Sir George Courtenay, 1st Baronet

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George Courtenay
Baronet Courtenay of Newcastle
Tenure1622–1644
SuccessorSir William Courtenay, 2nd Baronet
BornBetween 1580 and 1585
Died1644
Spouse(s)Catherine Berkeley
Issue
Detail		William, and others
FatherWilliam Courtenay (died 1630)
MotherElizabeth Manners

Sir George Oughtred Courtenay, 1st Baronet, of Newcastle (c. 1585 – 1644) was an Irish landowner and soldier. He defended Limerick at the siege of 1642 during the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

Birth and origins[edit]

George was born between 1580 and 1585, the fourth son of William Courtenay and his first wife, Elizabeth Manners. His father was a member of the Devonshire gentry but would much later in 1831 be recognised as de jure 3rd Earl of Devon.[1] His father's family was the English branch of the House of Courtenay. His mother was a daughter of Henry Manners, 2nd Earl of Rutland in England.

Family tree
George Courtenay with wife, parents, and other selected relatives.[a]
William
Courtenay
c. 1529 – 1557		Elizabeth
Paulet
c. 1533 – 1576		Henry
Oughtred
c. 1533 – 1599
William
Courtenay
1553–1630		Elizabeth
Manners		Francis
Berkeley
d. 1615
of Askeaton
Francis
Courtenay
1576–1638		George
1st Baronet
1585 – 1644		Catherine
Berkeley
William
1st Baronet
1628–1702		William
2nd Baronet
1616–1652		Francis
3rd Baronet
1617–1660
Francis
Courtenay
d. 1699
d.v.p.*		William
4th Baronet
c. 1659 – c. 1700
Legend
XXXSubject of
the article		XXXCourtenay
Irish Baronets		XXXCourtenay
English Bts
*d.v.p. = predeceased his father (decessit vita patris)

Plantation of Munster[edit]

His father was an undertaker in the Plantation of Munster after the Desmond Rebellions[3] and was in 1585 granted the seignory of Newcastle, 10,500 acres, in the Barony of Connello, in the western part of County Limerick.[4][5][6]

Between 1598 and 1611 Courtenay bought the seignories of Mayne[7] (south east of Newcastle) and Beauly (also called Muskrinownan)[8] from Sir Henry Oughtred's heirs, increasing his lands in Munster from 10,500 to 33,678 acres.[9] Oughtred had died childless in 1599 and was his father's stepfather.

Marriage and children[edit]

George Courtenay married Catherine Berkeley before 1616.[10] Her father was Francis Berkeley of Askeaton, County Limerick, third son of Maurice Berkeley of Bruton in Somerset. Her uncle Captain Edward Berkeley had in 1585 or 1586 been made Constable of Askeaton Castle,[11] which had been taken by the English in April 1580 soon after the beginning of the Second Desmond Rebellion.[12]

George and Catherine had three sons:[10]

  1. William (1616–1652), 2nd Baronet, died without son[13]
  2. Francis (1617–1660), 3rd Baronet
  3. Morris, died without issue

Baronet[edit]

In 1622 Courtenay was created 1st Baronet Courtenay of Newcastle, County Limerick.[14] In that year he was also appointed constable of Limerick Castle.[15] His father died on 24 June 1630.[16] His elder brother Francis Courtenay became de jure Earl of Devon and inherited the English lands. George inherited the Irish land.

Siege of Limerick[edit]

Main article: Siege of Limerick (1642)

In May and June 1642, Courtenay defended King John's Castle, Limerick, against the Munster rebels under General Garret Barry, Patrick Purcell of Croagh, Lord Muskerry, and Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Fermoy.[17] The besiegers attacked the eastern wall and the bastion on its south-east corner by digging mines.[18] Courtenay surrendered the castle on 21 June and Muskerry took possession.[19]

Loss of Newcastle[edit]

In July and August 1642 Purcell besieged Newcastle, Courtenay's seat, which fell on 6 August after a cannon had been brought from Limerick.[20]

Death and timeline[edit]

Sir George died in 1644. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Sir William Courtenay, 2nd Baronet.[13]

Timeline
As his birth date is uncertain, so are all his ages. Italics for historical background.
Age Date Event
0 1580–1585 Born
17–18 29 May 1601 The Súgán earl, James FitzThomas FitzGerald is captured.
17–18 22 Sep 1601 The Spanish landed at Kinsale[21]
19–20 24 Mar 1603 Accession of James I, succeeding Elizabeth I[22]
32–33 1616 Married Catherine Berkeley[23]
38–39 Jan 1622 Created Baronet Courtenay of Newcastle[14]
41–42 27 Mar 1625 Accession of Charles I, succeeding James I[24]
46–47 24 Jun 1630 Father died in London.
60–61 21 Jun 1642 Surrendered King John's Castle, Limerick
60–61 1644 Died

