward VI and her brother, Edward Seymour was uncle and Lord Protector of King Richard.