Notes and references[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ This family tree is based on a Courtenay pedigree[2] Also see the list children in the text.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Cokayne 1916, p. 333, line 4: "13. William Courtenay, of Powderham afsd., de jure Earl of Devon ..."
  2. ^ Colby 1872, p. 76Pedigree
  3. ^ Westropp 1907, p. 155: "The English settlers were given possession of the castles, and Connello was divided into seignories, mainly held by Berkeley, Courtenay, Oughtred, Trenchard, Cullom, Billingsley and Agar."
  4. ^ MacCarthy-Morrogh 1986, p. 127, line 22: " Courtenay at Newcastle "
  5. ^ Dunlop 1924, p. 134, line 19: "10. The Seignory of Newcastle, containing 10,500 English acres, to Sir William Courtney ..."
  6. ^ Cokayne 1916, p. 333, line 7: "... one of the undertakers for the planting of Ireland, 1585 ..."
  7. ^ Dunlop 1924, p. 134, line 6: "9. The Seignory of Meane, containing 11,958 English acres, to Henry Outred, Esq., after Knight: rent reduced on account of evicted lands. The seignory is held by George Courtenay, Esq. by conveyance from Sir Henry Oughtred."
  8. ^ Dunlop 1924, p. 134, line 33: "11. The Seignory of Muskrinownan alias Beauly, containing 11,220 English acres, to Robert Stroud, Esq. ..."
  9. ^ MacCarthy-Morrogh 1986, p. 140: "... Oughtred's heirs [sold] to a fellow undertaker and relation, George Courtenay;"
  10. ^ a b Cokayne 1900, p. 229, line 29. "... m. [married] in or before 1616, Catharine, da. [daughter] of Francis Berkeley, of Askeaton, co. Limerick, by whom he had three sons, William, Francis and Morris, aged 4, 3 and 2 respectively in 1620 [Visit. of Devon]. Of these sons, William and Morris are said to have died s.p. [childless]."
  11. ^ Hamilton 1877, p. 41, line 12: "[Book of the Garrisons from 1st October 1585 to 31st March 1586] Warders, Munster: ... Edward Barkley, Esq., Constable of Askeaton."
  12. ^ Westropp 1903, p. 153: "On April 3rd [1580] the English were before Askeaton, Lord Justice Pelham had little difficulty in reducing the formidable fortress 'in the midst of a deep river'; a few shots of the English canon, and the garrison fled by night ..."
  13. ^ a b Cokayne 1900, p. 230: "II. 1640? Sir William Courtenay, Bart. [I. [Ireland] 1622], 1st s. [son] and h. [heir], b. [born] 1616, is presumed to have suc. [succeeded] to the Baronetcy on his father's death, and to have d.s.p.m. [died without male issue] about 1651 when the Baronetcy became dormant or extinct."
  14. ^ a b Cokayne 1900, p. 229, line 23: "I. 1622? 'George Courtenay, Esq. of Newcastle, co. Limerick' was cr. [created] a Bart. [I. [Ireland]] as above, presumably in Jan. 1621/22, the Privy Seal being dat. at Westm., 10 Dec. 1621."
  15. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. 55: "... Sir Maurice Berkeley was the constable of Limerick Castle until 1622, when he was succeeded by George Courtenay."
  16. ^ Cokayne 1916, p. 333, line 14: "He [William Courtenay] d. [died] 24 June 1630, aged 77, and was buried at Powderham."
  17. ^ M'Enery 1904, p. 163, penultimate line: "The principal men among the besiegers were General Gerald Barry, Patrick Pursell of Croagh, County Limerick, lord Roche, lord Muskerry ..."
  18. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. 1: "The castle had been brought to the brink of surrender by the invisible and inexorable power of deep gallery mining."
  19. ^ Adams 1904, p. 255: "... capitulated on the 21st of June [1642]. Lord Muskerry took possession the next day."
  20. ^ Wiggins 2001, p. 226, line 8: "In August 1642 Patrick Purcell arrived with one of the Limerick guns, and the castle was surrendered forthwith."
  21. ^ Joyce 1903, p. 172: "On the 23d of September, 1601, a Spanish fleet entered the harbour of Kinsale with 3,400 troops ... "
  22. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 44, line 2: "James I ... acc. 24 Mar. 1603;"
  23. ^ Cokayne 1900, p. 229. "... m. [married] in or before 1616, Catharine, da. [daughter] of Francis Berkeley, of Askeaton, co. Limerick, by whom he had three sons, William, Francis and Morris, aged 4, 3 and 2 respectively in 1620 [Visit. of Devon]. Of these sons, William and Morris are said to have died s.p. [childless]."
  24. ^ Fryde et al. 1986, p. 44, line 16: "Charles I ... acc. 27 Mar. 1625;"

Sources[edit]

  • Adams, Constance Louisa (1904). Castles of Ireland – Some Fortress Histories and Legends. London: Elliot Stock. OCLC 751487142.
  • Cokayne, George Edward (1900). Complete Baronetage, 1611 to 1800. Vol. I (1st ed.). Exeter: William Pollard & Co. OCLC 866278985. – 1611 to 1625
Baronetage of Ireland
New creation Baronet
(of Newcastle)
1622 – 1652 		Succeeded by
William Courtenay
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